The Silver Shield - 7th Edition

[Armatus]

A Letter From the Editor

Hello again TWC,

The Silver Shield has another edition packed with the stories you want hear. Our feature piece this month will be a review of one of TWC's most popular mods, the Third Age Total War. Developed by King Kong and company. It is revealed in depth by our senior writer Rebel6666. I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I have. After that we will take a look at a few of the people that make up the Silver Shield. Then A Graphic State of Affairs brought to you by Sübü’ätäi, and lastly the Classifieds. If anyone would like to get some free advertisement for a mod or project please contact Armatus or me to be added into next months Classifieds. A quick thank you too all the guys that contribute to the Silver Shield and welcome to our new writer ultimation, your work is appreciated.

Enjoy the show gentlemen!

y2day

7th Edition Staff

Editor in Chief / Group Moderator y2day
Editor / Group Moderator Armatus
Art Director Tzar
Artist / Reporter Subuatai de Bodemloze
Reporter KippyK
Reporter Mythre
Reporter Nazgûl Killer
Reporter Rebel6666
Reporter ultimation
Reporter [IMP]AntiWarmanCake88

Contents

Review of Third Age Total War Mod and it's latest updates... by Rebel6666

Hi Fellow Silver Shield Readers, This article will be a little different from what you are used to see from me as it won’t be an interview, but it will rather be a review of my part on a very popular Mod for M2TW Kingdoms called: The game is based on The Lord of the Ring movies and from the great Books of Tolkien himself. The TATW team tried to actually represent as accurately as possible everything from the book and the movies. In my humble opinion they did a great job doing so. Campaign Map: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Cool loading screens, units redone completely, heroes and vilains added , and most importantly the battles, the epic battles from the movies are included in this Mod. Like the ones showed here: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  This screen is to give you a little hint on how much men can fight on the same battlefield ( If your PC can take it) In this review I will give my opinion on each faction their pros and Cons but also on the entire game as a global review like any Game sites always do. But first I would like to inform you on the patch 1.4 which was released not to long ago. In this patch the creator’s of this Mod added a couple of regions new textures to forests and mountains they added new heroes and new units like Faramir and more: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Faramir - Glorfindel - King Aragorn Elessar They also added a new Bad boy elite: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  The Balrog Here are other deady beats from this Mod ( was there before Patch 1.4) Trolls: Olyphants Nazguls For the good side the Ents: For more information on units please check HERE Factions Symbols: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Link to the Sub-Forum of this Modification: Link to Faction Previews with my Pros and Cons: Evil Factions: Occupies the entire South east of the Map all bordering each other. The evil factions are Rhun, Mordor, the Orcs of Misty Mountains, Isengard and Harad. Mordor Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Pros: – Mordor can bring more units on the battlefield than any Good faction, it’s one of their strong points. - Their lands are very hard to take for reasons that I’ll let players discover by themselves. - They can bring to the battlefield elite units like Mountain Trolls (later on they can be upgraded with armour). - They also have special generals like the Witch King and Ringwraths. - Mordor (Lord Sauron) can call invasions against his enemies which all of the allies of Mordor will take part in. Cons: - Even if they can bring large numbers on the field the quality of they're units ain't very good. (Except for the Elite ones mentioned earlier). - Lacks of cavalry Orcs of Misty Mountains Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Pros: - Same as Mordor they can bring more units on the battlefield than any Good faction, it’s one of their strong points. - They can recruit Mountain Trolls but they cannot add armour to them. Cons: - They have a very bad starting position in the mountains between lots of enemies like Dwarfs, the Silvan Elves, High Elves, Eriador and not too far Rohan. - Even if they can bring large numbers on the field the quality of these units isn’t very good. - Lacks of cavalry. Rhun Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Pros: - Rhun has the most diversified and actually good military powers; they can recruit good soldiers for any type of battles or any situations even early on. i.e they can have early missile units which have the Armour piercing ability. - The generals Bodyguard and the late cavalry are probably the best in all Middle Earth, even better than Rohans horse riders. Cons: - They have two enemy factions to look out for which are the Dwarfs and Dale. Dale is the first ones that Rhun will face and sometimes may never see the Dwarves depending on how the campaign goes. Harad Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Pros: - They have a very good starting position, just south from Mordor, and almost right beside Rhun, these 3 are usually allies right off the start and I’ve never seen them attack one another, as it should be. - After expanding a bit to the West Harad will have nice money making cities near the sea which will also enable to them attack Gondor anywhere. - They can in the later part of the campaign recruit Oliphant’s of War which are also called Mumakil . Cons: - Their Infantry is pretty week, more truely at the beginning of the game. Isengard Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Pros: - Isengard has better units then Mordor and the Orcs of Misty Mountains with their Uruk Hai units. - They have a very good citadel in Isengard tower which brings them quite a good amount of money. - They don’t have cavalry like Rohan but they do have Wargs which is almost the same. Cons: - They are surrounded like The Orcs of Misty Mountains by enemies like: Rohan, Eriador and not too far High Elves. For the good factions now: The good factions occupy the rest of the map some are more in the Middle and others more to the North, that is why some of them are call the Northman. Dales Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Also known as the Northman: Pros: - Dale units are good all-around, not as good as Rhun but close. - They have wealthy cities and they are already allied with the Dwarfs, If players allies with the Silvan Elves their Northern and West borders will be protected. Cons: - Their main concern is Rhun, they can be a real pain and will be your main aggressor’s early on and for awhile in the game. Elves Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  The High Elves: Pros: – High Elves have the second best archers in the game. - They can also recruit good cavalry units compared to the Silvan Elves, the generals bodyguards are also good cavalry. - They have decent late infantry units. Cons: - Their starting position isn’t good, they are separate in two, 2 regions near (West) the Misty Mountains and 2 in the North West of the map just beside the Dwarfs. Between the separated regions, is Eriador. - Their elite units (available in the late part of the game) are costly and their upkeep is high. It takes more time to the elves to get their good troupes compared to other factions because of the building tree. - No armour piercing units Silvan Elves: Pros: - They have the best of the best archers in the game, their late archer units are the ones you don’t want to face in battle. Cons: - Lacks of cavalry.(only basic archer cavalry) - The only expansion possible is to the West thought the Misty Mountains and South going towards Mordor. - No armour piercing units Rohan Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Pros: - Fields a lot of good cavalry, some of the best of Middle Earth except for the elite ones from Rhun. - Rohan is allied right from the start with Gondor which can be a very good ally. - Right from the start Rohan as one main enemy: Isengard Cons: - They lack of good late heavy infantry and archers (the only good archers they can get are the Hellmigaths that can only be recruited at Helms Deep. - They have a large territory to protect. If Gondor falls then Rohan can be in big trouble Gondor Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Pros: - Gondor field good all around units from archers to cavalry but the best unit they have in my humble opinion is the “Fountains Guards” only recruitable in Minas Tirith. - Their starting position is good not the best and some of their cities near the see are good for your bankroll. - They have good heroes in Faramir and Boromir Cons: - Their units (more the Elite ones) are very costly and the recruitment is very slow compared to other factions of this modification. - You have two major enemies that will relentlessly attack you as of Harad and Mordor, they will send you waves and waves of armies your way be ready to defend yourself. A good management of your empire is critical to survive. And don't forget when I say a good management of your empire it also includes that you will need a good economy. Dwarfs Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Pros: – The Dwarfs can recruit the best infantry units of the game, almost all of their units have the ability of armour piercing. - They have only the south to watch for as the map ends with the Dwarves regions in the North. The players as two possibilities either go for Rhun to the South or towards the Misty Mountain to battle the Orcs that rules those mountains. The second choice is better for the player campaign’s objectives. Cons: - Lacks of cavalry, they only units of cavalry they can recruit are mercenaries of medium quality. - Even if the Dwarfs have a nice starting position their empire is separated in two when starting a new campaign. - Their missiles units are at most mediocre. Eriador Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  I never played with this faction so I can't really make a review of them. The only thing I know is the TATW team are working on revamping the whole unit roster which it will give me the interest of at least trying them once. Now we are at the part where I will give my global review of Third Age Total War modification for Kingdoms. Graphics/Textures of the campaign Map: With patch 1.4 the TATW team did a great job of re-doing the textures of the campaign map, mountains and forests,If not, it’s almost perfect I must say great job all. They added 7 new regions in places where there wasn’t much to do, there was only big chunk of lands that were unused but now that changed in a good way. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  I also like how they made nice citadels and cities like Edoras, Minas Tirith , Isengard and more, they are all very well done. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Barad Dur Minas Tirith Graphics Texture of the Battlefield and units: The battle field is clearly well done, the shadows, lightning, the grass, the trees everything is just good. For the players who didn’t try this modification you should see the skies when fighting in Mount Dooms lands. The scenerie is fantastic and make you feel as you were in the movies. Like Boromir said to the council in Rivendell " You can feel the darkness, the ashes burning......" Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  What can I say of the units, for me the units were basically done via the movies which are great as I loved those movies with all the cool creatures and different species. The number of men on the battle field is also very impressive I’ve done a battle where we were around 20 000 men on the field let’s just say that I don’t have a crappy PC and it was lagging a lot, but “MAN” the adrenaline is so cool when you are outnumber 4 to 1…… Please try it you’ll see what I mean. The diplomacy: The diplomacy was worked on a lot, TATW team tried to not have alliances between Good and Evil factions which is completely accurate. I played a couple of campaigns and I must say that I didn’t saw once an AI controlled Good or Evil faction allied with one another. I think that to be accurate the TATW team had to make this happen which they did. The game play and strategies: The AI is smarter than in a lot of modifications out there but the TATW team had to give the AI a couple of bonuses like money scripting, bigger King’s purse, masses of armies but all in all they made the game harder for the players. They will need to be strategic on the campaign map while conquering, (Blitzing could cost the player) but also on the battlefield. Let’s say that you can’t just fight straight forward, the player will need to use good battle tactics to overcome the Hordes of armies coming their way. The AI plays much smarter compared “Vanilla” and other modifications out there. The Replay Value: The replay value is the same if not more as any TW games including all modifications, each time you play a new campaign even with the same faction the game will play in a different way, because this games as a lot of variables to be accounted for. So here is the final score for this Kingdoms modification called Third Age Total War: 9.7/10 Conclusion: This modification is a must for any TW players that love LOTR the books or the movies but also for players that are looking for epic battles and great AI. Give it a try and let me know what you think about it, I would be glad to discuss with any of you. Regards Rebel6666

A Graphic State of Affairs... by Subuatai de Bodemloze

Subuatai's blurt Welcome back to another installment of A Graphic State of Affairs! Here at the SS we are once again leaving it till the 11th hour. Well I am anyways. Well it feels like it has been quite awhile since the last edition. It has been a busy couple months. My Gimp Advanced course is complete. We had a few hick-up's learned a few lessons and had some fun. I have to say I did enjoy running the course, and my thanks to lolgast for co-running the course. We had 6 graduates. My congrats to them all. Next I will be helping Abbews with his Photoshop basics course which starts in a few weeks. So here is to another busy month ahead! (am I sane?) Welcome to the Graphics Workshop! Cloning souls Art Gladiatort's 3D gallery Hattori's Workshop Lyonn's Sprite Repository The Hub: Yeah, it's the "Cool" Place To Be (Spain's Pain) Graphics Workshop competitions a month in review GC #54 (Advertisement) If you need some apps.. send this guy a PM. Way to go Marcel! Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Abbews came in second with this fella! GC #55 (Magazine Cover) Good job Marcel he Rucked the competition! Did you get the rugger play on words? Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  GC# 56 (Adrenaline) How about 1500cc of this! Good job Lolgast! Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Runner up was Ratbag with this medieval fun fest. GC #57 (Famous Person) abbews wasn't born in the U...S...A... but he sure has a fancy for the Boss! Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Runner up was Marcel (what is the alt key for the backwards 'R') Question Period Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Hiya abbews, would you let our fellow TWC’ers know who are you and where are you from? My name is Albin, or you may know me as abbews. I'm from Stockholm, the capital of the wonderful Sweden. Well I'm almost 15 years old and I'm stuck in the prison of school and high grades demand. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  You have quickly become a know person and, respected inside the Graphics workshop please; if you don’t mind would you give us some background about yourself? Well, where should I start? Hmm, I'm as said soon 15 years old and I go to a school in Stockholm. I'm very keen about school since I'm aiming on becoming a pilot one day. I try to spend as much time as I can on Photoshop, since I want to be really good some day. Well otherwise I love movies, games and girls. I do also love to browse TWC, especially the Graphics Workshop; it's the best place on TWC. On TWC I don't have very many merits, well I'm a content artist and that gladdens me. In that way I can improve the Graphics workshop the best. And yeah I'm this thing called Citizen. That's nothing compared to being a content artist So tell me what originally brought you here to TWC obviously it was a TW game but why? And how did you come to the GW? Oh that was a long time ago, April 30th if I remember correctly. Well I had a sound bug with Third Age: Total War. So I created a noobish thread about this and, of course there was a 7 pages long thread about this just above mine. Well I decided to stay in the TA: TW forums a bit longer, and got interest for the Signature thread there. That was when I took up Photoshop again, and I haven't stopped yet. My reason why I came to the GW was because, actually this is rather embarrassing, but here goes.. Giovi posted one of his sigs in the Sig thread in the TA: TW forum; and I said it was bad because he only took a render and made a background. It was shown up that Giovi rendered this hard piece himself, but he wasn't mad, he was friendly and it's thanks to him I came to the Graphics Workshop. Thanks Giovi! Another Third age player! LoL one of these days I should play it eh!? Apart from TA: TW which do you play other mods? Actually, I don't play TW at all. I got bored on TA:TW when all the good old goodies left the TA:TW forum, because now it just has total newbie’s running around asking questions. So I don't play TW at the moment, and I have not heard of a mod that will make me play it. Maybe "Agon : Rebirth of Hellenes" when it's released. Currently my TW games are collecting dust. How long have you been working with Photoshop? What drew you to it? Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Well I started out small in 2007 with Photoshop Element, just playing around for about a half year. Then I joined a graphics site in which I became very involved in, but sadly it died out 2008. I then took a break from Photoshop, and regained the interest this year. Hopefully I will never quit Photoshopping again. But I guess I've been working with photoshop serious since I created my workshop. That was in July Can you pick up a pencil and create magic, or are you just good at pushing a mouse around? And if so do you find it easier or more difficult to do graphic arts? I can't draw humans. I can draw tanks and airplanes though. Although I can draw some things well, but not shadows and alike so; no, I can't create magic with a pen. My "magic" comes from my very imagineitivemind (is that a word?) I can draw really excellent pieces in my head that could win the Nobel Prize, but sadly it's a bit harder to create them. I find it more difficult to create graphics arts because; there's so much work. You need to find good pictures, render etc etc. In drawing you just need a paper, pen and an eraser. It’s much easier, if you have a steady hand of course. What is your technique on approaching signature? E.g. someone has requested one with just a descriptive outline. I imagine the visual process is quite different than that where the user has supplied images, (I know it different for myself). If someone requests a signature to look specific as he/she thinks, the results will usually be very bad. I prefer rather strict but yet "Free" requests. When I make signatures, I have an idea in my head; usually I have an idea for background and content, then the things I do just flow on. If you had to pick one past signature or competition entry which would it be, and why? Well I would pick this one, cause it got me 2 wins. Abbews; please if you will for the readers. How you feel being given the keys to the GW, it seemed like your first task was right into management of that forum. How did you take to it? Everything is running fairly smooth right now but, did you feel a bit out of your depth for awhile? My first task was to keep the forum clean from TOS breaking things, later I started running the GC when Giovi needed a break for school. Yes I was quite new to these kind of things, and I made some mistakes, mistakes I can look back on and laugh. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Yeah, congrats on the Content artist badge! How did that pan out for you? Did someone approach you in an alley with a big gun? Well I guess it's my charm No seriously now, I think y2day saw my commitment to the Graphics Workshop, and we talked and more sooner then I knew it I was a content artist. So recently with your new CA powers you managed to start a new sub forum in the GW. Would you care to explain what it is and how your idea came about? Well, the idea have been on my mind for a very long time, and I have suggested it but it was lost among other things. Well I've always wanted a place for discussion about graphics, and I have often gotten a idea in my head, and there were no place for me to express it. So therefore I created the group "The Manipulators" as an experiment, to see if the idea was makeable. The group was a success, but it is hard to keep activity up in a group, so it soon died out. That was when I and Maяcel got the brilliant idea to propose it in the Content Art Staff forum, after you had given me the courage to propose it, and it got positive comments. A lot of members with access there helped us, and we are happy for that. So now there is a new sub forum in the Graphics Workshop, where general graphic discussion and graphics battles can be held. Right now there are some battles going on, but we seem to have bad timing. Just when school and jobs got stressy, we opened it up So please, visit the Graphic Discussion & Battles sub forum, and enjoy the feeling only the GW can offer! You are helping the Agon mod out aren’t you? Are your fingers in any other pies at the moment? lol, you made me think of American Pie. Well yeah I'm doing some 2D art for them, although the school is a prick and doesn't give me any free time. I'm also one of the high chefs in Victorian : Total War. It's an empire modification, sadly not much work can be done now. Have you ever been to Smultronställe I read that they make crasy Ice cream concoctions? Wow, how did you know about Smultronstället? Well it's a Ice cream bar in the town of Söderköping, in Småland, Sweden. They make the biggest ice creams in the north and probably the most delicious too! I give you some pictures so you can get a watering mouth! Click to view content:

An Interview with an Editor (Part1) by ultimation

Many of our readers out there, and indeed many of the readers of the Helios and the Eagle Standard too, will read the letter from the editor and think no more about it. But I believe that his should change, as it is these people that make the TWCenter publications possible. So, in this three part series I shall be interviewing and reporting on our beloved editors, one publication at a time. We will explore how these people work, their rise to 'power', the differences in jobs between publications, and much more. To begin with I shall interview the two editors (past and present) of this publication, Armatus and y2day. Then I shall endeavor to interview the editor of the Helios, one Astaroth. And finally I shall track down and question the editor Augustus Lucifer of the Eagle Standard. And so, without further ado let me introduce this weeks interviewees, Armatus and y2day. Armatus is a well known and well loved member at the TWCenter, with his main contributions being towards the Silver Auxilia, the Silver Shield, role playing games (Barbarikon) and non-TW games (Mount&Blade). As the founder of the Silver Auxilia, he is also well known in the local mod community, and it is because of his (as y2day kindly describes) 'brain fart' that this Publication has come to life. Armatus is now ex-editor of the Silver Shield, as he decided to step down so that the publication could become official and we could get awards in recognition for our service. Thankyou for that Armatus y2day is a proud bearer of silver (although he now wears blue), and holds moderation powers in many forums, including two mods, the front page news, the graphics department and the Silver Shield forum. Y2day is also accomplished modder currently contributing to at least three projects. As well as this he also holds all three types of citizenship, and holds a place on the CdeC. He certainly is well accomplished. Y2day is the successor of Armatus, and, although he thinks he is doing a bad job, we all respect him for his hard work that he has put into the publication. And now the bit you have all been waiting for, the interviews. Up first was Armatus: Armatus What would you consider to be your main duties as editor of the Silver Shield? Currently I serve as the back up for our full time editor y2day. I suppose you could say that I am a "co-editor" in the sense that I assist with the organization of the development forum and provide critique of articles in progress where necessary. Could you tell us of your journey towards being an editor? Well that's a funny one, because I really never planned to be an editor. I had recently created the social group which was to be the home of the Silver Auxilia local moderators association and thought it would be handy to have a newsletter. The idea really didn't catch on at first, but after some brainstorming there was some clear interest. Though no one really volunteered to direct it and as much as I tried to pawn the duty off I eventually ended up swearing to everyone that 'I'd do it all myself' even if it was full of fail! I guess I really felt it was integral to showing off the great work that local moderators do and the projects they are involved in here at TWC. So I grabbed into my sack of flint stones and chipped away until there was a spark. I'm proud to say the torch has been burning ever since and only seems to be getting brighter these days. What would you consider to be the best/worst part of being an editor? The best part is working with others to produce something special and unique. All the things I've learned as a result of my time spent as editor have really opened my eyes to a world I've never known. I've gained some valuable experience and although I never really thought of myself as an editor or desired to be one I'm happy with how things turned out and have a much greater respect for the role the editors play. As for the worst? Well I'd say during my time I've seen a handful of misunderstandings, discrepancies or inaccuracies and it's just something you have to expect as no one is perfect, that goes for myself and my team. As a relatively new publication in comparison to the others, did you think that you had extra pressure to produce a good quality product? I would say in the very beginning yes there was a lot of extra pressure. I don't think any of us thought that the SS would be on the level it's at now. But the more we worked at producing something we thought would be interesting to read, the more attention we got from staff. Once it appeared a full fledged paper was on the verge of being born things pretty much snowballed from there. Though I will say the angle we take towards producing articles and reporting on people and events is considerably different than the others. This allows us to be free to do our thing and not worry too much about the competition so in that respect the pressure somewhat levels off. Do you think that your job as an editor differed from the job of editor of the Eagle Standard of the Helios. If so, why? Honestly no, I think my time spent as editor of the Silver Shield was really no different than that of any other editor. We all make sure our team is working to produce quality articles and when they're completed we wrap them up neatly with a bow and present them to the community. That's what editors do. Did you ever try to contribute an article to the publication, or did you concentrate solely on being an editor? During my time as editor and above and beyond my letters to the community no I did not contribute any articles myself. I understand that some editors do or have here at TWC; as well as those out in the so-called "Real world" of journalism. Instead I choose to spend my effort on ensuring our talented team members put out great material. Between doing that, 'RL', and several other projects or interests I felt I just wouldn't have time necessary to invest myself in producing my own articles. Well thank you for answering my questions, as I know you are very busy. No trouble at all matey, I'm as busy as I want to be. Thanks for the interview! I hope that that interview brought you a little insight into the world of Armatus and editing, but if not, here is y2days point of view: y2day What would you consider to be your main duties as editor of the Silver Shield? As an editor my main duty is to handle everything. From deadlines, writers, the members we are doing articles on, and my boss (jimkatalanos) I have many responsibilities. Keeping everyone happy and working towards a common goal is a pretty good description. I also have to put together all the great work the team has done and present it to the TWC community. I try to make sure everyone especially the subjects of our articles know that we are trying to bring the community the best edition each and every release. Could you tell us of your journey towards being an editor? My journey is a long one so I will start somewhere towards the end. I will put in a disclaimer now as my memory isn't the best. When Armatus started up this Silver Shield he asked me to help out with some artwork. Of course I refused at first but after many a bribe I accepted..... Little did I know he was setting me up for more work. I did a few articles, and contributed artwork. Tzar our current artist still uses a template I created for the 2nd edition. With Armatus running things, he hired me as cheap labor to moderate the Silver Shield forum, and help him make a contact or decision from time to time. I was kinda his Gilligan and he was my Skipper. I sensed Armatus growing tired of the fight and like any younger, better looking lion I went for the kill...... What... what?... Ok..... That’s not exactly what happened, as Armatus is most likely younger and better looking than I. Armatus decided to accept staffs offer for the Silver Shield to become an official TWC publication and I was asked to be the editor. I accepted. What would you consider the best/worst part of being an editor? The best part of being a editor is getting to see first the finished product of the hard work all the writers have done. The worst is dealing with misunderstandings. They do happen from time to time. As you are also a content artist, do you try to contribute to that aspect of things, or do you just stick to editing? I do still contribute some art from time to time when requested. We have brought on Tzar who is also a Content Artist and does a great job for us. Is it difficult when deciding what articles to include, or do you not face that problem? Well to tell you the truth, I have published just about everything that has been proposed. The writers of the Silver Shield know what our mission is and actively contribute to accomplish it. What enjoyment do you get out of doing your job as editor? That is an easy one. I enjoy working with such great people. The writers since the Silver Shields creation have been really great and are the biggest reason I agreed to do this. Every issue with the Silver Shield I learn something new about TWC and that is really a cool thing for someone that has been around for a few years. I would like to thank them now for their work and Armatus for the opportunity to serve TWC in the role of Editor. Well I would like to thank you for answering my questions, carry on the superb work. As you can see, both Armatus and y2day have had essentially the same experience as editors of the Silver Shield, which is understandable as they are both on the same publication. They both seem to agree on the fact that the best thing about being editor is seeing the end publication and learning something new everyday. So there you have it. You have just seen into a small portion of an editors mind, but will the others be different? Find out next issue, for now goodbye.

Interview with Silver Shield writer Nazgûl Killer... by AntiWarmanCake88

1. When you did join TWC and why? I joined January 16th 2009 (According to my profile) in order to ask a simple question in the Medieval 2 Total War forums. Searches for that question for future ridicule by other members have come up fruitless, unfortunately. 2. Why did you become a part of the SS? Let's start by saying, I simply love writing. The Silver Shield provides me with everything I wanted - A deadline. No one tells me what to write, on what to write or on which subject - There's no definitive frame and it's what I love doing: Feature writing. Besides, Armatus and Y2 have been amazing since the start and I think one of them recruited me, although I'm not really sure. Either way, the main appeal of the Silver Shield was that I could write about whatever I wanted as long as I met the deadline. 3. So you a librarian.... Is it boring ? Not at all. Being a Librarian, whilst not the most active-day-to-day-must-be-there-all-the-time job like a Moderator's, is quite a fulfilling and fun job to do. Besides, it gives me a perfect excuse to browse the Scriptorium at random if I feel like it, or just get the sudden urge. It's really fun to look around at the Script and see what these-day-TWC-titans such as Jim, Garb or Imb and others of their caliber did beforehand. I'd advise all of you to do this, if not for the sole purpose of ridiculing said titans. 4. Do you like being a Content Writer? That's a rather general question, as being a Content Writer means you write for an official TWCenter publication. However, since I do enjoy my work at the Silver Shield and have enjoyed my work before in the Critic's Quill before my resignation, yes, I must say I love being a Content Writer. However, to be truthful, lately I've taken a rest from writing due to many emotional and real-life events going on, yet the horse is quite welcoming and I'm getting back on it. 5. What do you like to do on TWC the most? Hmm... That's a toughie... I'd have to say cracking jokes with the Thema Devia guys. Especially Ashashi and Kamos... But doing my job at the Silver Shield is just as fun, same about the Scriptorium... Basically, I don't have a favorite. I like doing it all. 6. When did you become citizen and why? Did it take several times? I became a Citizen at November 14th, 2009, with Pontifex as my 'daddy'. Why? Well, I wanted to be a bit more involved in TWCenter, and everything I wanted to do and progress further (I had already started writing for the Silver Shield - If I recall correctly, my 2nd edition, and I had started at the Critic's Quill far before that. With that in mind, I was also a Librarian) up the TWCenter chain, I had to become a Citizen for. I pretty much accomplished all I could as a Non-Citizen by the time I made it to Citizenship as far as I'm concerned, as such I figured the only way to move up was to become one. And the fact Pontifex offered to be my patron had no influence on that. None whatsoever. I became a Citizen on my second attempt. My first attempt was at July and I was rejected due to the fact the CdeC, rightfully, claimed I had too little experience and wanted to see me 'bloom' and 'blossom' a bit more. As such, admittedly with great pressure on my part, Pontifex re-applied my application for Citizenship and I was accepted. 7. How many articles have you written overall? Whoa... That's... Whoa... I can't even begin to recall. If you count my Medieval II Total War guide (25~ articles), considering I've been at the Critic's Quill for around 10 editions and had 2 articles per edition (Sometimes 3, sometimes 1), I've written for the Silver Shield around 5 editions... Around 40 sounds about right. Maybe more, maybe less. I think less. 8. And just for fun….. If you could be a Admin on this forum, would you? That widely depends on the timing. I will be drafted to the Israeli Armed Forces in exactly 7 months, as such, if I am offered Moderation right now - I'll say yes. If I'm offered Moderation in, say, May, I'd most likely say no. However, this is not my choice at all. This is the Hexagon's and the Senior Moderator's choice, I would not mind - But one can only reckon they don't see me fit for it just yet if they haven't asked me, and I'm fine with that.

Interview with Silver Shield writer Rebel6666... by AntiWarmanCake88

Q- When you did join TWC? A- Well I joined in February 2007, I was on another forum before I joined , I was on the IGN boards but when I registered here I coudn't go back to the other board cause TWC IMO is very well done and organized, it's not perfect (what is) but still it was at the time and stilll now a very nice forum compared to IGN. Why did you join? I joined merely because of Rome and M2TW, I wanted to play Modifications and here was the best place to find good modifications of those games. I also wanted to contribute in a way that I could because on IGN that wasn't possible because of the structure of the board. Why did you become a part of the SS? A- If I remember correctly, I think it's Armatus that asked me if I would be interested in writting for the SS. I started here in the SS almost at the very beginning and I did some work also with the Helios publications. I missed only 2 Silver Shield Editions on a total of 7 articles. Do you like being aContent Writer? A- Yes I do like it, gives me a chance to actually contribute to the site well-being. It also give me the opportunity to get noticed but more importantly get to know more members of TWC. A forum like TWC was made to actualy know other people from all around the world. What do you like to do on TWC the most? A- Well I like to chat about games, help people out with M2TW as I have a lot of knowledge with this game. I've written a couple of guides that probably inspired 2 members to create their own guides also. I also like to have fun in the Thema Devia Sub-forum. I like to try and help people with there personal problems. I love to read topics on historical events but also the tribunes, ToS changes and everything else that touches the well being of the site. When did you become citizen and why? Did it take several times? A- Well I becamed a Citizen about a month ago, the journey for the badge of Citizen was a long and very bumpy road for me as I made mistakes in my stay here at TWC. I've learned a lot from those mistakes and it took me 4 attempts before being granted Citizenship. I would like to take the oportunity to say a big thanks to Viking Prince that is my Patron and a long date friend but also to all the Cdec members who finally gave me a chance. How many articles have you written overall? Well A couple: I've writen guides for M2TW that can be find here: The Great Informative Thread for M2TW I've written 4 articles for the Helios publications: Helios 41 - A Nightmare on Format Street Helios 42 - Live and Dangerous Helios 43 - To Whom the Death Bell Tolls Helios 44 - Like a Phoenix from the Ashes I've written articles for the Silver Shiled publications: The Silver Shield - 2nd Edition The Silver Shield - 4th Edition The Silver Shield - 5th Edition The Silver Shield - 6th Edition 8. And just for fun….. If you could be a Admin on this forum, would you? I know your question is just for fun but honestly I wouldn't want to be an Admin before being a Moderator and follow the actual process. Admins are knowledgable of a lot of things that members have to learn by being a member, a Citizen, a Moderator and so on. I don't want to jump steps, a process is there for a reason and I think that it should be followed. I would definatly like to have a chance and be a Moderator, I have a bit of experience on this site as a Local Mod but also I'm a Global Moderator on another site and the team there thinks that I'm doing a good job but the site is a mouse compared to TWC who would be an elephant. I hope I've answered your questions in the way you wished I did. Regards Rebel6666

Interview with ultimation on the Republic of Venice Community RPG

First I want to say thanks fortaking the time for the Silver Shield, Ultimation. To the Questions! 1. Could you explain for our readers what this new Community game is all about? Basically this RPG consists of two elements. That is, the Game element and the Role Play element. In the game element we use ETW and the mod APE:TI to control a faction and ultimately try to lead it to glory. On the Role playing side we take positions on the cabinet and military, and then we debate on various topics relating to the control of the republic. Once we have fully decided on a plan of action for the year we are currently in, we act out those actions in game. Then the generals and admirals will fight any battles (military and naval respectively) that need to be fought, and then the whole process repeats itself. And of course, as with any other RPG there is the main drive on the RP side of things of trying to get the the top position of Doge, where you have full control over, well, everything. 2. Why was Venice picked? They are many other "Big name" nations to be played. Well, after Kampf Um Europe became inactive we came together to discuss the things that went wrong with it. One of these things was too many positions. So we thought, rather than choosing a large nation which requires many positions we would choose a smaller nation which requires less. I was the one to originally suggest Venice, however the Knights of St John were also suggested. The idea of Venice caught on and here we are now. 3. Do you feel any worry about the games popularity? Already one Venetian RPG lies in the Necropolis. While there is always a little doubt in the very back of my head that people may become inactive, I believe that the current players are all very motivated, and have the drive to see it succeed. One of the highlights of starting this was seeing many new faces join, as well as many members which participated in Kampf Um Europe. 4. How are the rules set up? Are they similar to other Community games? Well, I guess they are kind of similar, in that players can duel, assassinate etc. There is also an inactivity rule, in which you have to be active at least once every two days, or else the polizia (the mods) will take action. For example, Major Darling recently became inactive, and so we arrested him. Simple as. The rules are also similar in terms of roleplay. There is to be no arguing (not violent/offensive anyway. Heated debate is allowed). There is also to be no playing above your station, and basically all the rules are enforced by the mod team (which is Me (ultimation), Capt. Fozdyke, Stildawn and Major Darling). 5. Is this game centered on Epic Role playing or more on the Empire side of things? It is a very delicate balance. We try to concentrate on both, but if we do more on one than with the other it crashes around our tiny little venetian heads. As a precautionary measure I will let the non-government role-play go on as long as I feel we are making enough progress towards completing a term. If I do not feel that such progress is happening, I will set a deadline for the turn, and if that doesn't work I may take further steps. Although I will tend not too, as this will make me very unpopular in game!! 6. How do you delineate yourself from other community games? How do you prevent the cookie cutter feel? Well, I think that we 'delineate' ourselves from the other RPGs in that we have a unique set-up, we progress the save game through our actions and we seem to be faster paced than the other games (particularly YATS, which is a little bit like us). Good luck Ultimation, may your game Live long and prosper!

Silver Shield Classifieds

TWC Communities Tale of the week Tale of the week {TOTW} needs Storytellers and reviewers... Tale of the Week is a weekly story writing contest based on a picture. Submissions are voted on and a new winner crowned each week. Right now we are looking for... Forum Link Storytellers {writers}: No experience necessary. Just submit a story based on that week's picture between 250 - 500 words. Reviewers: No experience necessary. Read the stories of the week and tell us what you think. Come on down and give us a lookover... ToTW's a really fun place to hang out... Medieval II Broken Crescent Broken Crescent: Broken Crescent is a M2TW total conversion modification centered on the Middle East starting from 1174 and concluding in 1400. Featuring a gorgeous new campaign map spanning from Anatolia to India, Broken Crescent allows you to take control of over 17 brand new factions all complete with over 300 new artistically crafted warriors ready to do you bidding! Mod forum: Link Mod leader: wudand_clown Looking to fill the following positions: Contact any of the following if interested in appling. OpiumGhost79, wudand_clown or y2day Coding: Requirements: knowledge about coding syntax, relation between various text files and knowledge about game factors influenced by changes in text files... The job: creation of traits&ancillaries system, faction specific campaigns, events, changes in recruitment system, buildings-effects system, economic system, military supply system, etc. in collaboration with researchers. Art: 2D&3D artists to implement many great ideas and improve the mod! Moddeling: Requirements: efficient modelling. The job: creation of new units or/and strat map models. Claimants, Heirs and Conquerors Claimants, Heirs and Conquerors is a mod that focuses on the more localized and Provincial power struggles in France, Spain and Northern Africa from 1375-1600. With a focus on making the gameplay as unique and interesting as can be! features will be included to continue the "dynasism" of gameplay and keep the player eagerly interested until the very last turn! Mod LINK Mod Leader druvatar Looking to fill the following positions: Art 2d artist - primarily for events Coding Basic coding - yes/no events and ingame notices Modeller Modelling/skinning Medieval II Kingdoms Agon: Rebirth of the Hellenes Agon: Rebirth of the Hellenes Agon is a mod focusing on Ancient Greece and the nearby lands. It's primary goal is depicting the many conflicts that took place in the area in both a fun and historically accurate way. The mod will feature 29 brand new factions and many new units. Mod Forum LINK Mod Leader C.M. Looking to fill the following positions: Art: 2D Artist - experienced UV mapper 2D Artist - Skinners 2D Artist - Events, ancillaries, etc. Dominion of the Sword Dominion of the Sword: Dominion of the Sword is an ambitious project aimed at making a Supermod, we have a large team made up of several contributing mods as well as our own dedicated staff. The mod aims to maximise the possibilities in the M2TW engine to make a game with realism, historical accuracy and playability. Most of all we are concentrating on an atmospheric and fully immersible experience of medieval warfare and rulership. Mod forum: Link Mod leader: Hross Looking to fill the following positions: Notice: If you are interested in helping us bring this mod out of Alpha testing but, do not see an opening in your field of knowledge; please do not hesitate in offering your assistance, please apply with examples of previous work, clearly stating the area that you feel you could assist with. Voice mod project: If you are interested in any of the following position please contact Hross, Subuatai, Sumskilz. This position is responsible for coordinating the voice overs for all factions, from various voice actors around the globe. The candidate should posses good organizational skills, multilingual a bonus, strong English comprehension a requirement. Coding Dept: If you are interested in any of the following positions please contact Azim or Subuatai, Basic - Basic text editing: Event Descriptions , building info, unit write ups. Basic / intermediate - Family trees, Traits and Ancillaries, bloodlines, Inermediate - EDU and model.db Advanced - Assistant Coder: knowlege of the campaign script, triggers etc.. assist with advanced DotS features (under direct supervision of Azim). Art Dept: If you are interested in any of the following positions please contact Subuatai. 2D Artist - Unit cards - Candidate should be proficient with Photoshop or Gimp. Examples of work required. Modeling / Skining Dept: If you are interested in any of the following positions please contact Sumskils Modeler - Strat map models, Unit modeler. - Examples of work may be required Skinner - All units are based on historically accurate dress and weaponry. Examples of work required. High quality of workmanship required. This position works closely with our researchers. Mapping Dept: If you are interested in any of the following positions please contact Resurrection Assistant mapper - Candidate should be proficient and fully understand how mapping works. Main duties would be to troubleshoot and final touches. Research Dept: - If you are interested in any of the following positions please contact Alkidas or Copperknickers II Assistant / Wiki coordinator - Position requires the candidate to be organized and good typing speed an asset. Rome TWC RTW Championship TWC RTW Championship contest needs your help! It is a 1-on-1 tournament being held in the RTW Mutliplayer sub-forum. Currently it has been getting players, but not as many as it should! The winner of the tournament will receive the Championship belt for their victory. There is also one being held in the Europa Barbarorum sub-forum also that needs you help! Join today and become a Champion!

[y2day]

Great job everyone, and thank you Armatus for your hardwork in formatting this edition. I hope everyone enjoys the read. Front page announement coming soon.

y

[Armatus]

The pleasure was mine

Good work guys.

[abbews]

Great edition as always!

[Maяcel]

another splendid edition, well done guys

[Kovas]

Good job.

[Silent Assassin]

Yes or Editors worked hard for once lol Joke guy's love ya all

[MuttonChops]

Awesome job!

+Rep to all the contributors

[y2day]

Front page announcement is up.

If you guys enjoy the read please tell your friends.

Thanks again everyone.

[Giovi]

awesome edition as always

[Hambone]

nice work, definately worth a read.

[Saint Nicholas]

I really like the idea of the Classifieds, I'd like to submit an advert. Great job on #7 guys, keep it up.

[lolgast]

Great job guys!

[Bolkonsky]

Read the whole thing, and loved it! One thing stuck out though.

Is it just me, or does Armatus look like a monk?

[Armatus]

are you referring to the dark hood and my baldness?

[Tzar]

Great job everyone!

[Kip]

Excellent work, gentlemen!

[Bolkonsky]

are you referring to the dark hood and my baldness?

Both!

[Capt. Fozdike]

Very nice guys.

[ulti]

Thanks for the positive comments guys. Well done to the team as well.