Fixes and Slight Rebalance Submod to Alternative Patch 2.8

**Just let me post** · March 23, 2020, 11:07 PM

Hello everyone,

Here is a small submod I compiled to compliment Leo's Alternative Patch version 2.8:

# Some of it are small bugfixes
[e.g. invisible balrog, arnor/ruin armies ui logos, dwarven chariot not throwing axes (now it only tramples, but costs a bit less), eriador/dale recruitment and settlement ui tabs, exterminating populace giving less coin than sacking etc.]

# but mostly it's about standardizing unit stats (leftover vanilla TATW issues), for example:

units wearing exact same armour model now share same armour value,
elite units (e.g. swan knights, fountain guard, rangers, hasharii, elite dwarves etc. are now less numerous but even better in combat)
cavalry has -1 shield value than its infantry counterpart - but charge values are buffed,
clearly light units like hobbit militia are now light class infantry, same with cavalry units,
Units like Rhun cataphracts are now properly "very heavily armoured" and so on
fixes phalanx capable units' speed, so they are not faster than regular units or awfully slow,
Mumakils, Great Beasts, Trolls are unchanged and still op, so yeah

# Adds several mercenaries (Tribal Spearmen to Rhun area, Heavy Axemen to Eriador/Blue Mountains area, Dwarven Warriors and Dale Longbowmen to Erebor/Dale area)

# Standardizes factions' naming convention, so Rohan Town is now Rohirrim Town, and Dale Army is Dalish Army etc.

# Adds most missing unit selection voices on battlemap

# Very slightly toughens walls and some gates, lowers unmanned autodefences firing angles and adds parameters: area, launching to castle trebuchets and bp, launching to ballistas to keep them in line with ground ones

# Contains optional script that autodeletes unimmersive loading screens and sorts remaining ones in order

# Update: All of the above plus more:

Re-enabled AI invasion script (Gondor/Corsair shenanigans) - as it keeps the campaign interesting - although I admit it's overpowered, so I nerfed it (mostly experience of the spawned units and amount of ships so invaders don't wreck your fleets)
Re-enabled Evil invasions (crusades) - again, it's interesting, I lowered crusading mercenaries pools so they should at least get lesser armies, crusades start around turn 50, and crusading armies are (only) 40% faster than normal (instead of 75%)
Further standardization of units' stats and rebalance - again, no meta changes and keeping true to factions' characteristics
Fixed some AI recruiting priorites, so for example Rhun shouldn't spam chariots anymore and Mordor should increase in variety
Fixed more missing/less fitting battlemap unit selection voices

Mirror 1 https://easyupload.io/7mnvp6

Mirror 2 https://ufile.io/p9y5w1qm

New campaign required (not save-game compatible)

Backup files included (bar events.dat, event.idx files and loading_screen folder - please backup them)

**Just let me post** · March 23, 2020, 11:22 PM

I forgot to mention: it's not save game compatible

**Just let me post** · March 27, 2020, 02:40 PM

Update: reworked wall defences

1) Horror story:

So I recently assaulted some Rhun castle (vanilla walls).

I took over most of it, got my forces inside and waited till my AI reinforcements killed off the enemy's last stand in the plaza.The battle lasted about 20-30 minutes.

And while I was standing there, the automatic (unmanned) defences of AP2.8 were shooting at me all the time, from all directions, melting my forces down. I bet everyone got virtual PTSD from that, and my Kingdom's of Dale healthcare system cannot help it.
I won but Pyrrhus would be jealous.

2) Conclusions and solutions after several tests:

- I like the unmanned defences idea, so it should stay but needs a nerf
- Defences shoot all the time, you cannot capture them and they cannot run out of ammo no matter how much you set they should have
- I decided to just limit the firing angles, so they cannot shoot all the way back inside settlements
- I upped damage a bit to compensate
- Your forces should be safer inside conquered castles and encounter less ghost defenders

If this sounds reasonable, replace contents of your descr_walls.txt with spoiler below:

descr_walls.txt

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Just let me post** · March 27, 2020, 06:43 PM

Another update: Immersive loading screens

I'm not a big fan of those armor/weapons renders on a black background (they are great, but imho don't help with immersion) so I made a simple batch code that removes them, and then renames and reorganizes remaining files so numbering order is maintained.
In addition, it also removes a few screens that only show sole movie actors. And the opening screen presents a Middle Earth map

It needs to be put into main mod folder (where icon and other .bat files are) and run.

immersive_screens_run-only-once.bat

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Just let me post** · April 03, 2020, 12:47 PM

Update: All of the above plus more:

Re-enabled AI invasion script (Gondor/Corsair shenanigans) - as it keeps the campaign interesting - although I admit it's overpowered, so I nerfed it (mostly experience of the spawned units and amount of ships so invaders don't wreck your fleets)
Re-enabled Evil invasions (crusades) - again, it's interesting, I lowered crusading mercenaries pools so they should at least get lesser armies
Further standardization of units' stats and rebalance - again, no meta changes and keeping true to factions' characteristics
Fixed some AI recruiting priorites, so for example Rhun shouldn't spam chariots anymore and Mordor should increase in variety
Fixed more missing/less fitting battlemap unit selection voices

Mirror 1 http://www.filedropper.com/ap28submodnewestupdate

Mirror 2 https://ufile.io/tmq9qpa7

New campaign required (not save-game compatible)

Backup files included (bar events.dat, event.idx files and loading_screen folder - please backup them)

Either way, I just wanted to wish you guys best of health !

**Just let me post** · April 06, 2020, 09:26 AM

Update: fixed crusades

Reuploaded files, fixed foolish omission (evil crusades will now start around turn 50, not 500)

Plus invasion armies will move only 40% faster, not 75%

**leo.civil.uefs** · April 13, 2020, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by Just let me post

[e.g. invisible balrog,

Did you really identify this problem and fix it? Because I just checked it and it was fine.

Originally Posted by Just let me post

dwarven chariot not throwing axes (now it only tramples, but costs a bit less)

I never managed to make them throw the axes. I think they throw 1 or 2 from the right distance and angle, but not really functional feature.
What did you do?

**Just let me post** · April 18, 2020, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by leo.civil.uefs

Did you really identify this problem and fix it? Because I just checked it and it was fine.

Yeah I console command moved Balrog, battled it and it was invisible. After deleting its general_unit attribute from EDU and trying again, it appeared

Originally Posted by leo.civil.uefs

I never managed to make them throw the axes. I think they throw 1 or 2 from the right distance and angle, but not really functional feature.
What did you do?

In EDU, I swapped secondary weapon (trampling melee) with primary (which was axe throwing) and set secondary to null, and it works great

Hope this helps

**leo.civil.uefs** · April 18, 2020, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by Just let me post

Yeah I console command moved Balrog, battled it and it was invisible. After deleting its general_unit attribute from EDU and trying again, it appeared

The Balrog is not invisible if I he starts the campaign in a reachable area where I can attack him.
Maybe the problem is the console command of my script that moves him to moria when the right time comes.

So if as you say, removing the general_unit attribute is a solution, then maybe this is whats actually happening to Sauron too. People are reporting an undentified troll unit going around without description text but this unit is actually Sauron's bodyguard, and now I think that the reason why Sauron is not there is because he is invisible too, like the Balrod.

I have no idea on the cause of this problem but simply removing the general_unit attribute makes no sense for me since other units has this attribute in EDU and it seems to have a function.

Originally Posted by Just let me post

In EDU, I swapped secondary weapon (trampling melee) with primary (which was axe throwing) and set secondary to null, and it works great

Hope this helps

could you please show me this section of the text file?

**Just let me post** · April 19, 2020, 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by leo.civil.uefs

So if as you say, removing the general_unit attribute is a solution, then maybe this is whats actually happening to Sauron too. People are reporting an undentified troll unit going around without description text but this unit is actually Sauron's bodyguard, and now I think that the reason why Sauron is not there is because he is invisible too, like the Balrod.

I have no idea on the cause of this problem but simply removing the general_unit attribute makes no sense for me since other units has this attribute in EDU and it seems to have a function.

I find it weird too, but my suspicion is that it actually affects all such units, as I also played with moving Treebeard and Beorn, and battled them - on the first glance they work fine, but that may be because of their units being fully made of Ents and Beornings, so even if the general models are absent/invisible, I couldn't tell a difference. To be honest, if general_unit removal worked for Balrog, it should work and fix of all of them - it would make sense then.

And yes, that Sauron bodyguard troll unit simply lacks description in text files

Originally Posted by leo.civil.uefs

could you please show me this section of the text file?

Sure, here:

type Dwarven Chariot ; ++ fixed
dictionary Dwarven_Chariot
(...)
stat_pri 12, 26, no, 0, 0, melee, melee_simple, piercing, none, 0, 1 ;;kills everyone EVERYONE I SAY
stat_pri_attr ap, launching
stat_sec 0, 0, no, 0, 0, no, melee_simple, blunt, none, 0, 1
stat_sec_attr no

Originally it was:

type Dwarven Chariot
dictionary Dwarven_Chariot
(...)
stat_pri 12, 5, quality_thrown_axe, 50, 4, thrown, missile_mechanical, slashing, axe, 0, 1
stat_pri_attr ap, thrown
stat_sec 14, 26, no, 0, 0, melee, melee_simple, piercing, none, 0, 1 ;;kills everyone EVERYONE I SAY
stat_sec_attr ap, launching

Btw it don't have access to Medieval 2 right now but I downloaded my submod (2nd link works) so I could show you this. You can see the changes for yourself, as I marked most of them in the files so it's easy to notice. Also feel free to use them should you find anything you like

**leo.civil.uefs** · April 19, 2020, 07:49 AM

Oh... I actually though you somehow made them throw axes. You just removed the axe throwing feature.

I just tested moving sauron and Balrog via console command iin the campaign and they are working well, visible as it should be.

Another mistery of the modding world...