250BC start mini-mod

[QuintusSertorius]

This now has a mirror thread over on the org.

I did something similar for another mod a while back, primarily through modification of the strat file. Why am I doing this? Three reasons:
1) I'm a little sick of playing through the conquest of Italy and Pyrrhic Wars.
2) Even in the 22 years my shift would cover, the AI inevitably does some very ahistorical things
3) Pahlava shouldn't actually exist until around this time, so it's neater in a way.

It has the advantage of not being too far ahead of the original start - basically a generation. It's also before most of the reform events would kick in, so no trouble there.

Now what I'm short of is information, primarily.
1) Where would the factions besides Rome hold at this slightly later start? Ie what provinces would I need to give to whom? Are many of them changed at all (I know technically Epeiros ceased to exist by then, but I'll leave them alone)?
2) Are there any other things I need to consider (aside from the file holding the family member details)?

I don't plan on doing anything severe like mucking around with new factions or units or anything like that, just changing who holds what. I'm also going to put some serious Karthadastim forces on Sicily, along with some Roman ones so there might actually be a First Punic War.

I don't plan on going full-on with finding out who the family members for everyone should be at this stage, I'll just age the ones there are 22 years and perhaps throw in some additional ones.

Are the details of who is at war with whom in the strat as well?

Will those scripted things like the warning about Sicily cause trouble if the Romani already hold Messana?

If possible through messing around with who holds what, and possibly how developed they are, I'd also like to try to make the following factions stronger: Saka, Sauromatae, Pahlav, Saba. I'd also like to make Makedon and Ptolemaic Egypt weaker. In the case of the latter, would changing their AI behaviour "style" help at all? Give them a less aggressive one? I'm also thinking of giving some of their land to the Sabaen, provided it isn't too ahistorical. Maybe start the Hai at war with the Seleukids to stop them running off north (wishful thinking...).

Anyone with me on this one?

Has anyone ever produced a convenient guide to modifying the strat file? Which is the buildings text file I need to add development stuff and government levels to previously rebel settlements?

[QuintusSertorius]

Another question is around client rulers; specifically how you create them in the strat. I'm planning to have client rulers in Taras, Rhegion, Bononia, Segesta and Messana, the holdings I'll add to Rome, along with type IV governments. I won't add much by way of development to them; probably a first tier levy barracks and maybe basic roads.

Would I be able to simply use the client ruler some of them already have? I remember Rhegion had one, for example.

Another thought, do you have to have your own factional troops to claim a settlement as "yours"? Would locally recruit-able troops make it another faction's? Or does the presence of a client ruler mean it's still yours? How are client rulers represented?

I'm having a hard time with maps; there's this one from 200BC:



Which is a good half-century too late with Parthia/Pahlav much bigger than it would be in 250BC.

Then there's this one that's a bit closer, 240BCE:

[QuintusSertorius]

Anyone? Does someone have some better sources than me, or know where to start looking for what the map should look like in 250BC?

Would I get a better (ie a) response if I posted this on totalwar.org?

[Korlon]

Yes, you probably would get a better response at totalwar.org. If you look at the thread and post count of RTW mods over there, it's basically europabarbarorum.org.

I'd probably suggest looking at the Rome Workshop here for help on the descr_strat file and the RTW Modification forum over at totalwar.org. Sorry I can't help more, I'm not exactly great at modding.

[QuintusSertorius]

That's something, thanks. I've registered over there and I'll check out the Workshop. I think I may have read a thread on the descr_strat there a while back when I had a go with something else.

EDIT: It's here. I'm not in a hurry with this, still playing my current game which has a way to go. Indeed 1.1 will probably have arrived before I'm ready to play this, which is neat timing.

[beatoangelico]

for the map, I don't know many reliable online sources...but you can try to see an history atlas at your local library
for the client rulers, I'm pretty sure they can't be represented at the game starts, at least with RTW 1.5, since every general must be a family member (but I could be wrong)
also you would need to redo at least the family trees, and afaik the koinon hellenon ceased to exist before 250 and all greece came under direct or undirect makedonian influence, including epiros

[QuintusSertorius]

Or I may have to try faction-by-faction, rather than trying to find a "world map" that might conveniently tell me who held what in 250BC.

Didn't Baktria start the game with some client rulers (which caused problems)? Would I need to do something to cause them to be spawned on starting the game?

I know the other Greek factions didn't exist any more, but I'm not about to start messing about with factions (since this is a simple mini-mod). In any case, those under "indirect" influence qualify enough to remain factions. When did the Aetolian and Achaen Leagues emerge?

[beatoangelico]

Or I may have to try faction-by-faction, rather than trying to find a "world map" that might conveniently tell me who held what in 250BC.

Didn't Baktria start the game with some client rulers (which caused problems)? Would I need to do something to cause them to be spawned on starting the game?

I know the other Greek factions didn't exist any more, but I'm not about to start messing about with factions (since this is a simple mini-mod). In any case, those under "indirect" influence qualify enough to remain factions. When did the Aetolian and Achaen Leagues emerge?

baktria has 2 lv 4 government but withour client rulers inside. arche seleukia has a lv 4 gov wihout client ruler too. I don't know if a script can be done to spawn them at the game start, you can try to look at the EB script and see the client rulers section
the aitolian leage was already established in 272, not sure about the achaen

[QuintusSertorius]

According to Wikipedia (not the greatest source in the world, I know), the Achaean League was certainly around in 250BC.

Here's a map of Armenia in 250BC:



Here's another map at 200BC:



But that's showing the Seleucids at their greatest extent.

[QuintusSertorius]

Right, with 1.1 released, this suddenly takes on some importance for me personally. Because I'd rather not about play out the conquest of Italy all over again. That's 80+ turns I'd prefer not do once more.

I'm quite willing to wait a week or two for the early bugs and fixes to come out, and in the meantime get my information sorted for this mini-mod.

Hopefully this also means the people who've been working on 1.1 might have some free thought-space.