DCI: Last Alliance - Open Beta released, NEW: 10 October 2020 new patch released, contains Ents - Wolves - Spiders crashes fix! (and more)

[Ngugi]

Don't worry, it's not a very known fact, or perhaps generally remembered fact; it's one matter in a long list I expect we'll get comments on once released haha

[Pyres Δt Varanasi]

I awaited if Curufin, the modeller, would drop in and want to take the reply but I take it hehe; to make our own units we face some limitations as permissions to KK's units are not granted, but more than so we like the concept of a differented BG with a helmet related to both the faction Sindar units, Noldor units and seemingly an inspiration to later Ages gondorian helmets (be it the movie version, hehe)


Sure; since 'last time' the Dwarven roster is settled; there's been a lot of concepts discussed and decided, mainly concerning Sauron and Mordor; scripting work done by Withwnar; a bunch of coding concerning battlemap units, models and recrutment has been handled for factions; portraits has been produced by Araval; our unit stats-system has been worked upon; strategy map models been tweaked and other stuff concerning secret content
A little bit of this and that thus ^^

Uhh exiting News !

[Ngugi]

The DCI: Last Alliance team are proud to present to you the

Preview of the roster of the Orcs of the Misty Mountains - revamped 19th August



The Orcs of the Misty Mountains as seen here will be fairly similair when it comes to the forces the North muster, to bring calamity and destruction to their foes. However it do not mean DCI: Last Alliance will provide the player with a much to similair experience to TATW when the armies of Gundabad is to march out.

Orcs of the Misty Mountains instead will, as a uniqe feature, use a system where conquests and victories of territory, certain settlements and other factors unlock new units - to encourage the Orc within each and everyone of us to roam free. This aspect will be the main focus of our work and is yet only begun, mending in our creative minds and under Withwnars script fingers; changes may thus occur along the way even concerning roster, mind you.

We aim to bring you a challenging new gameplay experience, next to new features like wolves, Orc-drivers - and a long awaited Balrog...


Roster update: New models for Heavy Goblin Archers and Goblin Veterans - former Goblin Veterans unit turned into the new AOR Moria Infantry-unit.
Replacing the Heavy Goblin Halberds are the Heavy Goblin Reavers, while the Wargs have new skins.
Last but not least the brand new Orc-drivers, a unit shared with Mordor.
New units are previewed with larger images.


Missile units

Snaga Archers

'I’m not going down those stairs again,’ growled Snaga, `be you captain or no. Nar! Keep your hands off your knife, or I’ll put an arrow in your guts.' In the caves and mines archery is not of great importance, yet it is not a forgotten art. Once war against the Elves blossoms society's lowest ranks, who can not provide much strength if up close and can fill more purpose than being distracting targets for the foe, pick up bows to send death upon their enemies.

Goblin Archers

'...lord of Moria fell in Dimrill Dale. He went alone to look in Mirror mere. An orc shot him from behind a stone. We slew the orc, hut many more ... up from east up the Silverlode.' When the forces of Goblins spread from the mountains across the lands, heeding the commands of Sauron, the need to counter the archers of the Free Peoples are as obvious as the cure. Soldiers with better bows and skill than their Snaga cousins gather under their warlords, in the hope to see hostile forces fall to unexpected death.

Heavy Goblin Archers

'If the keen-eyed Orcs marked their flight they took no heed. They halted briefly, preparing their assault. First they let fly a hail of arrows, and then suddenly with a great shout they did as Isildur would have done, and hurled a great mass of their chief warriors down the last slope against the Dúnedain, expecting to break up their shield-wall.' Facing the biting bows of the Elves the cunning Goblins develop their skill in crafting and markmanship to fight fire with fire, eager to send the enemy to the West. Dressed in crude but highly efficient armours to stand against attacks the Heavy Goblin Archers proves a dread on the battlefield that must be taken serious.

Infantry

Snaga Skirmishers

'But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall' The Snagas may be the small and subjugated members of the Orc tribes, but no Goblin is harmless or rejects the chance to go to war. Armed with throwing spears the Snaga Skirmishers provide the expendable foundation for the fighting forces of any chieftain, bodies to step upon on the road to greatness.

Goblin Warmongers

'Beyond the fire he saw swarming black figures: there seemed to be hundreds of orcs. They brandished spears and scimitars which shone red as blood in the firelight.' Since the First Age the mounted warriors of the Eldar and Northmen have proved a great threat to the Orc kin. Lightly armoured but with spears to bring mounts and riders alike into the dust, the Goblin Warmongers hurry to join a chief who seems promising.

Goblin Raiders

'There was not only cunning in the attack, but fierce and relentless hatred. The Orcs of the Mountains were stiffened and commanded by grim servants of Barad-dûr...' Always the chance to loot and pillage gather the attention of the savage Goblin tribes. Warriors gladly rally under a commander who proves he can provide them victories and spoils of war. A stout shield and sharp sword make them suitable to take on enemy infantry, cut up their bellies and watch them try to keep their inners in place.

Goblin Reavers

'...and through the reek he could see the goblins dancing round and round in a circle like people round a midsummer bonfire. Outside the ring of dancing warriors with spears and axes stood the wolves at a respectful distance, watching and waiting.' Hunger for conquest and war burn in the essence of the Orcs. As the High chieftain among them has proven strong enough warriors assemble to his aid, and the Goblin Reavers who are armed with axes is a most appreciated addition to the fist that is the Goblin host. Especially to take on the ironclad Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, as that stunted people have proven bitter resistance.

Goblin Veterans

'At that moment there came a sudden blast of horns, and the Orcs closed in on all sides, flinging themselves against the Dúnedain with reckless ferocity. Night had come, and hope faded.' Perhaps an Orc may live long, but while a life in strife and struggle does grant lots of experience it does not leave many among them to boast as proven veterans. Clad in armours, which they got through spoils of war or from chieftains who value their worth, these tall and grim veterans march upon the enemy with a fearlessness unusual for their race. Sauron's shadow shall cover the land.

Heavy Goblin Reavers

'There in the shadows on a large flat stone sat a tremendous goblin with a huge head, and armed goblins were standing round him carrying the axes and the bent swords that they use. ' Battles against Dwarves, and other heavily protected enemies, have made the Goblin commanders aware that no warrior is better than the skulls he can crack. Armed with wicked axes these large Goblin soldiers provide the perhaps best response against armour the cunning smiths of the Goblins can muster, and they prove their hunger for bloodshed with mighty strokes.

Cave Trolls

'There was a blow on the door that made it quiver; and then it began to grind slowly open, driving back the wedges. A huge arm and shoulder, with a dark skin of greenish scales, was thrust through the widening gap.' Few threats equal the brute strength and the seemingly imperishable mass of the Cave trolls. From the deeps of the world they may be stirred, summoned by the evil will of Sauron and eager to be pointed towards the enemy by a great chieftain. Fear is something they have not yet understood, but since they crush Man, Elf and Dwarf trough their armour alike that is unlikely to ever occur.

Moria Infantry (AoR)

'The Orcs have often plundered Moria; there is nothing left in the upper halls.' - Gandalf Plunder the wealthy halls of Khazad-dûm, a wicked dream. If coming true laying hands on the armouries and smithies of the hated Dwarves the crude but skilled Goblin smiths provide the warriors of Moria - the Black Chasm in Elven tongue - heavy scale armours. Eager to turn the Dwarves gear against themselves or anyone else who dread the thought, these fierce soldiers march out across Middle-earth.

Orc-drivers

‘Where there’s a whip there’s a will, my slugs. Hold up! I’d give you a nice freshener now, only you’ll get as much lash as your skins will carry when you come in late to your camp. Do you good. Don’t you know we’re at war?’ - Mordor Orc-driver It is in the nature of the Orcs to hate, and hate is in essence non-cooperative. When the Dark Lord or his mighty commanders, by Orcs and Goblins called 'bosses', look away not few ponder to desert or in other ways provide for themselves on anyone elses account, and do find it unappealing to risk their life against dangerous foes who can turn around and bite. That is why Sauron appointed the Orc-drivers to go out among his evil armies, and with their whips and cruel threats strenghten the moral at the battle fields. Where there's a whip there's a way!

Animals and mounted units

Wolves

'The wolf that one hears is worse than the orc that one fears.' -Boromir Wolves roam vast spaces, and even on their own their night cries sends chill into hearts in all of the West. But when the will of a Dark Lord is upon the land then their taste for flesh is turned from mere cattle to Men and Elves and Dwarves, and their fangs and jaws is sometimes the last sight one will see.

Warg Riders

`But where the warg howls, there also the orc prowls.' -Aragorn The intelligent Wargs, who may even speak, is a large and wicked race of wolves found east of the Misty Mountains. They join ranks with Goblins to raid and kill on occasion, and they even let Goblins mount them as horses, to form a deadly union of flesh and steel.

Uniqe units

Boldogs

'For Morgoth had many servants, the oldest and most potent of whom were immortal, belonging indeed in their beginning to the Maiar; and these evil spirits like their Master could take on visible forms. Those whose business it was to direct the Orcs often took Orkish shapes, though they were greater and more terrible. Thus it was that the histories speak of Great Orcs or Orc-captains who were not slain, and who reappeared in battle through years far longer than the span of the lives of Men.' Mighty among the foes of the Free Peoples are the Boldogs, lesser Maiar who have clad themselves in the guise of Orcs. They come as a group to the armies of Orcs as commanders, in the service of the new Dark Lord, mighty in strength, cunning and skill of war. (Custom and very rare Boldog general with kindred bodyguard/entourage; Boldogs can not be recruted)

Durin's Bane - the last of the Balrogs

'Thus they roused from sleep a thing of terror that, flying from Thangorodrim, had lain hidden at the foundations of the earth since the coming of the Host of the West: a Balrog of Morgoth.' Deep, deep the mines of Khazad-dûm run into the Misty Mountains, and at the roots of the world a terror sleep. From beyond the first lights of the First Age and the kindeling of stars it come, a Balrog of Morgoth, ready to awake and spread dread upon the world again. No sieges or drums of war risk to stir it, but would the Mithril Mines of Dwarves or Goblins ever dwelve to deep beneath Caradhras, by unpredictable misfortune and sorrow, fire and shadow can at any time strike the free world once more. (DCI: LA will, as seen above, present you with a single Balrog [there's still a random risk there's three Balrogs, but no more any full unit of them] - our thanks to Withwnar for this)

Credits

To King Kong for all units, beside;
the wolves made by Briarius and adapted to game use by paramed
the darker wargs are textured by Brevi, based on King Kong's work
Taro_M who made the Heavy Goblin Reavers and Orc-drivers, based on King Kong's work
* gunabang mod for providing it's resource content that are the Heavy Goblin Archers and Goblin Veterans

(if any unit is created by another, please report it and credits will be updated)

Please feel most encouraged rep the lads above!


* To Baron Samedi for the conceptual inspiration to use the 'Apache technology tree'-system for OotMM when it comes to units

* Thanks to knight of meh for proofreading, and to LadyDoll for UI input

Unit cards by misteed

[Mank]

Oh boy!! Looks great guys! ^_^

[Feanaro Curufinwe]

Don't they have a bit too much plate?

[knight of meh]

as long as its not fitted plate its fine in my opinion

and is it bad that my first read through all i saw were the minor grammar and spelling mistakes? .. the librarian hath grown strong in me

[Tankbustaz]

wow, so you guys actually added a Boldog bodyguard. I don't know what to say, so many conflicting emotions.

[Duke of Metz]

Not sure how I feel about Durin's Bane... The Balrog wasn't unearthed in Moria until 1980 TA. So roughly 2000 years after the Last Alliance and Sauron was vanquished. I hope it makes for compelling game play but from a lore perspective, I don't see it

[Pyres Δt Varanasi]

Not sure how I feel about Durin's Bane... The Balrog wasn't unearthed in Moria until 1980 TA. So roughly 2000 years after the Last Alliance and Sauron was vanquished. I hope it makes for compelling game play but from a lore perspective, I don't see it

I agree about the Lore . But it is needed to add more flavor to the OOMM.

[Pyres Δt Varanasi]

OMG LOVE IT !!!

[Duke of Metz]

I agree about the Lore . But it is needed to add more flavor to the OOMM.

Is it? I agree it adds flavor - and mad rep to Withnar for getting a single Balrog - but I'd love to hear more from the team as to how the Balrog will spawn/be used. Lore-wise, the Balrog completely expelled the Dwarves from Khazad-Dum. Can we expect a similar situation if the Balrog spawns in DCI: LA, where Durin (and his forces) fights for the rule of Khazad-Dum? Or will he just spawn as a unit the OOTMM can use however the please?

Additionally, I think there are other ways you could add to the flavor of the OOTMM without the Balrog. I'd argue that the whole conquest feature adds flavor to the OOTMM. You could ad Warg Rider Bodyguards for their generals

[ElvenKind]

Looking good.. Nice work DCI Team.

[Withwnar]

In lore he was awakened much later, sure, but he was still down there at this time. He was awakened by mining "too deep". In the DCI:LA universe this deep mining is just happening sooner.

Awakening him expels the current owners from Khazad-Dum, yes. That is the only way to get a single Balrog inside there. We wanted the Balrog to emerge from within instead of spawning outside and knocking on the door of the current owner. But it is not possible to have both: emerge within a settlement still owned by the Dwarves. i.e. His emergence is not in the form of a battle inside Khazad with both Dwarves and the Balrog inside. No, his emergence wreaks damage on the settlement and population, and causes the owners to flee, passing ownership to the OotMM. It is then up to the Dwarves to try and take it back, if they're game.

[Arandir Tur-Anion de Bodemloze]

Nice job, as usual.

[Ngugi]

@ all
Thanks for your interest, encouragments, considerations and questions

Don't they have a bit too much plate?

A very reasonable question, and it really breaks down to what is in mind of the viewer.
And by that I mean that the issue is really that King Kong have made to good soldier skins haha, while what they depict and is meant to look like are the FotR-movies goblins from Moria; and the apperence of them is in my opinion a good version of how Orcs can be;

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Just as the FotR-into version of the Eldar is constructed round a mail as base with additional protective parts so the Goblins outfits are meant to be. And based on that what we see ingame is meant to invoke the more ragtag, jointed and scrapped vision and feeling of the films - beside at least being a (for sure massive) scale armour instead of direct plate armour - and that we deemed acceptable.
If King Kong returns we may get permission to scale down the skin armour, and then most likley will.

and is it bad that my first read through all i saw were the minor grammar and spelling mistakes? .. the librarian hath grown strong in me

If you may please send a list on them; wrote the texts in the eve and night while tired so know I made mistakes

wow, so you guys actually added a Boldog bodyguard. I don't know what to say, so many conflicting emotions.

Boldogs is a delicate matter in Middle-earth. Our info on them is undoubtly very limited and to what degree they've played a role post-First Age even more so. Yet the great ambiguity allow for speculations and creative freedom, since it never been clear to the foes of the Orcs [or readers] if commanders and leaders among them have been Boldogs or large size Orcs (or Uruks in the TA; it's a topic debated both now and then).
We have chosen to add them to the game in the same manner as other lesser maiar will be present [deeming werewolves to be such creatures], though they are very restricted. No more than max 3, perhaps only 2, Boldog generals will be implemented for OotMM and the BG size will be small.

Not sure how I feel about Durin's Bane... The Balrog wasn't unearthed in Moria until 1980 TA. So roughly 2000 years after the Last Alliance and Sauron was vanquished. I hope it makes for compelling game play but from a lore perspective, I don't see it

Withwnar describes the DCI reason and process well, so I have little to add, beside that since Durin's Bane lay under their feet we deem it a possible What If-scenario, in the manner of the Ring getting destroyed or Sauron's minions winning the war etc.
Also it will only apply to Dwarves and Goblins as these two factions are the only one who can be expected to care to reach so deep in their mining or otherwise, meaning that even if say Lórien capture Khazad-dûm (from OotMM or alike we may hope and not from the Dwarves hehe) and there is a Mithril Mine there already the Balrog will not awake, since Elves will not go so deep for whatever reason.

[Nergor]

Good job ^^

[The SilvanElve NL]

I WILL download this when it comes out!

[Ngugi]

Good job ^^

I WILL download this when it comes out!

Thanks & glad to hear

[Brune]

Nice preview, looking forward to see the wolves ingame.
Keep the good work up guys.

[Ngugi]

They look excellent, and I hope to perform a solid soundwork to make them, as well as the warg riders, to come off as real wolf kin (and not share sounds with the camels, as currently); and to offer such a soundwork to TATW for any future release to boot
Will do!