Advice Needed: Modding or Playing?

[Socal_infidel]

Okay, so I’m having a bit of a dilemma. I’ve been working on a personal mod of mine for awhile and have reached the point where I’m not sure what to do next. I’ve spent quite some time on it already. I've implemented a few features in my mod that I wanted to see happen, but I’m not sure whether I should even bother to continue to spend time on it.

Personally I wanted a more historically-accurate type mod. I think it’s silly to be able to recruit Longbowmen in Egypt or Tuareg Camel Spearmen in Scandinavia. It’s also pretty ridiculous to have Gothic Knights on the fields of Europe in, say 1200 A.D. I realize there’s also balance and gameplay and fun to take into account, as well. So that’s cool that they included Portugal in a game that starts in 1080, but seriously, start them out with Pamplona?

So, some of the things I’ve worked on:

More Regions

§ Revised the standard-sized map to include 80 additional regions.
§ Also revised placement of certain settlements and added/revised certain river crossings.
§ Removed all land-bridges.

England: Plymouth, Dorset, Lancaster
Scotland: Dumfries
Ireland: Cork, Galway
France: Clermont-Ferrand, Poitiers, Lyon, Calais
Netherlands: Utrecht
Scandinavia: Copenhagen, Kalmar, Visby, Skovde
Iberia: Salamanca, Burgos, Barcelona, Murcia, Porto, Coimbra, Silves, Palma
Northern Italy: Pisa. Ancona
Southern Italy: Salerno, Bari, Reggio Calabra, Messina, Valletta
Germany: Bremen, Graz, Olmutz
Poland/Lithuania: Brest, Konigsberg, Pinsk
Balkans: Zara, Pecs, Ras, Belgrade
Greece: Corfu, Naupactus, Athens, Adrianopole, Skopia, Euboea, Lesbos
Russia: Pskov, Kursk, Jitomir, Jaroslav, Nizhny-Novgorod
Black Sea: Phangoria, Asprokastran, Sinope
Caucuses/Caspian Sea: Itil, Derbend
Anatolia: Myra, Dorylaeum, Ankara, Erzincan
Levant & Middle East: Deir ez Zor, Tripoli, Homs, Bostra, Diar Bakir
Arabia: Mecca, Medina
Egypt: Damietta, Aswan, Asyut, Aqaba, Bardiyah
North Africa: Benghazi, Surt, Gabes, Bona, Oran, Tangier, Audaghost

Area of Recruitment System and Regional Recruitment System:

§ Implemented an Area of Recruitment System for all factions. When conquering regions outside of its home regions, a faction faces limitations on the units it can recruit in these regions.

§ As a prerequisite to recruiting troops, a faction must first build an auxiliary hall in its new region. This building does not allow for the recruitment of troops but gives public happiness and order bonuses in the settlement.

§ Once an auxiliary hall is built, a faction can build auxiliary barracks, auxiliary stables and auxiliary bowyers. These buildings allow a faction to recruit regional units.

§ After these auxiliary buildings are built, a faction can build the normal line of military buildings, which allow for the recruitment of a faction’s normal roster of units (with certain regional restrictions, see below).

§ Revised the recruitment system for all factions. Certain units only available in certain regions. (Examples, English Longbowmen only available in British Isles, Tuareg Camel Spearmens only available in Africa, Desert Archers only available in Africa and the Middle East, Viking Raiders only available in Scandinavia)

§ REGIONS
§ England
§ Scotland
§ Ireland
§ France
§ Netherlands
§ Germany
§ Switzerland
§ Iberia
§ North Italy
§ South Italy
§ Scandinavia
§ Poland
§ Lithuania
§ Russia
§ Steppes
§ Black Sea Area
§ Greece
§ Balkans
§ Anatolia
§ Armenia
§ Levant
§ Arabia
§ Egypt
§ Nubia
§ Africa
§ North Africa

Trade Centers:


§ Recognizing that some cities were historically wealthier than others, implemented additional trade bonuses for settlements that are either trade_hubs, trade_centers or commercial_centers.

§ Holding cities such as Venice and Constantinople is now even more advantageous and lucrative.

City Stables:

§ Cities now have limited access to stables.
§ Auxiliary City Stables allow for the recruitment of basic regional light cavalry units.
§ City Stables allows for the recruitment of a faction’s own light cavalry units.
§ Merchant Cavalry Stables allows for the recruitment for merchant cavalry militia units.

Historically-Accurate* Starting Positions and Faction Leaders:

§ Revised the starting positions of all factions for greater historically-accuracy.
§ Examples (e.g. Moors start out in North Africa, with Tangier, Marrakesh and Oran)
§ Revised starting faction leaders and families for most factions (e.g. Moors faction leader is Yusuf ibn Tashfin, Sicily family tree now includes Robert Guiscard and Bohemond).

Does any of this sound worth pursuing any further? Should I just wait for Medieval Total Realism to come out? Should I join a mod team? Or just keep doing it for my own personal use when I have the time?

I'm kind of sick of modding and just want to play a campaign. But the catch is that there are no mods currently out there with the type of campaign I'm looking for. So I mod...

Alright done venting, cheers!

[m.minkov]

Good job mate! It seems that you spend many hours moddeling.

I understand you, 'couse I'm in the same position. The only difference is that the mod I've worked on is already released.

My advice to you is - either continue to mod the game by yourself and make it perfect for you or join some majour mod which suits you best.
The advantage of the 1st choise is that you can made the game just as you want it, but you'll loose too much time and maybe in the end you'll not even play the game(this is my case).
The second option gives you more time, faster work and bigger results(with good team of course), but you'll have to take in account the team(and "ordinary" players) oppinions and thus not all you wanted to be included in the mod will be in it in the end.
The decision is tough, but I think the best option is to join some good mod and after the release to change what you don't like. So you need to choose carefuly.

Good luck!
V

[CtrlAltDe1337]

Sounds interesting, maybe you could join another mod team and add your modifications to that?

[Csatádi]

Observe your emotions and feelings toward modding and playing while doing them.
Which one cause better feelings in you?
Choose that!