Announcement: Europa Barbarorum II 2.2r released!

[Bah]

I did indeed use LusitanianWolf's edu, playing 200 turns with it on 2.2q. War against a powerfull Macedonia is looming, it'll be intresting to see how the changes work with heavy cavalry.

[Jurand of Cracow]

Thanks for the answer, QS.

AI is usually pretty good at properly leading its forces

To be clear what I meant: with lower cavalry morale the tactics in the battles should change. A general should follow now any cavalry attack so that these units are within the range of his Confidence and Command impact. With cavalry morale of 1-3 this may have a serious effect. For instance, if a general as 4 Command and 2 Confidence, then a cavalry with morale 1 would have morale 7 - much, much better. But this is only if it stays within the range. So this change should make a player really changing his battlefield tactics - what I do appreciate! However, the AI doesn't know it - so I'd suggest giving him a boost on TroopMorale.

BTW, while discussing Confidence keep in mind that in the EBII it's not equivalent to TroopMorale. For the negative values it is (so the negative effects are for all troops for the whole battle, even if the general dies), while for the positive values it is like Chivalry: providing morale boost only if withing the impact range of the general.

Some actual feedback on the Ptolemaioi mission that no one has been able to play before now would be good, too. There's more special stuff to come for the Ptolemaioi in terms of scripted events, not sure if they'll make 2.3, though.

Ptolemaioi - are you going to make them difficult? That would be great! It's been for long the most easy faction given strong roster, strong economy and few fronts to fight on. However, historically they were hampered by the internal political problems: lack of cohesion among population and dynastical infighting. I think it may be scripted somehow, probably also through lower Loyalty etc. Making them a challenge would prompt players to play this faction, I'd guess. (they're actually the very first faction I played EB in 2009).

[QuintusSertorius]

Thanks for the answer, QS.

To be clear what I meant: with lower cavalry morale the tactics in the battles should change. A general should follow now any cavalry attack so that these units are within the range of his Confidence and Command impact. With cavalry morale of 1-3 this may have a serious effect. For instance, if a general as 4 Command and 2 Confidence, then a cavalry with morale 1 would have morale 7 - much, much better. But this is only if it stays within the range. So this change should make a player really changing his battlefield tactics - what I do appreciate! However, the AI doesn't know it - so I'd suggest giving him a boost on TroopMorale.

BTW, while discussing Confidence keep in mind that in the EBII it's not equivalent to TroopMorale. For the negative values it is (so the negative effects are for all troops for the whole battle, even if the general dies), while for the positive values it is like Chivalry: providing morale boost only if withing the impact range of the general.

The lower morale of light cavalry is entirely the point - it means they'll run early so they can reform and return. Increasing their morale having just reduces it would restore the previous position whereby they melee for a while, take serious casualties, then run for good.

Ptolemaioi - are you going to make them difficult? That would be great! It's been for long the most easy faction given strong roster, strong economy and few fronts to fight on. However, historically they were hampered by the internal political problems: lack of cohesion among population and dynastical infighting. I think it may be scripted somehow, probably also through lower Loyalty etc. Making them a challenge would prompt players to play this faction, I'd guess. (they're actually the very first faction I played EB in 2009).

That was already done several versions ago; there's a "King on the throne" script with spiralling unrest if the Basileus isn't in Alexandreia, unrest from over-recruitment from Thebais and now a randomly spawning trouble in Thebais.

[Rad]

I did indeed use LusitanianWolf's edu, playing 200 turns with it on 2.2q. War against a powerfull Macedonia is looming, it'll be intresting to see how the changes work with heavy cavalry.

OK, great. I'll test it in 2.3

[d'Asseaux]

After installing 2.2r the game says it's 2.2m. Is it normal?

[thingy850]

no mine says 2.2r

[d'Asseaux]

When run for a second time it now says that it's 2.2r. So that's ok.

But there are two notes:
1) In some eastern provinces, at least in Nisaya region (Dahyu Daha), Indo-Greek Medium Infantry (Vratyakshatriya tomarabharas) are available for recruitment as mercenaries. From the very campaign start, before any reforms. I doubt that it's correct.
2) African slingers (Qala'im afriqim) are depicted amid cactuses that was impossible at that time: they appeared in the Old World after discovery of the New World.

[Pooploop]

I remember the team saying that creating "unique"-ish models for the captains/generals of each faction is low priority. So, that means that we'll be using the placeholders (e.g. Sarmatian captains for Armenia) for quite a while. However, exactly how low priority is it? Once it's EB II 3.0? However, once everything deemed more important is done (even if more priorities will probably crop up in the long intermittent playtesting) those placeholder generals will be addressed right? I consider the slight RPG elements of MTW2 (the vast number of traits for example, unlike the more recent TW games) a very important fun factor, and seeing proper generals dressed in equipment befitting their culture is really pleasing.

[alex33]

I remember the team saying that creating "unique"-ish models for the captains/generals of each faction is low priority. So, that means that we'll be using the placeholders (e.g. Sarmatian captains for Armenia) for quite a while. However, exactly how low priority is it? Once it's EB II 3.0? However, once everything deemed more important is done (even if more priorities will probably crop up in the long intermittent playtesting) those placeholder generals will be addressed right? I consider the slight RPG elements of MTW2 (the vast number of traits for example, unlike the more recent TW games) a very important fun factor, and seeing proper generals dressed in equipment befitting their culture is really pleasing.

I think they will focus more on the roster in that regard. And don't forget that there are still two upcomming factions too! In the meantime i think RomaVictrix did a mini mod or so in that regard At least i saw it for hellenistic generals

[Moros]

2) African slingers (Qala'im afriqim) are depicted amid cactuses that was impossible at that time: they appeared in the Old World after discovery of the New World.

You're completely right. The problem has already been noted a long time ago. Didn't know it was still there.

[Rad]

You're completely right. The problem has already been noted a long time ago. Didn't know it was still there.

Like the overly high armor ratings on some units and the mentions of "studded leather armor" (whatever that is), it simply gets forgotten and lingers on

[Raiuga]

(...) the mentions of "studded leather armor" (whatever that is) (...)

It's a mod you can add to the leather armor, by armorer table, in fallout 4

The real question here is, what will the team team when they run out of letters in the alphabet. It's getting close to "Z"

Kidding, keep the good work, gonna stick with the "q" version for a bit, because I really don't want to start another campaign

[thingy850]

Whats with the random diplomats that seem to try to negotiate something at a city during the end of the turn but then nothing happens?? Are they trying to bribe or something

[Hummer]

I've wondered that too, but I've never been able to figure out what those diplomats are doing...

[Kaskad]

They do that in all the mods I played... Bug or bribe attempt

[Jurand of Cracow]

I've read also somewhere that it's an indication of an imminent attack.

[Siegfroh]

I am the last one to criticise anybody's habits of spending his leasure time.

But playing as Makedonia (version 2.2r), I noticed that by turn 18 four of my family members and generals each have aquired three different drinking traits at the same time: Metropotes, Occasional Drinker, and Hypermethyskos.

Is this preoccupation with drinking intended ?

Also, half of my family members and generals have aquired the Mishellen trait, probably due to my war with the Koinon. However, all of them are Makedons, which in the game is treated as Hellenistic Culture. Do they hate themselves now ?

And I noticed on several occasions that at unit size set to "large", the AI (campaign difficulty set to "hard") tends to send out small detachments of a family member or general, accompanied by only up to two other units, which are easy to annihilate (I had to, as they blocked my path to the AI's city). With unit size set to "normal", this did not happen, at least in the first two or three rounds, until I realised I was playing on "normal" size and restarted with "large".

Edit: Also playing with unit size set to "normal", these small detachments of one single family member or general occur. So unit size doesn't seem to play a role in this suicidal behaviour.

[Sint]

"studded leather armor"

D&D still shows it's terrible influence and people not knowing what a brigandine just won't stop using the term.

[Rad]

Is this preoccupation with drinking intended ?

Not intended, aspired.

[melvidh]

I am the last one to criticise anybody's habits of spending his leasure time.

But playing as Makedonia (version 2.2r), I noticed that by turn 18 four of my family members and generals each have aquired three different drinking traits at the same time: Metropotes, Occasional Drinker, and Hypermethyskos.

Is this preoccupation with drinking intended ?

Also, half of my family members and generals have aquired the Mishellen trait, probably due to my war with the Koinon. However, all of them are Makedons, which in the game is treated as Hellenistic Culture. Do they hate themselves now ?

It is a bit silly i know, but i am gonna quote myself from another post in this forum about this regard:

Hello,

Update of my makedon campaign 2.2g VH/M, it is turn 113 now.
.
.
.


Hello Genghis,i saw in EB-Twitter updates Discussion thread you are kinda "in charge" of ancillaries and traits. So i guess this feedback is for you mainly.

The issue with the trait mishellen i had is that if i understand right the way it "fires" is that there is a 20% chance to get it if you are inside the city ( Athens, Sparte and Rhodos) at the end of the turn and the citizens mod is... dunno if yellow or blue. Iirc none of my starting generals/FM had it since the beggining, 4 of them got it while i conquered Athens, by turn 5 they had it. Maybe it was just bad luck and it happened when i was moving them here and there to distribute the ancillaries, the xp from battles and picking up who was going to be governor where and i parked them in Athens the turns after conquering the city and having the blue or yellow citicen mod. Now i know ill be more carefull next campaign i play with makedon.

I bet you already know but antitraits system is broken, veeeeeeery broken. Some examples:
http://imgur.com/a/rSTF1

Sorry i cant help further and only point out the trouble.


Regards:

melvidh

So.. you may want to look for the file ...\Medieval II Total War\mods\ebii\data\export_descr_character_traits.txt , copy it somewhere you know where it is, open it ( since it is a "working" copy you may use windows notepad, or whatever else edit program , notepad ++, ultraedit, etc) and look for the makedon_mishellen trait iirc, i mean do a search of that. Youll find the trait itself with his different degrees and later the trigger for it. See if you can interpret the conditions to gain it... and try to avoid those

If it is still working as it was in 2.2g you should avoid to put your makedon FM and generals in Athens, Sparte and Rhodos when mod of the city is anything but.. green to be sure and maybe yellow is "safe" too.

Regards:

melvidh