Bigger, Huger and Realistic Battles + Speed + Morale mods : V8 (11th January 2011)

[ignasigh]

Intro
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BIGGER BATTLES Mod: I've been thinking to modify the export_desc_unit to make bigger battles. There are some nice threads that already modify that file, but I want to make something slightly different.

Starting from vanilla SS version or other submods I'd like to change unit sizes with a certain "logic". My "logic" (which can be wrong ) is that it must be easier to recruit high number of low level units rather than getting huge amount of hospitallers, templars, gendarmes, etc...

Spearmen and sergeants are less than expected due their good att/def and for cavalry I apply the criteria that it was not easy to have a horse in that time. So, my point is to use the best infantry together with medium/light huger infantry, elite should attack where they are deadly, and it's quite balanced imo!.

If I increase in the same percentage the SS ratios the result would be pretty unrealistic IMO (1 unit of 90 cav. templars could unbalance the challenging in a battle ) the applied percentage is not the same for every kind of unit.

MORALE Mod: Some players asked to increase morale's a little bit because they find annoying that a little less of the half of the unit decides to retreat in the middle of the battle. The direct experience you could see is that battles last more and less prisoners are taken.

SPEED Mod: It simply cannot be that a Viking raiders unit has the same speed as heavily armored Hospitaller knights, hence my changes are orientated to increase the speed of these units that by definition are faster (e.g. Raiders or Highlanders). If you think about it, you'll (hopefully) agree with me that lightest infantry are useless and they only increase the battle numbers (thx to my mod increases a lot! ), but they can gain value if they are able to pursue retreating enemy units, encircle them or attack the damn crossbowmen that are killing your valuable knights. Same happens with light cavalry!

About the future of the mod--> Changes, releases, other changes??? I'm opened to adapt the submod with other big mods like PP, Baltic,AOR... I expect to install PP soon and adapt for it, anyway feel free to send me all EDU files you want to be changed (for me it's a matter of a click)...

V8 changes
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• Corrected some units which were unbalanced (aldari, hussars and other cavalry)
• Siege equipment fixed, now all units have 4 pieces except Grand Bombard.
• Some pics to enjoy while downloading

What will you find here?
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in resume...More than 390 unit size changes!!!

but I know you're curious so all details are below....

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

BIGGER mod

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• Add 1 piece of artillery to ballistas, culverins, cannons, basiliks and serpentines.

• Maximize the size of the foot light units (from pilgrims to all militians) and maximize the low level archers and increase a little the best ones (longbows or trebizonds).

• Increase gunpowder units to have lines of 80 men per row.

• Increase the number of light cav. (20-30%) (from light melee to range horses).

• Increase the number of medium infantry (from spearmen and sergeants to men at arms and regulars) (20-30%).

• Leave as they are heavy cavs and heavy infantry (5% would be its maximum but I prefer not to modify anything else).

• Morale of all units increased by 1.4

• Speed of some units increased by 1.3

• More than 200 unit size changes!!!

HUGER mod

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• Add 2 pieces of artillery to ballistas, culverins, magonels, bombards, cannons, basiliks and serpentines and 1 to the rest of siege units.

• Maximize the size of the foot light units (from pilgrims to all militians) and maximize the low level archers and increase the best ones until 170 (longbows or trebizonds).

• Increase gunpowder units to have lines of 90 men per row.

• Increase the number of light cav. (40-50%) (from light melee to range horses).

• Increase the number of medium infantry (from spearmen and sergeants to men at arms and regulars) (40-50%).

• Leave as they are the bodyguards and add a 5% to the amount of the heavy units.

• Morale of all units increased by 1.4

• Speed of some units increased by 1.3

• More than 390 unit size changes!!!

Speed changes
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* Border_Horse changed its speed to x1.3
* Hobilars changed its speed to x1.3
* Stradiots changed its speed to x1.3
* Scouts changed its speed to x1.3
* Albanian_Cavalry changed its speed to x1.3
* Alan_Light_Cavalry changed its speed to x1.3
* Highland_Rabble changed its speed to x1.3
* Highlanders changed its speed to x1.3
* Viking_Raiders changed its speed to x1.3
* Sword_and_Buckler_Men changed its speed to x1.3
* Swordsmen_Militia changed its speed to x1.3
* Woodsmen changed its speed to x1.3
* Slav_Levies changed its speed to x1.3
* Sudanese_Tribesmen changed its speed to x1.3
* Ghazis changed its speed to x1.3
* Mutatawwi'a changed its speed to x1.3
* Mongol_Light_Lancers changed its speed to x1.3
* Desert_Raiders changed its speed to x1.3
* Alforrats changed its speed to x1.3
* Viking_Mercenaries changed its speed to x1.3
* Hobiguir changed its speed to x1.3
* Ridire changed its speed to x1.3
* Ceitherne changed its speed to x1.3
* Svenner changed its speed to x1.3
* Knechten changed its speed to x1.3
* Gwent_Raiders changed its speed to x1.3
* Pecheneg_Tribesmen changed its speed to x1.3
* Lithuanian_Axemen changed its speed to x1.3
* Aldari changed its speed to x1.3


Compatible with (more than 15 submod combinations!!)
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Vanilla SS 6.1
Vanilla SS 6.2
SS 6.2 + RR 1.3 + TC 1.8 aka "The latest superpatch"
Vanilla SS 6.1
Capital's EDU
Battle for the Baltic 1.0 (TC+RR)
SS 6.1 + TC1.2 + RAJ
SS 6.1 + TC1.2 + RR + Byg3
SS 6.1 + RR 1.0
SS 6.1 + RR 1.0 + TC 1.2
SS 6.1 + RR 1.2 + TC 1.7
SS 6.2
SS 6.2 + PointBlack's compilation SS 6.2 + RR 1.3 + TC 1.7 + RC 1.8 (April patch)
SS 6.2 + PointBlack's compilation SS 6.2 + RR 1.3 + TC 1.7 + RC 1.8 (July patch)
SS 6.2(1?) + PointBlack's compilation SS 6.2 + RR + RC FINAL (August patch)
SS 6.2RC4 + Rozanov's 0.60 beta SF / 2TPY / All Towns / Role_Playing mod *new*
SS 6.3
SS 6.3 Rozanov's all towns patch
SS 6.3 Meneth's v4.2
Templars mod 0.5
Templars mod 0.5 + TC 1.2 <-- this is perfectly polished 3.0 version too
OTZ's AOR 2.1 + TC1.2
OTZ's AOR 2.1 + TC1.2 + RAJ
Basileia ton Romaion 1.0
SS 6.4

Some pictures of the final result
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Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Download
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Due the increase of possibilities in the mod, I finally have posted 2 ZIP files (5-6 MB). Inside each file you can see many different subzip files properly named with the SSVERSION + SUBMODS + APPLIED CHANGES.

Following that rule the files contains:
EDU_61_BIGBATTLES_Speed_Morale.zip = the vanilla EDU 6.1 file + bigger unit sizes + increased morale + speed
EDU_62_TC18_HUGERBATTLES_Speed.zip = the 6.2 EDU patched with the TotalCombat 1.8 + huger unit sizes + speed

So you ONLY HAVE TO TAKE ONE OF THE SUBZIPS!

Hence, THE latest version downloads now are:
>>DOWNLOAD BIGGER BATTLES & SPEED & MORALE<<
>>DOWNLOAD HUGER BATTLES & SPEED & MORALE<<


Installation instructions: Simply replace your current EDU file but make a backup first!

FAQ
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Q --> what's EDU?
A --> EDU = export_descr_unit.txt file which is the single file you need to replace

Q --> Where is it located?
A --> mtw2/mods/SS/data

Q --> which file do I have to download?
A --> there are 2 options depending on the size you want to use
BIGGER? link on the 1st post
HUGER? link on the 1st post too
Always download 1 of them

Q --> Ok. I've one of them in my computer...but there are 1000 zips inside!
A --> Yep here's the trickest part of all, you need to know
a- which mod you've installed (62, 61, 62+RC, 62+Rozanov's patch...)
b- what do you want to patch (unit sizes+speed only?unit sizes+morale increase?all of them?

The search your selection on the zips, normally it's encoded as
MOD NAME (point a)+APPLIED CHARACTERISTIC(s) (point b)

Q --> Ok... I did all you explain...how I can be sure that it WORKS?!?!?
A --> Enter the game and check if the unit sizes have changed, I personally recommend putting the unit sizes to maximum in MTW2 (video settings), so the peasants are 250 in Huger...

Thanks to...
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* All of submodders that provided me their EDU before launching any release (Lord_Calidor, OTZ, Caesar Clivus, and mighty KK for making SS!
* Y2day who's going to make a decent splash picture for the thread.

I hope you enjoy it!

[TempestKhan]

maybe u also wanna increase the moral for all the units that way the stewpid ai gives a good fight for what its worth

[Chim]

What about balance?
Can a heavy inf unit stand up against a much larger high-en militia unit?

[ignasigh]

What about balance?
Can a heavy inf unit stand up against a much larger high-en militia unit?

Mmm I hope so....but 400 militians should defeat or kill mostly of a knights unit.

I'll make tests before modding of course!

It won't be as simple as increasing a few numbers here and there mates. Even now heavy infantry can get defeated by spearmen, what do you think will happen if you also increase the unit size of that type of units?

So, in your opinion should be increased in the same percentage for all units? Considering the % I need to make peasants to 250, I'll apply the same to the rest of units.

Looks better?

[s0meguy]

To make it harder to get knights you could decrease the unit pool size...

[ignasigh]

To make it harder to get knights you could decrease the unit pool size...

Yes I thought that but I think I'll leave it as it's. My idea is to alter only the number of men per battle...

A good idea is to increase morale, maybe I'll do it too

[Chim]

It won't be as simple as increasing a few numbers here and there mates. Even now heavy infantry can get defeated by spearmen, what do you think will happen if you also increase the unit size of that type of units?

[Chim]

That would be my approach. But you should do whatever it takes as long as you're satisfied by the final product.

[ignasigh]

That would be my approach. But you should do whatever it takes as long as you're satisfied by the final product.

Sure!

I'm trying to generate generic rules to make changes easier and faster (and to make this compatible with other submods)

[cherryfunk]

What's the new maximum unit size?

I like the idea of bigger units -- the battles seem a bit on the 'skimpy' side with the current unit sizes...

[Chim]

What's the new maximum unit size?

I like the idea of bigger units -- the battles seem a bit on the 'skimpy' side with the current unit sizes...

In kingdoms the unit max is 100 in the EDU (250 ingame).

[ignasigh]

In kingdoms the unit max is 100 in the EDU (250 ingame).

Chimaeira, can I use your file as the base?

[stefano89]

Nice idea, If you need any help... I'm not much of a modder and I don't know almost anything, but if there's anyway I can help, I'll be eager. PM me or something.

[ignasigh]

Nice idea, If you need any help... I'm not much of a modder and I don't know almost anything, but if there's anyway I can help, I'll be eager. PM me or something.

thanks for your help, I'd appreciate any feedback and opinions about the file which I'll send soon...nothing else

[Chim]

Go right ahead mate.

[ignasigh]

Go right ahead mate.

Good news are that I could use any export_descr_unit as base. Bad news is that I need to "apply" my changes after any release of your mod.

By now , my idea is to apply it only to your mod because it's the one I use Of course I'll make it for any other mods that people ask...

One simple question, Total Combat modifies anything from EDU? Or should I take RAJ?

By the way, expected "release" is tomorrow or 2nd of May...

[cherryfunk]

Go right ahead mate.

Excellent! I was going to ask if this would work with Chimaeira's mod...

[ignasigh]

RELEASED!

[Marku]

does this mod work with byzantine mod for SS?

[ignasigh]

does this mod work with byzantine mod for SS?

Not yet, I need an EDU to update it, pls...can someone who has it installed send it to me?

I cannot install all available mods !