DarthMod: The Last Episode__General Feedback

[DARTH VADER]

The mod is finalized and patched/corrected. You should be able to enjoy it fully as you all did for DarthMod 8.1 RTW/BI.

It is a finished product for M2TW.

Darth Team will evolve another mod maybe as add on to it and later design other DarthMod versions.


This one ...is the historic!

[DARTH VADER]

The topic says it all.

Will be updated by a Darth Moderator.

[folo4]

wait, if the pope loves all factions, perfect relations for catholic factions for each other, how am I supposed to expand? crusade to remote territories?

[DARTH VADER]

You will have wars in good balance but the Pope will occasionally contact you to stop hostilities unless the faction is excommunicated. The East will be a potential good target but very difficult to grasp because in DarthMod the Eastern factions are powerful as they should be and were historically.

[folo4]

my freaking bad; last version, I had 1.4C sans beta patches installed while playing Scotland and the popes thinks that all factions are an example to all christiendom.

This version apparently fixes that.

[DARTH VADER]

How many turns have you played? The diplomacy/campaign AI you saw in the patch is not changed (Maybe some minor things ...do not remember).

What is changed a lot is the battles:
Despite that the battles seen in 1.4C were the best yet...they became better and the full files responsible were not released open beta so it will be very different from what was in open beta for a few days as it was.

Play it and tell me what you see.

[Andy B]

Hey DarthMod Team,

i've got the beta version still installed, [ just noticed this thread ]
and i'm doing brilliantly, [ going to post some shots when i re-scale them ]
will i have to start a new game if i installed this finalized version? -
Thanks allot - Class mod,

// Andy B

[DARTH VADER]

No you can install on top with no problem. But do install on top bcs many files were not open beta.

Tell me about battles...these change significantly and are new!

[Andy B]

Sweet as, i'll install it tomorrow, i can tell the AI difference with the beta, its allot more balanced, the way i like it.

i've got a mad screen where a crusading polish army just appeared down in Dongola, post it later...

// Andy B

[folo4]

my scottish archers won't shoot; only some of them shoot while the enemy AI's archers can shoot without problems.

the only way is to shoot flaming ones.

[DARTH VADER]

Thanks I will look to that ... but I have not changed anything to them since 1.4C. Strange this you say.

[Thorn]

Nice work Darth.. really really good.. i will miss you al lot...

I have played some battles and combat AI is reacting good.. it would be nice to have a less reactive and more active AI, but we have limited room with the "tools" CA left to us..

To show you the new AI i will talk about battle i had..

Battle forces
Mixture of Byzantine forces, spears and swords 6 units (my troops)
Mixture of turks forces 6-7 units mainly spears with some Halberdies.

i deployed my spears at front with my general as a backup, 2 swords at left flank 1 at right.

the AI sent me 3 units of spears with 2 more as a backup and general with 1-2 units at the rear..

I tried to exploit the AI as when it choose a target it doesn't use to chage it, so when i saw its right flank unit heading one of my sword units at my left flank i send my troops away.. to issolate the enemy unit.

The plan was looking good.. the AI kept following my unit and when it was far away (when, i think it was) i made a sandwich maneuver catching the unit between my 2 swords units of left flank..

meanwhile the AI was fighting my main line with 3 units (it sent reinforces to pull my weakest unit) so i was forced to send my general to hold the line..

As soon as my units sourrounded the isolate enemy unit the AI sent his remaining forces to help it.. so i thought it was the right moment to send my right unit to flank the main group at the centre..

Now my left flank was fighting 3 units (the one surrounded plus 2 more) so i charge with my right flank unit over the backs of main line.. they took a lot of casualties, but then the general charges over my forces and one of the 3 units at the centre turned back and charged versus my forces..

Things were looking good.. i was supposed to be the one surrounded the enemy and now i had my left flank taking casualties vs elite troops (Hashinshin) and some spears.. and my right unit almost sourrounded at the back of his main line as my centre troops weren't unable to break and help it..

after a good melee.. one of my left forces broke and run away.. i started to think with a defeat so i order my general unit to charge into the AI's centre and try to break the weakest unit.., i lost my general during the maneuver.. and my lines were badly hit, but finally their spears broke allowing me to regroup..

after that there were some charges and counter charges.. they rout..regrouped and charge, i rout..regrouped and charge.. until my forces where decimated and never return..

Yes.. i lost.., i try to exploit the AI and lost.. i flanked the AI and lost.. so that must be a really good AI cos units where too close on each sides..

i hope it wasn't too much text.., but i need you to know what i have seen..

[KraLL]

I dled the 1.4C, started a BE Campaign
Trebizond Archers at least in sieges only shoot in max available range, when the enemy come closer, they stop shooting.
Also they dont even fight in melee combat at least vs Cavalry

Maybe there is something with long range missile trait archers

but there is no difference if they shoot fire on not arrows like folo4 said above
and maybe its a bug of animation that they dont fight in melee vs cavalry at least

this mod is perfect so far, except the bugs i told before and a minor passiveness in few sieges (units wait alone in a part of the wall with the gate broken(not in the center to get the gate shooting towers at least) and do nothing getting arrows from my archers with all other of their force have retrieted in city center.

plz this become annoying some times just because is the only problem of this mod

also! I dled 1.4D and installed it above 1.4C, there is a problem? The changes affect my current BE campaign or have to start a new one? The savefile loads fine

[folo4]

to me, the AI does WTF all the time.

They prefer to ignore that 400-odd calvary behind them. (then again, routing them that way is VERY HARD, for some reason) .

...oh well, England's gonna live without its British isles, now.

[Andy B]

to me, the AI does WTF all the time.
...oh well, England's gonna live without its British isles, now.

Eh? that don't make sense... :hmmm:

[nickman777]

hi,
play tested darthmod 1.4D + BBBv2.1 under kingdoms and its the best possible experience ive had yet with mtw2. the battle/ai is where it truly shines above all elses mods. you get a different feel that battles are more engaging as far as the coherency /cohesion is concerned. there is more aggressiveness from the AI standpoint and im losing battles, not because of tactical engagement from the AI, but because of better fielding armies (this could be from kingdoms expansion) and the different "FEEL" that chooses to wipe out my feudal knights against an AI army of the aztecs. how are lower quality troops ascending to victory against my higher end troops? i rather not question it as i do believe its once again the "FEEL" taking effect here.
other mods tend to focus more on functionality which is eye catching to an extent, but the sacrifices made to an under-developed gameplay in regards to battle AI is really deceiving.
people say darth's EDU is superficial because of the overwhelming cavalry stats, i disagree here. i always thought cavalry dropped like flies in the approach of LTC or SS. besides they are ffew in numbers, why not make them elite.

i changed some routine values in darth's already perfected config_ai_battle by means of a more devastating AI behavior. this was done by visual observation. test concluded a yield of 10% or more AI efficiency throughout a battle. but what do i know, im not a modder.

[Borluc]

Ok, I installed patch 1.3 (you said it might be better) and 1.4D. I've played 40 rounds as Venice and I control 12 settlements.

I have 400k as I made Byzantium my vassal while they and their ally Hungary were at war with me. I think diplomacy is still too easy. I have 860 rounds left and yet I've pretty much won already. Using diplomacy, I can start wars or end them at will with money. It just doesn't make sense that the richest faction (Byzantium) with a vassal of its own (Turks) and a powerful ally (Hungary) would accept such bad terms. I know you said its the same as beta, but I was hoping you might fine tune it so that the AI wasn't so easily taken advantage of (by players and other AI).

Something else I've noticed is that vassal nations don't expand. The Turks have had huge armies for a long time, but they haven't captured any of the rebel settlements nearby. I noticed that Byzantium behaves the same now that they are my vassal. I really doubt they would rebel against me and since they aren't expanding anywhere, it wouldn't be successful anyway.

AI in open battles might be better than in Beta, but I really haven't noticed it yet(because I have had few battles outside of sieging). Something seems wrong with the sieges though. Units get fragmented and lose cohesiveness on the walls. I've noticed an occational bug where Byzatine Lancers don't switch to their 2ndary weapon in melee and die without inflicting any casualties to me. I've had trouble with men at arms (foot) not attacking horsemen effectively. They surround them in melee and then most just stand there. This is also happening on walls where they are fighting light infantry and killing almost none.

Basically, the campaign AI is too easy to manipulate and it makes for an easy campaign on VH/VH. Like I said, there seems to be a problem with capturing rebel settlements. I have seen nations send 2 units to siege a city with 7 units even though they had 4 full stacks just standing around.

In any case, I just wanted to throw my impressions out there. There is a lot of good too as you well know and I figured there is no point in patronizing you and listing them off. I don't expect a new patch or anything, but I do think that this mod could be much better.

[Tiberiu_R]

@Krall
You should uninstall 1.4C(just back-up your saved games) and then install 1.4D.
This way you will be sure there will be no problems caused by old files, thus there will be less odd behaviours of the game

[Andy B]

heres two screens i think there bugs, i'm not sure...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Magicly Appearing Polish army... and trust me they didnt go the short way from poland cause the crusade's at Jerusalem!?!?! i didnt see them come
from the moors direction either... - puzzled... :hmmm:



Maybe a serious bug i dno, i was outstounding friends with Spain and Milan, both with a reg trib, and assistance against france, and military access,
i gave spain paris and rheims, and milan had helped me out with the french plenty of times spain joined the crusade, when i attacked they turned on "all of christendom"

any ideas?

// Andy B

[Thorn]

if that is true we should deactivate casallization once for all