Expansion early modern mod idea
INTRO
Hi guys,
i've been thinking about this for a while now, and i think it's time to try and see if there's interest in developing an early modern era mod, however unlike the Italian wars not encompassing only the Italian peninsula, but the entire map simmilar to MTWII vanilla. This is basically a preliminary idea/inquiry if there's even interest in the creation of such a mod.
After talking to the brains behind Italian Wars Aneirin, he more than generously allowed the Italian wars to be a basis for such a mod. It's been already really well researched, and it seems like half of the factions and units that would make sense for a larger scale mod are already in place or would need just minor adjustments. Knowing that, making a fully functional mod, at least a beta version, would take far less time, effort and manpower than starting a new mod altogether from scrap. The idea would be to start as such, a submod or basically expansion, and then possibly with new manpower and new additions create more and more original additions and become a mod of it's own. Ofc given that the Italian Wars are allowing us it's use at the start, they would be more than welcome to use of all of our work they would like as well.
Given that i've come from a background of a mod known as EB which prides itself on maximum research and accuracy, i'd like to put maximum ephasis in any such mod to be as accurate as possible to depict units and faction struggles within the game's limits.
The unfortunate part is, that as it stands now i can't offer much to such a mod in terms of modding. While im a graduated Historian and read everything i possibly can about history, i'm not an expert per se on the period (yet), and my modding skills are very limited. However i do have a lot of managament experience both in real life and in mods, serving as a founder of the mod for EBI, Novus Ordo Mundi (which was never finished since RTW enthusiasm fazed out much faster than MTWII that seems to never cease), and currently as you can see from my sig the secretary of EB as well, where i handle the teams facebook and twitter pages while helping out the mod mostly by playtesting and helping our historians working on Carthage.
However, i am currently in the phase of learning working photoshop, and hopefully i'll be skilled enough soon to help such a mod as an EB artist as well and not just as a PR/Coordonitor/Researcher.
Before we start, i think it's good enough to portray the colonial expansion of nation via buildings and potentialy scripting events, and let them be off-map. The effect apart from the influx of money and the inflation that followed was minimal at this time, since the wars in Europe didn't really translate as much into those in the new world as much later on did.
Anyways, here's a quick look at my idea.
Start Date: from 1530ish to 1648 (open for debate, important is that we still have very armoured units. Other mods either have no gunpowder or are of an era where armour was fazed out, and ETW style battles became the norm. I'd like to relive the era where everything was battling everything)
Why the start date?
This is a very unique time-frame in history. With the rise of gunpowder there was a lot of contradictory philosophies on how battles should be fought. On one hand we had some believing that armor is now getting more and more obsolete due to the firepower of the new guns, on the other some said heck, let's just get even heavier in our armour which would make the battles very varied and fun from a gameplay perspective. Superheavy gendarmes trying to follow light cavalry. If they'd hit them before they would tire to death they would destroy them. If they would tire first, they would be pretty much useles after than and the light cavalry would prevail.
The units of this era would be some of the most colorful of all, with really elaborate armours on the lancers of the lancers and infantrymen of the world. However we'd have to be careful not to have all Spaniards dress in yellow
It would also be a nice and unique experience to show Empires such as Spain and Ottomans fighting for supremacy. Having the date start around 1540 would have the great benefit for a very interesting dynamic with Spain.
We'd have the Spanish Empire of Charles V having ther power bases divided between Castile itself, the low countries, the mezzogiorno and lombardy. It would give players facing and playing as Spain a very unique experience with huge areas, but very divided ones at that. They would also have a few towns in North africa that would be under heavy pressure from the Ottomans and their allies. The Netherlands should be an emerging faction that would add even more difficulty and fun with Spanish gameplay and add a new power to the mix.
West of Spain we would have Portugal. Heavily influenced by the mechanic we would divise for colonizing and trying to expand in north Africa, they would offer a fun game for players that would like solid borders and good expansion potential with the strong navy they would have, and with continuing the Reconquista
The Ottomans on be at the peak of their power as well, a threat to invade Europe proper should a city like Vienna fall, which is always in their campaigning range. Suleiman the Magnifecent would be leading their armies. It would also be really awesome to desing the super multi cultural and wide army of the Ottomans at this time, having basically every unit imaginable. They would serve as the counterweight to Spain, vying for dominance both in Europe and especially the mediteranean.
Here come the French. While not yet the powerhouse they would become 100 years later, they were still formidable. Being closed in by Habsburgs at every border, they should have the ability to ally with the Ottomans to prevent the Emperor and the Habsburgs to destroy them. Fielding one of the best armies of the world, they would also be one of the favourite factions to play.
In the north the British isles would offer a fun game as well. Calais would be the English stronghold on the mainland to give them the opportunity to mess with the European wars, and in the north the Scotish-English dynamic would be very interesting as well.
In italy we'd have to have a lot of cities, and a lot of factions. The Merchant Republics of Venice and Genoa would try and fight for their place under the sun against the countries that had access to the atlantic trade and made them more and more irrelevant. Savoy would try not to get annexed by France. The Papal States would be dictating their own policy. Florence would try and expand enough to become a hereditary Duchy with greater prestige. Ofc course the South would be in Spanish hands, however an ambitions ruler of a smaller Italian state could challenge them once they are facing wars on all of their possible fronts.
Another interesting dynamic could be made with the Holy Roman Empire. I believe, ideally we'd have the most important states be their own faction, while having the rest of the HRE being an unplayable faction itself, that would be scripted as much as possible to behave as the real HRE did. If implemented well, it would add a lot of fun there.
HRE members like Bavaria, Austria, Brandenburg should be added as separate factions.
Of course, there would be fun in the north as well. The situation in Scandinavia between the states of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and the affect they could potentially have once protenstatism is entranched would be really fun to roleplay.
Further east, we'd also have the Commonwealth (altough technically they were still 2 states at this point), and ofc the beatuful winged hussars leading them being one of the biggest powerhouses of the time as well. Facing the threat of the HRE states in the west, Russia in the East, the Scandinavian powers to the north, and rising Ottomans to the south, they would be in a very fun position.
The dynamic between nations like Fez, Tlemec and Hafsid with both the Ottomans on one end and the Spanish and Portugese expansion on the other would add fun as well.
Of course i could go on and on about the other potential factions in the mod, but i think once a team would be assembled it would be fun to pick them together. The above ones are the ones i think that must definetly be in.
Map:The map should encompass Europe with the territories extending from north Africa, to India and Siberia. The colonization would be best represented by buildings that would be buildable only to certain factions since wars there haven't had much direct correlation with the ones in Europe at this start date. It would give an income boost to Portugal and Spain, and later on in the campaing to France, Netherlands and England.
While i would like to see every part of the map represented, i would suggest adding the most cities in the most populated and most contested areas. I still cringe when i remember France had just 1 province in Empire total war.
At the start? Basically everyone. If you have any modding skills and are interested in starting this mod, which doesn't have a name yet, let me know. As it's not even started yet, even if you just have some ideas for the mod go ahead and raise your voice. I'd be very happy to listen. If there will be a lot of interest i will make further marketing moves to attract more people as well, but i think this is a good place to see if there's even any interest.
What/who would we need?
I won't post this elsewhere yet, since i want to learn enough to add some 2d art as well and not just what is mostly historical advice and management before i propose the mod to a wider audience, but here it was for you Italian war fans. Any feedback much appreciated!
Thanks for reading!
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