What does this mod do compared to the vanilla version?

[lampros69]

I have cheaply one main concern in choosing mods:

In most TW games, I find that the combat is way too fast in vanilla, and this includes every aspect of combat: unit movement, attrition of men, morale attrition, stamina attrition. In fact, combat often feels like arcade game combat, and I need Star Craft tournament God, super reflexes in order to handle the combat aspect competently.

So I am looking for mods that slows down combat dramatically, in particular, mods that slow unit movement in combat so I can actually execute maneuvers, and mods where units have reasonable staying power so they don't get wiped away at the moment of impact.

Does Stainless Steel help any in this respect?

Also, in general, per thread title, what are exceptional aspects of this mod that buoy it over the vanilla version? I suppose if combat speed is not to my liking, I can mod just that aspect after all - if the rest of the mod is appealing.

Thanks in advance.

[LusitanPlayer]

i dont think any mod helps slowing down combat speed.

[InsaneAbacus]

There is submod, which aims to improve the morale of units + adjustments for some units in speed

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...anuary-2011%29

[lampros69]

There is submod, which aims to improve the morale of units + adjustments for some units in speed

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...anuary-2011%29

Thanks; but it seems easier to mod it myself.

So what important elements does Stainless Steel bring to the table?

[Me, Myself and I]

If you hold shift (or possibly control, I forget) and press the slow 'zoom button (the little minus), that will very literally slow movement. You can take it as low as 0.1 of normal speed. Is that what you mean?

[b0Gia de Bodemloze]

Stainless steel is probably the best medieval theme mod around here.

[Roman Heritage]

Well, as long as I've played it - a couple of campaigns, I must admit, it adds:
1) Way more regions and factions than vanilla. The map is slightly expanded eastward, as far as Kwarezm (more or less Eastern Iran). You have way more regions in Spain, Central Europe and in the Middle East. The campaign starts in 1100, and therefore between the new factions there's the infant Kingdom of Jerusalem. The other factions are Kievan Rus', Kwarezm Shahdom, Republic of Genoa (replaces vanilla Milan), The Crown of Aragon, Lithuani, Norway and an emergent Teutonic Order State.
2)With RR enabled your armies will slowly evolve from a feudal levy tipe to a more and more professional stage as the game progresses. Military progresses (plate armour, heavy mail, gunpowder) are now tied to specific dates and therefore warfare is more authentic (no more advanced plate armours in 1200)
3)Area of Recruitment. In foreign regions you cannot recruit your highest tier units, but instead regional units such as bulgarian archers, magyar horse archers, armenian infantry, etc.
4) New traits and ancillaries. Really, really useful for roleplay. And faction leader specific traits (e.g. Crown of England, King's Standard) which will be inherited by your heir when he rises to the throne.
5) Slower development of cities and castles.
6)Improved AI (expecially on campaign map, since it enjoys a lot of bonuses)
7)Expect thougher and slower paced campaigns than in vanilla. Reaching good technology levels is vital in early game, since everybody has levy units.
8) Early and Late starting campaigns. In Late you can play as the Mongols and the Teutonic Order.

If I forgot anything, correct me - I'm a newcomer too

[lampros69]

Well, as long as I've played it - a couple of campaigns, I must admit, it adds:
1) Way more regions and factions than vanilla. The map is slightly expanded eastward, as far as Kwarezm (more or less Eastern Iran). You have way more regions in Spain, Central Europe and in the Middle East. The campaign starts in 1100, and therefore between the new factions there's the infant Kingdom of Jerusalem. The other factions are Kievan Rus', Kwarezm Shahdom, Republic of Genoa (replaces vanilla Milan), The Crown of Aragon, Lithuani, Norway and an emergent Teutonic Order State.
2)With RR enabled your armies will slowly evolve from a feudal levy tipe to a more and more professional stage as the game progresses. Military progresses (plate armour, heavy mail, gunpowder) are now tied to specific dates and therefore warfare is more authentic (no more advanced plate armours in 1200)
3)Area of Recruitment. In foreign regions you cannot recruit your highest tier units, but instead regional units such as bulgarian archers, magyar horse archers, armenian infantry, etc.
4) New traits and ancillaries. Really, really useful for roleplay. And faction leader specific traits (e.g. Crown of England, King's Standard) which will be inherited by your heir when he rises to the throne.
5) Slower development of cities and castles.
6)Improved AI (expecially on campaign map, since it enjoys a lot of bonuses)
7)Expect thougher and slower paced campaigns than in vanilla. Reaching good technology levels is vital in early game, since everybody has levy units.
8) Early and Late starting campaigns. In Late you can play as the Mongols and the Teutonic Order.

If I forgot anything, correct me - I'm a newcomer too

Wow, that's pretty comprehensive. Thanks so much - I have a much better idea now.

Two follow-up questions, since I've had the game for a week now and have a better idea of how the vanilla game plays:

1. One thing that drives me nuts is siege combat lag; does Stainless Steel improve on this problem at all? Mainly, the lag seems to come from ladder use by AI attackers. First, the AI units seem to crowd around the ladders at the bottom of the walls and not do anything. Second, when they do get up the ladder, they tend to stand there for a bit before they engage defenders at the wall. And there seems to be some ghosting going on as well.

2. How is the performance of this particular mod? I've heard that mods lag more than the vanilla games in general - true of Stainless Steel as well?

As an aside, I am not sure if I like area of recruitment idea. Modders tend to advance it as a historically accurate representation, but in reality local units historically were converted into the conqueror's way of fighting.

[ponasozis]

Wow, that's pretty comprehensive. Thanks so much - I have a much better idea now.

Two follow-up questions, since I've had the game for a week now and have a better idea of how the vanilla game plays:

1. One thing that drives me nuts is siege combat lag; does Stainless Steel improve on this problem at all? Mainly, the lag seems to come from ladder use by AI attackers. First, the AI units seem to crowd around the ladders at the bottom of the walls and not do anything. Second, when they do get up the ladder, they tend to stand there for a bit before they engage defenders at the wall. And there seems to be some ghosting going on as well.

2. How is the performance of this particular mod? I've heard that mods lag more than the vanilla games in general - true of Stainless Steel as well?

As an aside, I am not sure if I like area of recruitment idea. Modders tend to advance it as a historically accurate representation, but in reality local units historically were converted into the conqueror's way of fighting.

1 you mean ai being retarded and not doing anything ? yeah pretty much fixed in most major mods
2 only mods that lagged to me and i played most of them were lotr archers total war and warhammer during massive empire vs orks battles

[lampros69]

1 you mean ai being retarded and not doing anything ? yeah pretty much fixed in most major mods

Yes, LOL! And it's ironic and sad that modders program better than the developers.

2 only mods that lagged to me and i played most of them were lotr archers total war and warhammer during massive empire vs orks battles

That stinks: Third Age and Call of Warhammer were the two very mods that I was considering other than Stainless Steel.

Oh well; but then Warhammer version of Total War may be on the horizon - perhaps in 2 years?

[Hetman Khmelnytsky]

To sum up as with a lot people here, it's the greatest mod in the game. There's a lot of overhauls, new regions, improved AI and much more

[SRACon17]

Well, Third Age Total War never lagged for me. The only thing slow there is the end-turn times due to lots of scripts, but that was in my old laptop. Now my end-turn times are fast in SS so I assume that it would be faster in TATW since it uses less scripts than SS.

[lampros69]

Well, Third Age Total War never lagged for me. The only thing slow there is the end-turn times due to lots of scripts, but that was in my old laptop. Now my end-turn times are fast in SS so I assume that it would be faster in TATW since it uses less scripts than SS.

You guys persuaded me; I will download this and Third Age sometime this week. Perhaps Europa Barbarorum as well.

[Heskey]

Well, Third Age Total War never lagged for me. The only thing slow there is the end-turn times due to lots of scripts, but that was in my old laptop. Now my end-turn times are fast in SS so I assume that it would be faster in TATW since it uses less scripts than SS.

I've a 3.4GHz i5-3570k and 8GB DDR3 RAM. I recently reinstalled TATW to its latest version, with no sub mods installed, and from the start of the game end-turn times are quite painful. I believe the Divide and Conquer submod aims to help reduce that, as well as be to TATW what Stainless Steel is to M2TW.

[Destin Faroda]

Thanks to Real Combat, the battles are now slower and much more realistic than in vanilla Medieval II.

[lampros69]

Thanks to Real Combat, the battles are now slower and much more realistic than in vanilla Medieval II.

I have been trying to find places to download it for the Steam version, but the Torrents here seems dead?

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...l-6-4-Released!

Help?

[lampros69]

Thanks to Real Combat, the battles are now slower and much more realistic than in vanilla Medieval II.

Also, isn't Real Combat a sub-mod, not an integral part of Stainless Steel?

[lampros69]

Also, isn't Real Combat a sub-mod, not an integral part of Stainless Steel?

Edit: Never mind; I was able to download it - and much faster than I expected (less than 5 mins). Now the hard part about how to install!

[Point Blank]

Here are the outline guides for the soon to be released version of Real Combat. This is just a part of it. Multiple other files, including animations, are extensively altered. The amount of research was extensive.