Total Vanilla Beyond 2.0 Release

[4zumi]

@karasis
thanks for the suggestion. I will look into it.

As for the units. You are right I am already at the limit, but I have some good news. I removed the peasant mobs from every roster (i did not use them anyway) and replaced them with town militia as the lowest tier unit available at the castle barracks. That works quiet nice.
Now I had 5 free units slots. And as I looked at Armenia, you are right, that they where not as developed. But that was attributed to the lack of unit space. I made them some new units, Armenian Infantry, Armenian Light Cav (Bows), Armenian Heavy Cav and Dismounted Armenian Guards. All are naturally reskins of other units, but I think I picked them quiet well and fitting. They have a polish unit Mounted Polish Nobles (the one that throw spears from horseback), but I will keep them (Renamed to Nahakars, technically they are a sepaerate unit), because Armenians where afaik well versed with spears and this unit fits it. So are the Armenian Javelinmen, just a reskin of lusitanian Javelinmen.

The last free unit went to the Apacheans, so they could have their dedicated general unit and not some makeshift medicine men chief.

As long as I do not find more units to delete or shuffle around, the Kwarzemimimi will have to make their fortune with what I gave them.
But I am in the process of taking a look at the roostes, while I implement the new recruitment system.

[wolf-yop]

On the matter of distance on the americas maybe you could add some isles like canary island or some other islands to make a bridge for naval invasions. Fortaleza or south america is always ignored on the map and only serves to get exploited by human players since AI does not get there.

To balance maybe removing Timbuctu and making the region part of Arguin(or the region north of timbuctu and make the deep desert innaccesible terrain to prevent wandering armies) for the added regions easy to access for moors (and the deep desert regions dont add much to the map).

[4zumi]

@wolf

i can not add anymore regions, without deleting others.
But you can believe me, Fortaleza is not ignored, I see the Moors regulary go there, after they have taken Arguin. I also see Portgual or Spain hopp over to Yucatan or the Carribbean Island, as well as Norway take Roanoke in north america.
So the distance seems fine to me.
The other existential question ist, if the AI can hold on to the new world settlements. If they get ignored by the natives, they might, if not they get kicked out in time, except in Fortaleza as there is no indigenous opposition.
I might try to lift the unexplored black fog, so the ai is able to see everything (but i'm not sure, if this is even the case, that they can not see things in the unexplored fog.) But this will cut of a bit the exploratory part.

And don't you touch my Timbuctu . Everyone loves Timbuctu. You hear me. Everyone!
The deep desert is mostly inaccesible, there are only three small corridors leading to Timbuctu. From the north, from Arguin and through the desert in the east.

So thanks for the suggestions, but I will mostly ignore them.

Please do not feel offended, feedback and suggestions are very helpful for me. So keep it coming, if you like.
I will decide on what to include, simply by testing, if I want to see that too, or if it is possible for me to do.

[♔atthias♔]

@4zumi
I hope to have it fixed before that

but if not that is perhaps even better so that I have 3.0

[wolf-yop]

@4zumi

NP, its your mod so you decide what to put. Im using this mod as a base for my personal modding so if I see something good to add I will just make a suggestion.

Maybe adding a sea opening on the gribaltar -> america ocean region for boats to pass and moving the south aztec regions citys on the other side of the mountains will make them more easily invaded via naval means.

Another thing is making aztecs and apacheans start unfreeze but with only 1 settlement and putting all other to rebel faction so they have to conquer, add the fact they can wage war on each other will make a more interesting campaign if you play with them or against them.

[4zumi]

@atthias
thanks for the rep and good luck to you.

@wolf
I had another opening where you suggested it, but scrapped it. But I think I will put it back in again or rework the whole ocean - coastal sea thing altogether.
And funny you mention it, in my "developer version 2.7" I have made more or less what you suggested. There is now a land bridge between the aztecs and apacheans. If you play as one of them, the other will get unfrozen, so you have some competition. Still working on the details on how much settlements they get, etc, but I like the idea giving them less settlements. and unfreeze them from the start. Not entirely sure though.

[Vigile]

Your mod is quite impressive 4zumi and the follow-up is really appreciable.

That said I'm playing on the 2.6 beta version and I noticed a few minor bugs:

- For the Kievan Rus, once upgrade the armor of the Dismounted Tartar Lancers, the unit has missing textures (they are like made of silver).
- For Lithuania, the Archer Militia also have missing textures, with and without the armor upgrade.
- For the Mongols, you can't recruit the Dismounted Heavy Lancers without editing the export_descr_buildings file.

Now I do not know if the problem comes from my game but I doubt it. The lithuanian archer militia issue was already in the previous version of the mod if I recall correctly.

Keep ut the good work! I can't wait for the next update

[4zumi]

@vigile

Thanks , and thanks for reporting those bugs.
Those would have slipped me completely, and are not part of a botched installation. I can verifiy them.
As I do not have the time to test each and every faction depth, those things happen and can be elusive.

I corrected them now, and it will be part of the next beta release.

[KmanBEAST]

Do you think it would be possible for you to add princesses to the Islamic and maybe even pagan factions? At this point, I know you're working on future releases and the features that come with those (like the new recruitment system), but it would be a cool thing to have I suppose. You could borrow from the Kingdoms Grand Campaign Mod, or any other mod that has princesses for the Islamic factions.

Edit: And after having downloaded and installed the latest version of your released mod, I can also say that the voices for all the factions on the campaign map are messed up. The Irish sound Mongolian, Novgorod sounds Scottish when I played as them, etc. I don't know about battles in campaign or battles in custom battle yet, but still something to definitely fix for future releases. Thank you for all your hard effort put into the mod though. I know somebody pointed this out earlier, and I don't know if you've already addressed it. If so, I apologize. Either way, I hope by the time you release 3.0 most of the bugs will be gone. Thanks!

[Vigile]

@4azumi
You are welcome!

[4zumi]

@kman
this might be possible to add those princesses (it is, but i have to evaluate if i want to). it is now on my "have to look into it" list.

I have just released the 2.7 version, where the voices should be fixed
And no need to apologize, I do not always see posts or remeber everything.

[4zumi]

@ everybody

The 2.7 version has hit the ground and has it's own thread.
The 2.1 version is no longer supported by me.

[KasierStahl]

@4zumi

I don't think you should give the Islamic and Pagan Factions princess agents. Rome Total One didn't have princess for their factions, due to well Early Christians and Pagans didn't give rights or free will to their women and basically kept women as cattle family servants who are the property of the patriarch of the household.

However, Medieval Christian Kingdoms back in the day gave a few women who were of high birth, certain rights and privileges not enjoyed by the common man and that a very very few women were capable leaders and knights like Joan d'Arce, Queen Elizabeth the 1st of England, Isabella I of Castile and Eleanor of Aquitaine who could hold their own to any Knight, King, Medieval Army and destroyed other Medieval Kingdoms when challenged. And that some Medieval Maidens were so powerful and influential, that they even kidnapped a prince to marry and be their queen to rule over a Kingdom or birth the future King of a nation, see Robert the Bruce's mother Marjorie of Carrick for such examples.

Muslim Kingdoms on the other hand didn't offer this luxury to their women, and a good majority of high birth women were chained up in some Sultan's Harem and only used for a Dubai Portapotty Style Boogie of which all sorts of debaucheries where committed and many illegitimate bastard sons were bought forth who'd grow up and eventually tare apart once prosperous Islamic Kingdoms from within over Game of Thrones-esque Civil War Claimants to the throne, see examples of the Rashidun Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, Almohad Caliphate, Fatima Caliphate extra extra Ad nauseam.

[4zumi]

@kasier
I'll take it slow and starting my research of this topic. Thanks for the hints, those give me some more points to look out for.
I doubt it was as black and white as you painted it with the womans role in medieval islamic society. That said, it does not mean, I will include islamic princesses, but sooner or later I will make a decision.
I will have to read also about implications to the game mechanics, because it would hold the possibility that a christian and a muslim character get married and I have read that this can lead to trouble of vanishing characters.
But I will see all that on the road to 3.0.

[KasierStahl]

@4zumi

Yea...Islamic Princess marrying a Christian Prince there is hardly any examples like that in history that I can think of, and most high born Muslim Royal Princess were immediately married off to the future sultan or the sultan's most trusted generals in arranged marriages.

Only one example of a Muslim lady having any power I can think of that did something important in history or rather failed was Muhammad's wife Aisha (Yes the very same 9 year old Aisha that Muhammad had as a sex slave at first and said it's okay to marry a 9 year old and copulate with to his followers.)

Anyway, Aisha led an army during the Battle of the Camel or Battle of Basra in the 7th of November 656 after the brutal murder of Uthman ibn Affan in the beginnings of the growing Islamic Schism between Sunnis and Shiites ending the Rushidun Caliphate. During the battle an Egyptian delegation that was there and who killed Uthman in a mob murder, instigated the fighting between sides by setting fires to both camps where Ali ibn Abi Talib and Aisha's both where trying to mend the growing schism. Yet the fire set caused battle to break out between both camps, many died, trust broke down and well Aisha was captured and made to spend the rest of her life in Medina living on a pension till she died.

Though since this is a game set in historical medieval times and I went off on a tangent on Aisha and Ali. It would be more interesting is if they made a Medieval Kingdoms style mod with the 100 years war between France and England and various other factions and had a powerful general appear like Joan d'Arce like how William Wallace of Scotland appeared in the Britannia expansion.

[4zumi]

@kasier
As always, you are a source of interesting anecdotes.
I found some sources that shed a bit more light on the case of a womans situation and found some examples of respected ones in different positions.

But the research, especially including affected game mechanics, etc. will take some time.
At the moment I tend to not include them, but I will see how that goes.

[KmanBEAST]

I apologize if my idea for adding Islamic princesses is not historically accurate or correct. However, I will say this: I already kind of knew it wasn't. It's just a cool gameplay feature that I've seen in mods like the Kingdoms Grand Campaign Mod that make the other non-European factions more interesting. I know this mod isn't centered around historical accuracy, and that is why I asked if they could be added. Again, I apologize if it was a dumb or unhistorical thing to ask.

[4zumi]

No need to apologize, I am not die hard "it must be correct" in case of history. And it was not a "dumb" suggestion, no need to be apologetic.
I am a moderate history nerd, and I think Medieval 2 is as far from real history as the Pope is a Hindu. This game gives a fantastic feeling of the middle ages, but nothing more.
And I doubt it would be as fun (speaking for me), if it was really accurate.

I really consider this as a feature (now I just think I will not include them, but this can change along the way of my research and thinking progress). I will weigh in different perspectives, before I decide to take it on.

-Does it fit reasonable historically?
-Does it come with any problems for the gameplay (which could very well be)?
-Do I have the capability to integrate this? (Models, voices (implementing audio is really not one of my strong points), is scripting involved?)
-Do I want to have them in the game personally?
-Is it fun?

So you see, nothing is off the table, and I am thankful for every suggestion, as it gives me a fresh perspective and ideas. Maybe I had not thought about it, maybe i did, but scrapped it, maybe.....
You see where this is going.
You are very welcome to speak your mind, and make suggestions.

[KasierStahl]

@4zumi

I have a question in regards to another unique building in Toledo, Alcazar is that implemented? Cause I can't see it on the building roster on the Southern Europeans and Muslim factions.

Or do I have to wait for an event like the gunpowder opening in order to build Alcazar and the unique universities?

[4zumi]

@kasier

No event for Alcazar. But you need to be of a southern_european chulture to built it.
It is an upgrade building to the towers.