any update to dlc Aurelian?

[zig&sharko]

any update are in the plains? For example to remove the mercenaries since hellenistic period are presence in mid III century also remake units card with trully name (legions) and biuldings.We expect it will be looks more historic...Sorry for my incorrectly english

[Dresden]

We do plan to overhaul the campaign, it will just take time

[Christianus]

Would you plan to make it for the Aurelian era? Or are you contemplating for an earlier period like Second century AD to be able to use the late models from the original DEI main campaign?

[Augustusng]

Probably keep it the same era. It's an interesting period with a lot going on across the whole map. Makes a good setting for a campaign.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

Probably keep it the same era. It's an interesting period with a lot going on across the whole map. Makes a good setting for a campaign.

Aurelian is on of my fav Emperors. A very interesting military figure as well.

[Alannon]

So will Ahiga work with you and will it be a part of DEI, or there's an entirely new mod?

[Augustusng]

The first option. Ahiga has already started working on some stuff with us.

[Alannon]

Frankly, I am most impressed by the campaign so far. AI is badass there. I played it on normal - I as goths and my friend was Aurelian. So we watched the Sassanids, Armenia and Media roll over Palmyra and Galatia, we saw Galatia and Lydia declare was on Aurelian. Gallic Rome took over entire Italy and we had to fight some battles against massive armies. There was even one siege of Mediolanum filled with Gallic troops which we attacked together - goths and Aurelian's romans.

What I like about the campaign is ofcourse the lack of pikes and hoplites - it sure makes things a bit more clear and easy to balance or see, plus we thus don't encounter things like pikes or hoplites on the wall (they can form phalanx there sometimes), and other bugs or annoyances. AI plays smooth and aggressive, to a point that it's difficult to proceed. Plus his generals are at last strong enough, most of the times, to offer their troops very solid buffs. (My general's bodyguard had 82 attack, but we've met AI armies with similar stats).

And finally AOR that DEI already brought - whilst ridiculous sometimes, it's also fun to hire very deadly and proper Sarmatian cataphracts as goths. I just wish the armour was of later period.

PS: In vanilla DEI when the general is approaching level ten, his units become unbeatable. Like, attack stat is often buffed from 40 and to 65 or so, maybe even more. And whilst it's fun, the AI rarely matches it for some reason. In the DLC it did a few times.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

The first option. Ahiga has already started working on some stuff with us.

Εxcelent stuff actually.

[Alannon]

Reveal some spoilers plix! Or a screenshot, or something. Something special and pretty about Empire Divided overhaul. If it's anything like FOTE cosmetically, I'm hyped. I'd say, Empire Divided and Attila timeframe is my favourite when armours are concerned.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

Reveal some spoilers plix! Or a screenshot, or something. Something special and pretty about Empire Divided overhaul. If it's anything like FOTE cosmetically, I'm hyped. I'd say, Empire Divided and Attila timeframe is my favourite when armours are concerned.

Since Ahiga is an excellent modder, you could bet your money for spectacular and visually immersive armors, indeed.

[Ahiga]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

On that very topic. Just conceptual mock ups, not any specific unit (3rd from the left is however the Herculiani's new design. Based off Galerius Arch they seem to have had heracles on their shield rather than the eagle, while the Galerius arch had the Joviani with a very plain shield with nothing more than a simple Roman aquila at the top). The leftmost shield is fictional inspired by Dura Europos, and the rightmost shield is the same. The 2nd from left is based/drawn off of Kult of Athena's recreation of the shield, so it's higher res than the CA pattern. There will also be shields of the old school earlier imperial design, as well as some of the N.D. era ones. However after learning that there were three separate highly decorated dura shields (I only first knew of the rectangular scutum, then learned there was an oval one and a second oval one) as well as some other illustration depictions I am now a believer in the idea of 'ornate paintings' such as you see re-enactors depicting with relative ease.

Obviously CA's new helmets will be greatly used, I just have three wearing the coifs to showcase my jerry-rigged 'shoulder-spill coif' (three scale versions, each with iron vs brass/bronze, 2 iron mail versions).

For starters it'll be a reskin package without any changes to ED rosters from what DEI stat them. Later DEI will aim to adjust rosters for authenticity, such as giving Aurelian Rome proper armored spearmen (lacking atm due to gameplay design), Palmyra getting an inferior armored swordsmen around cohors quality to reflect the Dura Europos coifed/unhelmeted swordsmen (again, lacking atm due to gameplay design), give Palmyra an unarmored horse archer (kind of silly they lack it right now), give the three Romans Lanciarii high-end unarmored skirmishers, adjust the other non-Roman and non-playable rosters.

I'm aiming to release the reskin in installments. So first will be Aurelian Rome, then Gallic Rome or Palmyran Rome, then whichever of the two was not done, then jump to non-Roman playables.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

@Ahiga You're an asset buddy.
Excellent work. Can't wait for your updates.

[Alannon]

Aye, Ahiga! Looking forward to it! I'm even more hyped for your releases now! I wonder, will the main type of legionaries have square shields or oval though? Just curious.

[skillfultree]

Looks amazing!

[Ahiga]

I haven't started on equipping though I am about to, was getting the groundwork done with porting over attila stuff and doing new assets/figuring out to combine them. When it comes to that choice, I am not wed to any specific idea but my preliminary thought is:

Cohors and/or Legio use rectangular.
-High End Legios use oval scutum, off the idea that one reason for changing to the oval scutum was easier transportation/mobility and these higher end guys represent the pseudo-comitatus often accompanying the emperor.

I think it will also be that Gallic Rome is has the most rectangular shields given I assume (correct me if I am wrong) it was more often Danubian legions were drawn to fight in the East than Gallic. So Rhine legions are more 'stationary' and thus have less need for a smaller, more easily carried oval. Aurelian could end up with the least because his legionaries represent the new order of the late 3rd early 4th century.

So for examples:
-Jovians, Herculians and Evocati for Aurelian use oval shields.
-Standard Aurelian Legionary Sword is rectangular.
-Praetorian might be rectangular, depends if I have a design I like that is rectangular or is oval.
-Gallic Legionary, Gallic Veteran Legionary might be rectangular
-Vigiles will be rectangular
-2 of the three Palmyrene Spears (Palace, Veteran, Legio) will have rectangular.
-No cavalry should have rectangular. I've never seen legionary cavalry with that, it seems counter productive given how boxy and cumbersome it is.

I have to figure out how I imagine the disparity between a Cohors unit (which in description is legionary) and legionary named unit. Evocati is already covered or its equivalent in Palmyra with "veteran Legionary".

One possibility is to cast either Cohors or Legios as Vexillatio.
-Option one is that a Vexillatio is deemed inferior to a properly cohesive Legio Cohort because it's such a mix of men drawn pell-mell from sources and run ragged being marched from battle to battle. So the Cohors is a Vexillationes.
-Option two is that the Vexillatio is deemed superior because they are an experienced task force who have been used and have extensive battlefield experience compared to garrisoning legiones on the limes. So the Legio unit is Vexillatio, the Cohors is simply a homogeneous Cohors.

If depicting the Vexillatio, this brings up a controversial question - mixed shield designs? People often dislike post Polybian legions with mixed shield designs. I first did mixed in CROC and then decided against it. In this scenario only the Vexillatio (and Vigiles, but they wouldn't have any emblems on their shields presumably. Or just slapdash colors) would have heterogeneous shield designs. It might be a bit odd to go from singular design Cohors to multi-design vexillatio to single-design Evocati compared to multi-design Vexillatio (T1) to single-design Legio to single-design Evocati. There's also the option of just doing not-mixed shield design for a Vexillatio.

Also the Vexillatio would perhaps have oval shields rather than rectangular (again, that idea of constant travel and battle). At present I'm leaning towards:

Cohors - "Sedentary/Homogeneous Cohort of a Legion" with rectangular scutums
Legio - Recast as Vexillatio, oval scutum, not sure if heterogeneous designs or homogeneous.
Evocati/Jove/Hercules - Oval
Decide later for Palmyrene and Gallic.

[Alannon]

Let vexilatio have oval shields! They're more easily crafted and carried after all, and barbarians are more accustomed to it.

[zig&sharko]

Would you plan to make it for the Aurelian era? Or are you contemplating for an earlier period like Second century AD to be able to use the late models from the original DEI main campaign?

I do't like your concept. Second century maybe end of the reign Antoninian dynasty and civil war between Sever, Albin and Niger could be interesting. Roman legionary still have apearance like in the earlier period whith a small modifications.They still used scutum and gladius. I vote after Aurelian period...but with changing unit card and buildings.I hate vanilla type buildings.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

Have faith in Ahiga guys. You'll be surprised by his units

[Alannon]

Ahiga's FOTE units were gorgeous. I bet these will be equally so. Just man, send us more screenies and spoilers! I'm ever curious to see what choices you make.