A savegame compatible submod for Broken Crescent 2.4.2.
The main aim of the mod is to increase the sizes of units. Most players have new graphic cards that were not even imaginable when the game first came out and can cope with larger unit sizes. All units sizes have been increased by 70%. Those with slow computers can still play on small unit size.
Additionally, it rebalances the battles by reverting the unit costs to those in the earlier versions of Broken Crescent (up to BC 2.3.32) and in tune with most other mods and the vanilla game, but with an increase of about 20% to make up for the fact that the economy has been made easier (which had necessitated also an increase in unit costs). As units in BC 2.4.2 were costing thousands of florins, the decrease in costs required also a slight adjustment of the economy (a percentage change on resources, nothing else). Basic militia units are avoided by the AI factions through a change in recruitment priorities (this was a concern by the development team) and my playtesting shows that the AI does not spam armies of cheap militia. So the balance of the overall economy and the costs of units remains the same but with unit costs now in a more sensible range, in the 100s of florins rather than in the thousands. We can debate the pros and cons but I hope you realise this system is used by Creative Assembly, so it takes into account a lot of things concerning game mechanics. This is also more historically correct in terms of florins paid per soldier, horse, elephant, etc. Battles are now also more balanced, see my youtube videoclip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pkv7nPE4i0, especially from 13:20 onward. This is important for online play and saves players from having to playtest everything themselves or from having to go and read the game files.
In addition, I have added 170 new quotes for the loading screens from various chronicles of the time (Muslim, Hindu or Christian), I have added dust in battles and have corrected various spelling errors. The Byzantines now have more historically correct names, real names of the period such as Komnenos Doukas, Angelos Komnenos, Philanthropenos, Kamateros, Dalassenos and other such names of Byzantine royalty, nobility and generals taken from the King’s College database of Byzantine names. I have removed fictitious names such as Viktoras or Apollonas, as well as names used only by monks (Apasios, Akakios, and the like). The princesses only have names recorded for female members of the imperial family – not any name that may come up in someone’s imagination was acceptable for a female member of the Byzantine Imperial family circle. I have also changed the names of some of the units, Proniarii rather than Proniarioi, Cavalarii rather than Kavalarioi, Scutati, rather than Skoutatoi, etc. These spellings reflect better the correct pronunciation (in Greek), as well as the fact that these terms have an established scholarly transliteration (no need to invent a new one), the fact that the terms actually had a Latin origin (so again no need to invent a Latin spelling) and the fact that the Latin spelling was used in the Eastern Roman Empire and this would be how the Eastern Romans would have known the spelling in Latin characters to be rather than the strange spellings one sometimes finds in the M2TW mods.
I have also added new portraits for the Mongols, Kara-Khitai and the Kingdom of Makuria. Many of the old portraits have been retained. The new portraits are picked up from the internet and have been edited but bear in mind that the original images from movies or other artists may have copyright restrictions on commercial reuse. Some portraits come from Mike Golf's Broken Crescent portrait mod.
I have slightly changed the colours of some factions on the campaign map, so that there are no two factions with identical colours.
All these changes are savegame compatible. That means that you can use the mod in an ongoing campaign and it will not cause issues with your campaign. I cannot guarantee they will work with the Buff and Shine submod, but they might. You can install individual features or everything - but make sure you keep copies of the old files so that you can revert to the original versions, if you do not like something, for example if you do not like the new faction colours or if the battle dust slows down your game.
Download link from Moddb
Click on the "Download Now" icon. The file is a zip file containing everything in the submod. Here are the installation instructions:
Full submod: To install the entire submod, open the Broken Crescent tweaks and fixes.zip file and copy the data file into the data file of Broken Crescent version 2.4.2. Keep a backup copy of the original data file, (or of selected individual files) so you can revert to the original version if there is something you do not like.
1. A 70% increase in unit sizes and return to the standard unit costs (with proportional adjustments to economy, mercs):
Replace the old files with these: data/export_descr_unit.txt, data/descr_sm_resources.txt, data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/descr_mercenaries.txt (this last one is not savegame compatible but it is not too big an issue, you can still continue your current campaign)
2. Battle dust: data/descr_particle.txt
3. Edited Byzantine character names and other text fixes with awkward text and spelling errors: data/descr_names.txt, data/text/export_units.txt, data/text/export_units.txt.strings.bin, data/text/export_vnvs.txt, data/text/export_VnVs.txt.strings.bin, data/text/names.txt, data/text/names.txt.strings.bin
4. Quotes for loading screens: data/descr_quotes_lookup.txt, data/descr_transition_screen.txt, data/text/quotes.txt, data/text/quotes.txt.strings.bin
5. Faction colours: data/descr_sm_factions.txt
6. Mongol and Kara-Khitan portraits: data/ui/eastern_european
7. Makurian portraits: data/ui/african
For the last two you can just copy the portraits from those folders, nothing else has changed.
Future plans
The changes so far are savegame compatible. I am also working on additional changes that will require starting a new campaign. The changes will be strictly add-ons or balancing changes, nothing will get removed from the mod and certainly nothing will become more streamlined (simplified), such as fewer building chains, fewer character traits or whatever. These forthcoming changes mostly involve adding into the game features that Byzantineboy and the development team including myself did not find time for. These include
1. Updating Byzantineboy’s Jizya, Kafirs and Dimmis submod for BC 2.4.2 either as a standalone submod or as part of the main game, whatever people prefer. There was an overwhelming demand for his submod to become part of the main game but Byzantineboy ran out of time.
2. Difficulty levels. Currently, AI factions are given the same money regardless of difficulty level. It makes no difference whether you play on easy or very hard. There is some code in the campaign AI script reflecting difficulty, but it relates only to diplomacy, which is very hard even on easy difficulty anyway – so there is currently no practical difference between the different difficulty levels. There is also no code regarding the aggressiveness of the AI towards the human player at different difficulty levels. At present, it does not matter in any way whether you play on easy or very hard.
3. Unique historical buildings. There was a demand to add more historical buildings. In fact Wudang Clown had started a thread on adding new buildings, and Byzantineboy added some of those but more could be added. Feel free to offer suggestions, with what benefits they should give (such as tax, health or cultural/religious benefits). These can be present on game start or buildable each on a specific settlement after a specific date or event (a bit more complicated)
4. Forts. There was a call to add Krak des Chevalliers and other Crusader castles, as well as historical castles elsewhere, e.g. along the silk road. The two castles (emplaced forts) previously on the map of the Holly Lands were removed but no new castles were added. Currently forts are neither emplaced nor buildable. Please give me feedback on whether some historical castles can be added on the campaign map (as “forts” but they are stone built, see here), or if you prefer that castles become buildable. If they are emplaced at game start they can have names such as Krak de Chevalliers, Ascalon, Jacob’s Ford, Montreal (in the Holly Lands), Gul’dursun (on the silk road), etc.
5. Militia/levies for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. I think we had agreed to add back some of the militia for the KoJ but the project fell by the wayside.
Knights and sergeants normally fought mounted, at least in open battles. Sergeants usually fought as “knights” and rode the knight’s second horse. They tutored the squires who later became knights, so many sergeants may have been as capable or more capable than the knights themselves. It was only at a later stage, in the 1400s that the term “sergeants” was applied to large numbers of professional soldiers fighting on foot. In the timeframe of Broken Crescent, the sergeants fought on horse together with the knights. The word for knight is simply horse-rider in Old French (Chevaler) as well as in German (Reiter). So when we read of two hundred “knights” in the medieval chronicles translated into modern English, what we should probably expect much of the time, at least in a battle context, is two hundred cavalry, maybe a hundred ordained knights with their sergeants. In the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the foot soldiers were partly levies from among the settlers who had to serve as militia mainly in the summer months when the kingdom of Jerusalem was at war. The settlers were called Polains or Poulains in Old French and are mentioned as such in the Crusader chronicles and this was the term used for the local troops, most of whom were militia. There were occasionally also small numbers of armed or non-combatant retainers in the company of high ranked knights (the knight´s “lance”, or “lance fournie” in Old French) some of whom may have fought on foot. In some battles there were small numbers of Pisan and Genoese mercenaries from Tyre and Tortosa who would have also fought on foot. The entire army of the KoJ had something of the order of 1200 “knights”, with foot soldiers and turcopoles being recorded in the chronicles as supplying the majority of the armed force. For example, in the battle of Ascalon there were 1200 “knights” and 9000 others, in the battle of Montgisard about 280 “knights” but 1200 men are recorded as having been killed or wounded, so we can imagine several thousand foot-soldiers. At Jacob’s Ford, when it was newly built and garrisoned, there were 30 knights in a garrison of 1500. At Hattin, there were 1200 “knights” in an army of about 40,000. Numerically speaking, the number of knights was a small part of the army. Needless to say, the army of the KoJ as represented in the game is fantasy: there are practically only knights and sergeants.
6. Custom battles. At present, it is not possible to play a siege as a custom battle. Selecting a siege causes the game to crash. That was one of my projects which I was unable to resolve but I want to find the problem and sort it out, so that it becomes possible to play a siege in custom battles.
7. Ambient buildings (e.g. farms) on the battle maps. In all other mods I know, there are villages and farms sometimes on the battle maps, but never in Broken Crescent except for those associated with settlements. That was another one of my projects that I was not able to find the cause of. Both of these problems may partly involve an area of modding I have no insight in, such as map editing.
8. Add missing sounds, such as AI turn start sounds, or anything else that is missing from specific factions. Please give me feedback if you notice some faction does not have sounds, such as for diplomats, various events, etc.
9. Add start of the campaign videoclips for all factions, another of my projects that I was not able to finish.
10. Make sure all buildings give you something. Currently some buildings give no benefit to the player.
11. Bring back the heroes of the Crusades.
12. Balance factions. Currently Egypt, that needs to maintain and defend 12 provinces at game start, gets the same money from the AI as Kerman or Oman that start with 1 province. The KoJ gets more money from the AI than Egypt. How do you think this is going to work out as the game progresses? This is the actual reason why some factions consistently die out in campaigns.
13. Anything else you would like to see or for any feedback, please leave a comment.