0.92 is ready for playtesting

[Re Berengario I]

I almost completed the planned things to be included in 0.92 version.

It includes:

- new character names for every playable faction.
- regions assigned to their historical owners for the date of 1080. So for example both Naples and Antioch would be Byzantine even if with the new distance from capital modifiers they tend to rebel in the very first turns (historically correct and I'm pretty pleased of it). This would make happy eastern-lover players as they'll have all the provinces of Kievan Rus (it splitted starting from 1116 not 1080).
- the first entries in the historical events script: the attack of the Pechenegs to Trace in 1085, the attack of the Georgians to Tbilisi, the attack of El Cid to Valencia (he wasn't there in 1080 ).
- rebel forces representing tribes and minor powers added together with their historical rulers (as the Armenian in Adana and Edessa for exemple or the Bishob Anselmo di Lucca in Florence).
- inclusion of Darth Vader Lite Mod 1.1 (a great hurrah for his wonderful work who he gladly puts at benefit of all TW community)
- introduction of Orientis VnV fix (I also fixed a little bug in his files).
- COMPLETELY REVISED AI SYSTEM
Ok, a bit of explanation is needed. Basically the system is based on Global Reputation of the factions. The worse your Global Reputation is the more the probability other factions will go for you.

What makes the global reputation decrease:

- Grabbing a settlement. Grabbing a region makes the other factions look at the you with suspect because of the expansionist behaviour. Grabbing a settlement of the opposite religion (islamic for catholic/orthodox or the other wasy round) gives a lesser reputation hit because of the prestige due to being the defenser of the faith.

- All transgression like walking with troops in foreign ground without permission, undeclared attacks, etc (same things than in Vanilla).

- Sign an alliance with factions of opposite faiths. Do it at your peril!

What makes the global reputation increase:

- Every turn it increses a small bit for every region owned.

- Have your faction winning a crusade/jihad (I also fixed some missing Jihad triggers)

THE LIST IS NOT COMPLETE AND A LOT OF OTHER THINGS WILL BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE RELEASES as king titles, the piety/autority/command/chivalry of your faction leader, building some extraordinary buildings, historic events, being excommunicated, etc...

Other than having the other factions going for you, a bad global reputation also makes your general losing loyalty. In next releases it will also cause the spawning of rebellions in your territories. Btw, the AI will play with your same rules, except a small AI bias against the real warmongering human players.


This new AI will not mean Shaba's is not working on his new release. It's another thing aimed to the strategical lovers. We're planning to release two different versions of AD if both AI will work as we hope they will.


PLAYTESTING

Being the real experimental state of the version we planned to have two different playtesting phases.

During the first one the mod files won't be public because we don't have time to support the all the little problems (installation, configurations, etc) but we must concentrate to fixing bugs and put in new stuff.
So if you know how to mess with mod configurations and wanna help us with playtesting just send me a private message and in this weekend you'll receive the link to the files. I will open a thread just for bugs, suggestions and general discussions about the version. Posts about misconfigurations, "I cannot find MTW2 folder, "What is modswitch?", won't be answered. All posts about the 0.92 version will have to be posted there for easier communications.
Sorry if I may appear rude but being a playtester is you supporting us, not we supporting you

When we'll be sure about the stability and playability of the release it will be uploaded here at TWcenter and we'll be happy to help anyone to install and play it.

[Erioluk]

"new distance from capital modifiers"

this hasn't really made my day, but I suppose it's realistic... I used to hate having to exterminate the pops of my border regions every 50 turns in RTW...

rest of changes look great...

I'm completely incapable of fixing stuff... but I'd sign up for beta testing...

[Re Berengario I]

"new distance from capital modifiers"

this hasn't really made my day, but I suppose it's realistic... I used to hate having to exterminate the pops of my border regions every 50 turns in RTW...

rest of changes look great...

I'm completely incapable of fixing stuff... but I'd sign up for beta testing...

You just need to be able to install it properly (the same way as 0.91 anyway) and be ready not to have support about it (sorry but it's a time priority usage).

The distance modifier isn't so harsh as in RTW, if you use your garrisons and generals properly you wouldn't encounter any problem (in my autorun played campaign Rus AI managed to not lose any regions because of it, could you be worse than AI? )

[Erioluk]

i'm in.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Sent a PM your way Ber

[Re Berengario I]

Ok, just to gives around some more examples this is Europe in 1412 with the new AI on autorun (and still too much strong rebels, they'll be toned down).



As you can see no faction disappeared. France recoverd all its national territory and also expanded a bit in Hiberia. Portugal had Lisbon turning rebel but Moors managed to survive. Rus had Kiev and Tchernigov going rebel and now they have Timurids on their doorstep. Mongols went for the Holy Land and carved out a state in Antioch. HRE is huge but he did't overgrown, alas it lost french territories (Burgundy) and acquired East territories just like in history! England couldn't crush Scotland or advance in Eire too much (this because too many rebels, as I said I'll tone down the money given to them as they recruit too many troops). The Pope still happily exists in Rome and both Venice and Milan didn't expand but also kept their ownings while Sicily expanded where it should (Tunis, Sardinia)

All the factions fortified their borders (and in future we will try to use castles models instead than forts).... here you see the HRE, Sicily, Papal States border in Italy.



And the Krak des Chevaliers!!! (Actually it should be written in german )



There's also a lonely portugues castles which eirocally resisted against the Mongols!



Too bad I was at work (no CTDs in more than 20 hours of continuos play). It should have been an impressive campaign.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Looks great Ber!

In my current game of .91 I'm impressed how the nations tend to stay put. Only exception is that Milan took over half of HRE

Looking forward to this release!

[Asiriya]

Its looking very nice already. Have you got an estimated time of release for the 1.0 build yet?

I wonder if you might consider making the crossing point over to Venice a landbridge rather than a simple bridge. Doesnt seem too realistic having Venice completely open to attack in the way it is, considering their navy. I dont know how it would affect the AI, not too badly i would imagine. You would need some form of punishment for simply parking a boat across the bridge though. Im also loving all the small castles; will they still appear as forts on the battle map or will they be castles there also?

[asha]

Ok, just to gives around some more examples this is Europe in 1412 with the new AI on autorun (and still too much strong rebels, they'll be toned down).

hello, the preview looks great

but on the map it seems to me that the Egypt, Moors and the Turks have some problems?!?

[Re Berengario I]

hello, the preview looks great

but on the map it seems to me that the Egypt, Moors and the Turks have some problems?!?

Their vanilla units really stinks, that's their main problem.

Unit rehersal is in program and I hope Darth Vader work could already improve things.

[asha]

Their vanilla units really stinks, that's their main problem.

Unit rehersal is in program and I hope Darth Vader work could already improve things.

i'm playing Turks on m/m.now i'm 1139 (with playlonger mod 4 turns a year but hard increased building time and cost) i hold the south east of the map (i destroyed the Egypt easy) vs the Byzantine it is hard so i played some battle for train with the Turks vs Byzantine/France and in the late time i found it is very hard to win :/ i hope someting will change that (think at Ottoman Empire and Suleyman)

[John_Grimm]

Seeing as how everyone is having fun with this....I would like to tether this most humble of requests to betatest.....

P.S Love 0.91 with England

[glevi]

looks interesting =)
would like to participate in the testing

[Seleucus I Nicator]

I would like to help playtesting. I know how to use the modswitch stuff.

[Sinuhet]

Nice balance, congratulation to such work, I am looking forward to official release of AD 0.92.

[Bobo]

Just a question (seeing those portuguese): do crsaders now use ships?
Because seaing the venician cursader amry going to Jerusalem by foot was a little disturbing.

[Yuri Zhivago]

In 0.91 I've seen two French crusader stacks transported to their target by ship.

It does happen, just not always, if the AI can find the path of "least resistance", ie: whatever it thinks is easiest, it will take it. Even if it isn't really the easiest way to go.

[Re Berengario I]

In 0.91 I've seen two French crusader stacks transported to their target by ship.

It does happen, just not always, if the AI can find the path of "least resistance", ie: whatever it thinks is easiest, it will take it. Even if it isn't really the easiest way to go.

Yep exactly, and there's nothing we can do about it.

Btw, I'm running the last tests because I also included Darth Vader 1.1 Litemod (except the diplomacy part) and added some other needed historical events (needed because of the factions regions moving, you'll see).

If this afternoon there will be no CTDs I will upload the beta mod this night and send out the link to all the testers.

[Bobo]

Just looked to the map and saw a red pixel in the north, didi you add Gotland?

I personnally added it in 0.91

[Yuri Zhivago]

I normally use Candelarius' fixes with AD, is there any difference with Darthmod? (I've used Rise of Kings which includes Darthmod, but have had a spot of trouble with it at times and couldn't really tell the difference fix wise)