ES Vol. IV|Iss. III: Anno Domini and Medieval Total Realism

**therussian** · March 04, 2007, 11:34 AM

The Eagle Standard

Welcome to our third edition of the Eagle Standard. This Sunday's edition includes interview from members of two M2:TW mods: Anno Domini and Medieval Total Realism: Age of Ambition! Let's take a look see, shall we?

Sir Dinadan interviewing Re Berengario I about the new M2:TW mod Anno Domini

Dear Shaba has been missing from the board for sometime, I fear he was caught by the work or by the fiancé, a painful death in both cases! Our wishes go to him. Now for the interview

1)Can you give us some background info on you guys?(like what made you mod, when you started modding etc)

I started modding with the first MTW, there's still my Millennium mod around and some people sent me messages asking if I were the same Re Berengario I. The other game I modded a lot has been NWN (Neverwinter Night) and I also was in the staff of a permanent world based on it.
My hobbies are programming, graphic and middle-age history (with just 6 examinations away from a master degree, if only I'd study instead than modding!) so modding MTW2 was a forced outcome.

2)In what surroundings do you mod? IE, do you mod naked? Listen to music?(etc)

When I mod I usually listen to byzantine hesychast music while wearing a complete Gothic armour... ok ok, none will believe it
My modding work has usually a jazz music background completed by the ingestion of large quantities of espresso coffee. My PC desk is usually filled with books and magazines about middle-age because the TWC community is a pretty cultured one and don't rightly forgive bad references.

3)What is/was the inspiration for Anno Domini?

Being an avid player of both CA and Paradox games I wished to incorporate the strategic gameplay of the badly underrated Crusader Kings with the graphic magnificence of MTW2. But if I could send a plea, please Paradox and CA, please, work together to create MTW3!

4)Can you give us a general background on your mod?
Anno Domini is a mod where the player have to think like he were a medieval monarch. Because of it the mod tries to accomplish historic realism in every game aspect, from the graphic of ancillaries to the naming of the military units. The player has to feel the middle-age era in every second he plays the mod.

5) Tell us of a couple of the really specific, original features in your mod.
The player controls a dynasty, not a country which didn't exist in the modern terms we're accustomed to, so prestige and reputation are important like and maybe more than military power in Anno Domini.

Linked to this concept, dynastic events are the feature I'm most proud of. The player is often asked to decide about events which can modify the dynasty prestige, its incomes or how the dynasty leader is viewed by his subjects. For example refusing to accomplish expensive acts like buying a holy relic or setting up a great banquet for the nobles could have negative outcomes worse than losing a battle.
Another very distinctive feature is the possibility to collect Royal Titles. If your dynasty is controlling the key provinces of England your leader will become King of England. No more London as a French or HRE city, it's not World War II. In middle ages French nobles like the Angevins were kings of England but England didn't become France nor because the Windsor are from Germany (Hanover dynasty to be exact) now Great Britain is part of the Bundesrepublik.

6) What do you have planned for this mod to make it 'special'?

In the upcoming future the complete redesign of the military rosters and of the buildings. I think that the building trees can be expanded to give the player more choices and increase the medieval feeling. Things like monastic and cathedral schools, craftsmen guilds, the artistic path from Romantic to Gothic to Renaissance, and this talking just about the western lands!

7) Describe your mod in 10 words.

Anno Domini aims to be a total immersion in middle age.

8) What would be the catchphrase for this mod?
It's good to be the King!

9)What is your advice to people interested in modding?
Be curious! Open up your games and don't be shied away from what you don't understand. If you want you will.

10)What other mods do you/ or would you play if you could?
I'm very interested in DLV and TLR which I found have very similar concepts to mines. Still I barely play now if not for testing stuff for the mod.

11) What current games other then Total War are you playing?
I took out from the dust Crusader Kings and I'm particularly enjoying the actual campaign as Duke of Salerno.

12) What is your favorite game of all time?

The ones I played most are MTW, Neverwinter Nights and Victoria, I loved all the micromanagement of the latter but, as about any modder, I'm deeply masochist.

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And now for some eye candy

Some English units re-skinned(Please click on the thumbnails to see them better)

ARMOURED SPEARMEN - Faction: House of Normandy-Anjou- Era: 1250-1350

KING'S BARONS (1st armor upgrade) - Faction: House of Normandy-Anjou- Era: 1080-1250

NORMAN SPEARMEN (2nd armor upgrade) - Faction: House of Normandy-Anjou- Era: 1080-1250

And please make sure to visit THIS thread for all of the reskins

For the Eagle Standard, this is Sir Dinadan, OUT!

Bulgaroctonus interview Medieval Total Realism mod member byzantineklibanophori about the upcoming M2:TW mod, Medieval Total Realism: Age of Ambition

So, what is the basic principle behind Medieval Total Realism?

The basic principles behind MTR are the following:

1) Creating an immersive contemporary medieval environment for the player to engorge his senses to the point where he really cares about the empire he is building, the economy he/she is managing, the survival of his people, his huge ego (from his power trip) and of course, the thrill of leading armies into battle.

2) Allowing the player to recreate historical achievements but at the same time be able to explore "the alternate" history path as well. MTR has been noted as for proposing this policy from its early days and will allow historically plausible scenarios where nomadic factions have the chance to become sedentary and access technology sedentary societies have access to. There are even evolution units which are updated versions of military units that became obsolete but rejuvenated \if their faction becomes powerful.

3) Learn! MTR will be a modification which will introduce as much about a faction as possible. From the smallest detail to the obvious unmissable details. You will find this reflected in tidbits of info we unsuspecting throw at players. Players will learn things which they didn't know were possible about their beloved factions.

What time period will MTR cover? Will there be any new factions, such as another Italian faction, or another Russian faction?

Time Period is confirmed for 1071 - 1492

New Factions we are introducing are:

- Volga-Bulgaria, a hitherto ignored and often forgotten power based on the river Volga and home to a prosperous state lying on lucrative trade routes. A fascinating faction with a mixture of nomadic and sedentary lifestyle and cultures melting into an equally powerful state. Also has distinction as the furthest presence of Islam in the north.

- Khwarezm Khanate (Not the Khwarezmian Empire but the region itself), another ignored region which we have identified in serious need of attention. Khwarezm denotes the dynasties that have been established in the Khwarezm/Sugudha/Ferghana region which include the Qara-Khanids, Khwarezmians, Chagatai Khanate, etc, etc. We feel that the player will be able to turn this region into the base of a great empire. If Timur did, so can you!! Why? The region lies across important and rich trade routes. The wealth from this region is unbelievable! Plus, it is home to an interesting mixture of Iranic and Turanic cultures.

- Norway, some have questioned our judgement on this. But our position is. Yes, why not have Norway as a balance to Denmark? We did not want Scandinavia to be under-represented; they were as much a part of the Medieval period as other regions. It is a matter of interest for MTR and fans alike to see how this Viking state begins to adapt and transform itself. After all, it was defeated by the Normans, ending the Viking Age in England. Now we all want to know how the Norwegians will cope with this. Will they try and turn the tide and recapture England back again?

- Imazighen Amirate, this a Berber/Moorish Amirate based in Tunis. Various dynasties are represented here and have traditionally been the base for strong Muslim powers who have exercised piratical influence over the Mediterranean. At this stage in 1071, the Imazighen Amirate is weakened by Banu Hilal invasions and is restricted to thin coastal enclaves. But its position and the wealth from its remaining cities should keep it in good stead and allow it recover and become a formidable naval power, challenging even Venice itself. After all, before Venice was a major naval power. Tunis was the base of stronger naval powers than Venice.

- Sakartvelo/Georgia, we needed another Orthodox Faction to balance out the list. We decided to go for small, but tenacious Sakartvelo. Traditionally, a good recruiting ground for tough, rugged and fierce infantry and cavalry soldiers. Around this time period, this small state is beginning its slow rise to power. It is almost like a Caucasian Byzantine empire with its flexible units roster. However, unlike Byzantium, they have abundant access (ratio wise to an individual soldier) to iron and hence heavily armoured troops. Don't underestimate this little tiger!

- Rascia/Serbia, another small dynamo we had to include in. We felt the Balkans had to be balanced by another power. Though small, it is formidable and won't be easily overrun in the first few turns. They have access to tough rugged infantrymen and know how to put their tortuous mountainous terrain to good use against foreign invaders. Players will enjoy being a David fighting against Goliath powers by a mixture of cunning alliances and military desperation!

I expect that with such a vast amount of new factions, there will be a lot of work put into modelling, skinning, etc, as well as work on already established factions. What will you be trying to accomplish?

That’s right, there will be a lot of work such as modelling, skinning and so forth on established and new factions. However, MTR has a co-operative policy. We have established commitments/relationships with focused modifications like the Lithuania Mod and another Balkans specific mod. Because they are heavily focused on particular factions, they have access to better sources of information in their native tongue and also an insider's view into things many foreigners would miss out on. Therefore, not only do we relieve our workload, but we can be relieved that our partners will provide high quality work in association with us. So its a balance of outsourcing and in-house work. We want to release version 1.0 soon, so we're trying to find an optimal balance in speed and quality.

We hope that version 1.0 will be the point where 80% of the mod is done, the remaining 20% will be addressing bugs, making patches, revisions of map, provinces, units lists, any new features that come out at that time and also in preparation for changes caused by an expansion pack in the future. That is what we're trying to accomplish.

Version 1.0 is, how I shall put it, a built house without the furniture put inside yet. Haha

Besides new units and such, will there be great change to other areas of the game, such as new buildings, and also game/battle mechanics?

There were a few things we discussed, here’s a brief overview:

1) Customised tech trees for each faction. The tech trees will represent the historical development of each faction as well as "alternative" departures. (A MTR original idea)

2) More faction specific buildings/famous buildings for factions. (You will see buildings like the Hagia Sophia, the Court of Lions, Compostela, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Dome of Rock, Al-Aqsa Masjid, Hagia Sophia in Kiev, San Marcos Basilica, Vatican Palace (Constantine's Basilica), the Great Samarra Minaret, Mekkah's holy centre, Al-Azhar and more!!!!

3) Representing the dynasties in each faction by making access to troop types dependent on particular buildings. Eg. Early Egyptians (Fatimids) can become Ayyubids by building certain buildings that repudiate Shia Islam. This also means access to Ayyubid specific troops as well.

Describe MTR in 10 words of less

Ten words huh?
Medieval Total Realism: Immerse in history, create history, determine history!

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Here is the proposed map for Medieval Total Realism

Check out MTR's forum here at TWC

Check out MTRs forum at RomeTotalRealism.com

Read the Official FAQ HERE

This is Bulgaroctonus, signing out.

Picture of the Week

This weeks winner of the Picture of the Week is LDKSoldier, with his screenshot entitled "The Lithuanian"

So simple, yet so elegant. Bravo

Make sure to check out LDK's gallery HERE

Helios Coverage

Due to some sort of "Collective Partnership" whatever that means TWC's two greatest works of art in the form of SS The Eagle Standard and HMS The Helios will now be working together... Well I say together - the inter-office rivalry will still continue and I believe Seneca has a new design for an inter-office Paper Plane utilising something to do with Thermals that I don't really understand.

Anyway my set task is to provide a run down of the last issue of the Helios and here it is: Seneca, paper plane extrordinaire looks at the Thema Devia and it's inner meanings. Gaius Baltar has a meander down the halls of Arts & Sciences detailing all he finds in a travel journal. Kscott plunges into the deadly world of Sports looking at the RBS 6 Nations and some other things while Shaun braves the plights of the Basement to bring the latest on Vista. Felixion looks at the mad world of the Curia while tBP, Vizi, Oldgamer, Stalins Ghost and I all write non-sensical little pieces in the mighty Editorial.

The issue is rounded off with the Editor's Pick and finally two, yes two letters!!

Thats all in the crazy world of The Helios and CC News I was GrimSta, thankee and good night!!

Helios 5: The Helios Strikes Back!

Attention!
If you love the Eagle Standard and Total War in general, and have a fairly decent grasp of the English language, please PM me and become an honourary member of the Eagle Standard team! Don't forget, the more reporters we have, the more interviews and articles we will have, and they will be of better quality also!

Well, that's it for our third issue of the Eagle Standard. Thanks for joining us! Till next Sunday, Bulgaroctonus, signing out