SWO-RD : Steph's Warhammer Overhaul - Recruitment Diversity

[Steph]

For the future updates of the mod, I will try to add each time
- a new race, "SWO-RD" processed, with regional recruitment, heraldic units, officers, lore specific graphics, etc.
- a new gameplay feature.

The next update (hopefully this month) will include the finalized Dark Ekves, and a visibility overhaul.

This is what I plan to do (all numerical values are subject to change):

The view distance is the distance at which you can spot a standard unit in the open (no forest to hide, no hill or obstacle to block LOS, the line of sight)

The default view distance unit will vary with each unit. Mostly using the race as a base:
- Hgh Elves: 750 m, Wood Elves, 700m, Dark Elves 650m.
- Human: 600 m
- Beastmen, Goblins : 550m
- Dwarves, Ors, Lizardmen: 500 m
- Skaven : 450
- Undead, : 400m




For reference "battle realism" uses a view distance of 600m.

For monsters, I'll do that case to case. Some can see very far, like an Eagle (probably 1500), some may be almost blind and require spotters (Kharybdys at 300m)

This default view distance will then be adjusted based on different parameters

- Cavalry : +50 (they are higher and can spot ennemy more easily)
- Archers: +50 (let's suppose archer usually have a better sight)
- Specialized spotter : +150 (unit such ad deepwood scouts, shades...)
- Unit with large helmet: -100 (view sight reduced), -50 with small helmet.

Maybe I can also have the view distance increased a little with the experience of the units (I need to check if this work).


The idea is that you cannot see the ennemy from very far, and will need scouts to find him, and cover the whole battlefield.

The parameters above are combined to give a final view distance. Great Eagles, or WE Hawk Riders can see up to 1500m, and can spot ennemy untius from across the battlefield.
Dragons also have a good view distance. Then you have waywatchers, deep scouts, mages...
On the other hands, Cygor barely see up to their range, undead (except the carrions or their lord) have a poor view distance, and very heavy cavalry with large helmet don't see very far.


As said, this is the view distance for a "standard" unit.

But this will be adjsuted by a coefficient. 1.0 means the unit is visible at this distance (i.e. 600m for a human spotter, 700m for Elves). 0.5 means it is visible at half the distance (300m for men, 350 foe Elves), 2 it is visibvle at twice the distance (1200m for men, 1400m for Elves).
Base game uses
- 0.5 for Dryads/Treemen (they do look like trees)
- 0.7 for Camelon Skink
- 0.8 for Goblins and small Skavens

And that's it..

In SWO-RD, the system will be a bit more complex.

The base will be the size of the unit
- Elves, Lizardmen, Orcs: 1.1
- Human, Undead, Ungor, etc : 1.0
- Dwarves: 0.9
- Skink: 0.8
- Skaven, Goblin : 0.7

- Monsters: depends on the size. Bat may be 0.3, Dragon and Giant 3 (so more or less always visible).

Then, additional parameters will be taken into account
- Mounted units : +0.2 depending, but even more for large mount (a dragon could be 3)
- Units with shining armor / bright colours / tall helmet: +0.2
- Units with "camouflage" (like Camaelon Skink, Wood Elves): -0.2 to -0.5

A foot WE archer may have 0.7 at the end while an HE aromored archer may have 1.5, and a glittering silver helm 2.0

Beside this global effect, each unit will laso have a specific "spot tree" distance which determine how far it can spot an ennemy unit hidden in a forest. Vanilla value is 60 and 160 for some lzardmen.

I plan to adjust this to have more variety:
- wood elves archers will see better in forest than others
- Human knight with big armor won't be so good
- Hawk, Eagle, etc will see farther
- Same as Dryads, Treemen, they will have an even better view
- Some creatures of the Forest, like Beastmen, will also have a better view.

And last, it is possible to adjust the minimal distance: the distance at which a unit can ALWAYS detect over units, even if not in sight (exemple: behind a hill or a forest)
By defautl, CA used 40, except for a very few units like Chaos Lord with lore of Shadow.

I plan to change this a little for a few units, for exemple
- Mages maybe able to see a little farther, thanks their magical senses
- Some units like Wolves or wardgos could have this increase to make them good 'hunters".

Let me know what you think of all these ideas!

[Steph]

I've almost finished working on the Dark Elves. Only a few icons for the Dreadlord and Supreme Sorceresses to do.

And the next update will include a general overhaul of the visibility. "Final version" is described above (edited from previous suggestions). Every faction is done, but for the other factions than the 3 elven races, it's kind of a placeholder, and will be refined when adding them.

But I'd like you guys to give it a try and tell me how you like it.

[Steph]

With Dark Elved almost finish, it is time to start talking about the next race: the Empire.

Here are the main changes I plan for them:

First, I will add several types of units:
- Pikemen: same as spearmen, but with longer pike, more bonus vs large units, but weaker against infantry (similar to the HE pikemen)
- Archers
- Huntsmen (smaller unit size, better at hiding and scouting)
- Lancers: will be a fast shock cavalry with anti large, but little armour. I think this is missing from the Empire roster. I know it's not really in the lore...

Second, regional recruitment with 4 levels:
- Generic units, recruitable anywhere, without limits for core troops (and some global limtis for special or rare units). They will have smaller size, weaker stats, and keep the colour of their recruiting faction. Same as the generic units for the Elves
- State Provincial Troops: recruitable in any barracks in a province. Limited in number, but large units with better stats.
- State City Trops: recruitable in any barrack in a province, IF you control the corresponding city.
- Knightly order, recruitable if you have the corresponding landmarks, and so only in a specific region. I plan to have at least Knight Panters + Wolf, maybe some more. This means that the Blazing sun to one region too...

Provincial and City toops will have limited number of units and each with their own heraldry.

Number are not fixed, but we could imagine something like:
- Wissenland: 4 spearmen +2 for each barrack built (so 10 if you build one in each region of the profince)
- Nuln : +4 spearmen
- Wissenburg: +4
- Pfeildorf: +3

This should give a great variety of uniform and regiment to the Empire... The most cosmopolite as it should be!

[Steph]

Dark Elves update is now available on Steam.

This includes the visibility overhaul

[Steph]

I'm working on the final touches for the Empire, before releasing it hopefully tomorrow.

I have modified the building requirement for them: similar to what CA did with Bretonnia, Empire units now have only one requirement. For example, the Empire Knights only needs the barracks level 3, not need of the armoury anymore, or the Handgunners can be recruited with only the barracks, they don't need the Gunsmith.

Instead, units are capped in number, and the old additional building provides a bonus to capacity.

For exemple, the base capacity for Empire Knights is only 2. Each stable level 3 increase the capacity by 1, or by 2 for level 4. And each armoury also increase the capacity by 4.

This is for generic knights: each province also has its own limits.

Thus, Reikland Knights have a base capacity of 4, +2 for stables level 3, +4 for level 4, + 4 for the forge, but only when these buildings are in Reikland province.


Second inmportant information: Spartan has very kindly agreed to let me use building icons for his Building Progression mod in SWO-RD.

This will be done progressively: each new release of the mod will include building icons for the race added by this release, modified or completed to match the specifities of SWO-RD.

And last big info: next release will include the recruitment mechanism for DrukFlamingo's Closer to Table Top.

[Steph]

Empire finished!

Here are some screenshots showing the main cities of the 4 races included in SWO-RD, with the new icons for building, with progression.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Altdorf
Notice the extra level for Stables and Forge, the "range" barracks, and the extra levels for the Imperial palace landmark


Naggarond


Lothern


Talsyn

[Steph]

Mod has been uploaded to Steam.

[Aguirre]

Your work is amazing and beyond comprehension in size

[Steph]

Two of my 3 hard drives fried this week end. It's the PCB which got damaged, so I ordered used one to try to replace it and salvage the data, which should hopefuly be untouched.

And yes, the mod was on it...

Not a very big deal since I have a copy of all the pack files, but for the moment I can't access my working files (like Excel or Word files with design ideas)

So mod is on hold until I can get it back.

[kelembribor21]

Really shame for such great extensive project.
I hope You manage to save the data, I still can't get over the higher quality images of Dawn of War 2 reskins I uploaded on Photobucket and later they got hijacked.

[Steph]

Worst case: I have everything already in the pack files. And some design files on an external drive. That's not too bad. I'd have to redo some preparation work.

But since it's only the controller which fried, I'm relatively confident I can get my data back. That's just delay.

I hope the used pieces I order will work, that's 25€ each so 50 € to recover my data . almost as expensive as buying a new drive.

[Leonardo]

Man, that sounds exactly what happen to Stuporstar when she lost almost everything in the same way as you did.

I hope you can bring back your work in one piece. Good luck!

[Steph]

Well, let's hope the similarities can continue and a generous donator gives me 500 to pay the 50 it costs to replace the PCB .

[Steph]

I received the two used PCB today. One is not correct; the reference number on it is not the same as on the image from Amazon...
And the other is not working: the HDD seems to run, but is not detected.

[Steph]

I changed the PCB of both HDD. None is working. I suppose that I can consider all my data lost...
I have some back dating a few years ago, nothing for WH2.

I shouldn't prevent me from continuing on the mod but it will be slower: I still have the pack with everything already done inside. Including WIP.

What I lost are temporary design files.

[z3n]

And the other is not working: the HDD seems to run, but is not detected.

What do you mean? Not detected in the BIOS or not detected in windows / your OS?

For windows you have to do some minor set up after you install a HDD.

[Steph]

neither. Not in bios, not in Windows

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

Congratulations on another well-deserved award

[Steph]

Thanks!

[Steph]

Question to you guys: In the Empire, with have provinces with 2 to 4 regions, but they are all linked to an elector count (ex Averland, Middenland, etc). I made provincial units + a few bonus regional units (like Altdorf).

For Bretonnia, I'm making heraldry for each Dukedom (see above with Bordeleaux / Aquitaine).

I know how to recruit both units in the same province, but lorewise I think it is a little strange to have half major dukedoms (the province capital) and half minor dukedom (the second region in a province).

So I'm considering adding independant factions for each dukedom (so gisoreux, quenelles, brione, aquitaine and l'anguille, moussillon is already independant). And change the map to make each dukedom a one region province.

I need feedbak about this idea.