The Proliferation of Bearded Women

**Landwalker** · November 29, 2007, 11:01 PM

Now, I know the Greeks had a reputation for being effete, but in my current Byzantine campaign it's getting a little out of hand. Foreign Fruitcakes are popping up like flies, to say nothing of the Pagan Magicians. I've been poking around, but haven't been able to find the file that governs the triggers and likelihoods of these retinues occurring. Would anyone care to point me in the right direction?

Cheers.

Edit P.S.: And what's with the adoptions? My generals are adopting people like it's crack cocaine or something. For God's sake, have your own damn babies.

Edit 2: Disregard this. I found everything I needed, I hope. However, you're still welcome to answer the question to make sure I didn't screw up. To summarize, I dug up export_descr_ancillaries, found the "Adultress_She_Man" entry almost exactly halfway down the file, and changed "AcquireAncillary adultress_she_man chance 3" to "AcquireAncillary adultress_she_man chance 1". Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but that will reduce the likelihood per turn of a general acquiring such a fruitcake, if he meets the necessary conditions, from 3% per turn to 1% per turn, right?

**CharlesMarkley** · November 30, 2007, 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by Landwalker

Now, I know the Greeks had a reputation for being effete, but in my current Byzantine campaign it's getting a little out of hand. Foreign Fruitcakes are popping up like flies, to say nothing of the Pagan Magicians. I've been poking around, but haven't been able to find the file that governs the triggers and likelihoods of these retinues occurring. Would anyone care to point me in the right direction?

Cheers.

Edit P.S.: And what's with the adoptions? My generals are adopting people like it's crack cocaine or something. For God's sake, have your own damn babies.

Edit 2: Disregard this. I found everything I needed, I hope. However, you're still welcome to answer the question to make sure I didn't screw up. To summarize, I dug up export_descr_ancillaries, found the "Adultress_She_Man" entry almost exactly halfway down the file, and changed "AcquireAncillary adultress_she_man chance 3" to "AcquireAncillary adultress_she_man chance 1". Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but that will reduce the likelihood per turn of a general acquiring such a fruitcake, if he meets the necessary conditions, from 3% per turn to 1% per turn, right?

Yes, I believe you are correct. You would think that 3% isn't that probable, but I see a bunch of those 3-percenters showing up alot.

Mark

**Byg** · November 30, 2007, 11:08 AM

It is linked to the arse trait, so you could reduce it further by reducing the likelihood of getting an arse.

As you need to get arse before the bearded anc, I am suprised it happens so often. Arse 2%(there's a birth chance and a sitting in city chance, 1% each) x Beard 3% should be rather rare.

**CharlesMarkley** · November 30, 2007, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by Byg

It is linked to the arse trait, so you could reduce it further by reducing the likelihood of getting an arse.

As you need to get arse before the bearded anc, I am suprised it happens so often. Arse 2%(there's a birth chance and a sitting in city chance, 1% each) x Beard 3% should be rather rare.

I think that if anyone modifies the time line to be less than 1.50 or 1.00 will by the very nature of having more turns increase the odds of getting a trait (I think I said that correctly. I always get odds and probability mixed up).

**The_Richini** · November 30, 2007, 11:35 AM

Yea I see what your saying CharlesMarkley, As I believe Stainless Steel timeline is slightly modified so to give the players more time to play, If so it would also increase the chance of getting things like those creepy fruitcakes a shot at our leaders.

**Landwalker** · November 30, 2007, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesMarkley

I think that if anyone modifies the time line to be less than 1.50 or 1.00 will by the very nature of having more turns increase the odds of getting a trait (I think I said that correctly. I always get odds and probability mixed up).

Actually, characters age at the same rate (at least they did in vanilla) regardless of what you set the turn:year ratio to. In vanilla, even with two years per turn, characters aged at a rate of 6 months per turn. This means they would live the same number of turns regardless of how much time is actually elapsing.

I noticed the link to the arse trait, but couldn't find the probability statistics for getting that. Another question, though: Is it possible to set percentile chances to non-integer values like 0.5%, or would that screw everything up?

Cheers.

**CharlesMarkley** · November 30, 2007, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Landwalker

Actually, characters age at the same rate (at least they did in vanilla) regardless of what you set the turn:year ratio to. In vanilla, even with two years per turn, characters aged at a rate of 6 months per turn. This means they would live the same number of turns regardless of how much time is actually elapsing.

I noticed the link to the arse trait, but couldn't find the probability statistics for getting that. Another question, though: Is it possible to set percentile chances to non-integer values like 0.5%, or would that screw everything up?

Cheers.

I don't think that aging is the issue, it's that now one year gives four chances (turns) with the 00.50 setting to trigger a trait, as opposed to one chance per every 1.5 years in game time (even though the character still ages slowly). By changing to 00.50 timescale, the characters age properly AND the possible amount of turns the game will take to reach the final end date dramatically increase.

More turns=more chances.

Salud!

Mark

**Henry X** · November 30, 2007, 03:20 PM

Don't worry, my entire family has leprosy. I wonder if I should put them all in a leper colony; perhaps a settlement on the edge of ze Empire.

**Landwalker** · November 30, 2007, 03:43 PM

But it really isn't increasing the chances. Consider that the character's lifespan is not determined by the number of turns he's been around, but by his age. He ages at the same rate no matter how much time elapses each turn, and as a result, he will be alive for the same number of turns. That means, regardless of the "turn time", he will have the same number of chances to acquire any given trait or retinue member.

Yes, the number of turns necessary to reach the "end date" of the game dramatically increases. However, your generals will still die out after the same number of turns as they normally would. Consequently, all this means is that you'll "go through" more generals in the course of a campaign, but that the number of chances (and percentile chance) of any given general to acquire a trait or retinue stays the same.

Cheers.

**CharlesMarkley** · November 30, 2007, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by Landwalker

But it really isn't increasing the chances. Consider that the character's lifespan is not determined by the number of turns he's been around, but by his age. He ages at the same rate no matter how much time elapses each turn, and as a result, he will be alive for the same number of turns. That means, regardless of the "turn time", he will have the same number of chances to acquire any given trait or retinue member.

Yes, the number of turns necessary to reach the "end date" of the game dramatically increases. However, your generals will still die out after the same number of turns as they normally would. Consequently, all this means is that you'll "go through" more generals in the course of a campaign, but that the number of chances (and percentile chance) of any given general to acquire a trait or retinue stays the same.

Cheers.

Ugh...Landwalker make me use brain on Friday afternoon. No me likey. Ugh. Me thinks you correct. Me acknowledge superior numerical acumen of Landwalker.

Maybe time to play different game as half-orc. Much easier to just smash!

Thinking about it mathematically, you are correct.

After 100 turns at 1.00 (50 years), a character would age only half as much as the game time has progressed. A 20 year old character would have aged to the ripe old age of 45, not 70.

In my modified game of 00.50, 100 turns makes him 45 with 25 years passing.

A game of 01.50 timescale at 100 turns causes 75 years to pass away, but my 20 year old is still only 45.

100 turns is 100 chances.

I tip my hat to you, sir, and claim Friday-itis.

Mark

**Landwalker** · November 30, 2007, 04:50 PM

Haha, worry not, Mark. I envy you the luxury of turning off your brain for the weekend.

I have to take the GRE tomorrow (which means cramming tonight), and after that spend the rest of the weekend translating Latin and Greek and doing other homeworky things. I would like nothing more than a weekend of vegetation.

Cheers.

**CharlesMarkley** · November 30, 2007, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by Landwalker

Haha, worry not, Mark. I envy you the luxury of turning off your brain for the weekend.

I have to take the GRE tomorrow (which means cramming tonight), and after that spend the rest of the weekend translating Latin and Greek and doing other homeworky things. I would like nothing more than a weekend of vegetation.

Cheers.

If I could just SS to get past 25 turns without a CD...I'd even settle for that on my laptop...

Semper Total War!

**SDThielking** · November 30, 2007, 06:52 PM

(Enlarged to simulate fine print)

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