Buff and Shine 2.4: New Factions, Changed Recruitment and more

[Fahnat]

[Swagger]

Would you consider implementing this AI?

https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...5596-Skynet-AI

[Jurand of Cracow]

Hello All,

It has been a fair while.

I have, I guess, what you would call an alpha to try. Mostly it addresses the silver surfers, some of the lengths between turns and bugs. Hopefully, I will get around to adding things of more substance, but in the meantime, if some of you could give this a download and share your thoughts, that will be fab and a great starting place.

Try it here: https://mega.nz/file/4iYhTIiL#ZSwndX...IFUbg_YMF0IQFs

Thank you, Mountainhouzhe, for the tolerance script; it works a charm, and vsivak's fantastic assimilation script has been pulled out but is included in the fold if people would like to re-insert it.
Upfront, any changes or additions moving forward will be small in scope, so please don't ask for anything large.

Cheers!

It's wonderful news that you, WG, are back again!
JoC

[JohnSilverstone]

Oh wow! This is do great, thank you! Have been waiting for an update for a long time! Any chance you've read my mail on bugs and suggestions?

Bugs:
1) The KaraKhitan generals, merchants, diplomats are dumb on the strategic map as well as on the battle map. I think the same is true for Mongols
3) No conversion from Buddhism to Nestorian Christianity for the Kara Khitans: one can build both temples (which is still fine by me), but no moment in the game when you can actually fully swith to Nestorian Christianity
3) No monks/priests for Kara Khitans - it would be great to have a buddhist or nestorian monk
4) You cannot recrute Uighur Spearmen anywhere in your cities/fortresses, only hire them mercenaries. I think it would be logical if you could also recruit them somewhere
5) Everytime on the battle map where there is Rajput Javelin Elephants (I think that's how they are named), the game crashes

[Antiokhos Euergetes]

Fantastic great to see an update

[Khevsur]

Do you want anyone with a historically accurate Georgian army and a roster? Join us. We have been working on this for years.

https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...GEORGIA/page14

[Khevsur]

I played the Georgian campaign. The roster and units Is historically inaccurate: 17th century helmets (Khula khud, Misiurka ) and iranian iron shields in 11th-12th century , non-historical units names .Big mistakes and anachronism are the armor of many Georgian units. I hope it will be corrected in the future ,We are working on that. However we need the help of a graphic designer



also, During the siege of the city - Taran, ladder and siege machine are made in 50 season. But the enemy can attack your city in 2 season. I can not conquer the city without catapults and ballists. Also if the character is not in the city, you can not build anything in that city and you can not make an army

[benfras]

Does anyone here have experience with the mod on Mac? I can boot it and end one turn, but at the end of the second turn it always crashes as soon as it is the AI's turn. Must be a script issue?

[Waynee]

I keep getting CTDs every few turns. The trick with a shorter folder name didn't work.

Does anybody have a clue what the issue might be?

[Jurand of Cracow]

I keep getting CTDs every few turns. The trick with a shorter folder name didn't work.

Does anybody have a clue what the issue might be?

applying LAA may help (search on the web for what's that).
In v. 1.9 I didn't have many crashes, but I cannot tell about 2.0.

[Antiokhos Euergetes]

I just downloaded, finally, but to my dissappointment I could not start a campaign as there was no way to start the mod? Not even the bat

Does anyone know how I can make a launcher without the .bat file being available?

[Krystian1994]

Hey i face the issue that the Buff and Shine mod just uses the top left corner of my screen and i have no idea how to solce that problem. Thanks for any help in Advance

[trueman2]

Hey guys so I just restarted my game so I can disable the loyalty script, thing is, it's still active and now my heirs keep defecting with full stack of veteran Faris who were fighting the mongols... It's literally becoming unplayable at this point because I'm playing as Abbasid, and I was trying to keep the family small.

Honestly, I'm more upset about the stack of veterans which I've had since the first turns and were involved and continuously retrained throughout the wars in the gulf and the levant. They were all gold level experience, and the general who defected was my heir!

The thing is, I only got one marriage offer, which was for my starting heir, the whole game! His sons, and my starting leader sons died of old age or defected without ever receiving a marriage offer. Only their daughters would get some but I rejected those, and I refused adoption offers too. Even when I reduced the general to settlement ratio by recruiting Generals, I never got marriage offers.

So my question is, how to disable the loyalty script since the beginning scroll obviously doesn't disable it? I tested it multiple times and it always triggers despite declining the initial scroll.

Otherwise, this mod is great! I love the recruitment system and the new factions. They really fill the map. I really enjoyed the beginning half of the campaign when I was subjugating the Bahrainis, Omanis, Zengids, Crusaders and Armenians. I kind of also managed to form a defensive pacts against the mongols by sending emissaries and allying with the countries around me so they'd stop fighting each other. Now I'm allied with the Rum Seljuks, Ayyubids, Azerbaijan Turks, South Persia, Iraq Seljuks and Ghurids and I have a nice buffer zone while I fortify Iraq and ready my economy to take back Persia after they fall... I like that the diplomacy in this submods seems solid and the AI doesn't betray you... or at least it hasn't betrayed me yet.

But yes my main problem is the civil war mechanics which doesn't seem to be disable when you hit the prompt... It really breaks my game when my main army just defected for no reason while campaigning against the ERE while my heir was leading the army. Any idea if I can disable the civil war script some other way?

[based_schizo]

Custom fort battles crashes, anyone can help me?

[WeekendGeneral]

Hi Trueman, sounds like the base loyalty mechanic is causing you pain in Buff and Shine base loyalty of all Characters is more fickle and will desert if their loyalty gets to low. If you disable the civil war mechanic there is no recourse to making generals more loyal tbh, i find the loyalty script more forgiving when left on.

[WeekendGeneral]

Hi All, Released a 2.2 Buff and Shine update with some small changes, patches and updates

Link: https://mega.nz/file/ly4UkACa#U8rx43...AZOPkWDlV6zb00

[Jurand of Cracow]

Hi All, Released a 2.2 Buff and Shine update with some small changes, patches and updates

Link: https://mega.nz/file/ly4UkACa#U8rx43...AZOPkWDlV6zb00

I don't belive my eyes...

[Morrowgan]

holy moly

[persian lords]

Hi Everyone! Buff and Shine 2.2 is out with no major additions but addresses many of the annoying bugs from the previous versions.

https://imgur.com/JXikdel

It has been a while and my enthusiasm for modding Total War Games changes like the wind. Though I feel like this is likely the best patch in some time.

General Updates Include:
- Reduction in Silver Surfers
- Addressing UI bugs, missing textures and images
- Streamlining of Formations and Battle AI.
- More Aggressive Diplomatic AI.
- Scripting and Coding improvements
- Tighter and more interactive events
- And Much More.

I will try and address any bugs or problems discovered, but I do not expect to add anything of much significance moving forward.

If you are reporting a problem, could you please attach your error log or be as specific as possible to help with finding and fixing the problem.

What to Find In Buff and Shine
Implemented Some of the Religious Systems of Byzantineboy’s Jizya, Kafirs & Dhimmis

• Jizya (Muslim tax on dhimmis – jew, Christians, Zoro, Hindus).
  
• As a new Christian or Muslim ruler, you can choose your religious policy towards infidels during your reign. The governors and generals would follow your religious policy and receive tolerant or intolerant traits if they are loyal or agreed to the new policy. The policy would affect Jizya if the faction is Muslim, troops morale bonus, communities buildings (Jewish, Christian, Zoro, or Muslim quarters), happiness, trade, unrest, and the possibility of having ancillaries from these communities.
  
• Zakat (Muslim), Almsgiving (Christian), Bhiksha (Hindu): Sometimes, your leader has the possibility to give money to the poorest (Christian/Muslim) or the Brahmins (Hindu); This almsgiving might be followed by some of your generals, if they are pious or if they appreciate the Faction Leader. It would also cost some money and develop some charity traits that increase piety and reduce squalor and reduce tax efficiency drastically. So your cities might grow faster, but you will earn a little less money.
  
• Many new religious wonders are now on the map.
  

Mongols

• The Mongols have been overhauled. No longer will they rush you with unlimited free instantly produced units. The Mongols are still a realistic threat, but they are a fun threat. Now they come in waves over a period of around 20 turns. Each time they capture a city, a few more stacks appear both in Persia and the steppe.
  
• Their recruitment has been revised in several ways. Their production times have been increased, and their recruitment of elite troops has been. Thus, making them far more balanced when compared to other factions. In compensation, they can now also produce auxiliary AOR troops.
  
• Late game, if the Mongols conquer sufficient land, they may also convert to Islam, reflecting the historical situation.
  

UI

• The Menu has been overhauled, allowing full faction selection (all factions except Rebels and Mongols) for the grand campaign.
  
• Has made us of Mike Golf's Broken Crescent Portrait Mod which adds many new culture-specific portraits.
  

Buildings

• Implemented an Inspired Rolling_Wave's Feudal recruitment system. No longer build Barracks / Stables / Ranges for units; instead, one building is responsible for all faction-specific units whilst levy, and AOR troops now have their own building trees. To depict. As a result of this, recruitment is not instantaneous. You must develop your faction's cultural infrastructure after every conquest.
  
• As an extension of the feudal system, recruiting troops outside of home regions is now possible. However, they arrive at a far slower rate.
  
• *The recruitment speed and numbers have been reduced compared to previous updates.
  
• Many new buildings.
• Streamlined the building tree. All buildings now do something. No longer are their useless buildings.
  

Combat

• I've overhauled the unit stats. Many units hadn't been adapted from previous builds, making some rosters weaker and far less effective in battles and the campaign. These changes are minimal, but you will dramatically notice their effect for the better.
  

Traits
Implemented the loyalty, supply, raid camp and health systems from Blood, Broads, & Bastards Dearmad & Pnutmaster, adding an extra RPG and strategic element that fits well within Broken Crescent.

• Added 50+ new traits that add flavor, RPG aspects and cool game-play elements.
  
• Reworked the title system to be dynamic and effective. Examples include: conquering enough land as a Hindu faction and pushing the Muslims back past the Indus, and you may be declared a Maharaja, or perhaps as Rome, you lose Constantinople be prepared to be stripped of your title of emperor and face rebellions or even civil war.
  
• A handful of new ancillaries have been implemented, some from Stainless Steel amongst many brand new. Enhancing game-play elements and additional RPG flavour. An example is the court system for all factions. You will now be available to nominate the chancellor, steward, treasurer and others throughout your realm.
  
• Introduction of a trophy system if you defeat a different culture group decisively, you will receive a trophy from them that gives unique benefits. A crusader shield, for example, will give you extra command and troop morale, whilst a Turkic bow will give you greater skill in ambushes and authority.
  
• Generals with a dread rating can raid and pillage enemy territory for financial gain but at the cost of reduced movement and range of sight penalty.
  

Campaign

• 3 New Factions to battle against!
• The Salghurids Atabegs based in Fars came to dominate much of the Arabian Gulf and southern Iran
  
• The Principality of Kyiv is a mere shadow of the once great Kievan Rus state with the right leadership. Perhaps greatness could be great once more.
  
• The Bavanids – a Shiite state surrounded by enemies will you be able to lead them to greatness?
• Kerman Seljuks have been reworked to fulfill the role of the Seljuks of Iraq, similar to what they were in BC 2.3.
  
• 15+ Optional New events will provide new challenges, including the Trebizond Empire emerging, Dynamic Jihad script and many more.
  

Historical Battles
Three New Historical Battles
More historically inspired than accurate, they are all fairly well-balanced and work in multiplayer if that is your thing.

• Battle of Mamistra 1152: Byzantine Empire attempts to thwart the ambitions of independence for Cilician Armenia
• Battle of Indus 1221: The last stand of the Khwarezmid Empire against the Mongols
• Battle of Arsuf 1191: the famed battle between Richard and Saladin.

AI

• XAI that has been tweaked for Broken Crescent so far has resulted in less passive AI when compared to previous builds
  
• Diplomacy has been improved, bribing is more likely, and agents are used more effectively by both players and AI alike.
  
• Elephants are less likely to stall sieges (at least in India)
  

Balancing

• A huge range of tweaks for battles, campaigns and many other things.
  

Credits
Mod assets/ideas that were integrated into this mod in no particular order:

• Rolling_Wave's HUB.
  
• MIKE GOLF Broken Crescent Portrait Mod.
  
• Prince of Judah's Tiny Balance Mod.
  
• Blood, Broads, & Bastards Dearmad & Pnutmaster.
  
• Byzantineboy for integration of his JizyaKafirsDimmis.
  
• vsivak for bug fixing and correcting all of the many mistakes
  
• The community of TWC for their enthusiasm, advice and patience
  
• The Rus 2 Total War team for some of their lovely models
• XAI team for their AI
  

- Jurand of Cracow for his advice and insight.

INSTALLATION
Buff and Shine have modified a large portion of vanilla BC 2.4.2. As such, I've found it easy to include all of BC 2.4.2 files into the Buff and Shine download rather than having another separate download.
This means that Buff and Shine is a STANDALONE install. Therefore, if you attempt to install Buff and Shine onto BC 2.4.2, even the vanilla version of Buff and Shine will crash.
1. Download the file
2. Extract into your MTW2 Mods folder
3. Start Mod and enjoy in the Broken Crescent Buff and Shine mod folder.

Buff and Shine 2.2 DOWNLOAD LINK
Link: https://mega.nz/file/ly4UkACa#U8rx43...AZOPkWDlV6zb00

Text file about religious affiliation for the family members of the three new factions: https://www.twcenter.net/forums/atta...7&d=1587745410

STEAM USERS: using the Steam version and unsure of how to get Mods to work follow Gigantus’s solution here https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfil.../?id=859017394

If you are getting crashes: Thanks Gigantus

Manual: Faq https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ID7...usp=share_link

hey
you used wrong name for Persian Gulf
from 3000 yours ago it was called Persian Gulf till this day

[Tarsman of Ghor]

Ansar warriors of Oman cost over 19k

haha im waiting it for so many years friend, hope it will be finished some day