Lands to Conquer 4.0 - Preview 2: Early Era Campaign

Lands to Conquer 4.0 - Preview 2

As mention in the last preview, Lands to Conquer 4.0 will replace the Grand Campaign with 3 campaigns set on the map that start in different eras immitating the system used in the original Medieval Total War.

The 3 custom campaigns present in 3.0(Hundred Years War, Italian City States, Reconquista), as well as the 3 new era campaigns will all be selectable from 1 easy list that will be accessed from the Campaigns button in the single player menu that replaces the Grand Campaign, Norman Prologue and Custom Campaigns buttons.

Art

Now before we get into a preview of the actual campaign, i thought i would take the chance to say i've used the new campaigns that will be in 4.0 as an excuse to redo the faction selection maps, victory condition maps, radar maps and faction unit pics in faction selection screen(replaced with faction flags) so as to provide a unified art style in 4.0. This will hopefully solve the problem of the art for the Custom Campaigns and Grand Campaigns not really matching in 3.0/3.1.

Early Era Campaign

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The Early Era camaign begins in 1080. As you can see from the above the starting positions for most factions have changed. They are now more in line with the starting positions that were in the original Medieval Total War, with some adjustments for gameplay. Some factions also start out at war, and the overall gameplay of the campaign should be much better.

Byzantium

https://img130.imageshack.us/img130/...tiumiy1.th.jpghttps://img73.imageshack.us/img73/60...ium2el2.th.jpg

Probably the faction with the most changes from Medieval II Total War. The Byzantines in the Early Era have a large empire, but not many troops so the outer provinces are vulnerable to attack. It is also already at war with Sicily and the Turks so it will have to deal with early attacks from both. It's territory in Italy are particularly vulnerable.

Denmark

https://img225.imageshack.us/img225/...markxz4.th.jpghttps://img225.imageshack.us/img225/...ark2ys9.th.jpg

Has the same starting position as before. Whereas in Medieval II Total War there were rebels cities to the South those are now held by the HRE, so expansion into Scandinavia is the most promising for Denmark, and also possibly into the Baltic regions.

Egypt

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Egypt in the Early Era holds both Egypt And Acre and Jerusalem. This leaves them the obvious target for Crusades launched by the Pope, but if fighting does become focused on those areas, Egypt could take advantage of this and expand into Baghdad and the north of the Holy Land.

England

https://img62.imageshack.us/img62/56...landni6.th.jpghttps://img62.imageshack.us/img62/87...and2we5.th.jpg

England begins with all of England and substantial territories in France. Whilst this makes them strong, it also means it will not be long before both Scotland and France come into conflict with them. England could also move into Wales and Ireland and secure the entire British Isles.

France

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France is a country split in half by Englands territories on the main land. There are also the provinces of Burgundy and Champagne that all that lie between France the HRE. France is likely to come into conflict with both the HRE and England before reclaiming all French lands.

Holy Roman Empire

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The Holy Roman Empire is huge, starting with many more provinces than it did in Medieval II Total War. Some of these however are isolated, and being so big means that other nations may decide to claim some it's lands for themselves. Surrounded by France, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Venice and Milan the HRE is bound to come into conflict with at least one of those nations. And possibly more if the Pope continues to view the HRE badly.

Hungary

https://img229.imageshack.us/img229/...garyld2.th.jpghttps://img229.imageshack.us/img229/...ary2nd8.th.jpg

Hungary starts out with a strong position. The rest of the Balkans are open for it to conquer, but it must be wary of the HRE and Poland to it's rear whilst it does so. Venice also has a quite open desire for parts of the Adriatic coast. and beyond the Balkans lies the Byzantine Empire.

Milan

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Milan starts out with Ajaccio in addition to the provinces it held in Medieval II Total War. But it no longer has easy territories to expand into nearby, instead it has several factions on it's borders who view it's rich provinces with greedy eyes. It is inevitable that war will come to North Italy at some point.

Moors

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The Moors begin with large provinces in North Africa, and Cordoba and Granade on the Iberian Paeninsula. With the Reconquista underway, the Moors will have to deal with both Spain and Portugal if it is to hold onto it's capital. They must also be wary of other factions attacking it's spread out north African settlements.

Poland

https://img233.imageshack.us/img233/...landpd6.th.jpghttps://img146.imageshack.us/img146/...and2vy2.th.jpg

Poland is in a relatively secure position, with only the HRE and Hungary bordering it. It also has the Baltic regions and the Russian steppes to expand into, but may come into conflict with Russia and possibly Denmark. and Poland should never let it's guard down against the HRE or Hungary.

Portugal

https://img233.imageshack.us/img233/...ugalsq0.th.jpghttps://img146.imageshack.us/img146/...gal2ah1.th.jpg

Portugal is a small nation surrounded by the lands of the Moors and Spanish. With the Reconquista on-going, the lands of the Moors are ripe targets for them, but with Christian Spain also nearby, the Portugese may need to take to the sea to find new lands. Though a war with Spain may end up becoming inevitable.

Russia.

https://img337.imageshack.us/img337/...ssiafj2.th.jpghttps://img337.imageshack.us/img337/...sia2vq5.th.jpg

Russia starts out small, but can easily expand into the nearby regions of Moscow, Smolensk and other steppe regions. The Baltic provinces are also not far away, as well as the traditional Rus capital of Kiev. Russia should not be troubled by other nations for a while, but the Steppe settlements are spread out and not as rich as those of the rrest of Europe. The Russians may end up setting their sites for more profitable lands.

Scotland

https://img337.imageshack.us/img337/...landam3.th.jpghttps://img337.imageshack.us/img337/...and2ko2.th.jpg

Scotland is isolated on the British Isles. To the South is England, and only Ireland to the South West provides an immediate chance for expansion. War with England will be Scotlands main chance for expansion, and an alliance with France who similarly distrust the English court will help give them mainland support.

Sicily

https://img474.imageshack.us/img474/...cilycu2.th.jpghttps://img405.imageshack.us/img405/...ily2ag1.th.jpg

Sicily is an Island Kingdom. England was not the only land to be invaded by the Normans, and the Sicilian Normans are not finished with their conquests yet. They have their eye set on Southern Italy under the weak control of the Byzantines. Across the mediterranean the Moors North African settlements are spread and could be easily taken.

Spain

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Spain is on the path of the Reconquista to force the Muslims out of Iberia. But The Spanish King lays claim to the entire Paeninsula which means the other Kingdoms and provinces are all likely targets for it.

Turks

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It is not long since the Byzantines were defeated at Manzikert. With the defeat of the main Byzantine Empire, the Turks have left the rest up for grabs. But the rest of the Empire should never be underestimated. To the South the Turks have their eyes on the Holy Lands, though this will bring them into the conflict with the Egyptians and any Christian nation that goes Crusading to relieve Jerusalem.

Venice

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Venice holds a large part of Northern Italy. The Alps help provide defence against the HRE to the North, but nothing stands between Venice and Milan. But Venice's ambitions are not confined to Italy, Venice covets the Adriatic coast as well that is held by Hungary. Venice also is always in search of money, and what greater city for money is there than Constantinople?

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Along with each Era Campaign preview will be pictures showing the updated artwork for the custom campaigns. This time i will show:

The Hundred Years War

https://img49.imageshack.us/img49/39/mapfeiu9.th.jpghttps://img220.imageshack.us/img220/...landrm7.th.jpghttps://img220.imageshack.us/img220/...and2pr3.th.jpghttps://img404.imageshack.us/img404/...ancelu2.th.jpg
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That's all for this preview, i hope you have enjoyed it.