[三国上] Rise of Three Kingdoms - Official Mod Preview

[R.P. Gryphus]

Thank you for your awesome work Seether and Gig! The best mod there is for Med 2 still!

[Fahnat]

Whenever you think it's done, Seether surprises you!
Most exiting for me is the battle AI, finally this mod is perfection!

[Johnadiw26]

Thank you for the release

[_TotalWar_]

I praise your dedication, and Gigantus', during all this time. Truly an example of perseverance and quality, and passion for the best TW game ever made: Medieval II. All the best to you and your future endeavours.

[Seether]

Greetings once again, everyone!

The previous update was supposed to be the last iteration of Rise of Three Kingdoms, however my OCD kicked in and I found numerous things I needed to either update, fix, or improve upon. One issue that needed to be fixed was AI factions declaring war upon the Unaligned forces. Not only would this gradually kill Unaligned characters on the map and deplete your character pool as you expanded, but it would also cause noticeable stability issues. Essentially the Unaligned faction, outside of the dozens of characters scattered around the map, was unassailable and caused the Campaign AI to freeze. This only started happening in v5.0 because of the implementation of z3n's Skynet AI and the different way the Unaligned faction was treated in calculations. However I have fixed that and now the AI no longer declares war on the Unaligned faction.

A second major issue was the Recruitment Limitation Script - the part of the script that limits how many units a faction can have based on their size. Because I'm an idiot, I put in some numbers that caused the script to never fire and factions could recruitment endless amounts of units. Some of you probably ran into a mid-game Cao clan or Sun clan with several hundred units which, in my opinion, made the mod unplayable at that point. So after looking over the numbers once again, I found where I made the error previously and played numerous test campaigns to both make sure the script was working and making adjustments to the numbers for calculations. It was extremely time consuming (a total of at least 60 hours), but I feel like the script is in a good place and will improve the playability of the mod in the mid to late game.

Outside of those two (what I consider) major issues, there was a lot of work done on the finer details. A new script I added will make sure that any incompatible temples and 'migratory' buildings will be destroyed when you capture a settlement. That way you will not have buildings that you either cannot use or, as in the case of another belief system's temples, will be detrimental to your faction. In regard to temples, unless you looked in the building browser, you would not know what the differences were between the various temples you could build. As another QoL improvement, I gave each tier 1 temple a small bonus that relates to the overall bonuses that chain of temples would grant at higher tiers - so now, at a glance, you can more easily distinguish between temples and what you want to build in each settlement. I also made a few minor changes to the campaign map, with the most noticeable change being the addition of roads between the settlements of Zhuti and Yunnan and also between Zhuti and Yuexi, as well as making the eastern chokepoint of Hu Pass being closed off so that it is now actually a chokepoint.

Perhaps the most work that was done in the v5.1 update was to battle models, in regard to either fixing issues with them or making improvements to their quality. All of the bandit-type models had their proportions fixed, namely lengthening the arms and legs, and also narrowing the waist. Something similar was done to the Huainan Guard, as their limbs were disproportionately short. I also fixed all of the faces and hands of the tier 2 Shanyue units - previously their faces were entirely different, and skin tone much darker, as compared to the rest of the Shanyue unit roster. A minor detail I made was, for Cheng Pu's model, to have graying hair to better fit with his portrait aesthetic. I also made sure to fix (as much as I could) the weapon hand placement for several units, such as all of the Shanyue axe units, all of the County Militia units, and the Formation Breakers. Also, I made some major changes to the Peasant Conscripts unit, specifically the 2nd armor upgrade tier of the unit. Not only did I fix a handful of issues with the model itself, but I also made improvements to the textures and added a 3rd armor variation for that unit. Below you can see the new 2nd armor upgrade of the Peasant Conscripts, followed by the improved model of the Huainan Guard.

The Version 5.1 (Tianxia) Update can be downloaded here and has instructions on how to properly install the patch (point installer at Medieval II Total War folder).

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must have the Rise of Three Kingdoms v4.5 Full Release installed prior to installing this update. The previous versions of v4.6, v4.7, and v5.0 are now obsolete - the v5.1 update incorporates all of the content of v4.6, v4.7, and v5.0, so if you were already running any of those versions you can just patch in v5.1 and start a new campaign. This update is NOT save-game compatible (will break saves)

Happy gaming!

[darkrok]

can i ask you guys? how to remove the name tag guys in the campaign. It clutters the campaign screen in a very annoying way, especially around my capital where there is constantly 5-6 agents hanging around. Grateful for help. love to play this game.

[Gigantus]

It's a simple short cut - Ctlr+N. You may have pressed it by accident.

[Seether]

Greetings once again, everyone!

This new update is a bit different than all of the previous ones. While, as usual, there have been a lot of fixes and improvements to the campaign, the primary reason for this update existing is the creation of an entirely new campaign. Set in the year 190, this new campaign focuses on the struggles between Han regional governors and warlords, set against the backdrop of Dong Zhuo's takeover of the Imperial government. Leaders such as Liu Yu, Tao Qian, and Sun Jian, all of whom perished before the 194 start date of the original campaign, are amongst the more than 100 new characters added for this new scenario. Unlike the original 194 campaign, the 190 campaign has far less events and scripting in order to create a more sandbox experience for the player. Many characters, who are part of a faction at the start of the original campaign, but historically were not beholden to any regional leader in 190, will be a part of the Unaligned faction; meaning you can get them to join your faction when you come across them. Characters that fall into this category include Gan Ning, Sima Yi, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Xu Chu, Lu Su, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, and many others. The new update also comes with a campaign switcher: when you run the mod you will be given a prompt as to whether you want to be play either the 190 or 194 campaign, with each campaign's files being independent of the other. Below you can see a couple screenshots of the new faction selection screen, with Liu Yu and Tao Qian ready for preview.

Both campaigns will also make use of an updated campaign map. An are that needed some work was the Jiangdong region, which is located in the east of the country, immediately below the Yangtze River. The region was significantly remodeled, extending the landmass east and moving Lake Taihu a bit west. Speaking of lakes, Lake Weishan was added to east-central China as well as the closing of Lake Chao from the Yangtze. Additionally several sections of the Great Wall in the northwest have been made unpassable - in conjunction with the natural barriers in the region, the strategic town of Jieting now serves an even more important purpose: if you don't control it, you will have a significant detour for your armies to pass between Yong and Liang provinces. Finally the Hebei region, which is located north of the Yellow River in the eastern part of China, received an overhaul to both it's river system and commandery borders, as well as the addition of Ganling commandery. Below you can see an image of the updated Hebei region.

Quite bit of time was taken to improve the quality of the characters on the campaign map. Many of the existing models had been ported from the original mod over 10 years ago and had some notable blemishes, such as being un-smoothed or excess levels of alpha. Those issues were fixed, not only for important characters such as Cao Cao, Lu Bu, or Liu Bei, but also for the 'standard' models shared between factions. Additionally, I also took the time to convert a couple models for characters that really needed the love. I made them unique battle models quite a while ago, but it wasn't until now that converted those battle models to be displayed on the campaign map. Below you can see two of these conversion, Wei Yan on the left and Gan Ning on the right.

And finally, I figured I should mention that a bit of work was done to improve and overhaul a few of the unique units found in the mod. The Formation Breakers, Unstoppable Flying Army, Suicide Vanguard, Bingzhou Cavalry, Heishan Marauders, and Camp Raiders all have received brand new battle models. While there was nothing wrong with any of them, per se, the mod has progressed a ton since they were introduced and they were beginning to show their age. So not only did they need to be spruced up and the overall quality improved, but they also needed to be cohesive to the overall aesthetic of the mod and the other units found in it. With the new 190 campaign, some new unique units also needed to be created for the new factions, such as the Jiujiang Marines, War Dragons, and The Hundred Riders. Below you can see a screenshot of the new battle model for the fearsome Formation Breakers, the famed elite unit of Gao Shun.

The Version 5.2 (Chuping) Update can be downloaded here and has instructions on how to properly install the patch (extract .zip contents into main Medieval II Total War folder).

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must have the Rise of Three Kingdoms v4.5 Full Release installed prior to installing this update. This update is NOT save-game compatible (will break saves). Once an installer for this update is created, the included .zip file will be replaced with the installer.

Happy gaming!

[Minn]

Great news! Thank you, Seether.

btw the AI never attacks me in battle (They attack in campaign). They just stand and watch me from far away.

[Seether]

It was an issue with the BAI - which I removed for v5.2. For the next patch (which will be released in a day or so) G5 BAI was reimplemented

[Minn]

It was an issue with the BAI - which I removed for v5.2. For the next patch (which will be released in a day or so) G5 BAI was reimplemented

Oh great to know. I'm waiting for new version. Thank you.

[Seether]

Greetings once again, everyone!

This update was more so an overhaul of the campaign map, and the assets found on it, than anything else. The most noticeable update is the new textures for terrain, which affects every corner of the campaign map. As with the old map, each region has different 'base' terrains and accompanying textures for farms, hills, and mountains. Overall the map is a bit greener, although the north-western area of the map is a bit of a departure from that as attempts to capture the mix steppes, arid grasslands, and deserts of north-west China. Along with the overhaul of 'summer' land textures, new textures for the snow-covered landscape were updated as well, making for a much more pleasant visual experience during the winter months. In addition to the terrain, the models for several campaign map assets were updated as well. Fortified Passes, Forts, and the horse trade resource were all completely revamped for this update. I also took the time to clean up some of the older assets, using the IWTE and GOAT tools, as many of them had glaring spots of excessive alpha, which made the asset have white patches in random locations. The Yellow Crane Tower and Sleeping Buddha monuments were some of the more noticeable assets with this issue, but it also affected numerous character strat models. While I had cleaned up many of these assets in the v5.2 Update, ones I had overlooked were the unique strat models for Nanman characters and some trade resources. Below you can see a couple of screenshots of the new terrain features found on the campaign map.

One thing I have striven for with this mod, in it's over 10 years of development, is immersion. Character biographies are perhaps the best example of this, as each biography give a brief historical account of the character, their life, and the role they played in the Three Kingdoms era. While quite a lot are easy to get information on, and compile a biography for, many others are not. Some have to be pieced together from other people's biographies, while others have to be gleaned from various sources not readily available on the internet. Regardless of the ease or difficulty in writing individual biographies, it all adds to the immersion I attempt to put forth in this mod. Something I added to the new 190 Campaign was an introduction message - some brief text that gives a general overview of the current state of affairs - and I have done the same thing for the 194 campaign as well, which is the first event message to pop up when you start a new campaign. Essentially it touches on some of the major events and major players leading to the year 194. Below you can see an in-game image of this new 194 introduction event.

And finally, I should mention that the Recruitment Limitation Script (RLS) was finally fixed... Yes, in a previous update I had stated the same thing, however I discovered that this whole time there was actually nothing wrong with the script itself. To make a long-story, short: I had meant to include a new battle AI and put part of it into the main script, but never actually fully implemented it. Being that it was only partially implemented, it did not work, and it was essentially forgotten about. What that defunct battle AI did do, however, was make anything below it in the main script also not work. The RLS was immediately below it. So, while all the focus was on the internal workings of the RLS and why it didn't work, at all, I finally dug deep enough to discover the problem and fix it. I have 1000% confirmed the script works, as per both the trace log and extensive testing. So, rest assured, your playthrough will no longer get ruined by Cao Cao coming at you with 60 stacks just a few years into the game.

In addition to everything else already mentioned above, 105 new quotes and 10 new loading screens were added (thanks Fahnat), new captain strat models for all Han factions were implemented, several new character strat models for Goguryeo, Nanman, and Shanyue were included, jade is now a (rare) trade resource, and the main menu screen has been updated, plus many more things that can be found in the changelog.

The Version 5.3 (Jian'an) Update can be downloaded here and has instructions on how to properly install the patch (point installer at Medieval II Total War folder).

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must have the Rise of Three Kingdoms v4.5 Full Release installed prior to installing this update. This update is NOT save-game compatible (will break saves).

Happy gaming!

[Deserk]

Can't download. PC says virus detected Trojan:Win32/Wacatac.B!ml

[Seether]

Can't download. PC says virus detected Trojan:Win32/Wacatac.B!ml

Obviously there isn’t a virus. False positive, which some specific AVs flag as this specific Trojan for .exe files over a specific size. Which file does your AV say is infected? Also, which AV are you using?

I would highly suggest checking out Google to see how to deal with this on your side.

[Fahnat]

I'm also getting a viirus detection and the pc imediatly deletes the file.

Edit: To make the pc recognize the file you need to go to windows security - virus and threat protection - Manage and then on exclusions chose either the file itself or the folder your gonna put the file in.

[Seether]

I'm also getting a viirus detection and the pc imediatly deletes the file.

Edit: To make the pc recognize the file you need to go to windows security - virus and threat protection - Manage and then on exclusions chose either the file itself or the folder your gonna put the file in.

Is it flagging the .exe?

And I’m assuming that’s Windows Defender?

[Fahnat]

Is it flagging the .exe?

And I’m assuming that’s Windows Defender?

Yes

[Minn]

And finally, I should mention that the Recruitment Limitation Script (RLS) was finally fixed... Yes, in a previous update I had stated the same thing, however I discovered that this whole time there was actually nothing wrong with the script itself. To make a long-story, short: I had meant to include a new battle AI and put part of it into the main script, but never actually fully implemented it. Being that it was only partially implemented, it did not work, and it was essentially forgotten about. What that defunct battle AI did do, however, was make anything below it in the main script also not work. The RLS was immediately below it. So, while all the focus was on the internal workings of the RLS and why it didn't work, at all, I finally dug deep enough to discover the problem and fix it. I have 1000% confirmed the script works, as per both the trace log and extensive testing. So, rest assured, your playthrough will no longer get ruined by Cao Cao coming at you with 60 stacks just a few years into the game.

I don't think so. In my screenshot you can see Jingzhou has a few settlements and they have a ton of army. What i have done is X3 upkeep price to make battle more decisive but nothing change.

[Seether]

Yes, the script does work. The script stops after 700 turns (might be 500 in v5.3), so in your game all factions still alive after turn 700 (or 500) have had 200 (or 400) turns of limitless recruiting.

I’ll bump that back up to 1000 turns in the next update, since I didn’t think anyone would have a campaign go even close to that long.

[Seether]

Greetings once again, everyone!

I found myself pretty busy over the past month, with work on this update first starting as some minor corrections and tweaks, but quickly evolving into some pretty serious work being done on battle models and anything else I could get my hands on. In regard to battle models, this updates includes both the creation of new models and textures for some existing units, as well as the addition of a couple of entirely new units. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, one of the elite of Cao Cao's army, has an entirely new model for their soldiers, as well as a new texture for their mounts. Goujian's Chosen, the unique unit of Wang Lang's faction of Yue, was similarly shown some love and given an completely new model and textures. With some of the standard units, new halberd, bow, and crossbow weapon models were given to the light Han units, while additionally some changes were made to that same tier of units - the base unit is now the former upgraded regional varients, while an entirely new model takes the place of the fully upgraded light units. Buqu, or personal bodyguards, also were revamped, making these highly important and elite units quite a bit better to look at on the battlefield. In regard to new units, two have been added for this update: Han Armored Crossbows and Hexi Frontiersmen. For the former, they fill a role that had essentially been vacant in the various Han faction's unit roster. Up until now all units in the 'Armored' tier were either infantry or cavalry, with these new crossbowmen being a new option for armies wanting a sturdy, well-armored ranged unit in the latter periods of their campaign. The Hexi Frontiersmen represent Han settlers, sinicized 'barbarian' peoples, and mixture of both that resided in the relatively recently acquired Hexi Corridor, fighting as agile light cavalry. In both the 190 and 194 campaigns they are available as mercenaries in the north-western regions of China. Additionally, in relation to battles, I also created new unit battle banners for all factions. These banners not only make a faction's units more conspicuous due to their color being more pronounced, but they are a lot more stylized with each unit type utilizing one of the five celestial animals.

Below you can see screenshots of the new Tiger and Leopard Cavalry with the new cavalry battle banner, below them is the new fully-upgraded light Archers, then the Zhongyuan regional Buqu soldiers, and finally the Hexi Frontiersmen at full-charge.

Medieval 2's engine can be fickle and sometimes things just don't work, regardless if they are coded correctly. One issue that has popped up from time to time is historic children coming of age without the biographies and traits they were coded to receive. To circumvent this issue for children not of the main ruling family, I decided to create new events for their coming of age and spawn them onto the campaign map. Specifically this has been done for Guan Ping, Guan Xing, Zhang Bao, Zhang Shao, Zhu Ran, and Ling Tong. And this has actually worked out pretty well, with no issues in spawning in any of those characters, plus when spawned this way you can also assign their portraits. Also, in conjunction with giving a good cleaning to the 'historic coming of age' entries, the ones that remain seem to have been working fairly well. In my last two test campaigns as Cao Cao, all of the historic Cao and Xiahou children (Xiahou Shang, Xiahou Wei, Cao Pi, etc.) all came of age at the correct time with their correct biographies and traits. Now, I'm not stating that the issue is fixed, as I never trust the Medieval 2 engine, however I don't think it's a coincidence that significantly cleaning up the 'historic coming of age' entries has resulted in more accurate spawning of these children. Anyways, below I have a screenshot of Guan Ping being spawned via event, as opposed to coming of age via secondary family tree, with his correct biography and even portrait.

Another important part this update I'd like to mention is some of the newly updated assets on the campaign map. In the previous v5.3 Update, the terrain textures and Fortified Passes (among other things) were updated to create an entirely new, and better, looking campaign map. For this update I did a bit more and included improved textures for all road types, bridges, as well as ports. The aforementioned were all from vanilla Medieval 2 and the campaign map looks much better with those assets all replaced. Additionally I cleaned up the trade ship model and made other minor adjustments to the map, mostly in the west and south. But, back to map assets, below is a screenshot of some of the new assets. In the foreground you can see the new port model and cleaned-up trade ship, then the new texture for stone roads leading to and from the main city, while the new dirt paths and wooden bridges (top right) can be seen near the top of the image.

The Version 5.4 (Zhongping) Update can be downloaded here and has instructions on how to properly install the patch (point installer at Medieval II Total War folder).

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must have the Rise of Three Kingdoms v4.5 Full Release installed prior to installing this update. This update is NOT save-game compatible (will break saves).

Happy gaming!