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Thread: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v19 New Map, New Factions & Unified Rome

  1. #121

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    I released a patch that should fix the annoying CTD when loading into battles. A ton of sprites were missing, but no longer! Also, in case you have not hear already, this mod is being put on a hiatus as I am working on a new mod for Rome Total Realism. However this mod is not finished and I will be back to work on it again! To install:
    Overwrite your current HRTW folder with this folder. Should be save game compatible!

    https://www.moddb.com/mods/ahowl11s-...#downloadsform

  2. #122

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    ahowl11,

    I'd like your permission to use your version 9 map (the one with the pathfinding fixes) in a mod I'm working on. I will give you credit, of course.
    I'm OldTotalWarrior on YouTube.

  3. #123

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Quote Originally Posted by Gaius Julius Caesar II View Post
    ahowl11,

    I'd like your permission to use your version 9 map (the one with the pathfinding fixes) in a mod I'm working on. I will give you credit, of course.
    Sure go ahead!

  4. #124

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Quote Originally Posted by ahowl11 View Post
    Sure go ahead!
    Thank you!
    I'm OldTotalWarrior on YouTube.

  5. #125

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Hello!
    Thanks for the mod, it really makes game engaging without being over the top. Many mods (including my favorite EB) suffer from over-complexity, and being too heavy. As a result, the AI can't handle AoR system, while the hardware struggles to keep the mod afloat, resulting in regular crashes and long loading times. You have managed to make as fun and almost as historically accurate modification as larger mods, without any of those drawbacks. Really great work, dude, you are awesome!
    Now, here goes the part with suggestions and feedback:
    1 Phalanx shield value. Currently all phalanx capable units have shield value of 5+, and RTW engine doubles shield value while in a phalanx formation, making these units virtually unkillable by missiles (effective 10 shield = 20 defense vs missiles, more than any other unit in game). I'd suggest reducing all phalanx-capable units shield value to 2 (effective 4 while in formation), which is the same as other units with light pelta-type shields. To compensate, maybe the attack value of pikes should be increased by 1 or 2, since I have noticed that sometimes phalanx were beaten from the front by hoplites or other units (admittedly, the worst phalanx by mid-range hoplites, don't remember the details), which doesn't seem realistic/balanced from gameplay point of view.
    2 Hoplites have shield value 8, while most other units with large shields have 7. Maybe it's intended this way, maybe not, but I'd suggest either reducing hoplites to 7 or increasing roman scutum and other large shiels to 8, with a compensation in armor or defense skill. For me it looks like hoplon is not the best protection against missiles, as it was intended for melee combat to overlap with shields to the sides, and covers less % of body than scutum, and maybe even thureos.
    3 Slingers having armor piercing. This doesn't seem neither realistic nor gameplay balanced to me. Considering realism, sling stone/bullet have far larger area of contact with the armor than arrowhead of javelin tip. Therefore, piercing capabilities of sling should be bottom low compared to arrow / jav. Maybe there are some accounts of sling breaking armor, but it seems to me a result of poor quality/material of armor, rather than a testament to sling AP capabilities. In those cases I'm sure any arrow would've pierced the armor as well. Also, I'm not aware of mass usage of slingers in Medieval times, and those were the times of mass chainmail proliferation, and later plate mail usage. On the other hand, arrows were used throughout all of that period.
    So, if anything, sling should be negative-AP weapon in the game, since it does poorly against armor, with shock dispersing over larger surface, but more devastating vs units with no armor, since blunt trauma caused by them is a lot more dangerous than arrow wound, especially in ancient times, without access to advanced medicine.
    From gameplay point of view, AP weapons are a lot harder to balance, and in most cases they are overpowered, since they can pick out late-game and highly armored units, such as general bodyguard cavalry, making archers unviable in comparison. As a compensation of removing AP, maybe the amount of ammunition and/or range of fire should be increased.
    4 I've not yet seen AI to build peasants or martial law, so it works as intended.
    Also just wondering, what is the point of even having a peasant unit available for recruitment, what purpose does it serve?

  6. #126

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Some more feedback:
    1 This is purely a matter of personal preference, but the speed of units seem to be a bit too high on the roads. In my playthrough, I have multiplied all movement modifiers by 0.75 and it feels a lot better, maybe just got too used to EB speed.
    2 Heavy Peltasts, while being an upgrade (or at least 'better' unit, being available at later city level) has a lot less attack in melee than Peltophoroi (6 vs 10), and more or less equal other stats. It feels like their melee attack should be at least equal (probably 8 both). Also Heavy Peltasts, despite being 'better', have same upkeep and cost a bit less.
    3 Agema of The Peltasts, while being strict upgrade as suggested by their name and lore, to The Peltasts (greek_royal_guard in EDU), have less upkeep (300 vs 420).
    4 To add to my previous post point about hoplite shield value, there is a bunch of other units with 8 shield value (mainly barbarian heavy infantry with large shields), so probably roman scutum should be set to 8, instead of reducing hoplites shield value.
    5 Barbarian factions seem to struggle with maintaining population, all their towns sit at 1-2 thousands pop, except for some of their capitals, at least on largest unit scale, eastern factions do a bit better, romans and greeks to fine. Don't know how to fix it without unbalancing the game. Maybe give barbarians (or barbarian culture if its possible) a bonus in population growth without any farming or health bonuses, or a population replenishment script.

  7. #127

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Hey Leeroy! Thanks for the feedback, make sure to join the discord link in my signature so that you can keep up with development and other mods!

    Before I answer your suggestions just know that I haven’t been working on it since April and I’m actually going to make a light version now, before I continue on with the immersive version.

    As far as unit stats you can totally edit those to your reasoning and send it to me, and I’ll include it. Stats are probably the least modded aspect of the game. All slingers are ap so they can actually kill something.. otherwise they are useless.. so that’s been done on purpose. Unit costs and upkeep aren’t solidified either.

    Popukation growth is always an issue with the barbarian lands.. I could possibly add a bonus specifically for those factions just to simulate tribal growth.

    Glad martial law and peasants work well, a lot of work was put into that! Peasants are needed to prevent a ctd on revolts, so that’s why they are in but a fortune to train. Please join the discord and we can talk some more, I’ll be developing the light version starting today.

  8. #128
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Hi, just I would like to ask two questions after a campaign I played.

    I played Scipii (always found them the most fun romans), took out greeks, macedon, got Sicily, Carthage, Thapsus. But still, it seems that the legion reforms don't start. What is the trigger for it?

    Culture: I think the culture is nice mechanic for the player (I really had trouble keeping Carthage and Thapsus), but it seems to slow down the AI a lot. Currently the Julii have 4 extra cities (Massena, Sesesta, Caralis and one more). Gaul took out Iberia, Thrace took Byzantium and Dacia, Ponthus expanded a bit in Anatolia.
    Brutii AI should work well if the player is not faster than them (they should expand into Greece, which is similar culture), but Julii AI, and especially Scipii AI will have a tough time with barbarian and eastern settlements respectively. Even as a player I decided to not touch north africa and spain at all (never were really lucrative, but eastern/barbarian culture makes them even less desirable)
    Would you consider helping out the Scipii AI* a bit, to a lesser extent, maybe Julii too. Other effected factions are the ones on cultural borders: Carthage (eastern/barbarian in Spain), Parthia (eastern/greco-roman), and Armenia (eastern/greco-roman)

    *the reason I like Scipii the best is that the other romans are doing a relatively good job. Julii has easy enemies in vanilla, and while greeks are harder, they are much more lucrative, so after a while Brutii just become very rich, which works. In the meantime Scipii AI sometimes gets beaten even at Syracuse, and often doesn't take Carthage at all.

  9. #129

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Quote Originally Posted by shikaka View Post
    Hi, just I would like to ask two questions after a campaign I played.

    I played Scipii (always found them the most fun romans), took out greeks, macedon, got Sicily, Carthage, Thapsus. But still, it seems that the legion reforms don't start. What is the trigger for it?

    Culture: I think the culture is nice mechanic for the player (I really had trouble keeping Carthage and Thapsus), but it seems to slow down the AI a lot. Currently the Julii have 4 extra cities (Massena, Sesesta, Caralis and one more). Gaul took out Iberia, Thrace took Byzantium and Dacia, Ponthus expanded a bit in Anatolia.
    Brutii AI should work well if the player is not faster than them (they should expand into Greece, which is similar culture), but Julii AI, and especially Scipii AI will have a tough time with barbarian and eastern settlements respectively. Even as a player I decided to not touch north africa and spain at all (never were really lucrative, but eastern/barbarian culture makes them even less desirable)
    Would you consider helping out the Scipii AI* a bit, to a lesser extent, maybe Julii too. Other effected factions are the ones on cultural borders: Carthage (eastern/barbarian in Spain), Parthia (eastern/greco-roman), and Armenia (eastern/greco-roman)

    *the reason I like Scipii the best is that the other romans are doing a relatively good job. Julii has easy enemies in vanilla, and while greeks are harder, they are much more lucrative, so after a while Brutii just become very rich, which works. In the meantime Scipii AI sometimes gets beaten even at Syracuse, and often doesn't take Carthage at all.
    Thanks for the post! I’ll see what I can do, currently I’m working on a new version, and recruitment shouldn’t take so long this time, also cultures will be split up more but still represent eastern, western and tribal ideologies.

  10. #130
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Quote Originally Posted by ahowl11 View Post
    Thanks for the post! I’ll see what I can do, currently I’m working on a new version, and recruitment shouldn’t take so long this time, also cultures will be split up more but still represent eastern, western and tribal ideologies.
    Do you know what the exact trigger is for the Marian reforms?

    Also: I hope you didn't misunderstand me, the mod is great as is, and I think - from player perspective - culture is fun. I think it does make it hard on a few AI factions (Scipii and Julii mostly).

  11. #131

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Quote Originally Posted by shikaka View Post
    Do you know what the exact trigger is for the Marian reforms?

    Also: I hope you didn't misunderstand me, the mod is great as is, and I think - from player perspective - culture is fun. I think it does make it hard on a few AI factions (Scipii and Julii mostly).
    You need to get a Huge City in Italy, so any of the starting Roman provinces

  12. #132

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Quote Originally Posted by ahowl11 View Post
    You need to get a Huge City in Italy, so any of the starting Roman provinces
    Doesn't ALX.exe also prevent it triggering before 220BC? I've seen that mentioned a few times but I've never gotten that far with any mods that use Alexander.

  13. #133

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Quote Originally Posted by Ardruire Iacób View Post
    Doesn't ALX.exe also prevent it triggering before 220BC? I've seen that mentioned a few times but I've never gotten that far with any mods that use Alexander.
    I think that is just a rumor as I’ve seen players get it before then.

  14. #134

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    ahowl11's VE Mod v18 -Updates, Changes, Fixes & Additions
    A lot has changed in the past 5 months, but one thing that stayed with me after a long summer is my passion to make this mod. In this version, it will be a bit different. There are zero new units, and only a couple were re-worked and the changes were so minuscule, that only the most detail oriented players will notice! Instead I focused on balance, game play, historical accuracy, and general updating and fixing from all of the excellent reports I have been given since April. Let's get to it!
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    A new recruitment system, streamlined for both player and AI!


    The first major change is recruitment and how it is intertwined with culture and colonies. In the older versions, you had to build a colony, then build a recruitment center and then build your military infrastructure. That frankly, was a lot of waiting and building.. too much if I am being honest with you. So instead I got rid of the recruitment centers, replacing them with nothing. Now all you need to do is build the colony of your factions' culture and the rest is vanilla from there. All infantry are now tied to the barracks, all cavalry to the stables, and most missiles (excluding some light skirmishers) to the ranges.
    On top of this, thanks to the genius of my friend BHL_20 the Colonies have been vastly expanded. You still will have a base native culture in every region (eastern, western and barbarian) but every faction has a separate colony that needs to be built. They are: Roman, Greek, Punic, Numidian, Pontic, Armenian, Parthian, Scythian, Thracian, Germanic, Celtic, and Iberian. Building a Celtic colony on top of Barbarian Natives will be harmless and even helpful, but building it anywhere there is western or eastern will cause the same unrest as before.
    Keep in mind that this feature is in a very early alpha stage.. completely game ready and not a drawback from the last versions, but very raw and ready to be molded into something very unique and crucial to this mod. For now, it's a simple feature that will get the job done.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Dacia is just one of many areas of the map to receive a facelift!


    The next big thing in this version is the map, and the many changes made to it. There were a lot of inconsistencies and historical inaccuracies that bugged me for a long time, so I finally made things more accurate. I focused on trying to make every region useful as far as balance and game play. Overloading in the middle for historical accuracy or spreading regions into weird areas just for game play was avoided. Instead I took the middle ground, achieving the best of both. There is a full, in-depth synopsis in the change log, but the major areas that were affected are: Germania, Dacia, Scythia, Parthia, Armenia, Numidia, and Gaul.
    On top of this, I added a few land bridges that should help game play. The Britons will no longer be destined to be stuck on their island, they can hop off and anyone else can hop on! Also, Corsica and Sardinia are connected.. I always see one island taken over, only for the other to be forgotten about. On top of this I added a few crucial river crossings that severely changed factions' movement strategies.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Britannia now is accessible from Land for the AI


    Finally there was a ton of help from an unexpected source! Leeroy9000 from TWcenter appeared on the forums with many suggestions. After talking to him further I invited him to apply his ideas. He tweaked many stats for units and made some adjustments to population growth and income for many factions. A few key things for you all to know:
    1) Generals will no longer be OP, they aren't heroic bodyguards anymore.. keep them alive!
    2) Phalangite & Hoplite warfare redone
    3) Missiles redone
    4) Romans are not the OP machines they were before
    5) In the campaign, expect a better army composition from your enemies.. the AI will also advance quicker with their settlements instead of being stuck with 400 pop and being in the red.
    A full change log of all of his work will be in a text file, included in the download!
    DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION





    - If you have an old HRTW version, you can try overwriting, but to be safe, delete it as this will not work with it. This version isn't save compatible.
    - One thing that I need to be clear on, is this mod runs on the Alexander.exe not the regular Rome Total War exe. Please make sure you use an Alexander Install.


    1. Download the mod
    2a. (Steam) Extract the files to your Rome Total War Alexander directory
    2b. (Disc) Extract the files to your Rome Total War Directory
    3a. (Steam) go to your library.. right click RTW Alexander.. select properties.. select launch options.. put in this: -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander
    3b. (Disc)Create a shortcut of your RTW Alexander exe file.. right click the shortcut.. select properties.. in the target line after everything insert this: -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander
    CREDITS
    - Leeroy9000 for all of the work you did to make the game a better experience, I will be eager to hear your thoughts on this version!
    - BHL_20 for chatting with me almost daily with ideas, you inspire a lot in this mod
    - Suppanut for always willing to help when I have an error or question, you are a very good friend. Also for XC4 and the colony system
    - Lanjane for always challenging me to do better and managing the discord.. you are a huge reason for it's growth and success!
    - BlackKnight, Kaiser, Ariaces, milkerman, and all the other players who follow along in the Discord.. whether it's giving feedback, advice or praise, I really owe a lot to you all!
    -Drtad (GudeaTW) for giving historical advice as well as collaborating to do some Youtube show casing of the mod! You have helped a lot!
    -Mausolos of Caria for always putting up with me, correcting me and being a great friend
    -El Santo Padre for map advice when I need it in a pinch
    -Solon de Atenas for all of your ideas and wisdom regarding tw modding
    -Everyone else at the discord for making this community something wonderful to be a part of!
    Last edited by ahowl11; September 25, 2020 at 01:19 AM.

  15. #135

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v18 Updates, Changes, Fixes & Additions

    A small hotfix! Includes a few changes I had forgotten to add:

    https://www.moddb.com/mods/ahowl11s-...ads/v18-hotfix

  16. #136
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Really appreciate the update, good job! I especially like the map changes


    1) Generals will no longer be OP, they aren't heroic bodyguards anymore.. keep them alive!
    I'm not sure about this change though. This hurts the player much less, than the AI.
    In one of my favorite Medieval 2 mods this was the first change to cancel. (AI suicides generals much more often than a player)


    Hoplites redone/Missiles redone

    Could you please post some details on this?



    edit: Do you plan to add BI-style, five level barbarian cities at a point?

  17. #137

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    Quote Originally Posted by shikaka View Post
    Really appreciate the update, good job! I especially like the map changes




    I'm not sure about this change though. This hurts the player much less, than the AI.
    In one of my favorite Medieval 2 mods this was the first change to cancel. (AI suicides generals much more often than a player)





    Could you please post some details on this?



    edit: Do you plan to add BI-style, five level barbarian cities at a point?
    Make sure you read the v18 Change log, this will give you full details.
    We are testing the generals for now, if they become too weak and easy to kill we will revert them back.
    Im pretty sure there’s 5 tiers of Barbarian settlement levels now but it could just be 4.

    Don’t forget to join our discord! I sent you a link awhile back. You can talk to me much easier there.

  18. #138
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v18 Updates, Changes, Fixes & Additions

    Congratulations on the release of v18! The Eagle Standard published a review by Drtad of your mod, here. This looks like a very enjoyable and impressive mod!

  19. #139

    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v18 Updates, Changes, Fixes & Additions

    Quote Originally Posted by Alwyn View Post
    Congratulations on the release of v18! The Eagle Standard published a review by Drtad of your mod, here. This looks like a very enjoyable and impressive mod!
    Thanks Alwyn! The next release should be pretty cool as well

  20. #140
    shikaka's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v17 RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

    as a side note: Did you consider a VE "lite" mod? I am thinking of: map, units, Egypt fix, start positions, possibly level 4 buildings, but vanilla culture? Also, do you plan to fix Barbarian invasions at some point? (I always liked BI better then RTW, just curious)

    Thanks!

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