What the differences?

[Waztopia]

If there's a readme or something I missed it >.<

But what's different in Stainless Steel than normal M2TW?

Apart from the obvious new Faction.

Are units balanced?

Campaign and Battle AI improved?

What else makes this worth playing over just the normal one?

I've heard people talk about the Mod but I dunno what's included in it T_T

[The Sweeper]

3.0 FEATURES


CAMPAIGN MAP

New Faction: Order of the Knights Templar
- 7 totally Unique Units with new cool Descriptions
- All other units have specific Templar Knight Designs
- Historical Characters and new Templar Knights Events
- New Unique Titles which represent the Templar Hirarchy
- Very different campaign from all others
see more here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=86534

Campaign Map
- 30 New Provinces, well spreaded and historically correct:
(Exeter, Bari, Oporto, Arta, Barcelona, Belgrade, Balearic Isles, Bryansk, Lyon, Athens, Munster, Ancona, Isle of Lesvos, Warsaw, Diyarbakir, Salzburg, Kirov, Melilla, Salamanca, Groningen, Clermont, Thebes, Mecca, Palmyra, Astrakhan, Tortosa, El-Oued, Sinop, Norrköping, Benghazi...)
- More Resources on campaign map, including new valuable resources in the "outbacks" of the map.
Some Small Map Tweaks: trees on isles, sligthly changed borders, new passage in Africa

AI Armies much more improved
- Proper Mix of Infantry, Missiles, Cavalry and Artillery.
- AI produces more Elite and Heavy units.
This was done without changing any unit costs

Mercenaries
- New mercenaries for the Early and High Medieval Period:
Macemen
English Huscarls
Light Swordsmen
Swabian Swordsmen
Andalusian Infantry
Mercenary Saracens
Axemen.
- Greater mercenary variety
- Mercenaries can have experience
- Less mercenary missile units
- Regions have more of mercenary special units

Titles/Traits/Ancillaries
- Titles for all Cities and Castles and for both Islamic and Catholic/Orthodox factions and with important bonuses in various settlements.
- Much new Traits, Transferable Titles and Ancillaries (Blood, Broads, & Bastards v1.9 or 2.0)
- New Patriarchats for Orthodox Factions available
- Many broken Character Traits and Ancillaries fixed
- Knights Templar Titles

Much more interesting Historical Events
- Events for Orders, Inquisitions, Cultur, Battles, ...
- Including a New Era (High Period) Event which affects unit & mercenary recruitment
- Triggered Events for Falls of Important Cities and Regions. This can also give bonuses for the victorious faction.

Agents and Characters
- Merchants income increased, movement increased
- Inquisitors less effective
- Spy's chances to open gate decreased, movement increased
- Princesses movement increased
- Diplomats movement increased
- Priests movement increased
- Captains are less likely to rebel
- Assasins slightly improved, movement increased
- Imam's required Piety to call a Jihad raised
- Slightly less Heretics and Rebels
- Little more Witches

Settlement Changes
- Unit recruitment depends on barracks
- More logical recruitment, for example cities can build more ships & artillery than castles.
- Fortesses/Citadels & Large/Huge Cities have 4-5 recruitment slots
- Castles-Citadels have 1-2 free upkeep
- City growth slightly reduced
- Slightly lowered law bonus in cities
- Mine Income slightly increased
- Tax Income slightly decreased
- Early/Late Generals rarely recruitable in castles/citadels
- Byzantium can build Highways
à Therefore, Title bonuses for settlements get more important

Other Changes
- Historically more accurate Faction Names
- 18 Factions Playable
- Win Conditions distended to 55 regions
- Show Date as Years
- Conquering the Aztecs is much harder
- Mongol/Timurid armies slightly weakened
- Money Script to support AI Factions
- more logical faction standings
- Worse relations Papal States - Islamic factions
- Better relations Turks - Egypt

BATTLE MAP

- Unlimited men on battlefield allowed
- Longer Lasting Battles due to slightly higher morale
- Added Missing Units
- Dismounted Gothic Knights
- English Armored Sergeants
- Dismounted Broken Lances
- Added Mounted Longbowmen for custom battles
- Added Additional Units
- Dismounted Order Knights
- Dismounted Armored Clergy
- All Longbowmen ranges increased
- More realistic battle map movement
- Artillery Morale lowered
- (Great) Bombards, Serpentins can deploy Stakes
- Strenght of Gates slightly increased
- Venetian HI/Archers armour bug fix
- Ballista/Cannon Tower Fix (zxiang)
- Ballista Tower Fire Rate reduced
- Cannon Tower Range reduced
- Light/Heavy Cavalry Charge slightly reduced
- Janissary HI & D. Gothic Knights improved
- (temporary) Cavalry Charge Fix
- Some unit stats balanced



GRAPHICS

- Completely new Faction Symbols & Menu Design by Alletun
- New Splash & New Loading Screens by Alletun
- New textures & Symbols for Campiagn Map Interface by Alletun, KK
- Campaign Map Banners for Scotland and France historically accurate
- New unique Unit Textures for all European Early & High units (Burrek)
- New unique Unit Textures for all Feudal & Mailed Knights (Burreks Knights&Knaves)
- New unique Shield Textures for: Scotland, Spain, Poland, Denmark, France
- New unique and much better Unit Textures & Banners for Byzantium (Whitewolf)
- More spectacular Sky variations and little more blood (improved Horsearcher's skymod)
- Improved Captain textures (plasticfigurine)
- Improved Musket & Artillery Smoke (Headlock)

How about that?