BC 1.5 preview

BC 1.5 preview is ready
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=225847

Cool, my favorite M2TW mod :2thumbsup:

BC 1.5 Preview


Introduction

BC 1.5 will be full standalone patch for MTW2 (non Kingdoms version of the game). NO previous version of the BC is needed.
BC 1.5 will work if you have Kingdom installed, however you must use the MTW executable to launch the game.
BC 1.5 is not save game compatible and it will require starting of the new campaign.

What’s new
BC 1.5 is the product or many months of development. The most obvious changes from the first release will be the new AOR system, newly reworked units by Strelac and YeluDashi, newly configured factions and recruitment system, various graphical contribution form community artist like Pacco, Bward and Leif_Erickson
In addition to visual upgrades, BC 1.5 features brand new unit balance system, economy, as well as the newly adjusted diplomatic system. BC 1.5 embraces various suggestions, complaints and new ideas, by BC players and Dev team, to offer more polished and improved game play. As always, we will continue to monitor our work, and listen to your recommendations and reports, with scope to shape the BC mod to meet expectations of large variety of BC player


Recruitment


Recruitment is in BC 1.5 broken into the Native Region recruitment tree and Auxiliary Regions recruitment tree.

Native Recruitment
Native recruitment starts and stop in the regions first settled by the factions. *Everything outside the native regions is considered AOR recruitment.
In BC 1.5 recruitment of native units will be still constrained to the building tree, however, the technology gap has been reduced to allow recruitment of the highest tier units already in level 3 of barracks, stables or missile range. As the development of the training building advances, availability of low level, untrained native units will diminish, leaving only the professional army recruitment toward mid to end of the campaign. The presence of high Class units (Elites) is minimized mainly by rate of occurrence in the training building, although, cost will also play a moderate factor in units selection.


AOR Recruitment


Fig 1: AOR Regions


BC 1.5 uses on auxiliary system to provide unit recruitment for each faction on non-native areas, or otherwise considered captured territory. The Auxiliary system allows for realistic recruitment of regionally characteristic units. The BC 1.5 Aux system is only a baseline for further work development which could be limitlessly expended.

The auxiliary territories are divided into 15 new regions (See Fig 1). Each region offer 3 classes of unit types: Levy – Professional – and *Nobles. In addition, KOJ and Muslim faction also feature mounted and dismounted units as part of the solely religious supporter group.



AOR Levy units
These can range from different types of inf and cav, commonly characterized as Class 1- 2 strength of units. These units are available to all faction regardless of faction’s territorial, religious or cultural background, and they simulate common men being turned into the fighting force either forcefully or voluntarily. They are recruited in castles or cities.


AOR Professionals.
These can range from different types of inf and cav, commonly characterized as Class 3-4 strength of units. These units are available to *all faction regardless of faction’s territorial, religious or cultural background, and they simulate trained local recruits, and available in castles only.


AOR Nobles
These units are represented as heavy cav, or cav archer of Class 4 of BC system of units.
Every occupier puts and emphasis in winning the support of local rulers. The AOR Nobles simulate the landlords of the region who are willing to join the occupying force from financial or other reasons. Nobles are recruited in predefined cities or castles, and they are not tied to the building tree development, which means that they are recruitable from the beginning of the game. *All factions can recruit nobles in any regions regardless of faction’s territorial, religious or cultural background.

*Exception: KOJ is the only faction excluded from recruiting some ‘Muslim’ nobles, or some Muslim based professional AOR units. This is aligned with strategy that KOJ must attract the native ‘supporters’ of the cause to join the recruitment ranks. For this purpose, KOJ is “allowed” some native recruitment outside its native territories.


AOR Religious supporters
These units are divided into Muslims or Christian heavy inf and heavy cav. A religious and logistical preconditions must be met in order to recruit these units.


Muslim Infantry Supporters
Inspired by local rules to aid the ruling sultan, in order to secure favorable place in the new regime for their rulers. These are able men, well armed and provided by their rulers.
Since there are highly skilled, it’s conceivable that they are of the local rules personal regiment, which makes them scarce. Their recruiting cost is low, and their primary income comes from pillaging captured cities and armies, which by Islamic rule they are entitled and obligated to do. In BC this will reflect on high upkeep costs. They travel with caravans, and pilgrims to the frontier cities to extend their help in fight against unbelievers.
Minimum preconditions for recruitment is city SilkRoad level 2

Muslim Jihad Cavalry - Askari Nobles
Warrior-Aristocrats of the greater Arab world, it is a greater bond than mere tribal or feudal blood which draws these expert soldiers to all corners of the Islamic World. The spirit of Jihad, the righteous defense of all lands held by those who obey the Holy Word of Allah, swells the hearts of noble birth and equally noble spirit. But no petty squabble of a selfish Sultan will stir these peers to the Latin's Knights, only the greatest of threats to the greatest of Dar Al-Islam's cities will spur the Askari to battle. Minimum preconditions for recruitment is city Jama.

Crusader Infantry- Crusader Sergeants
Destiny, desire, fate, the will of the Almighty, or mere circumstance has brought many from Latin Christendom to the shores of Asia. Though what drives them to the Holy Lands and those beyond vary, what unites these wayward children of the Latin West is the brotherhood brought on by war. Too poor to afford horse, too rich to be sequestered to that of skirmishing crossbowman, they assume the role of strong-armed spearmen. They are available only to KOJ. Minimum preconditions for recruitment is dockyard (Shipwright –C) and presence of catholic church (small chapel –C) in the region.

Crusader Cavalry - Norman Knights
As if bloodied kin borne from the same torn womb, the Normans and Turks shook the foundation of Christendom and the Dar Al-Islam respectively. Theirs would be a legacy which would forever change the nature of warfare for their respective communities, instituting a superiority of equestrian warriors not to be eclipsed for many centuries. With their ancestors of Northmen Vikings and Turkish Nomads emerging roughly simultaneously, these two maelstroms of North-West and North-East swept across the world of Islam and Christendom to contest for the throne of martial supremacy of the known world in the Near East. Their ranks consisting of Normans drawn from the full breathe of battlefield experience across Christendom and her frontiers, these knights represent the very best of their warrior class outside perhaps only the Religious Orders. Their arnaments are at the cutting edge of Latin Christendom.....It is with these spears which their task is realized, achieving the same vicious, unrelenting disciplined charge which brought the lands of Christ back into the fold of Christendom and shall see to it that the savior's feet touch down upon the soil of his disciples - not the sands of Muhammad.
Available to all Christian factions except Makuria. Minimum preconditions for recruitment is Council Chamber for all regions for KOJ. Other Christian factions are limited only to the “noble-cities” regions (see Fig 1)



BC System of Units


Changes from old system for unit balance.

Classes vs. Tiers
Classes are now used in the EDU to symbolize the overall “worth” of the unit in the battle. Tiers are used for building recruitment system, and often do not correspond to classes. For example, a unit can be Tier 1, which means that is recruitable from early stages of campaign, but it can be Class 2, based on its battle grade.
Classes directly impact: defense, attack points, moral, charge, range (for missiles)

Unit types and battle behavior
BC 1.5 separates various groups and subgroups of unit types based on their primary objectives. Stats are then assigned accordingly.


Code:

Heavy Cav
General – can be charger, HA or defensive cav
Chargers – excellent charge, excellent moral, excellent defense, excellent melee attack, if with bow then min missile count, and good missile accuracy.
HA – poor charge, good melee, excellent missile attack, good defense, retreats
Defensive cav – Excellent defense, poor charge, poor attack, good moral
Light Cav
Shock cav – good charge, good moral, poor defense.
Missile cav (HA/Jav) – retreats, poor charge, poor moral, good defense
Elephants
General unit – can be charger or missile unit
Chargers – heavy cav, good charge, excellent moral, good defense
Missile units – light cav, poor charge, poor moral, good defense
Heavy Inf
Spearmen – poor melee properties, good anti cav properties, excellent charge resistance
Melee – excellent melee, poor anti cav, excellent charge resistance
Missile Hybrids – good melee, good missiles, poor anti cav, good charge resistance
Missiles – poor melee, excellent missiles, poor anti cav, good charge resistance
Light Inf
Spearmen – poor melee, poor anticav, poor charge resistance
Melee – good melee, poor anticav, poor charge resistance
Missiles – good missiles, poor anticav, poor charge resistance


Each subgroup is solved separately in terms of battle performance. For example, the Heavy HA has some diminished stats properties compare to a standard Heavy Cav Charger unit, or in same case Heavy HA is shaped primarily as charger with minimum number of arrows. In the end, the tradeoff factor had to be established to prevent players to spam battle with “all purpose” units with no trade-off effect. The other example is heavy missile inf, these units are now characterized as primarily inf unit (less missiles and lower accuracy projectile then standard missile units of the same Class). Nevertheless, the advantage of so call hybrid cav or inf unit is still maintained, but with balanced benefits from both category..

Defenses
Defenses in BC 1.5 are primarily designed around units ability to withstand cav charge. Defense is now product of unit Class, shield size, armor, and defensive property. These inputs resolve to total defense value. The function used is as following:
If total defense >= 25 then unit has excellent defense against cav charge
If total defense is smaller then 25, the units ability to withstand charge is degraded with every point drop in total defense. Anything below total defense 20 is considered poor charge resistance.

Missiles
Missile system is now based on the accuracy of the projectiles. There is 4 classes of projectiles based on accuracy settings and type of weapon


Code:
Levy - for untrained archer units
Medium - for trained archer units
High - for trained professional units
Ultra High - For trained professional based of faction selection.
Attack points are the same for med - ultrahigh.Different flight profiles exist for HA, Longbows, Composite, HA and Xbows, to make visual distinguishing of different projectile weapons based on realistic expectations. The accuracy concept applies for all types of projectile, with different values based on primary and secondary purpose of the unit. For example, HA get less accurate arrows but more projectiles, while Xbow gets better accuracy with less projectiles. So if you compare tier 3 HA vs tier 3 XBOW, the kill potential is the same because HA, can in many instances use the ability of cav against targets.

Unit Cost
Unit cost is now directly derived based on unit type, Class, weapon type, number of man in the formation, and cost of animal if mounted. This formula is applied universally across all units. What this mean that economical impact on unit recruitment is now centered only on the player, while AI economic balance is offset with regularly added income. This method also eliminates the inconsistency from units of the same Class but different factions costing differently, which ultimately made it difficult to balance the faction economical system. You will get what you pay for in terms of skill and overall battle qualities regardless of what faction is played.
Auxiliary units may have different costing values, while mercenary cost has been increased from pervious release.

Nice!!!

Is there an ETA?

End of April
Big preview
(Solanki Rajputs)

https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/sol6.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/sol5.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/sol4.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/sol7.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/sol3.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/sol2.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/sol1.png

Mongols
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...hoto/khan3.jpg
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...photo/flag.jpg
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...to/heavy34.jpg
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...mongolmed5.jpg
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...golmed16-1.jpg
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...ongolmed12.jpg
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...mongolmed6.jpg
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...to/title-1.jpg
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...golmed10-1.jpg
https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...mongolmed7.jpg

https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...equa/mong1.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...equa/mong2.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...equa/mong3.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...equa/mong4.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...equa/mong5.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...equa/mong6.png


AOR Nobles
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...urequa/arm.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...qua/steppe.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...qua/transc.png

African Auxilia
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/koj3.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/Aor3.png

Religious Supporter - Infantry
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...urequa/RM2.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...urequa/RC2.png


Religious Supporters Cavalry
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...urequa/RC1.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...urequa/RM1.png

Hospitaller Order
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/Koj2.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/koj3.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/Koj6.png

Templar Order
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/KOj9.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...qua/koj1-1.png


*contribution by B.Ward

Some other new and old previews:
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/koj5.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/Aor1.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/Aor2.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/koj4.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...requa/Koj8.png
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...ua/pose2-1.jpg
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...qua/pose-2.jpg
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...ish_swords.jpg
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...ilitia_all.jpg
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...ia_archers.jpg
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/...urequa/a_1.jpg
https://i161.photobucket.com/albums/.../elarcher1.jpg

BC 1.5 Credits
Ahiga – Research Material and Unit Description
GrandViZ – AI, Diplomacy, Economy Model, Unit Costs, EDB Generation, Release Support
Yellu Dashi – Mongol Units Models and Textures, Strategy Map Officers
Miraj – Scripting, Campaign Map, Character Stats
Kinniken – Tooling Support for EDU / EDB Generation
Strelac – AOR / Recruitment System, Unit Stats, New Unit Models and Textures, Project Management
Contributions by:
Bward – New Muslim Battle and Map Officers, Banner Templates
Pacco – Large Kite and Teardrop ERE Shield Textures
Leif_Ericson – Round ERE Shield Textures

Parte II
Some more pictures of the new units :2thumbsup:

I can't get over how sexy the 1.5 is going to be.

Thanks Kepper for posting this.

@Fuzz, when are you getting back form exile :P

Hey Strelac!

June 1 is when they set me free :P

Oh dear thats a long ban...did you stole someones toy at TWC :D

I was framed, I swear! :P

Thanks for all the work though, it's definitely appreciated..extend my regards to the rest of the BC team!

NP, we ll do our best to release the mod very soon.

The infidel who calls him self Miraj and who still continues to offend us with his presence will be brought to justice, and stoned to death by old women and children. Great party will then take place. Of course no alcohol, except as accelerator to burn the infidels body after the stoning. :campfire:
Just then, he may be reborn again.:beam:

Originally Posted by GrandViZ
Just as a reminder. BC 1.5 will feature a completely reworked recruitment and economy model, that is dramatically different from the original release version.

Here some key features:

Recruitment and upkeep costs for all factions are generated based on a common ruleset, that takes nearly all unit stats into account. Thus, BC 1.5's recruitment system will be far more realistic and balanced compared to previous versions.

As a result the recruitment and upkeep costs will reflect the combat efficiency of an army far better than before. You will also notice, that quality has its price!

Second, recruitment rules no longer punish factions that have a small unit roster. In BC 1.0 the faction with the biggest unit roster had automatically a higher manpower, because of the fact, that refresh rates for units were defined separately for each unit.

With BC 1.5 we will introduce a new system, that takes into account the number of units available to a faction at each building level, and sets the refresh rates accordingly. Thus, settlements of equal size will also provide equal manpower regardless of the number of units available.

BC 1.5 will by release in 4 to 6 weeks :sweatdrop:

Latest progress update
---------------------------------------------


In progress

Code:

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Finalizing Building recruitment
Re-balancing of economic stand
Finishing final unit descriptions
Final testing
Update team credits
Update release preview

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Completed

Code:

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New Units
concept DONE
skins DONE
models DONE
unit installation DONE
cards DONE
description text IN PROCESS
Fixing "silver units" -missing skins DONE
New native unit recruitment system
concept DONE
coding DONE
testing:DONE
New AOR recruitment system
concept DONE
Graphical Update
Banners for Solanki DONE
Mongol Banners - DONE

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Cant wait!

This looks very fine indeed.

A computer meltdown wiped out my last install of BC1, so is the estimate of 4-6 weeks from end april realistic or should I entertain myself with the old build meantime?