Empire of the Romans Minimod WIP

[Marble Emperor]

Updated Images

Akontistai:

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Akolouthoi:

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Toxotai:

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Kontaratoi:

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Tzakones:

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Peltastai:

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Skutatoi:

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Spathatoi:

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Mourtatoi:

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Latinikoi Pezoi:

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Varangoi:

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Basilika Agemata:

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Hippakontistai:

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Hippotoxotai:

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Stratatoi:

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Kavallarioi:

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Latinikoi Hippeis:

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Kataphraktoi:

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Dynatoi:

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Athanatoi:

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I plan on releasing these sometime early in the New Year.

[Roma_Victrix]

Updated Images

Akontistai:

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Akolouthoi:

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Toxotai:

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Kontaratoi:

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Tzakones:

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Peltastai:

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Skutatoi:

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Spathatoi:

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Mourtatoi:

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Latinikoi Pezoi:

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Varangoi:

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Basilika Agemata:

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Hippakontistai:

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Hippotoxotai:

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Stratatoi:

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Kavallarioi:

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Latinikoi Hippeis:

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Kataphraktoi:

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Dynatoi:

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Athanatoi:

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I plan on releasing these sometime early in the New Year.

These look fantastic! You did a really great job with these textures. Some of them are very lifelike and it's great to see how much we can still do with the M2TW engine.

That being said, I have to take issue with a few of them. In regards to the units where the armor upgrade has them lose their solid defensive helmets in favor of cloth turbans...I'm speechless. Shouldn't that be the other way around? A helmet provides significantly more protection for the head and an armor upgrade should naturally provide more protection, not seemingly less. Unless of course they are wearing some sort of big metal helmet underneath those turbans that I'm not seeing.

Also, I'd suggest that you make late medieval variants of those foot Latinikoi and mounted Latinikoi, along with the Varangian Guard, featuring the styles of plate armor typical of that era. The Byzantine Empire lasted until the mid-15th century AD, had Western European knights and Italian men at arms fighting for them up until the very end with the Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453, yet your units seem to be stuck in the 12th century AD, the 13th century AD at the very latest (although without coat of plates and brigandine armor that were used to complement chain mail at that point). I think the current Alamanoi unit in SSHIP does a good job of accommodating this by at least having an armor upgrade for partial plate armor as it existed in the first half of the 14th century AD. They could and should go further than that, since many Western European mercenary soldiers and men at arms fighting for the Byzantines in the late 14th and 15th centuries would have worn full suits of Western-style plate armor.

For instance, the second figure labeled in this illustration here is an Austrian man at arms from the mid-14th century and behind him a mounted Italian officer from the same era.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d0/66/46/d...ry-history.jpg

[Marble Emperor]

Thanks, but this wasn't my work for the most part, the credit belongs to Dolen more than anyone, as most of the textures and models come from his submod for broken crescent.

As for your feedback with regards to helmets and turbans, I was keeping to the artistic design from Dolen, but as for rationale behind that, the idea was to represent different points in time via the use of armor upgrades. So while I know that for a lot of people, the upgrade in their minds should mean improved armor in every way, I see it as a means to show how certain types of units developed (in this case in the east.) I.E. by picking up certain elements, like turbans for instance from their mainly Muslim neighbors... However I will think about throwing more helmets into the mix for the upgraded versions of units to even out the dispersion of turbans.

As for a late period variant of the latinikoi and varangoi, I will consider it if I am able to find the time, but as right now I am spending most of my time working on Europa Barbarorum II so it is unlikely that I'd be able to.

[Roma_Victrix]

Cool! That's good to know. Also, thanks for the correction about Dolen. I hope you (and Dolen) take my advice to heart, if you get around to making more upgrades or fixing existing ones. Side comment: isn't the Europa Barbarorum II roster nearly finished? How much more work do those guys need from you? For instance, the Greek/Hellenistic roster is totally complete, as Quintus Sertorius has stated in the past. Are you working on nomadic steppe units or Baltic ones? Do the Parthians need anything more? I was under the impression that most factions were pretty much fleshed out by now, although I heard recently that there will be a couple more Roman units, like the Praetorians or something.

[Marble Emperor]

I am considering it, please keep in mind though that I want to portray (at least visually) something that resembles as nearly as possible a believable medieval Roman Army. To do this I must balance the need for a sensible upgrade system with this often competing aspiration.
As for EBII, there's actually quite a bit to be done for the unit roster, it is still very much in progress. And unfortunately I cannot comment on my work there as it is yet to be previewed and furthermore this is not the appropriate forum to discuss it.

[Roma_Victrix]

I am considering it, please keep in mind though that I want to portray (at least visually) something that resembles as nearly as possible a believable medieval Roman Army. To do this I must balance the need for a sensible upgrade system with this often competing aspiration.
As for EBII, there's actually quite a bit to be done for the unit roster, it is still very much in progress. And unfortunately I cannot comment on my work there as it is yet to be previewed and furthermore this is not the appropriate forum to discuss it.

Sure thing. In the meantime you can research these things if you'd like. Wikipedia is a great starting point for investigating scholarly sources on the matter. For instance:

The Catalan Company (a group of 14th-century Spanish mercenaries in Greece initially led by the Italian commander Roger de Flor)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_Company

The Byzantine Army of the Palaiologan era (see the section on mercenaries)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzant...laiologan_era)

The article on the Knights Hospitaller, who as the 14th-to-15th-century Knights of Rhodes fought at various times for the late Byzantine Empire:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller

It's a few decades after the fall of Constantinople, but here is a contemporary depiction of naval reinforcements from Naples, Italy supplying Rhodes during the 1480 AD Ottoman siege of the city (notice how by this point everyone is depicted wearing Gothic-style plate armor):
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...Rhodes1480.jpg

Just for fun, here's a depiction of late-14th and early-15th-century Palaiologan-era soldiers fighting for Byzantium, showing the evolution of the Varangian Guard and an English guardsman:
https://deadliestblogpage.files.word...999db7fbf1.jpg

If you can gain access to it, I would suggest reading the following:
Mark C. Bartusis, The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society, 1204-1453, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.

The book obviously presents a great deal of info about the Varangians, claiming that there were still people in Constantinople referring to themselves as such in the early 15th century (pp. 272-275).

[Marble Emperor]

Pronoiars mark 2:

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[Dekhatres]

do you happen to have the pics of the old units ? would be great if you could reupload them, even just a folder with all them inside

[Pyres Δt Varanasi]

Pronoiars mark 2:

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Damm man these look solid <3. Can't wait for release.

[isa0005]

Can't wait to to see these in action! Brilliant work!

[Tighes_Hood]

Awesome units!

[paleologos]

Correct me if I am wrong but these models were ported from one of the Mount and Blade games/mods weren't they?
No matter, it's a great job to port them all in M2TW, +rep! (as soon as I can and that will be 21:57, GMT).

[ImperatorXV]

Is this going to be released any time soon

[isa0005]

I certainly hope so!

[achilles-91]

Correct me if I am wrong but these models were ported from one of the Mount and Blade games/mods weren't they?
No matter, it's a great job to port them all in M2TW, +rep! (as soon as I can and that will be 21:57, GMT).

You are right. He is reworking units from dolens submod (for broken crescent), which materials are mostly used from mods of M&B.

[isa0005]

any news?

[Arthalion]

im interested too

I can help for modeling and texturing if needed.