BKB Super mod Vs. XL mod for Medieval Total War?

[A.C. Slater]

I'm having a hard time deciding which mod to download. BKB adds 27 new factions, while XL adds 17. But XL is more well received in these forums(but on the Org BKB is bigger). Can someone list the pros and cons of each one? This is the hardest mod decision I've ever had to make.

[Kaidonni]

Well, BKB is meant to be a mod that adds as much as is possible to the game. GA isn't possible because there are three different maps, one for each era. You can still play all the way to 1453, of course, no worries there, but whatever era you begin with, you are limited to that era's map. Also, because there are so many units in the mod, and you can only have so many in the .txt files before you reach the hardcoded limit, some units are unique to a particular starting era, and you won't necessarily find them by starting in another. That said, it's still a great mod, and is packed to the brim for maximum fun. There'll be no shortage of variety in BKB's Supermod.

XL, on the other hand, tries to improve upon the vanilla campaign. It does it very successfully, too. Improved AI so you won't see siege armies, no Peasants recruitable. There is also a mod, at the .org, made by Tyberius, an add-on to XL 3.0 - an amazing add-on that makes an already excellent mod even better, improving the actual campaign map itself, changing a lot of unit textures, faction symbols, etc.

So, both mods are great, but both have their limitations. BKB is about getting the most out of MTW and variety, while XL, with Tyberius (I personally recommend you get that add-on, but you don't *need* it if you don't want to), is all about making more out of the vanilla game.

Hope I got that right...

[A.C. Slater]

Well, BKB is meant to be a mod that adds as much as is possible to the game. GA isn't possible because there are three different maps, one for each era. You can still play all the way to 1453, of course, no worries there, but whatever era you begin with, you are limited to that era's map. Also, because there are so many units in the mod, and you can only have so many in the .txt files before you reach the hardcoded limit, some units are unique to a particular starting era, and you won't necessarily find them by starting in another. That said, it's still a great mod, and is packed to the brim for maximum fun. There'll be no shortage of variety in BKB's Supermod.

XL, on the other hand, tries to improve upon the vanilla campaign. It does it very successfully, too. Improved AI so you won't see siege armies, no Peasants recruitable. There is also a mod, at the .org, made by Tyberius, an add-on to XL 3.0 - an amazing add-on that makes an already excellent mod even better, improving the actual campaign map itself, changing a lot of unit textures, faction symbols, etc.

So, both mods are great, but both have their limitations. BKB is about getting the most out of MTW and variety, while XL, with Tyberius (I personally recommend you get that add-on, but you don't *need* it if you don't want to), is all about making more out of the vanilla game.

Hope I got that right...

Ah, ok. I'll stick with XL for now, and then move onto BKB after I get bored with that. I guess that will work...Also, which mod has the one man unit that is very strong...