Mod idea: Africa: Total War 1450 to 1750

[PontusTookEgypt]

Hey guys, so I don't have any experience modding (so any one who does you are welcome to take this idea and run with it), but I've had an idea for a mod set in Africa from 1450 to 1750. There would be 300 turns, one per year and you would be able to play a wide range of factions from across Africa. The time period would also be a turbulent time as Europeans and the Ottomans began to press into Africa, starting with the Portuguese, and firearms have begun to spread across the continent. Like in the Americas campaign, factions have the option to update their technology as the game progresses. Also, the Ottomans will act a lot like the Mongols. They'll have some territory at the top of the map to begin with, but at turn 50 or so, they will push in from the North. This will help to balance the otherwise overpowered Mamluk sultanate, possibly the most powerful faction at the start of the game. Also if you look at the map you'll see the Funj seem to be very small. This is because they will begin with just an army after being forced from their homeland, and they have the objective of taking out Alodia and establishing the Sennar Sultanate. I'm currently unsure of whether to have religion or culture, but I'm leaning towards culture as the religion would be uneven.

The religions in the game will be:
Islam (all factions apart from the ones listed below)
Mwarism (Butua and Mutapa)
Pagan (Bunyoro and Maravi)
Christian (Ethiopia and Kongo)

Cultures would be:
Arab: Morocco, Tlemcen, Hafsid, Mamluk
West African: Mali, Songhai, Bornu
East African: Alodia, Ethiopia, Adal, Mogadishu, Kilwa
Bantu: Kongo, Bunyoro, Maravi, Mutupa, Butua

Anyway this is the map:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[PontusTookEgypt]

Also, Funj would also be pagan and East African

[cjm81499]

I made a very similar thread the other day, though just in West Africa http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...rica-Total-War

But this is certainly more ambitious I don't have too much experience either but would help anyway I could.

[PontusTookEgypt]

I'm working on a paint version of the map (with regions) at the moment, I'll upload when I'm done.

[PontusTookEgypt]

This post is unneeded but I can't delete it, see one below

[PontusTookEgypt]

New version of the map above, hopefully easier to see.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[BarnicleBill1]

Very interesting!

[PontusTookEgypt]

Update! I now have a map with all the regions, though some of the regions of the playable factions have moved round.

Key:
Playable factions:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Dark Red - Kingdom of Morocco (Capital Fes)
Dark Blue - Kingdom of Tlemcen (Capital Tlemcen)
Yellow - Kingdom of Hafsids (Capital Tunis)
Light Blue - Mamluk Sultanate (Capital Cairo)
Green-Grey - Mali Empire (Capital Niani)
Orange - Songhai Empire (Capital Gao)
Brown - Bornu Empire (Capital Ngazargamu)
Dark Brown - Funj People (no staring region, just an army near Fashoda)
Gold - Kingdom of Alodia (Capital Soba)
Green - Ethiopian Empire (Capital Addis Ababa)
Orange-Red - Adal Sultanate (Capital Dakkar)
Dark Yellow - Ajuran Sultanate (Capital Merca)
Blue - Kingdom of Bunyoro (Capital Masindi)
Purple - Kilwa Sultanate (Capital Kilwa)
Red - Kingdom of Kongo (Capital M'banza Kongo)
Swamp Green - Kingdom of Maravi (Capital Mathimba)
Cyan - Kingdom of Mutapa (Capital Zvongombe)
Dark Purple - Kingdom of Butua (Capital Khami)

Non-Playable Factions:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Dark Cyan - Kingdom of Portugal (Capital Lisbon)
Orange-Gold - Kingdom of Castille and Aragon (Capital Toledo)
Red-Orange - Ottoman Empire (Capital Izmir)
Light Grey-Green - Ag Qoyunlu (Capital Diyarbakir)
Grey - Rebels (No Capital)

The Map:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[PontusTookEgypt]

The Dutch will also appear as a non playable faction later on (around 1650) and be a challenge for those in Southern Africa.

[Frunk]

Good luck with this project!

[PontusTookEgypt]

Do people think this would be a good choice for the main menu music or is it too happy?


If too happy do you have any other suggestions?

[PontusTookEgypt]

Also I'm just ranking how hard it will be to create unit lists for the factions based on my research so far (I'm looking to try and have 20 units, excluding the general, per faction):

Mamluks - Reasonably Easy
Morocco - Reasonably Easy
Tlemclen - Reasonably easy, but need to make them distinct from Morocco and Hafsids
Hafsids - Reasonably easy, but need to make them distinct from Morocco and Tlemclen
Kongo - Surprisingly easy
Kilwa - Surprisingly hard
Adal - Easy
Ajuran - Easy
Ethiopia - Moderate
Spain - Easy
Portugal - Easy
United Provinces - Reasonably Easy
Ottomans - Easy
Ag Qoyunlu - Reasonably easy, extracted from Safavid
Mali empire - Easy
Songhai - reasonably easy, similar to Mali, but need to differentiate
Bornu - Reasonably easy
Bunyoro - Moderately hard
Maravi - Hard
Mutapa - Hard
Butua - Hard

[Frunk]

Have you checked to make sure that music isn't copyrighted?

[PontusTookEgypt]

I think it may be actually. Hmm. I may have to find other stuff. Do you know if the music on Traditional Music Channel is copyrighted?

[The Master of Albion]

The music is fair use si as long as this is a non-profit use you can uyse it, also it sounds awsome

[LinusLinothorax]

There was no Addis Abeba in 1450, since it was founded only in the late 19th century. Until the foundation of Gondar in the 17th century Ethiopia had no fixed capital, but instead a nomadic court.

Personaly, I would suggest to shif back the startdate to somewhere in the mid 13th century and to limit the map to the northern half of Africa. Much better state of sources. Also Ethiopia, or rather the Zagwe dynasty ruling Ethiopia, had a fixed capital in Lalibela.

[PontusTookEgypt]

Yeah I found out about the nomadic court earlier today, but I have found that there may have been a capital at Addis Ababa around 1450 called Barara, loccated at Mount Entoto:
"Entoto is one of a handful of sites put forward as a possible location for a medieval imperial capital known as Barara. This permanent fortified city was established during the early to mid 15th century, and it served as the main residence of several successive emperors up to the early 16th century reign of Lebna Dingel.^[7]":

Edit: upon further research, this may have been the capital of Shewa, a kingdom within the empire, but I'm not sure.

[PontusTookEgypt]

In any case here is the first basic look at one of the factions including a unit list (with no models of course). Also, if your wondering how they get cannons, in this game, because we're showing an alternate history, all the factions will have gun and cannon making stuff by the end because they'll be a lage empire that will have taken over a large chunk of Africa.

Kingdom of Kongo

Symbol:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Map:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Faction Leader:
Nkuwu a Ntinu

Starting Regions:
M’banza Kongo (Capital) – Large Town
Kakongo – Town

Neighbouring Regions:
M’banza Luango – Large Town
Kabasa – Town
Katole – Town
Musumba – Village
Bangala – Village

Religious Culture:
African Animism

Strengths and Weaknesses:
+Good variety of light to medium infantry
+Fast Pombo infantry allow for effective hit and run tactics
+Good quality archers
-Lack of armour
-Lack of effective cavalry
-Lack of cavalry until late game

Introduction Text:
Located in west Africa, the Kingdom of Kongo is a proud realm and the dominant emerging power in the region. The bantu nation was founded by Lukeni lua Nimi in the late fourteenth century and has quickly grown to be the most powerful in the area. However, in order to solidify this power, Kongo must subjugate the other, smaller realms around it and bring them into its sphere of influence.

Beyond this, Kongo’s isolation is both its strength and weakness. While the lands around you are rich, they make it hard to establish trade routes with other African Nations. The two main routes are north to the West African Kingdoms such as Bornu or along the Kongo River (which cuts through your land) into Africa’s interior if a realm further east like Bunyoro or Maravi captures a region with a port along this river. This raises another issue, however, as expanding along the West African coast or along the river are your main two options for growing your empire. If you choose to head East, you will be facing armies with many similarities to your own, though perhaps with a higher specialisation towards lighter infantry. These armies will be easier to beat than the heavy cavalry forces of West Africa, but heading north will give you access to larger and wealthier settlements.

There is one final trade partner to consider, the Europeans. Most importantly Portugal at the start of the game, though the Dutch will arrive later. Trading with these Europeans will give you access to powerful gunpowder technology that you can use to best your enemies, however once the Europeans have a taste of influence, they will be ravenous for more, so you must be cautious. Of course, outright refusal of trade brings its own risks, but stealing technology is another way of acquiring it.

Overall Kongo presents a strong starting position for early expansion and is without question the major faction of South West Africa. However, this early expansion then leaves them vulnerable to some extent as other factions begin to form a net around them, and they must decide which way to expand in order to break this trap while keeping up their economy.

Land Units:
Levy Warriors
Light infantry with nothing but a spear.

Levy Bowmen
Low level archers, but better than the average archer of this level.

Levy Spear Throwers
Light infantry that throw spears.

Pombo Skirmishers
Fast, light infantry that throw spears and can hide anywhere.

Pombo Archers
Fast, light archers designed to hit and run. They have poor range for archers, but can hide anywhere.

Pombo Scouts
Fast, light infantry armed with single handed weapons that can hide anywhere. Best used for hit and run.

Kongolese Archers
Good quality archers.

Kongolese Infantry
Warriors with shields and spears.

Kongolese Heavy Infantry
Warriors armed with large shields and swords.

Kongolese Heavy Spearmen
Warriors armed with large shields and spears.

Kongolese Skirmishers
Spear throwing infantry with large shields

Kongolese Shield-Bearers
Elite infantry with large shields and swords

Shield-Bearer Spearmen
Elite spearmen with shields
Mwene’s Guard
General’s bodyguard. Similar to Kongolese Shield Bearers

Kongolese Cavalry
Light horsemen armed with spears and shields

Kongolese Heavy Cavalry
Horsemen with quilted cotton armour, spears and shields.

Kongolese Handgunners
Infantry armed with basic handheld gunpowder weapons

Kongolese Musketeers
Infantry armed with Muskets

Kongolese Crossbowmen
Infantry armed with Crossbows

Kongolese Cannon
Gunpowder artillery weapon for sieges and field battles.

Kongolese Artillery
A more advanced cannon unlocked late in the game.

[PontusTookEgypt]

Next Faction!

Mamluk Sultanate

Symbol:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Map:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Faction Leader:
Jamal ad-Din Abu al-Mahasin Yusuf

Starting regions:
Cairo (Capital) – Large City
Qus – Town
Alexandria – City
Barqa – Wooden Castle
Medina – Large Town
Mecca – Large Town
Jerusalem – City
Damascus – Castle
Hama – Minor City

Neighbouring regions:
Marash – Town
Diyarbakr (Ag Qoyunlu) (Capital) – City
Mosul (Ag Qoyunlu) – Minor City
Baghdad (Ag Qoyunlu) – Large City
Ha’il – Village
Hajr – Town
Abha – Village
Misrata – Town
Kufra – Village
Qasr Ibrim – Town

Religious Culture:
Arabic Islam

Strengths and Weaknesses:
+A good selection of Defensive Infantry
+Reasonable selection of gunpowder units
+Good cavalry
-Lack offensive infantry
-Lack good light infantry
-Army is somewhat vulnerable to spearmen and pikemen

Information Text
The Mamluks sultanate came to power in Egypt in the mid thirteenth century after overthrowing the Kurdish Ayyubid Sultanate founded by the famed An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, better known as Saladin. After decades of power struggles, the Ayyubids finally fell in the early fourteenth century. Since then the Mamluks have reigned over Egypt and the holiest cities in Islam, Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem with the backing of the Abbasid Caliph who has confirmed their positions as sultan.
But can this realm last? At the start of the campaign you have one of the richest positions available, controlling several large settlements and having access to both the Mediterranean and the Indian ocean (via the Red Sea). However, these lands are looked upon with envy by other nations. Other Islamic lands would want Mecca under their control, and the Christian Kingdoms would love to claim that they were the ones who destroyed the infidel’s holy city and retook the holy land.

At the start of the game your southern and western neighbours might look like easy targets, small realms that could be easily conquered. However they should not be underestimated. The main threat, though, will come from the north. Though in comparison to some other African realms you may seem strong, your military lags somewhat behind those of Europe and your more immediate threat, the Ottomans. These Turkish warriors have already taken much of Eastern Europe and Anatolia, and they start the game with a powerful and large military. They are currently occupied north of the map, finishing off the last Byzantine resistance at Constantinople, but they will come for you sooner rather than later.

Whether you immediately go on the offensive and try to take them by surprise, or wait for them to attack you while you build up your defences is up to you, but either way it will be a hard fight. An alliance with Ag Qoyunlu of Persia may seem like a good option, but they too may turn on you eventually. If you defeat the Ottomans the map may seem open to you, but a long, drawn out campaign against them may give time for other realms to develop. If Alodia manages to fight off the Funj, or if the Funj successfully destroy them, you may face an attack from the south, and the Hafsids may expand eastward towards your borders as well. Leaving sufficient forces to guard your west and south while dealing with the Ottomans in the north will be your main challenge in the early game.

Land units:
Egyptian Militia:
Light infantry armed with only a spear

Egyptian Spearmen
Basic spear infantry equipped with a shield.

Peasant Archers
Decent low level archers

Arab Archers
Good mid-tier archers

Mamluk Archers
Good high level archers

Arab Spearmen
Moderately armoured warriors with spears and shields

Mamluk Infantry
Heavily armoured infantry with spears and shields

Egyptian Pikemen
Heavy infantry with long pikes for use against cavalry

Egyptian Hand Gunners
Infantry armed with simple hand-held gunpowder weapons

Mamluk Musketeers
Infantry armed with muskets and swords

Berber Horse Archers
Light cavalry armed with bows and swords

Bedouin Halqa Cavalry
Light cavalry armed with spears and shields

Bedouin Halqa Camelry
Medium cavalry armed with spears and shields that demoralize enemy horses due to camels.

Turkic Halqa Cavalry
Cavalry armed with bows and swords.

Ghazi Halqa Cavalry
Light cavalry armed with swords and bows

Mamluk Horse Gunners
Cavalry armed with hand guns

Mamluk Lancers
Medium to heavy Cavalry armed with lances and swords.

Royal Mamluk Cavalry
Heavy cavalry armed with lances and swords

Emir’s Guard (General’s Bodyguard)
Similar to Royal Mamluk Cavalry

Culverin
A canon used in both sieges and in the field

Basilisk
A large, powerful cannon

Demi cannon
A slightly larger and more advanced version of the culverin

[The Master of Albion]

If you need help with the map i could help.Just PM me if you want my help.