"Le Fred's" Epic Stories!

[jw1089]

I was wondering Fred, which textures are you using? I wanted to get the same look for the units instead of the highly colorful ones

[Demokritos]

I was wondering Fred, which textures are you using? I wanted to get the same look for the units instead of the highly colorful ones

As he wrote that he'll be away for a couple of weeks, I'll step in to provide some info for you here. The mods le_fred are using appear to be enumerated in his signature. I know for a fact that for uniforms and banners, his using the Alternative Clan Colours mod. For horse textures and the outfits of certain daimyos, he seems to be using BullGod's mods. On top of that apparently one or two of Superghostboy's works for textures and permormance. You can find all these mods and many others in the Visuals And Audio section of Shogun 2 Mod Threads here.

[Darth_Revan]

epic pics, had a great time looking at them

[le_fred]

Thanks !! I am preparing a new battle at the moment, i simply need to update my version of DMS to the v4.2+.
I have chosen the clans, the units balance and formation, and of course the battlefield + season settings to have a nice lighting. More in a couple of days !

[le_fred]

ODA / ASAI

Summer 1570 - The Asai and Asakura clans turned against Oda Nobunaga whose tremendous power and influence are now a threat to all neighboring daimyos.
In the mountains of Omi province, Oda Nobunaga has gathered a mighty army of teppo units and is willing to face his brother in law Asai Nagamasa.

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The Asai clan counts many traditional and well equipped samurai units, supported by a reserve of ashigaru units.

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The battlefield is hilly and covered by woods. Nobunaga orders his troops to quickly take position on a favourable ground.

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Closely following the infantry, Oda cavalry units take position on the flanks while Nobunaga is giving a hard time to his men in rushing them forward.

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The Asai army slowly climbs the steady slopes of the battlefield. The Asai are expecting to have the Oda army in sight at anytime.

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Nobunaga's hatamoto are monitoring the advance, relaying Nobunaga's orders.

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On the left flank of the Asai main army, scouts from both clans are observing carefully the surrounding woods. Suddenly, the enemy is in sight !
The cavalry units launch their charge, and finally meet. The battle has started.

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[le_fred]

The Asai clan assault

Seeing many ashigaru units in the Oda ranks, the bold Asai samurai cavalry launches a powerful charge to disorganize the Oda missile units. The bulk of the Asai main assault force is closely following them.
The first units to reach the Oda lines suffer from heavy fire, but they successfully reach the missile troops.

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Their charge, albeit successful, is stopped and broken by the supporting spear units of the Oda. The Asai must withdraw.

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The Asai infantry are closing in, they are in range of the Oda matchlocks. The first volleys kill a few of them, but not decisively.

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The Asai cavalry maneuvers well and takes advantage of the covers provided by the battlefield. They reach the Oda at full speed but take final volley of bullets at point blank range.

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On the Asai left flank, the first Oda units are routing and the remaining ones are badly flanked.
In the center, the matchlocks of the Oda are trampled by the powerful charge of mounted samurai.

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The main bulk of Asai infantry is reaching the disorganized Oda center.

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[le_fred]

Spear wall

Despite their initial advantage, the Asai cannot succeed their flanking maneuver, blocked in their progression by samurai yari units.

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The first Asai assault units are tearing the Ashigaru to pieces despite the first losses they took during the approach.

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On the left Asai flank, the Asai cavalry units withdraw for a time while spear units replace them to fight the Oda Yari samurai.
In the center, the Asai have a strong advantage and slaughter the Oda first line. Still, the second line remains out of the battle and doesn't engage.

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First aggressive move from the Oda, they launch their cavalry reserve in support of their scouts in the woods. This skirmish battle has been very long and yet no side has emerged victorious.
No doubt the charge from the Oda will affect the outcome of the fight.

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The Oda second line finally moves forward slowly and in excellent order through the Oda missile units. Their battle line looks like a long phalanx, supported by a few samurai.

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The Asai scouting cavalry is destroyed by the recent charge of Oda troops on the Asai left flank.
On the Asai right flank, very quiet since the start of the battle, the Oda are maneuvering, combining heavy shooting and a final charge of cavalry to rout their enemy reserves.

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In the center of the battlefield, the fights are intense: Asai samurai skills and morale against Oda spear wall discipline and numbers.

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On the Asai left flank, the Oda yari samurai are surrounded from all sides, still they hold their ground. Should they break, the whole right flank of the Oda would be in jeopardy.
Asai gun units are slowly moving forward and flanking the Oda position.

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With its right flank in peril, Nobunaga chooses to reposition his gunners and to move them out of reach of the Asai cavalry.
This is a risky move because those units were the only support to the yari samurai units, which remain fighting on their own.

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Taking advantage of the breaches in the Oda lines, the Asai have now engaged enemy missile units of their pressured Oda right flank.

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[le_fred]

Surrounded

On the Asai right flank, Nagamasa is expecting his archers to push back the flanking maneuver from Nobunaga. The moving Oda teppos ashigaru take a heavy toll.

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Th victorious Oda cavalry emerges from the woods on the endangered right flank and charges the Asai in the rear with great impact...

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...only to follow on the missile units from the Asai, left without support.

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On the Asai right flank, the massive flanking maneuver ordered by Nobunaga is taking form in good order. Half of the Asai army is now trapped on the hill.

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This is the moment chosen by Nobunaga to launch a final cavalry charge on the hill. Suffering from a continuous rain of bullets, the Asai units are wavering.

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Some Asai samurai archers still hold their ground but it is now pointless.

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Attacked by a full stack of Oda units in the rear, some Asai units are panicking, while the Oda keep the pressure on the remaining ones.

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News of Asai Nagamasa say he left the battlefield wounded. Nobunaga knows that victory is in his grasp.
The fleeing Asai units are butchered or shot without mercy.

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The exhausted Oda spear wall does not pursue the routing Asai. The slaughter looks unimaginable.

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Instead, the Oda cavalry leads a final charge and runs the remaining Asai down.

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[The Brig]

Great pics and great story Fred! The pics are so good! All of it is! Can't wait to see more!

[Demokritos]

As far as I'm concerned, this thread has become a classic. One of my favourite spots at TWC.

Thank you for this, le_fred.

I got the impression that you were to test some new versions of various mods in your last show. Noticed any difference?

[le_fred]

I got the impression that you were to test some new versions of various mods in your last show. Noticed any difference?

Well, first i have used DMS 4.2++ version instead of earlier versions, and i could use the combination of SuperGhostBoy mod and Darth Effects. It is working very well now, the melee penetration is very very good. Still i had to adjust slightly the blood with SGB less blood tweaks (to suppress the tomato geysers as i like to call them) manually. But the blood clouds upon impact are gone in the 4.2++, which was a real game breaker for me in terms of atmosphere in 4.1 and 4.2 !!

I have noticed that the horse model for the light cavalry has been broken by the latest patch as with or without mods, the saddles and ropes are going into the horse head and back, you can notice it in the pics. Strange as it doesn't affect the other cavalry units...

I had some difficulty with this battle, because the animations of spear units, especially ashigaru, are less spectacular than katana or naginata units. On top i have a hard lighting set up as well, like an afternoon end. Combined with trees, the shadows and smoke, the texture clarity was a bit more messy than with a plain summer sun.

I'd like to play the hattori now, but i don't know who to oppose them, historically, it was a simple retainer clan. Or i move directly to the FotS...

[Demokritos]

With "melee penetration" I guess you mean weapons penetrating bodies more often or in more various ways, not units (soldiers) breaking through enemy formations more often.

But animations of spear units are "difficult" because they are less spectacular how?

What about important multi-factional battles in history involving some minor clans? But even if you're interested in such scenarios, this could of course wait until after your bouts with FotS...

[le_fred]

By "penetration", i really mean the way the units mix together in combat, to create a chaotic melee feeling. Not really related with piercing or stabbing attacks.

For the animation, i think the katana units tends to evade attacks, parry, stab, even grab opponents, while i see only stab with yari units. Naginata troops tend to roll and stab a lot too, just a feeling that for the yari, it is a bit less varied, so less cinematic. Maybe it is due to the facts that units in spear wall like ashigaru are quite immobile when fighting.

I have had an idea for a long for a Hattori battle to be honest, i don't want to spoil it so let's wait until i can create this special battle

[le_fred]

HATTORI / KIKKAWA

Summer 1573. Tokugawa Ieyasu's army has been destroyed by Takeda Shingen at Mikatagahara.
The clans fighting the Oda and Tokugawa alliance are on the rise after Ieyasu barely escapes. The Kikkawa clan, led by Motoharu and fighting the Oda for a few years already, is sending troops East to capture Ieyasu.
One small army marches night and day to reach the Omi province.

The sun has just set. In the dark, a strange demon hooded horseman is watching the Kikkawa army on the move. All are silent around him.

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Suddenly, a vast clamor rises in the night on the Western flank of the Kikkawa and the red hooded samurai blows his horn. Ambush !
After an exhausting day at forced march, the Kikkawa ashigaru and samurai alike start running to take position.
The panic is almost visible in their ranks.

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Still, in the shadows, more eyes are watching the moving lights of the Kikkawa army. The battle start is only a matter of seconds, and the Kikkawa are unaware of this new threat in their rear.

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The Kikkawa's army has now a clear sight on their enemy. Lights and moving shapes are closing in down the hill and the woods.

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The clamor gets stronger when the first enemy units run to meet and assault the Kikkawa.

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Galloping from the rear of the Kikkawa army, what seems to be the general takes moves to take position and lead the counter attack.

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On the Eastern side of the battle, a group of archers and ninjas wait patiently. No light or noise to reveal their presence.

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The Kikkawa troops are almost in position, their enemies have not yet covered the distance between them. Tension is perceptible, like fear and doubt.

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The Kikkawa general has finally reached the centre of his formation while the Kiklawa can now identify their enemy: Hattori !

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[le_fred]

The rain of death

Positioned behind their melee counterparts, the Hattori archers bend their bows and release a first volley of missiles on the hill.
There is the the whistle of the arrows followed by the shouts and moaning of the wounded.

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The second volley is the time chosen by the Hattori leader to launch his infantry's charge.

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From the darkness of the woods surrounding the Kikkawa, a continuous rain of death takes many soldier lives. The night is dark and full of terrors.

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Hattori Hanzo watches his carefully planned assault, pushing his yari troops to flank the Kikkawa from the South.

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The Kikkawa are re positioning their infantry away from the Hattori archers, but their charging enemy is close now.

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Waiting for the shock, under the clear orders of their general, the Kikkawa shoot back at their enemy while the final units reach their position in the defensive formation.

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The shadows of the Eastern flank are on the move. They progress in silence and slowly.

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The Hattori charge has reached the Kikkawa ranks. The night is smiling, showing her shining teeth in the shape of hundreds of blades.

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[le_fred]

Falling star

One more volley is to be released by the Hattori marksmen. This one bears the mark of fire.
This is the signal expected by the men sneaking at the back of the Kikkawa battle line.

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The Kikkawa cavalry is trapped in the woods with no ground to charge, finally assaulted from all sides.

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The treacherous Hattori have launched a decisive attack on the rear units of the Kikkawa. Dozen of ninjas supported by a large number of archers are vastly overwhelming their surprised enemies.

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Short blades versus long spears

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The forces are clearly unbalanced, with skilled ninja killers butchering panicked ashigaru spearmen.

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A second group of hiding units attacks suddenly Kikkawa samurai on their way to support their comrades! Weakened by missiles, they are totally disorganized.

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The Kikkawa have suffered so many casualties over a few seconds. Once a couple of soldiers start running, the whole rear guard of the Kikkawa quickly follows.

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In the center, the main battle goes on and both sides still fight with high morale.

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[le_fred]

A quiet night

The remaining ninjas are moving quickly to the top of the hill and ready for another strike.

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The Kikkawa general is the next target of the ninjas, and horses are an easy matter for their bombs.

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Shaken by the attack on their general, some units try to reach him and protect him before it is too late, but they are ambushed as well.

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This is the moment chosen by the Oni Hattori Hanzo to crash into the enemy lines with his bodyguards.

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With their general likely dead, only the center of the Kikkawa troops hold their ground. Well grouped in a defensive position, they are an easy target for the Hattori archers positioned in their back.

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The Kikkawa centre breaks.

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The push of Hanzo and his men is formidable. In a couple of seconds, the field is cleared of Kikkawa bushi.

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The Kikkawa are routing from all sides of the battle, only a few of them are able to run more than a few meters before being caught back by pursuers.

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Lone soldiers still fight on, looking for a warrior's death, but many choose to flee.

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The hill gets silent again. A few bloody sahimono move in the wind while the Hattori leave the field and vanish in the night.
Kikkawa Motoharu is to learn the next day that none of his men made it to Omi, killed by a red demon's army.

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[Demokritos]

Very good idea with a night battle, le_fred. Gives a completely different mood. Quite dramatic in effect. I say it again, you've got talent for these sort of AARs, my friend. Thanks a lot for the show!

[le_fred]

Indeed, i thought a nigh battle ambush for the Hattori would fit perfectly !
I am now trying some options for a bit of FotS.

[le_fred]

I was thinking to do a RotS before FotS.
Does anybody know a good recoloring mod for the main factions ?