Medieval Kingdoms Total War: Kingdom of Jerusalem and Cyprus

[You_Guess_Who]

I like that you've managed to make the oft-derided, late short-sleeved tabards kind of works. Those looks the best when the patterns applied to it are elaborate. I see Barons' flowery velvet texture has been added by warman, but still, those with simple patterns doesn't look good like early or high sleeveless tabards.

So, my suggestion:

1. Ensure the patterns used are elaborate.

So for instance, can you use the same blue coat with golden fleur-de-lis embroidery and soutache of the early period King of Jerusalem:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Into this late period one?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Come on, he's the King! He can afford that~

2. Add decorative trimmings into both the ends and seams of the tabards, in form of embroidered piping and soutache. Again, look to the previous example, the soutache on the ends and seams gives the tabard a bordered look that is just better looking. This is essential, and might make simple tabards looks good even with simple embroidered pipings of cheaper materials.

3. Always use it with pauldron to cover the shoulders

[Visarion]

Yes I too think that late short sleeved tabards would look better if more decorated and perhaps the simple ones made padded studded or padded and studded... even studded leather... that and some 3D embroidings... anyway found some nice short tabards here that look breathtaking...

https://ro.pinterest.com/babkoff/tabards/

Edit: As You_Guess_Who said indeed some margins would make them look better, bouffant shoulders, embroidings and some patterns. And not so flashy colors.

[Visarion]

Maaannn I can y get enough of this preview! Did you remember to add the Genoan Crossbowmen btw!?

[The_Fawn_Rescuer]

Bonus Tier 1 General Unit to be added in the near future: John d'Ibelin, The Old Lord of Beirut

[Filips Augustus]

Love the Kingdom of Heaven armor .

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

The John d' Ibelin units look marvelous. In fact some units look too nice. As far as I know, the Hospitaller knights wore black, a sign of piety. The sergeants wore brown. Nothing fancy. I am not sure that red or other colours were much used until later, in Malta.

The Teutonic brother knights/sergeants in brown cloaks could do with a bit of texture on their cloaks.

Some of the Maronites look like they are wearing flowerpots or some kind of kitchen pottery for helmets. That is not altogether unlikely, they were probably armed with kitchen knives too. Maybe a bit of texturing would help, if they are supposed to be leather hats or something else.

I am personally ok with knights armed with lances having their shields on their left arm, why not? If they could be strapped on their backs, why could they not be strapped on their sides?

[marmalade]

Great looking roster, I've got a few questions though. Will the units prefaced as "Crusaders" be only recruitable through some sort of special means? Or are they as available as any other unit?

One more thing, shouldn't the "Lombard Cavalry" unit be tier 1? If I'm not mistaken the Lombard War on Cyprus occurred in the first half of the 13th century, so their armor looks kind of anachronistic.

[woahwhat]

Amazing faction, my favourite when it comes to destroying huge armies

[LEG-IV]

Fantastic units!!!

[The_Fawn_Rescuer]

Announcement:

Though a lot of people have complimented my work on this faction and even listed it as among their favorites in the mod, I have never been very happy with how KJC turned out. This was my first faction, and I did not know very much about the game or modding when I started it. As a result, the roster is quite bloated in tier 1 and sparse in tiers 2 and 3. Because of how bloated tier 1 got, I ended up moving some units to Tier 3 that should have been in Tier 1. I really want to make this faction more historical and balanced, so for the past month or so I have been completely re-vamping it from the ground up. The new KJC roster will be more dynamic and in the campaign require the player to make tough choices. I have recently finished the new look of all the units and the roster, so expect an update to the preview soon. Also, expect this new roster to be available with the next major update to the mod. (Possibly early January)

Also, be on the lookout for the Principality of Antioch coming soon. Antioch will be quite a different faction from KJC, with much more Armenian influence.

[saneel]

Great news, I also had feeling that this faction has too much knight and heavy armored professional troops compared to others.

[Teutonic]

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the re-vamped KJC roster will be like, and the new Antioch faction.

As for the large number of knights, it's inevitable for KJC (and Antioch too I suspect) given their specific circumstances. For comparison:

KJC knights/men-at-arms groups:
1- Local fief-holding knights, living and accustomed to the conditions of the Middle East (in the 1180s AD about 700 such were owned for service to the king by his vassals, so in reality there were around double that number)
2- Templars (300-500)
3- Hospitallers (300-500)
4- Western knights present in KJC at any time (numbers unknown but significant)

All of these groups would look and have significantly different characteristics from the others (though the Military orders would be very similar).

England's heavy armoured professional troops in 15th century campaigns in France:

1- Men-at-arms.

That's it. Men-at-arms and archers. Agincourt, Orleans, Patay, Formigny, Castillon + numerous garrisons- the English roster was made up of men-at-arms and 3/5 times their number of archers.

[The_Fawn_Rescuer]

A glimpse of some of the new units I'm working on:

Re-done Lombard Cavalry (now in Tier 1 where they should be):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Re-done French Regiment to be more historical and in Tier 1 like they should be:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A redesigned and much expanded Tier 2 and 3 roster:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Grand Master general units for the military orders, including Pierre d'Aubusson, Grand Master of the Hospital during the 1480 siege of Rhodes:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[You_Guess_Who]

A redesigned and much expanded Tier 2 and 3 roster:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I'm really interested with new non-elite units for KJC - I have no doubt for the strength of their elites. In campaign play, players might like to have cheap but rather dependable unit which are easily recruited and replenished to form the bulk of the army.

navel engagements

Sounds lewd

[The_Fawn_Rescuer]

I'm really interested with new non-elite units for KJC - I have no doubt for the strength of their elites. In campaign play, players might like to have cheap but rather dependable unit which are easily recruited and replenished to form the bulk of the army.

This is esentially my plan for the overhaul. The basic roster I am working on right now:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Eastern Franks (Cheaper, core units for the bulk of the army)
Poulain Knights - avg shock cav
Poulain dismounted knights - reliable pike infantry
Maronites - avg/poor spearmen
Urban Infantry - avg/poor polearm infantry
Syrian crossbowmen - avg/poor
poulain sergeants - skirmisher cav
French regiment - reliable melee infantry
Melee cav unit (Tier 1 Lombards, Tier 2 Armenians, Tier 3 Greeks) - avg melee cav
Italian marines (Tier 1 Pisans, Tier 2 Venetians, Tier 3 Genoese) - reliable spear inf

Crusaders (Slightly better than Franks, slightly more expensive)

Knights - reliable shock cav
Food knights - heavy melee infantry
Crusader polearm unit (Tier 1 Northmen, Tier 2 Halberdiers, Tier 3 Pikemen) - reliable/heavy
Crusader Marksmen - reliable foot archers
Crusader crossbows - reliable crossbowmen

Military Orders (Elite Units)


Hospitallers (Specialized in ranged units)
Mounted knights - elite shock cav
Foot knights - elite melee inf
Caravan - reliable infantry with crossbows, handguns in tier 3
Turcopoles - reliable mounted archers
Dismounted turcopoles - elite foot archers

Templars (Specialized in melee units)
Mounted knights - elite shock cav
Foot knights - elite melee inf
Military order swordsmen - heavy melee inf
Military order cavalry - heavy melee cavalry

Generals


King
Baron (average/common general unit)
John d'Ibelin (special general unit)
Crusader general
Master of the Temple
Master of the Hospital

[Filips Augustus]

Wow awesome! Can't wait to see what else will be done .

[Teutonic]

[Kjertesvein]

Nice GrandMaster. You've no doubt seen this image by Guillaume Caoursin, 1481, but I'm always intrigued when I see shields in late medieval period. To be fair, not too uncommon in navel engagements but still worth a look, colourful as they are. Not to mention the colourful Ottoman forces. ^^

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Cheers.

~Wille

[Filips Augustus]

Looks like a very solid roster, great job!

[The_Fawn_Rescuer]

Some Tier new/redone units I'm working on:

Maronites and Urban Infantry:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tier 1 Master of the Temple:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tier 3 Hospitaller knights and Hospitaller Caravan:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tier 3 Poulain Knights

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tier 3 Military Order Swordsmen

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tier 3 Grand Master of the Temple

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: