MTW Mods-Opinions Please

[Cannibal]

My previous thread "Decision Time" has devolved into something that is not getting me the information I was seeking, which I know is largely my own fault.

So, without further ado; if anybody is using any of the MTW mods please let me know how it compares to the standard game. I'm most interested in the pros and cons versus the standard MTW campaign.

Come to my restaurant, where you're on the menu!

Cannibal

[KukriKhan]

I'll move this to the forum more likely to get you informed responses.

[Cannibal]

I'll move this to the forum more likely to get you informed responses.

I probably should have thought of that in the first place, d'oh!

Cannibal

[Aenlic]

I prefer just about any of the mods to the vanilla version of the game. A lot of great historical work has been done by the modders to create games which are more detailed and varied.

Blind King of Bohemia's BKB Super Mod has a lot of new factions, new buildings (stone masons etc.), new trade goods and new units, making it more challenging than the original game.

Viking Horde's XL mod has a new map with some new provinces, such as Scania on the south part of Sweden, and splitting Portugal into Algarve and Portucale, Cordoba into Cordoba and Murcia, Poland into greater and lesser, etc. Also many new units and a much different economic model, which decreases the reliance on sea trade which the AI doesn't handle well and increasing income from farm land which the AI can manage. The result is a much more challenging AI.

Wes Whitaker's MedMod (currently beta testing version 4) also has a new map with many changes, new factions and units. Perhaps the most intriguing part of MedMod is the huge change to the way factions build units. Factions have "homelands" which include their starting provinces plus other nearby provinces. That faction's troops can only be built in provinces that are in its homeland. So, for example, the English homelands are the British Isles and the west of France, plus Flanders. Thus with the proper buildings, the English can build their troops only in those provinces. If the English conquer far off Novogord, for instance, they can't build some buildings and begin creating longbowmen. This makes for a much more interesting strategic game. In addition, some special units are not so much faction specific as region specific. Steppe units like the steppe cavalry, can be built by more than one of the factions in that area, if they control the provinces which allow steppe units. The same for units like highland clansmen or gallowglaigh.

Cegorach's Pike and Musket mod takes place in the much later 15th-17th centuries and has many changes to the units as a result. It is also very absorbing and much mroe challenging than the original game.

The only other mod with which I'm somewhat familiar is the Italy mod by Fader_it. It takes place entirely in the area of Italy, with a completely new map for all of the various Italian factions. It's very different from the original game, being focused on a much smaller area.

There are many others in the works. Look in the Engineer's topic for the various mods. BKB is working on a newmod called Age of Warlords, there is a Middle Earth mod, a Fall of Rome mod, a Fury of the Northmen mod, Napoleonic era mod, a great mod about the Reconquista in the Iberian peninsula, and many more.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Blind King of Bohemia's BKB Super Mod has a lot of new factions, new buildings (stone masons etc.), new trade goods and new units, making it more challenging than the original game

My mod also includes three different maps for each period in case anyone is interested in downloading it.

[ColIndyJones1958]

Dear King:

This is Indy. I am most certainly interested in downloading your fantastic sounding mod, but I have a couple of questions.

1) Is this mod a zip or an .exe file? I seem to have a better time with .exe files.

2) For what version of MTW is this mod--MTWI or MTWII?

Live long and prosper, take care and thank you kindly!!!!

Sincerely yours always,

Indy.

[Cannibal]

Many thanks for your reply Aenlic.

I know there is a rich variety of mods available, but at this point I'm interested in staying in the period of the original game. I'm beginning to understand that there are principally three mods that I should look at: BKB, MedMod and XL-have I missed any?

I am particularly impressed with some of the changes that people are making to enable the AI to be a more interesting opponent. Clearly the mods make some very positive changes, but what are the drawbacks?

Cannibal

[Aenlic]

Sorry, BKB, I forgot to mention the new maps in your mod as well.

Cannibal, I can't really think of any substantial drawbacks to playing mods instead of the original. Some of the newer mods which might still be going through the final beta testing, might have occasional CTD glitches; but they're rare. I haven't had any CTD's in XL and BKB; and even in the beta of MMIV I no longer have CTDs. The modders have achieved amazing things while limited to only those parts of the game which aren't hard-coded.

I'm a big fan of all three mods you mentioned, BKB and XL and MMIV. They each have individual strengths and few, if any, weaknesses. I think it would be easier if you just tried them and decided which you like.

What I recommend is making yourself three copies of MTW:Viking Invasion (patched to 2.01) on your hardrive, by creating three new folders, named something like BKB, XL and MMIV. Then copy the patched MTW:VI folder Total War/Medieval Total War into each of them. Then rename your original MTW folder something like MTW instead of Total War (just in case you mess up and forget to change the default install path in the mod installations). Then download and try all three. Just remember to change the default path in the installer to the correct folder for the mod.

MMIV is currently in beta testing using just the Late era; but Wes should be finished soon and the complete mod with all three eras will be available. Meanwhile, you can check out an earlier version, which has the homelands economic and unit model but no new map, here:

download and install first: http://wes.apolyton.net/Medmod_IV_v3_Graphics.exe

download and install second: http://wes.apolyton.net/Medmod_IV_3.14.exe

and the main page which currently has the beta for version 4 on it is just: http://wes.apolyton.net You can check out the readme and unit files and stuff there as well.

Download BKB Super Mod here: http://www.mizus.com/Files/k0rgs8gVt...sion%202.0.exe

or here: http://www.3ddownloads.com/totalwar/...sion%202.0.exe

after installing it, download the patch here: http://tosainu.demon.nl/files/files/....1%20Patch.exe

And for XL you can down the long version with a correct map here: http://www.3ddownloads.com/strategy-...W_XL2_Full.exe

Or a shorter version without the new music files and a map which has the old province names, but still has the new provinces (which can be a bit confusing) here: http://www.3ddownloads.com/strategy-..._XL2_Light.exe

I believe that Viking Horde is finishing up a final update to XL. Also, BKB is working on his new mod Age of Warlords, which we are all eagerly awaiting, with a new map that includes parts of North America!

[cegorach]

Cegorach's Pike and Musket mod takes place in the much later 15th-17th centuries and has many changes to the units as a result. It is also very absorbing and much mroe challenging than the original game.

I am using WesW's homeland idea and more developed buildable mercenaries as well.

Relese 2.0 soon - more challenging, more units, much more new unit graphics etc.

[Cannibal]

Cegorach's Pike and Musket mod takes place in the much later 15th-17th centuries and has many changes to the units as a result. It is also very absorbing and much mroe challenging than the original game.

I am using WesW's homeland idea and more developed buildable mercenaries as well.

Relese 2.0 soon - more challenging, more units, much more new unit graphics etc.

Cegorach: thanks for letting me know, that might be the direction I head for later after trying out one (or maybe all three) of the mods for the original period of the game.

Viking Horde: I was asking about mods on CD because I didn't want to have to struggle with a huge download if I didn't have to. Having a small version of the XL Mod is a great idea, but I want to have the full version of the mod if I can possibly get it.

Cannibal