Dark Ages

[PendragonLoT]

First of all, thanks for this great mod. Don't get me wrong, I've played it from the first minute on and I've loved it ever since.

But the Dark Ages event is the first feature of the mod I don't like. I started a campaign as Teuton Knights and till about 1240 everything went well. I conquered most of the Baltic region, had killed of Lithuania and had gotten Jerusalem in my hands. My economy had gotten better and finally some decent money was coming in.
And then booooom. The Dark Ages event. Suddenly everything went wrong. Poland, HRE, Danes, Arabs, all of them attacked me at the same time without a warning, my relation to them had been outstanding before. My generals died like flies of the black death and my financial balance went to red. Although I have played many campaings before and almost never lost one, I didn't manage to handle the situation.
Well I thought, maybe it was because of the H/H setting and I tried the easy settings but.... same thing.

Am I the only one who dislikes this feature and is there any way to turn it off?

[Werebear]

is there any way to turn it off?

find campaign_script.txt

and del this



;----------------------------- The Dark Ages ---------------------------------------

declare_counter death_hit

monitor_conditions I_EventCounter black_death_hits = 1
and I_CompareCounter death_hit = 0
generate_random_counter stochastic_war 0 1
if I_EventCounter stochastic_war = 0
console_command diplomatic_stance england france war
console_command diplomatic_stance england scotland war
console_command diplomatic_stance hre poland war
console_command diplomatic_stance hre denmark war
console_command diplomatic_stance france spain war
console_command diplomatic_stance spain moors war
console_command diplomatic_stance moors egypt war
console_command diplomatic_stance egypt elo war
console_command diplomatic_stance turks armenia war
console_command diplomatic_stance timurids turks war
console_command diplomatic_stance kiev russia war
console_command diplomatic_stance russia poland war
console_command diplomatic_stance hungary byzantium war
console_command diplomatic_stance byzantium venice war
console_command diplomatic_stance venice milan war
console_command diplomatic_stance milan sicily war
console_command diplomatic_stance sicily venice war
console_command diplomatic_stance denmark norway war
console_command diplomatic_stance denmark teutons war
console_command diplomatic_stance lit russia war
end_if
if I_EventCounter stochastic_war = 1
console_command diplomatic_stance england ireland war
console_command diplomatic_stance france scotland war
console_command diplomatic_stance hre teutons war
console_command diplomatic_stance hre norway war
console_command diplomatic_stance france hre war
console_command diplomatic_stance spain portugal war
console_command diplomatic_stance moors spain war
console_command diplomatic_stance egypt turks war
console_command diplomatic_stance turks byzantium war
console_command diplomatic_stance timurids russia war
console_command diplomatic_stance kiev hungary war
console_command diplomatic_stance russia byzantium war
console_command diplomatic_stance hungary venice war
console_command diplomatic_stance milan hre war
console_command diplomatic_stance sicily moors war
console_command diplomatic_stance denmark france war
console_command diplomatic_stance lit poland war
console_command diplomatic_stance armenia elo war
end_if
link_faction_ai england kill_human
link_faction_ai france kill_human
link_faction_ai hre kill_human
link_faction_ai spain kill_human
link_faction_ai venice kill_human
link_faction_ai papal_states kill_human
link_faction_ai sicily kill_human
link_faction_ai milan kill_human
link_faction_ai scotland kill_human
link_faction_ai byzantium kill_human
link_faction_ai russia kill_human
link_faction_ai moors kill_human
link_faction_ai turks kill_human
link_faction_ai egypt kill_human
link_faction_ai denmark kill_human
link_faction_ai portugal kill_human
link_faction_ai poland kill_human
link_faction_ai hungary kill_human
link_faction_ai aztecs kill_human
link_faction_ai mongols kill_human
link_faction_ai timurids kill_human
link_faction_ai ireland kill_human
link_faction_ai flanders kill_human
link_faction_ai norway kill_human
link_faction_ai teutons kill_human
link_faction_ai lit kill_human
link_faction_ai kiev kill_human
link_faction_ai armenia kill_human
link_faction_ai elo kill_human
link_faction_ai hedjaz kill_human
link_faction_ai slave kill_human
set_event_counter black_death_hits 0
set_counter death_hit 1
end_monitor

monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart FactionIsLocal
and I_CompareCounter death_hit >= 1
inc_counter death_hit 1
if I_CompareCounter death_hit = 16
link_faction_ai england catholic
link_faction_ai france catholic
link_faction_ai hre catholic
link_faction_ai spain catholic
link_faction_ai venice catholic
link_faction_ai papal_states papal_faction
link_faction_ai sicily catholic
link_faction_ai milan catholic
link_faction_ai scotland catholic
link_faction_ai byzantium orthodox
link_faction_ai russia orthodox
link_faction_ai moors islam
link_faction_ai turks islam
link_faction_ai egypt islam
link_faction_ai denmark catholic
link_faction_ai portugal catholic
link_faction_ai poland catholic
link_faction_ai hungary catholic
link_faction_ai aztecs aztecs
link_faction_ai mongols mongols
link_faction_ai timurids orthodox
link_faction_ai ireland catholic
link_faction_ai flanders catholic
link_faction_ai norway catholic
link_faction_ai teutons catholic
link_faction_ai lit orthodox
link_faction_ai kiev orthodox
link_faction_ai armenia orthodox
link_faction_ai elo catholic
link_faction_ai hedjaz islam
link_faction_ai slave slave_faction
set_counter death_hit 0
historic_event turmoil_end
end_if
end_monitor




Start new game

[Furin]

A good tactic to prepare for the first dark ages is to make forts in strategic locations to slow the advance of all enemy nations (basically all your neighbors at some point) and slow down their advance until you get rid of the plague. Don't move your generals for 4 turns and then try a strategic withdrawal manouver, even if you temporarily loose regions. Leave behind a skeleton garrison to uphold the law and if a city you cannot take back in a considerable time gets under siege destroy all the buildings before it falls.

If your forces are spread out in all the regions you will be taken out one by one, so you need to decide which faction to counterattack, they have the plague too, their income is low too, scripts or not, and if you play your cards right you can even gain regions in the dark ages or shortly after. The money will come back in time and if your economy is not so good yet grab a powerful army and start exterminating attacking factions cities, this will make them withdraw from your lands too. As long as you can keep your core regions mildly intact nothing is lost.

[gubbs]

I'm confused, the emergence of medieval fuedalism surely herladed the end of the Dark Ages e.g. 476 to 1000 AD? :hmmm:

[PendragonLoT]

Well I think it's quite an event those dark ages, I tried playing it as England and it seems easier when you are protected on your island. But with some nations it's almost unplayable. I start liking it though!
Is there a certain point when the turmoil event ends or is it random?

[PendragonLoT]

No Answer? Seems like nobody survived the dark ages!
I just want to know around which year the age of turmoil is over. In my game the plague has passed and everything is back to normal except the diplomacy doesn't work yet.
Anybody?

Btw, I can't tell it often enough, I really love this mod! Great work!