The Hyborian Age - Total War

Looks great, keep it coming. :yes:

Just a quick post to say everything's still going.

Right now, the skins for Aquilonia, Nemedia, Hyperborea, Brythunia and Cimmeria are pretty much complete. The Picts, Asgard and Vanaheim have some complete and a few placeholders till I can figure out Milkshape (it's a horrible, horrible program). I have done some work on Ophir, but frankly I'm finding it difficult to realise them due to a great lack of info on them. Currently I'm basing them on a mix of the Italian states and the Latin Empire of Constantinople, purely based on speculation from their soldiers and what little is known of them. Since it shares a name with a mythical kingdom in the Bible they'll have some Shemitish elements, no doubt from the proximity to Koth.

I'm also torn as to the inclusion of a particular fantasy unit: Mastodons. Mastodons would have been around in the Hyborian Age on the Nameless Continent which would become America, and Conan himself mentions them. I had long toyed with the idea of giving some of the factions Mastodon units, since their lower intelligence would make them much more docile and suitable mounts than temperamental and intelligent elephants. I'm going to work with the presumption that the "Mastodons" were a synonym for Mammoths, which existed all over Europe/Hyboria. The factions I think are most eligible for Mastodons are:

The Picts. The Picts originally migrated from the Isles of Sunset, which were formed from the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, and so could feasibly have taken some Mastodons with them.
The Hyrkanians. These seem the best fit to me, since it offers a reason for Conan to know what a Mastodon was (Red Nails) without conflicting with the fact he didn't know what an elephant was early on in his life (Tower of the Elephant.) Conan went about the Vilayet, and could have encountered Mastodons or tales of them there. This could also allow them to be recruited by Vendhya and Turan.
The Hyperboreans. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to this apart from the fact that Hyperborea appears to be very cold, and animals adapted to the cold climate would probably be very useful as labourers and war mounts. Unfortunately, this might conflict with the fact that Conan didn't know what an elephant was by Tower of the Elephant, after he was captured by Hyperboreans.

If included, Mastodons will not replace Elephants, who will be recruited by Pelishtia, Koth, Stygia and Vendhya. In addition, elephants will be one of the few mercenaries who have a unique skin for each faction, allowing elephants recruited by e.g. Aquilonia to be kit out in black and gold, and Nemedia in scarlet and gold. These units will reflect those more professional mercenaries who offer their service, as opposed to random adventuring knights and spearmen, and also as regional recruits when a nation conquers the territory they can be found in. Other units with this feature will include the Bossonian Archers, Gunderland Pikemen, Asshuri, Desert Archers, Tribal Warbands and Barbarian Warriors.

I also have some nice concept art of some of the more radical units I hope to include, so watch this space!

Great concept, great skins, great mod. I'll love play it.
Do you need help playtesting? :yes:

Playtesting is a ways off, but I'm sure I'll need a few enthusiastic lads to make sure I don't make a pig's ear out of it.

Great news - The Hyborian Age now has an official forum! I'll be working on making some proper faction previews, so all later previews can be found there.

Execllent progress Taranaich!

Keep it going :yes:

You most probably have these sites already as references, but some other
people may be interested, so here are some more sites.

http://howardworks.com/linklist.htm

http://www.barbariankeep.com/

http://howardworks.com/howard.htm

http://www.eidosinteractive.com/game....html?gmid=170

http://comics.ign.com/articles/728/728821p1.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Conan-Ultima.../dp/1405316438

or: http://tinyurl.com/2az59u

http://community.ageofconan.com/wsp/conan/frontend.cgi?

func=publish.show&template=content&func_id=1667&sort=PRIORITY&table=CONTENT

or: http://tinyurl.com/26zsb9

http://www.amrathelion.com/

http://www.amrathelion.com/conan_rev...orian_war.html

http://www.terrablood.com/hw.htm
Lots of maps.

http://www.reality.com/

http://www.terrablood.com/hw/hype.gif

http://hyboria.xoth.net/
Great site, and you have it already but some other people may be interested.

You have done some terrific work already!!! Grrreeeaatttt!!! (per Tony the Tiger and Frosted Flakes cereal etc., you have to see the commercials and be from Detroit and have an understanding of the Detroit Tigers Baseball Club, must have some humor.)

Chris