Fortnightly Update

[fatsheep]

By popular demand there will be a new Feature around here- regular updates from the Fourth Age Team. Depending on how quick stuff gets done, they will be approximately every two weeks.

Your first update features the marvellous faction of
DUNLAND



The Dunnish people are spread wide across Dunland. They have a wide variety of units, from barbarian berserkers to disciplined spearmen. Historically, they have enjoyed the sparse lands to the north of the fertile Rohan territory, something which has provoked them to make near constant war with the Rohirrim for many years, culminating in the War of the Ring, when Dunnish forces participated in the assault upon The Hornburg. In the early Fourth Age, with Rohan to the south, and the Orcs to the north, they have a chance for conquest.

Some of the Dunnish units include;




Here they are in action against the Forgoil, as the Dunlendings call the Riders of Rohan





Dunland is one of FA:TW's most varied factions, with the units ranging from wild barbarians to noble Northmen. Their starting position should allow for plenty of fun battles from the slopes of the Misty Mountains to the plains of Rohan.

And here is the very first screenshot of the map- showing the approximate location of the Dunland provinces. As you can see, they will be around the southern Misty Mountains, near the gap of Rohan and the Fords of Isen. Their lands grew fertile in the days of the King, and now they are well established and have a highly defendable region, guarded by the Misty Mountains and the Sea to the west.



Well thats Dunland in a nutshell, stick around for another update soon.

Thanks, Astaldo

Please be aware that none of these units, or the artwork, or the map are final. There will very likely be changes made before the final release

[fatsheep]

Fourth Age Total War Fortnightly Update

Interview with Orc Faction Designers: Astaldo and Marcus Aurelius

Q. Will orcs be small and crawl around - and will they have pikemen?

A. There are obvious problems with making the orcs significantly different from men or other races in the game due to the size and detail of the units on the battlefield. We are thus acting under the constraints of the skeletal parameters of the CAS files, and associated animations; but rest assured they will be - we believe - distinct as a faction and decidedly orcish!

They won't have pikemen but will have plenty of spearmen- Such as these Fellas.


Q. Have you made a decision on the nature of the orcs' population settings?

A. Orcs will breed like rabbits. Their numbers will grow quickly.

Q. Will a contingent of Uruk-hai be able to stand up to the equivalent elite units of the nations of men, dwarves, and elves? How will their forces stack up all together

A. Uruk-hai will probably be roughly equal to a higher end unit from other factions, but not as good as their elite units. As for the other units, they will predictably be cheap but plentiful, as in the books their best tactics will be weight of numbers. Most Orc units would not be as good as their opposite number in another faction.

Q. Any new siege weapons you guys are planning and are willing to discuss?

A. We have ideas that we would like to implement, but some limitations remain with what can be achieved.

Q. How do you plan to implement the trolls? Will they be more of a very powerful/dangerous-to-use unit, meaning will they run amok more than say elephants or Seleucid Charioteers?

A. Yes that's about the size of it. Trolls will be included in the orc unit roster, in the form of Olog-hai. They will be in small groups, devastating in the charge but likely to 'run amok' and damage friend and foe alike.

Q. What sort of player would the orcs be suited too

A. If you liked fighting as the barbarians in Rome, then the orcs will suit you perfectly. In battles, they have large, untrained units, so complex tactics are difficult. This means if you are a beginner or like me you can't be bothered to think of battle plans, then the orcs 'charge and hope' battle tactics would suit you. In the campaign, the orcs will have quickly growing populations, so you'll be able to ugrade your cities and move up the tech tree quickly. This means that orcs will have their elite units sooner than other factions . The downside of this of course is that you might find your cities overpopulated.

Q. What about wargs

A. At the moment we are working on three warg types. One is the 'melee' wargs that we all know and love, with their riders armoured and armed with a big scimitar. The second is a light and fast warg archer, which should act something like the parthian horse archers. There is also hopefully going to a third mystery warg, but it is proving hard to implement in game. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed.

Q. Why did you choose to design orcs?

A. The orcs were, and are, great fun to design. They are nasty, dirty and cruel. This meant that we could give them scary weapons and rusty scraps of armour, and basically heave a lot of fun with them. Tolkien gives them all kinds of weapons and armour so we could really let our imaginations run wild, and we've come up with a lot of scary and intimidating units on the battlefield. Hopefully we can come up with some buildings that are nice and run down, wormeaten and rat infested.

Some scary and mangy orc swordsmen;



Q. Whats so great about the orcs?

A. The orcs let you loose your mean streak upon Middle-Earth. They have some of the most original and terrifying units in their trolls and wargs, and their normal units are very different from other faction's. They also give the player a massive challenge in trying to do what Dark Lords (Sauron), warlords (Bolg), and enterprising chieftans (Golfimbul) couldn't do, and conquer the world with an orcish army.

Astaldo and Marcus Aurelius

Again no units or ideas shown in this post are final, they are undergoing constant refinement.

[fatsheep]

For this fortnightly update, I’m proud to present the Riders of Rohan.

Keep in mind what we are showing you is pretty much all work in progress (WIP) and will be subject to change between now and release.


ROHAN'S BANNER

Eorl and his people were given the vast, green plains of Calenardhon by Cirion of Gondor as a reward for lending their decisive aid in the Battle of the Fields of Celebrant in TA 2510. Since that time the Sons of Eorl have spread far and wide across those plains - from the Mering Stream in the east, to the borders of Isen in the west, to the banks of the Limlight in the north.

The grassy plains of the Mark are the perfect environment for breeding horses - and they are much needed there; for the settlements in Rohan are spread far apart. The people of the Riddermark learn to ride shortly after they can walk - it is second nature to them, and they love their horses almost as much as their own children. It is no surprise then that most of the army of Rohan are experienced mounted troops.

In battle the swift mounts of the Eorlingas lend their forces a massive advantage, for they have the most skilled riders south of Lothlórien. Their warriors are fierce and doughty men, and lack no courage when defending their lands and King...


This faction has access to some of the best cavalry in Middle-earth. Some of them are depicted below for your viewing pelasure:




Although cavalry based, Rohan has acess to a variety of battle-worthy infantry. Four of them are depicted below.




Here's a screenshot of the realm of Rohan, showing some of the natural features of the area kindly labelled by our Campaign Map Manager for all you Tolkien fans:

Well that wraps up this fortnightly update.
-fatsheep

[fatsheep]

For this fortnightly update, we present to you Gondor.

Keep in mind most units shown are WIP, and are likely to change between now and release. And the Knights of Dol Amroth will have new horses.


The banner of Gondor, the White Tree of Minas Tirith.

The Reunited Kingdom is united no more. Gondor is sundered from Arnor once again, and to the east Mordor is repopulated by rebels - or so they are called in Gondor. And in the north there is a new shadow stirring...

The Gondorian capital, Minas Tirith, is a virtually unassailable city built into the side of Mount Mindolluin. It will take a truly determined enemy to force its way through seven walls and seven gates, guarded by some of the best soldiers in Middle-earth.

Troops from all the wide lands of Gondor are at the Kings command: archers from the Blackroot Vale, stout axemen from Lossarnach, and Knights from Dol Amroth, who hold themselves as lords in which the race of Númenor still runs true. The bastions of the Gondorian military, however, are its disciplined and well armed infantry - they are noble and valiant, and as capable fighters as can be found anywhere in the lands of Men.

But to restore Gondor to her former glory, she will need more than valiant Men; she will need a strong leader.

Gondor's military is infantry based, and amongst the very best of Middle-earth. They bear the White Tree proudly upon their chest.



Some say the Knights of Dol Amroth are the greatest cavalry on all of Middle-earth. We know they are the greatest looking.







No map screenshot this week. We have something way better, official Fourth Age: Total Warpaper. Enjoy!



Well, that's all for this update. Hope you enjoyed everything.

- The Fourth Age Mod Team

[fatsheep]

No factions were final enough this week for an update, and since we are against releasing WIP units, we're holding off on a faction showcase this fortnight. Next fortnight expect a grande update, but this week we're giving you a smorgeasborg of promotional material, as well as an interview with everyone's favorite farm animal, fatsheep.

Q: Everyone knows you have been on the team as long as anyone can remember, but are you one of the founding members?

A: Yes, back a short while before Rome was released myself and realm lord came to SCC with the idea for a Lord of the Rings mod. We picked up a handful of people along the way, and eventually became the first mod to be hosted here.

Q: Have you ever worked on a mod before?

A: Before I came to Fourth Age, I had no experience with an organized mod team. I had modded Medieval: Total War before as well as a few other older RTS games.




Q: How come Lord of the Rings? Still suffering from movie-mania, or have you always been a fan?

A: I read the trilogy several years before the movies hit the theatres. No book I have ever read before had such a complex and intriguing universe. I did like the movies too, although Peter Jackson didn’t exactly follow the books word for word, they did do a lot of things well that made me start reading through some of the books again.

Q: What was it like back then? How big was the team, and how similar was the plan for the mod?

A: When we first got our SCC forums, the team was very small, probably not much more then ten or twelve. Our plan has been adjusted over time, but the mainframe that onclejibi laid out in the infant stages of the mod still stand: A mod set in the fourth age, where a “TW-style universe” existed. Meaning there is no fixed good and bad side as you see in the third age.



Fourth Age: Total Wallpaper:



Q: Have things changed for the better or worse? What has changed the most?

A: Many new productive members have joined, our popularity has soared, and much work has been done. Our organization has changed the most, if we had maintained the sorry state we were last year, we would never have gotten nearly as much accomplished as we have. A beta would have been still be far from our thoughts.


Q: What is your job at the mod?

A: I mostly act as a Recruitment, Forum, and Public Relations manager, although I do like to oversee other areas when I can. My duties are mostly just keeping the organization in the mod intact, and dealing with applicants (recruitment).

Q: What is your favourite faction? Favourite unit, or one you'd most like to see?

A: That’s a hard one but If I had to choose one I’d probably stick with the Variags. I’m a fan of Mongol tactics, and they look to be the best at that. One of my favorite units are the Storm Blade Riders, heavily armored Variag shock cavalry bearing two Samurai style swords.



Q: What mod, other than your own, are you most looking forward to and why?


A: There are alot of good mods out there, but Chivarly: Total War looks to have their bearings on things. I think they’ve done a great job on recreating the medieval period with the Rome: Total War engine.

Q: Any tips for aspiring modders out there?

A: Pick up a tutorial, ask around, learn about what you’re getting into. In the state that our modding community is now, I’d recommend joining an existing mod before you look to start your own.




Q: Finally, why the name "fatsheep?"

A: “fatsheep” is one part certa commerical inspired and one part imagination. It’s more of a joke then anything else, a comical character.

Well, that about wraps things up. Thanks.


Avatars- click link to view
Argonath- http://img267.echo.cx/img267/2654/ar...oavatar9ne.jpg
Gondor- http://img267.echo.cx/img267/4971/banner7ik6jk.jpg
Dunland- http://img267.echo.cx/img267/7106/dunland4wb.jpg
Rohan- http://img267.echo.cx/img267/7142/st...ohan6lw6my.jpg

Everyone should be able to find something they like.
While I don't want to give too much away, expect a monsterous :winking51: update next fortnight. And thanks to fatsheep for the interview, it should enlighten most of us about the history of the mod.

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

-Fourth Age Mod Team

[fatsheep]

Hello Fourth Age: Total War fans,

This weeks update is a very special one. We are proud to announce the launch of our website:
www.thefourthage.net

There, you'll find a news page, updated FAQ, member list, screenshot gallery, concept gallery, and a downloads section.

But this doesn't mean our home at SCC is falling by the wayside... just the contrary! We are still keeping our forums here, and you'll be able to get our Updates on SCC before they appear on the website.

But we wouldn't go a month without an update just to leave you new-contentless. We are presenting you with a variety of units from a variety of factions.

First, we present you with a taste of the Elves:

The Elves are the eldest race in Middle-earth, the Firstborn. They are tall, fair and wise beyond the measure of mortal men, and they do not fall ill like the Secondborn, who they call "The Sickly". This means that they are expert warriors, often with hundreds of years of practise, and make formidable opponents for any soldier.

However, the Fourth Age is the dominion of Men. The Elves are waning as a presence in Middle-earth, and there are precious few of them remaining spread out across their territories, the centres of which are Thranduil's Halls, Rivendell and Amon Lanc.




From these cities come many of the finest units to be found in the Elven army.



We're also presenting a small teaser of the Dwarves and Harad:


Note= Dwarve screenshot is to show scale. Captain will be a dwarve.


There is also an update on the DEMO!
Scripting is entering its final stages, and we hope to have an inhouse build this week... which means our public release isn't far away. Perhaps for our next update (but that wouldn't be the first time you've heard that)? The Fords of Isen demo will feature a variety of Dunlendish barbarians, Rohirrim soldiers (many of which have had makeovers and changes), and Orcish hordes.

That's all for this quite eventful update! Hope you enjoyed, and tell your friends to visit www.thefourthage.net !