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Thread: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

  1. #4681

    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by Jurand of Cracow View Post
    yep
    And again I thank you. Maybe, o magnificent sir, by any chance you know the similar (and maybe even better) Pike & Shot modifications for other parts of TW series? Or M2TW is still the best foundation for any mods dealing with medieval stuff (since Pike & Shot era deals with it a lot)?

  2. #4682
    Jurand of Cracow's Avatar History and gameplay!
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    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by Flagris View Post
    And again I thank you. Maybe, o magnificent sir, by any chance you know the similar (and maybe even better) Pike & Shot modifications for other parts of TW series? Or M2TW is still the best foundation for any mods dealing with medieval stuff (since Pike & Shot era deals with it a lot)?
    imo, Empire even with DarthMod is the worst TW ever (and it's not Pike&?Shot). I suspect Warhammer may be considered as P&S, but I'm not interested in non-historical games.
    for R2TW and Attila I have no knowledge of any similar mod.

    You may also have a look at 1648 by Gigantus. It's for Medieveal 2.
    Mod leader of the SSHIP: traits, ancillaries, scripts, buildings, geography, economy.
    ..............................................................................................................................................................................
    If you want to play a historical mod in the medieval setting the best are:
    Stainless Steel Historical Improvement Project and Broken Crescent.
    Recently, Tsardoms and TGC look also very good. Read my opinions on the other mods here.
    ..............................................................................................................................................................................
    Reviews of the mods (all made in 2018): SSHIP, Wrath of the Norsemen, Broken Crescent.
    Follow home rules for playing a game without exploiting the M2TW engine deficiencies.
    Hints for Medieval 2 moders: forts, merchants, AT-NGB bug, trade fleets.
    Thrones of Britannia: review, opinion on the battles, ideas for modding. Shieldwall is promising!
    Dominant strategy in Rome2, Attila, ToB and Troy: “Sniping groups of armies”. Still there, alas!

  3. #4683
    Jurand of Cracow's Avatar History and gameplay!
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    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout View Post
    Jurand of Cracow,
    You are the main man I look to for advice on mods as your comments are always well-thought out and in depth. So thanks for that. But I wonder why still no mention of Bulat Steel. The latest version is totally in English and even has it's own forum here at TWC, though still surprisingly not a very active forum.
    Hi Kilogore,
    I've been thinking what to answer you as I've tried once play BS in Russian and I failed - it was too tedious to read the letters and at the same time try to imagine what does it mean in term of the game. I was also fed up with the complete lack of historicity of the Polish faction (and a Russian team should not be so bad in this aspect - Poland was one of the closest neighbour in the Middle Ages). Furtheremore, I've recalled vaguagely that the forum was closed for some time for the IPR-like reasons.
    Fortunately, two very good players have just voiced their opinions in the BS thread:

    Quote Originally Posted by Der Böse Wolf View Post
    Regarding Bulat Steel:

    You know that I am a big fan of BGR V.
    I have also tested SSHIP and still following the project and waiting for the final release.

    I look for historical game-play (EBII), slow-paced campaign, I put a ton of house rules, no exploits, winning is not my objective but enjoying the game with a focus on RP and character development.

    Bulat Steel is a fantastic mod as, beyond the beautiful graphics, whether on the units, the cities or the campaign map, it offers a very entertaining campaign, with a variety of scripts (for the economy, the military, the historical aspect...) which add lots of depth to the game-play.

    In Bulat Steel I find many of the things I like from other mods, combined in one:

    - Navigable rivers: like in DLV
    - Garrison script for ALL settlements
    - Intelligent recruitment of troops and upkeep, much like in SSHIP
    - BGR Supply and field morale
    - In-depth historical details and explanations for the regions, dynasties and characters like in EBII
    - Very good BAI
    - Very good CAI (Piter AI and Beermugs AI - did not test their own advanced AI, which is a DLC.
    - Beautiful unit skins, buildings, a complete overhaul like in EBII
    - Eastern factions are so unique like never before. A LOT of work has been put into them (other factions as well, of course, but eastern factions were always done negligibly in other mods). There are 3 "russian factions": Novgorod, Kievan Rus and Vladimir-Suzdal.
    - A smart, special, scripted mongol AI which makes the invasion really scary and effective
    - A complete re-balance of unit stats which improves battle a lot in a more logical way
    - Public order penalty in conquered regions like in SSHIP
    - Assassins can be recruited only from dungeons, not from brothels or inns (where you can only recruit spies). It is a nice feature so you have to build these to get your assassins. I have never ever build a dungeon in all my games in other mods before. Now this building is important.
    - Specific buildings needed for special purposes: for example; the imperial palace in Constantinople to recruit the Guards of the Basileus.
    - The next in throne feature to choose the next heir.
    - Great music options.
    - Coronation of the heir: a great feature which, if coronation doesn't happen on time, will negatively affect the new ruler (authority)
    - Dynasties and dynastic marriages like in Hispannia in the Middle ages mod.
    - Character traits which depend on the actions of the generals
    - Character ranks and development
    - Very nice optional scripts like:
    > random rebel attacks on your cities: rebels, representing small local rebellions are now a threat and not just random mini-armies occupying watchtowers.
    > resistance after the fall of the capital: two AI armies are spawned to try and recapture the AI capital if the player conquers it.
    > Inflation script
    > Cuman Raids on the Rus
    > Resistance to Jihad/Crusade: AI gets more armies to defend.
    > Military aid for small factions so they can survive
    > Difficult economy script which reduces income, slightly, from trade, a bit like in 1648: 30 years war, but not so drastic.
    > and a few more

    - A very nice campaign map with an EXCELLENT feature: troops cannot embark/disembark on ships anywhere on the maps. It is only possible on sandy beaches where the small boats which will transport the troops to the ship can beach.
    On the campaign map, many shores are rocky and you cannot embark/disembark there. This is very immersive. It's details like these that makes a game awesome.
    In my House Rules troops can only embark/disembark in ports.
    But when there are no ports or when outside my settlements, the beach feature is indeed fantastic.
    The map is so wll done and the shores look great with rocky and sandy beaches.

    --

    I have only played with the Eastern Roman Empire, but did take a look at other faction and they look great.

    Something I don't like
    - 2-turns per year: characters age very quickly. I prefer 4-turns per year

    Something which can be added/improved
    - Siege costs and army field costs, like what is planned with SSHIP and existing in the excellent Italian Wars by Aneirin: a siege costs 1000 Gold per turn for example.
    This can be combined with BGR supply system or done like in SSHIP, where the traits of the General influence the cost of the siege or field costs.
    - Native voices for each faction.
    Quote Originally Posted by youneuoy View Post
    About this modification:


    It is based on copying and using parts of other modifications, there is probably permission for most of the material, but you need to understand that this is not an achievement of the mod team.


    A few points in brief:


    1-based on another modification, this is a regular submod
    2- historicity, it is not here.
    3 - units, this is all or small retexture or just units from other modifications.
    4- AI:
    as elsewhere, and when you consider that different AIs are switched through the launcher, you don’t need to evaluate anything, everyone knows how they work. It is worth adding only that probably some of these IIs are poorly adapted to the conditions of this modification since its developers do not bother with such things.
    5- crashes, they exist and the developers have no idea how to fix them
    6- balance, you can’t call it good, there is also a rebalance in which there is no connection between units and characteristics at all.
    7- scripts, these are just copies from other modifications, while the adaptation and optimization of most of them were not the developers of the mod.


    8- distribution model:
    To the modification there are paid dlc, actively promoted by the developers. These dlc scripts for enhancing fractions, sets of portraits, music, etc. Naturally, the developers have no copyrights for this, and paid scripts are presented as a natural and necessary part of the modification.
    9- the ratio of developers to users:
    I often observe a situation where the developer (LEEKAA) replied to the messages saying that the mod is too easy or boring to play: “boring? Take money from your mother and buy dlc” - this is clearly the wrong approach, the developer also actively insults those who speaks out about the modification negatively and has already been banned for this more than once on one of the Total War forums (imtw.ru).

    10-permission to use the content, it is strange to hear this from modders whose creation is entirely based on copying:
    All materials that are in Bulat Steel (version 2.1.5 or less) are forbidden to use in other mods. (even if you ask permission - my answer is NO). I am the leader of our team and this is my final decision.

    Output:
    Of course, a completely terrible modification cannot be obtained if you take and collect material from a huge number of other modders. But if at the same time you yourself do not understand anything in modding and only deal with copying, collecting donations, selling DLCs and banning negative opinions, then nothing good will come of it either. In my opinion, the mod, despite the abundance of material is below average quality, and given its "innocent features" and the inclinations of its creator, it should be considered disgusting at all.
    Last edited by Jurand of Cracow; June 27, 2020 at 03:28 AM.

  4. #4684

    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Flagis,
    I strongly recommend that you also try Italian Wars 1493-1459. It's in Russian, but if you can deal with that, it's incredible.

    https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...%3B-1493-1559)

    Jurand of Cracow,
    Thanks for posting those two very opposing evaluations of Bulat Steel. I still haven't played it yet as I am always preoccupied with making small changes to my versions of SS6.4 with BGRIV and BGRV, but I still plan to give it a try some day, just as I am much looking forward to the next version of SHIPP that includes kostic's new models along with Sillygoy's edu changes and your new traits and ancillaries.

    It does appear that Der Bose Wolf has played and really like the mod, while youneuoy seems to mostly be upset about the hypocrisy of the creators (it's not clear how much he has actually played it). Italian Wars 1493-1559 and New Tueton do not have English translations and so are quite problematic in that way, but their creators may not be as unprincipled as the creators of Bulat Steel. Anyway, thanks again for the post!
    Last edited by Kilgore Trout; July 07, 2020 at 03:01 AM.
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  5. #4685
    Jurand of Cracow's Avatar History and gameplay!
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    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout View Post
    I am much looking forward to the next version of SHIPP that includes kostic's new models along with Sillygoy's edu changes and your new traits and ancillaries.
    This will be SSHIP version 098. The version 097 will feature my changes but no kostic's models.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout View Post
    It does appear that Der Bose Wolf has played and really like the mod, while youneuoy seems to mostly be upset about the hypocrisy of the creators (it's not clear how much he has actually played it). Italian Wars 1493-1559 and New Tueton do not have English translations and so are quite problematic in that way, but their creators may not be as unprincipled as the creators of Bulat Steel. Anyway, thanks again for the post!
    Yeah, I also read their OPs in this way. For me the problem is that I know how many bugs lurk under the hood of the base Stainless Steel's EDCT and EDA (traits and ancillaries). I've seen fixes to these problems in Titanium (made by Meloo, it's such a pity he's retired) but I haven't seen them in the Bulat Steel. Eg. the number of Hearts of the princesses is quite unrelated from how many "charms" they have (due to the AT-NCB programming bug). I agree with DBW that the number of the scripts and improvements is amazing and may provide for a great gameplay.

  6. #4686

    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Kilgore Trout,
    I agree with you that Italian Wars 1493-1559 is an good modification (in the first place, unit models and their balance are very distinguished).
    The developer is well versed in history and tries to match it.
    I would not call New Tueton a good mod, in fact, it is about the same as Bulat Steel, but a little simpler and without paid DLC.
    Jurand of Cracow

    You can look at several entries from online battles on the modification of Italian Wars 1493-1559 to get an idea of it. Here, for example, a battle from a single player campaign with online battles (this campaign also compiles something like AAR, though it is in Russian).

    Here, the option of recording an online battle from a player passing the campaign (Xamax, he plays Spain) and from me (Tunisia, the second army of Tunisia is controlled by Torpedniy_Kater).
    The version of the mod from this video is slightly rebalanced for this campaign, in the original version from Lezvie its outcome would be different.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    On our YouTube channels you can find other battles from this modification.


    There are some problems in the modification(these are high system requirements, as well as a specific balance of the economy and the characteristics of the units - this is a fully informed decision of the developer), but in general, everything looks pretty cool.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jurand of Cracow View Post
    This will be SSHIP version 098. The version 097 will feature my changes but no kostic's models.

    Yeah, I also read their OPs in this way. For me the problem is that I know how many bugs lurk under the hood of the base Stainless Steel's EDCT and EDA (traits and ancillaries). I've seen fixes to these problems in Titanium (made by Meloo, it's such a pity he's retired) but I haven't seen them in the Bulat Steel. Eg. the number of Hearts of the princesses is quite unrelated from how many "charms" they have (due to the AT-NCB programming bug). I agree with DBW that the number of the scripts and improvements is amazing and may provide for a great gameplay.
    Yes, one of the developers of earlier versions of Bulat Steel boasted to the developers of Bulat Steel 2.1.x that he had found a solution to one of the critical bugs, maybe this is it (he did not share the solution because of the conflicts that constantly occurs around this modification ) Although there are enough problems there and without this, it seems that nobody is going to solve these problems.
    Last edited by youneuoy; July 07, 2020 at 02:26 PM.
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  7. #4687

    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Hi guys. I am not very savvy in mods so i need your help.


    So i like to play MTW2 using Steam-stream feature (remote play) on my laptop (the game itself is running on my pc). But i would like to install some good mod on my MTW2 like StainlessSteel or something else...


    So my question is how can i play mod using Steam-remote-play feature (Stream)??? Is there any solution to this?


    And my second question is why i don't see StainlessSteel mod section on that forum anymore?


    Thank you

  8. #4688

    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by antonvix View Post
    Hi guys. I am not very savvy in mods so i need your help.
    So i like to play MTW2 using Steam-stream feature (remote play) on my laptop (the game itself is running on my pc). But i would like to install some good mod on my MTW2 like StainlessSteel or something else...
    So my question is how can i play mod using Steam-remote-play feature (Stream)??? Is there any solution to this?
    And my second question is why i don't see StainlessSteel mod section on that forum anymore?
    Thank you
    I don’t know how the steam remote play function works, but if there is no way to run the .bat modification file, then you can edit the launch parameters of the game in the Steam library (does this still remain possible?)
    An example of how this might look:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    When starting the game, select option # 1
    People always have been the foolish victims of deception and self-deception in politics, and they always will be, until they have learned to seek out the interests of some class or other behind all moral, religious, political and social phrases, declarations and promises
    medieval 2 total war engine overhaul project

  9. #4689

    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Hi guys,

    It seems I am very picky, because unfortunately I bounce off of most mods for Med2.
    Imho, I've only encountered 3 fully developed mods out there:


    • TATW Divide and Conquer (can't wait for 5.0)
    • Rise of Three Kingdoms (My only issues are twofold: performance (maps) and unit cards (visibility)
    • Tsardoms TW ("only" beta, but so good. Just fix the main menu please)


    Strong contenders:

    SS Titanium; This is actually the mod I had most fun of them all (yes, even TATW). Less hardcore than SSHIP, it has great feel to it, siege battles are really dangerous, map is on pair with SSHIP. Drawbacks: unfinished and lots of bugs.

    SSHIP; well thought out, very immersive and stable, with a beautiful map. Drawbacks: some unit cards, sprites, and imo complexity

    Europa Barbarorum II; AAA quality, but: battlemap textures are awful, scripts are overwhelming, music is bad and (siege) battles last forever

    For King or Country; made with very high quality, so much it could have been an another official expansion if worked further upon just a little bit. Unfortunately, there are only few units (which don't talk) and only 2 factions (not even rebels) so the gameplay is quite stale. In addition, I dislike removal of unit banners (cannot switch them on), as I can't see what's happening in battles.

    Rule Britannia; I can't say it's polished (tropical palms in Ireland etc., CTDs) but apart from these and other issues, this is Stainless Steel meets Creative Assembly's Britannia.

    TATW DCI; looks very promising, still waiting till it's out of beta.

    TATW MOS; awful turn times (it lasts minutes!), bland faction icons - otherwise full of interesting role play.

    TATW 4.1; great ruin feature and lots of new settlements and areas filling the map. Drawbacks: boring music, no invasions, mutilated dwarven factions

    Total Vanilla Beyond; casual mod, as the title suggests it's meant to be Medieval 2++. And it is! But while it looks great on the surface, containing everything in one game, it isn't very polished. Units and factions are "thrown in" and very unbalanced, most voices are missing, music choice isn't the best and there are of course stability issues. But considering it was done by 1 person AFAIK, it's absolutely worth admiring. It's only a shame developement is labeled finished. update in 2021: 4zumi came back to it!

    Vanilla Kingdoms; not visible on TWC nor Moddb but clearly made with Geomod and very good. It basically adds Kingdoms factions to vanilla campaign. I found it by accident on some yt channel and it's listed as made by "Pike". I made a substantial submod for this.
    Last edited by Just let me post; June 18, 2021 at 03:14 PM. Reason: updated 2021

  10. #4690
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    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by youneuoy View Post
    I don’t know how the steam remote play function works, but if there is no way to run the .bat modification file, then you can edit the launch parameters of the game in the Steam library (does this still remain possible?)
    An example of how this might look:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    When starting the game, select option # 1
    It shouldn't really be necessary to go into the launch option of Steam - it's huge back draw is that it will limit you to playing just that one mod and users tend to forget about it and wonder why their new mod doesn't work. All you have to really do is to make a copy of the medieval2 executable and rename it kingdoms. The principle (with automated installer) is described here.

    I recently repacked Third Age and Stainless Steel and the two are now fully Steam compatible without further input.

    In short: if you get an error message saying that kingdoms.exe couldn't be found then simply apply my guide.










  11. #4691
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Good afternoon, I would like to ask for a few mod recommendations.


    important:
    - stability, no, or not many CTDs
    - good performance (not very "heavy" textures)
    - not fantasy
    - not many scripts (especially hate the "empty town teleports in a 10 units garrison" script)
    - no missing textures/sounds, the mod should be complete


    nice to have
    - historical accurancy (to be honest I am fine with vanilla-ish. I just wanted to state it is not mandatory)
    - varied unit rosters, factions with different tactics (not mandatory)
    - slower pace of the game, also slower battles (not mandatory)
    - simplified maps (no battles in jungles, forests or high mountains)
    - not many settlements. Vanilla is mostly good. (I find sieges boring + losing a province is a bigger deal when there are only a few)
    - complexitiy should be close to vanilla, or maybe 1-2 steps more complex
    - while I am interested in everything, a different time (pike&shot, but also Charlemagne...) or place (Eastern Europe, Anatolia, etc.)
    - dirty textures (like Medieval 1)


    doesn't matter:
    - timeframe
    - scope (I am fine with worldmaps, but also regional focus like Kingdoms)
    - strategy map (performance is preferred) and battlemaps (performance again)






    What I liked:
    - Thera (played v4 IIRC. I really appreciate how the mod went the extra mile for stability and performance. Also very varied factions. I think my favorite)
    - Broken Crescent
    - Last Kingdom (the AI was a bit passive though)
    - reconquista (nice, vanilla flavor Iberia campaign)
    - Retrofit. probably the mod I played the most.


    what I didn't like:
    - (med2) call of warhammer. It was very buggy and had deus ex machina scripting
    - stainless steel (too detailed textures)
    - Third Age (hated the scripts)




    Thanks a lot!
    Last edited by shikaka; September 08, 2020 at 05:42 AM.

  12. #4692

    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Hi shikaka (everyone bows in reverence), I think you might want to try Chivalry II, it sort of fits your criteria. I reviewed it recently here: https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...-long-time-fan
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  13. #4693
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by Drtad View Post
    Hi shikaka (everyone bows in reverence), I think you might want to try Chivalry II, it sort of fits your criteria. I reviewed it recently here: https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...-long-time-fan
    Thanks a lot Drtad! I know this mod, but didn't have a working copy. I managed to find a version after your review.


    Something different!


    Mod review 1143

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    A mod similar to vanilla Kingdoms campaigns, with a Reconquista focus.
    - stability is very good, I didn't have a single CTD during two full campaigns
    - units are mostly vanilla M2, or recolored vanilla M2
    - campaign map has good spacing for settlements (not too dense, this helps the AI)
    - campaign playstyle depends on the factions. Christians are traditional Total war factions (2-4 settlements, mediocre starting army). Moors offer a different feel, similar feel to Fall of Western Roman Empire. Almoravids is set up to conquer: big army, only 1 settlement, starts to lose money instantly.
    - historical events with scripting. Not invasive, rather nice. (eg. Portugal changes flag whem becomes a kingdom, or king's purse decreases if you decide (!) to fund exploration of the african coastline). Cities change name based on owner culture (as-Shantariyn <> Santarém)
    - easy install, small download
    - mod feels really polished. Historical characters with proper traits, balanced start positions and armies. Didn't see a silver surfer either.

    Minimap:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Units and buildings:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Give it a try, this is a good one. Not a great mod like third age, but good for a weekend or two.

    Unfortunately the mod is buried deep in the released mod section:
    https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...t-Reconquista)

  14. #4694
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: the best playable mods

    An other mostly forgotten mod: Magyar mod



    Originally created by a hungarian team, lead by Csatádi and Döme. The aim was to have a historical Hungary in Medieval 2, and I think the result is very good.

    Features:
    - historical Hungary roster. Note what Döme did with the units! Instead of having ethnic units, generic spearman have slavic, hungarian (and german, not in pic) in the same spearman unit. Also, royal bodyguard units have coat of arms from historical magnate families.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - more detailed map, especially eastern Europe and balkans area. I really like that the guys didn't go overboard with adding too many regions. The AI has an easier time this way, while the look of the map is much better.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - revised start positions (stronger moors, poland, turks became Rum turks, for better AI performance)
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - additional factions: Novgorod and Kiev (orthodox, recolored vanilla Russia Units), Cumans (pagan, Broken Crescent units), Lithuania (pagans, lithuania mod units)
    - stricter eras. Even when having the population, the player cannot upgrade the walls/castles until a given date.
    - very good soundtrack
    - some small quality of life improvements (eg. less alcoholics, less frequent but stronger rebels)
    - generally slower pace: buildings take about double time to complete, rebels are stronger in general.
    - XAI campaign and battle AI (works well)
    - generally very stable (moddb has 2.18, which I don't have, might be a difference here)
    - cool loading screens by Danova
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Known issues (not many)
    - lithuanian bodyguard unit is silver surfer (didn't play with last version! moddb has 2.18, I have 2.16)
    - very strong pirates. Too strong, crusade with mercenary galley is impossible.
    - bodyguard units have 1 HP. The developers wanted to force players to use generals as commanders, not cavalry. However, this hurts the AI much more than the player.
    - a faction is kind of missing from the Syria-Baghdad region


    I could recommend this mod to players outside of Hungary. Gameplay in eastern Europe is much improved, this has a positive effect on unmodified factions (Poland, Venice, Byzantium, Turks) too.
    Last edited by shikaka; October 02, 2020 at 03:44 AM.

  15. #4695
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Forgotten mod #3: The Last Kingdom



    Brilliant viking invasions mod, I think my favorite medieval 2 mod ever.

    - playable: saxons (Northumbria, Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia), Alba (~scots), Gwynedd (~welsh), Munster and Connacht (~irish), northmen (Hordaland, Vestfold, Denmark, Normandy), and East Franks. Start positions:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - strong rebels. Low base population growth. Culture mechanic from Britannia, instead of religion. This means a slow paced game.
    - culture groups share units, but every faction has unique ones too. They are also good looking, and I think historical. (dark age britain is not my forte, but there isn't anything which stands out as unhistorical)
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - really nice minimap when undiscovered, I don't know how Danova did it:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - I like how campaign play is different for factions, especially vikings. Denmark is set up to conquer (losing money, big army, good generals), Vestfold and Hordaland to duke it out in Norway (Vestfold is stronger, but spead out, Hordaland is weaker, but it is easy to hold choke points or "sail around" enemy armies, Normandy is nothing at start, but they can get awesome medium/heavy cavalry if they decide to baptize). In the meantime East Engle and Mercia is a long defensive campaign, Wessex is a unite saxons march, etc.
    - the fact that there are not many cavalry units in armies, and battle are longer make javelins really nice. This is probably the only mod where foot javelins are fun to use.
    - really good build tree, with good looking graphics.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - good looking loading screens by Danova
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Identified issues:
    - the viking raiders are an uplayable viking faction in war with every non-viking, which gets landing stacks with scripts. The problem with this is that the AI (being in war with half of the map) will offer a nice sum for peace, even if it sieges a virtually undefended settlement.
    - the AI cannot really coordinate an invasion across the sea. Denmark is much easier to deal with than it was historically. (DaVinci created a nice submod where the Danelag is already established. Denmark is _very_ challenging there) Playing Denmark is very cool this way though.
    - population boost building show up with a wrong value. They show up as +0,5%, but in reality it is +0,25%. Now, Medieval 2 has a problem with showing digits. It seems that you do not get +0,25%, but if you build 2 pop growth buildings, you will get the +0,5% shown. A bit confusing, but it is enough to remember that you get the bonus, even if it doesn't show up in the settlement window.
    - for some players the pace of the game will be very slow. Battles are long, base pop growth is slow, you have to convert the culture of captured provinces (units have a culture % requirement!), and you cannot build troops in villages. The first barrack is at tier 2 settlements! (I like it though)

    What I don't understand:
    I have the original 3.06 version, but also downloaded the one click installer. I had some problems with the latter (silver surfers), which I didn't encounter with the original. So there might be issues with different version.
    Last edited by shikaka; October 01, 2020 at 12:27 PM.

  16. #4696
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: the best playable mods

    Hispania in the middle ages
    you can find the mod's topic (and the downloads) in the released mods section:
    https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...ed-09-12-2017)



    This is a very nice Iberian peninsula mod, which is I think doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Also, it has some unique features I have not seen anywhere else.

    - five start date with different setups. Grand campaign (1067), Advance of Asturias (870), El Cid start (1094), Almohad invasion (1176), Rise of the military orders (1180), Struggle for the straits (1338)
    The grand campaign is the traditional total war style, with the highest number of factions. Both muslims and christians are compact 2-4-6 province kingdoms and counties, it is a kind of free for all. The rest of the campaigns usually have a giant faction where the others struggle a bit. In the beginning, the nemesis are the moors, in the Struggle for the straits campaign, the unified christian kingdom dominates the peninsula.
    Starting positions for the grand campaign:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - as a nice touch, the map also has southwestern france and north afrcia, with playable factions, and historical events (Toulouse faction - cathar heresy!)
    - buildings are mostly vanilla, units are mostly recolored vanilla. However there are quite a few unique solutions here. Eg. you can train inquisitors if you establish the inquisition, as a muslim, you can introduce the additional tax on christians, etc.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - depending on conquests, you will get new coat of arms. Starting as Leon, and destroying GAlicia and Castile, I got the Castile-Leon flag. Also note that vanilla units are recolored in Leon colors (silver and purple). I think all factions have correct, and good looking flags and units.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - factions share lots of units, they are differentiated with unique units (eg. not everyone gets jinetes or pikemen) and start positions
    - the mod is very stable! 0 CTD in two campaigns. Bravo!
    - there are some nice quality of life features implemented: notification of an AI princess coming of age. Choose your heir. Ally sends troops to help out.
    - the player can "inherit" the whole realm (units, generals, towns, agents included) if a blood relative dies without a heir. (when I killed the king of Galicia in battle, I inherited his armies and cities, because I was the rightful heir)



    Identified issues (not many)
    - I found strange values for mine income. At the start, Leon can build mines in Oviedo and Leon itself for 2500 gold. When finished, they give +1000/+1300 per turn, which was not intended I think.
    - if you play a scenario where there is a huge AI (30-40 settlements), it is very easy to defeat it. If you attack at 2-3 different areas, the AI cannot organize itself, and you can take 8-10 settlements before bogging down. You can become an equal to the AI nemesis with one war. It is mostly related to the AI, not the mod, but I think worth mentioning.
    - I think the game is easier when starting at the north (Galicia, Leon, Castile, Navarra). Most muslims have trouble against heavy christian units, while eastern christians (Urgell, Barcelona, etc.) start small, and have a strong muslim Zaragoza in the neighborhood.


    Alltogether I think this mod is brilliant. The developer (Miguel_80) knew what he wanted, didn't lose his focus, and had the determination not just for finishing, but also for polishing. Very good job!

  17. #4697
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Wrath of the Norsemen 3.2 BETA
    disclaimer: there is a submod called Regnum Francorum, which is rather a supplement as I understand. But that didn't work for me, so the latter is valid for the base WotN mod only!



    Even though the mod has it's own section among the hosted mods, I don't really see the admiration it deserves. I though it might be a good idea to review it. You can find the referring forum section here:
    https://www.twcenter.net/forums/foru...Baltic-Release


    In short, this is a very athmospheric, post-apocalyptic-metal mod, based on dark ages Scandinavia, and Baltics. Everything fits together nicely, 2D art, soundtrack, loading screens, gameplay. Alltogether a very good quality mod.

    Features:
    - lots of scandinavian chiefdoms and baltics tribes, not playable elsewhere. (eg. vends, kursi, finns, pagan slavic-norse Novgorod) Start positons below (northern half/southern half):
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - very good quality 2D art
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - new unit roster, good looking skins. I think they are original too (not sure, but I don't remember these from other mods)
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - slower pace. Battles too, but especially the campaign. (there are "tier 0" construction tax buildings. They don't do anything, just disallow real buildings until built)
    - really _huge_, but good looking map
    - really different gameplay compared to vanilla. Every settlement (at least what I saw) is very small, and takes ages to grow, especially since for 10-20 turns, you will be building the construction tax buildings (wood worker, tool shed, etc.). It actually makes sense to get on a ship, conquer an enemy capitol, sell all buildings and leave. After a tour like this, you have ~2-3000 to spend on your home provinces.
    - it really feels a good achievement to unite medieval Sweden or Norway. The game feels complete.
    - generally athmospheric, gloomy-metal wibes

    identified issues:
    - I think the AI is not capable of navigating the big provinces. For 40-50 turns, I only faced them when I invaded their provinces. (the same is true for first time players too. Tip: cities on islands are easier to find, travel is faster with boat)
    - based on what I found in enemy capitols, the AI is a bit confused on what to build (this also means they field worse armies then they should)
    - The AI nations with 1 province, without walls can be wiped out in the early game. This was unintended at first, but as Sweden I threw everything on Götland in hopes of getting a somewhat developed province. It turned out I wiped them out, because the capitol was their only settlement, their army was not even nearby. I think every nation could use a second province OR walls at the capitol.
    - I feel that in general, it makes sense to go for the AI nations instead of rebels in the early game.
    - in general I don't like the build tree. It is innovative of course, but spending ~10 turns for building the construction tax buildings makes village developement painful.
    - a few texts are missing, or there is a placeholder icon here or there, but nothing major. (historical event with "text goes here", or building with "placeholder" picture)

  18. #4698
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by shikaka View Post
    - really nice minimap when undiscovered, I don't know how Danova did it:
    Fairly easy actually (in principle) - you take the land outline of map heights and then edit it with stuff from old documents and the like. And danova was a whiz with that when I worked with him on that mod. We made a similar ones for 1648 and RotK:
    ..
    No idea how the silver surfers happened - it's definitely a case of missing textures, either because the modeldb hasn't got the faction entry or the texture isn't present.










  19. #4699

    Default Re: Medieval II Mod Questions & Recommendations

    here is my take on the Bulat Steel mod discussed above:

  20. #4700
    Sana Kan's Avatar Libertus
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    Default Re: the best playable mods

    Quote Originally Posted by shikaka View Post
    An other mostly forgotten mod: Magyar mod



    Originally created by a hungarian team, lead by Csatádi and Döme. The aim was to have a historical Hungary in Medieval 2, and I think the result is very good.

    Features:
    - historical Hungary roster. Note what Döme did with the units! Instead of having ethnic units, generic spearman have slavic, hungarian (and german, not in pic) in the same spearman unit. Also, royal bodyguard units have coat of arms from historical magnate families.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - more detailed map, especially eastern Europe and balkans area. I really like that the guys didn't go overboard with adding too many regions. The AI has an easier time this way, while the look of the map is much better.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - revised start positions (stronger moors, poland, turks became Rum turks, for better AI performance)
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    - additional factions: Novgorod and Kiev (orthodox, recolored vanilla Russia Units), Cumans (pagan, Broken Crescent units), Lithuania (pagans, lithuania mod units)
    - stricter eras. Even when having the population, the player cannot upgrade the walls/castles until a given date.
    - very good soundtrack
    - some small quality of life improvements (eg. less alcoholics, less frequent but stronger rebels)
    - generally slower pace: buildings take about double time to complete, rebels are stronger in general.
    - XAI campaign and battle AI (works well)
    - generally very stable (moddb has 2.18, which I don't have, might be a difference here)
    - cool loading screens by Danova
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Known issues (not many)
    - lithuanian bodyguard unit is silver surfer (didn't play with last version! moddb has 2.18, I have 2.16)
    - very strong pirates. Too strong, crusade with mercenary galley is impossible.
    - bodyguard units have 1 HP. The developers wanted to force players to use generals as commanders, not cavalry. However, this hurts the AI much more than the player.
    - a faction is kind of missing from the Syria-Baghdad region


    I could recommend this mod to players outside of Hungary. Gameplay in eastern Europe is much improved, this has a positive effect on unmodified factions (Poland, Venice, Byzantium, Turks) too.

    Magyar Mod is one of my favorites, I still play it with some personal tweaks, the map in particular is gorgeous.

    Long shot here, but I just wish they updated the mod with more reskins and used a different TPY config than 0.5 so the campaign could progress faster.

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