Greetings fans of Europa Barbarorum!
The long-awaited release of 2.3 is near at hand. We're doing final tests (all sorts of little things worm their way out when you compile a final version...) and should be done soon. We will not give a firm date as to when we'll be ready, because we don't know yet. Only that it's soon.
In the meantime, we'd like to share some things to get you ready. We'll add more to this post as we have it to share.
First up: The Player's Guide to Europa Barbarorum II
Download
Download Mirror
This is the brainchild of Mantaprey/Chap (they're the same person!), who you might remember put those hugely informative threads on government and colony buildings together a while back. He's taken those original ideas, revamped them with some new graphics and added sections on a host of other topics. It also includes installation instructions, which will spare us the need to do that on the fora. It will be included with 2.3, but you're getting to see it early here.
Secondly, we have a preview video (thanks to xHolyCrusader).
Third up: the changelog
v2.3 Change Log
Section I - Faction Specific:
Iberians (Arevaci-Leusitane):
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- New Iberian strat map music (from Angel Roman Ramirez)
- New 8 level Arevaci Gov structure with description and icons
- New 5 level Arevaci colony buildings with description and icons
- Revised portrait pack for Iberia/Getai (no longer the same as the Celts)
- New Arevaci Family tree
- Adds Iberian Trompas sounds
- Adds text & icons for 2 new Iberian Uniques (Sauna & Ulaca)
- Adds new Iberian Sea Trade unique (text & icons)
- Adds 3 new Iberian/Celtic uniques and has text and icon updates for 2 others
- Revised Iberian temple triggers
- New Iberian ethnicities
- Adds Arevaci & Leusitane FH and FL traits
- Adds a host of new traits: Iberian Chieftain, CeltiberianFame, DeadFriend, Religious/military chief, Hand, Bindis, Ueizos, CeltiberianMerc, SettledMerc, Migrant noble, Pact, Caelia, Disgrace, Youth Assembly, Iberian Rites, Celtiberian Values, Emporion trader, Cantabrian, Senator, Celtiberian Youth/Elder, and many more
- Adds Client, Devoti, Celtiberian_Horn, Wisewoman, Celtiberian Horse, 2 Offices (faction symbol) ancillaries
- New "resistance to alternative urbanisation" script for Arevaci
- New "Raids in Turdetania" script for Arevaci
- New Arevaci mercenary event
- Reworks the scripts for the Arevaci Revolts
- Revised Leusitane gov icons (featuring the new faction icon)
- New Leusitane faction symbols & banners
- Updated Leusitane intro movie with new logo
- Fixed erroneous animation for Celtiberian officer
- Mounted standard bearers for Arevaci and Leusitane
Getai:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- New Getai family tree
- Adds three biography traits for starting Getai FM's
- Updated trait descriptions for Getai FL and FH
- Getai can now convert nomadic camps
- A series of starting events for Getai, including Skythai raids in Histrie
- A host of Getai specific traits/ancillaries, trait fixes, & tweaks
Kelts (Aedui, Arverni, Pritanoi, Boii):
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- Portrait improvements (Celts age correctly)
- New Pritanoi reform movie
- 36 new celtic ancillaries
- Revised Keltic ludus magnus icon
- Celtic faction ethnicity tweaks and new Skordiskoi ethnicity
- 8 new icons for Celt govs/colonies
- Adds Akuitanon, Aruernselua, Nikron, & Etunorikoi Province description
- Adds Aedui Uergobretos and Aruernoi Uergorix governments
- New Boii colonies (text and icons)
- Oppidum settlement fixed/reworked
- New FL and FH trait-names for Continental Celts
- Adds FL and FH traits for Boii, Aedui, Arverni, & Pritanoi (the latter replaces old Casse entries)
- A mercenary-hiring event for the three Celtic factions when they hold certain cities known as major recruitment centres
- A host of Celtic traits such as Druid, Education, BattleMad, etc
- Added a mounted standard bearer to cavalry units
Germanics (Sweboz/Lugia):
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- New proto-germanic voice mod (not adapted from EB1) featuring Battlemap, Campaign map, and unit voices
- Sweboz tooltips updated to match new PGIE language mod
- Adds Sweboz FL and FH traits
- Moved Germanic reforms to around 100 BC
- Restricts building of Sweboz core units to their core area
Rome:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- New Romani faction intro movie
- New Marian reform movie
- Unit voice update for Marian Roman units
- New icons & text for Roman provincial colony
- New Camillan Hastati model and textures
- Activates campaign map voices for Roman agents
- Renamed Kalabria and Apulia, moved Arpi to become Luceria, altered infrastructure and population
- New Roman titles
- Changes to several Roman temple-types (assigning different gods)
- VC Rome "guided tour" (starts from "Missions" button)
- Adds "Cursus Honorum" pop-up and also appends the text to the Mons Capitoline unique description
- Roman city/large city reworked
- Adds biographies for all Roman FMs
- Altered Romani Family Tree to include P. Claudius Pulcher and Q. Fabius Maximus
- Added triggers to remove the Legatus trait when FMs leave provinciae
- Fixed Roman "censor" trait and adjusted naming probabilities to ensure a more even distribution of gentes and cognomina
- Rome starts with no fleets available to recruit, and war-torn Etruria is depleted of units
- Civitas Libera and Provinciae governments and Roman Trade Colonies now properly restricted to outside of Italy (and won't appear multiple times)
- Ligurian resistance script for the player only
- Revised recruitment for South/Central Italy
- Updated placeholder model for Roman bodyguards - no more unarmoured horsemen
- Added new "decurion" officer models to Equites and mounted standard bearers
Carthage/Numidia:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- Adds 5 new Carthage ancillaries and changes those they start with
- New Towered elephants now a post-reform unit for Carthage/Numidia
- 7 new Carthage Portraits
- Adds 40+ new Punic voice files and activates campaign map voices for Punic agents
- Carthage no longer owns Likash
- Numidians switched to rel_b (Steppe nomad instead of Arid nomad), and switch to rel_g with their reform
- Adds the Atiqa, Korsim & Sardin Province descriptions
- Adds Hanno & Hamalcar post-coming-of-age biographies and traits
- Updates Carthaginian and Numidian unit names
- Improved Barcid/Anti-barcid trait triggers
- Updates to Carthaginian colony system
- Carthage has a number of missions concerning defense of historical "allied" Rebels
- Carthage suffers nomadic raids if they are not allied to Numidia
- Carthage can now convert nomadic camps
- New governing and mercenary traits for Numidia
- Numidia can now use Carthaginian settler's colonies (in Africa only)
- New mercenary hiring script for Numidia when in possession of Kirtan and Sigan.
Saba/Nabatea:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- Fixes the Nabatu Imperial reform - a monitor sequencing error prevented it from firing
- Adds the Southern Arabian alliance script
- Adds Spata's Portrait Pack (all new for Saba & Nabatea)
- Add short province descriptions for Hadramawt & Hawran
- Updated unit names for Nabataean units and Arabian regionals
- Tweaks to emphasize the importance of the Marib dam
East Greeks (Seleukids, Ptolemaioi, Baktria, Bosporans):
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- New strat map voices for East Greek agents
- Complete overhaul of starting Bosporan family tree (plus biographies)
- New mission for Ptolemaioi
- 4 New Seleukid priest ancillaries
- Ptolemaioi now allied to Nabatu (eliminates the opening war)
- Complete reworking of the structure of Seleukid/Baktrian governments: Royal Administration is the jumping-off point for most governments, Laarchia can be upgraded into Hellenic governments.
- New Nomadic Raids events for Seleukids
- 3 New priest ancillaries for Bosporans
- New Bosporan Bodyguards
- Adds Machimoi Hippeis, Toxotai and Akontistai
- Adds Baktrioi Hoplitai
- Adds Ptolemaioi King in/not in Alexandreia trait (part of an entire system of spiraling unrest for the Egyptian player who isn't careful with Thebais)
- Adds new Ptolemaic Games unique in Alexandria
- Changed culture mix in Egypt to Arid Nomadism (Libyan/Berber), Eastern Tribal (native Egyptian) and Hellenistic
- Ammon now a (convertible) camp
- Updated FL and FH traits for Baktria
- New Bosporan early events concerning trade opportunities and a pretender to the diadem
- Script to break AIBaktria-AISeleukid Alliance under certain circumstances
West Greeks (Makedonia, Koinon Hellenon, Epeiros, Pergamon):
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- Completely revised starting positions, new scripts, opening messages, force structures, and game play to reflect the historical situation in Greece, primarily affecting Makedonia, Epeiros, & KH
- Adds detailed requirements to the Spartan Agoge message
- Adds biographies for two Epirote starting characters
- Adds several missing Makedonian biographies
- Complete reworking of KH family tree
- Updated Pergamon family tree
- New Epirote faction description
- New Makedonia faction description
- Unit voice update for many Greek units & engines
- Ancillary updates for all Hellenic priests
- Reworked Koinon Reform script
- Activates campaign map voices for West Greek agents
- Sets all 4 West Greek factions to use the West Greek Accent voice files
- Moved Ambrakia port to the promontory of the gulf
- New Hellenic Stasis (Civic Strife) unique
- New Hellenic Autonomy unique in 9 Greek cities
- Adds new Athenaion Syrakouson unique
- 5 new hellenic ancillary portraits
- Updated FL and FH traits for Pergamon and Epeiros
- Switched temple types for Athena/Poseidon (KH) and Sarapis/Hermes (Epeiros)
- Adds several missing Epirote Biographies
- War weariness depletes starting recruitment pools in Pergamon, Pella, Demetrias and reduces some units in Sparte
- Pergamon starts with a much larger treasury than before
- New reform and government structure, plus "Galatian Shakedown" event for Pergamon
- New kingship reform for Makedonia and a host of events relating to securing the kingdom
- Winter mercenary hiring event for KH if they own Knossos and/or Thermon - trade recruitment potential for money
- New early events for Epeiros including Illyrian raids on Ambrakia
- New early events "building the Koinon" for KH which culminates in an alliance with Ptolemaioi
- Makedonia and Epeiros cannot be at peace until one of either Pyrrhos or Gonatas are dead
- Taking Athenai and/or Thermon will cause war between Epeiros and Makedonia
Eastern (Pontos, Pahlava, Hayasdan):
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- Adds Pahlava Voice Mod for Parthia & Armenia (Battlemap, Campaign map, and many unit voices)
- Adds Spata's Eastern Portrait Pack (new FMs/Generals, Diplomats & Rogues for Pahlava, Armenia, and Pontos)
- Updated Pontic biographies
- Update of Armenian names
- Adds Fire Temples (text & icons)
- Adds a custom Eventpic for Pahlava Reform
- Grammar and typo edits for Pahlav Gov, Industry, Game Field, Mines, Farms, Caravan & School buildings
- Grammar edits for all Parthian biographies, units, and ethnicities
- Revised Hayasdan FL and FH display and traits
- New early events for Pahlava
Taksashila:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- Revised rovers/garrisons in India
- Added Saurashtra Province description
- Mesoamerican city models re-enabled for Taksashila
- Adds descriptions for Jain Temples & Game Field
- New bodyguard unit for the faction - elephants removed and replaced with infantry (dismounted charioteers)
Steppe (Saka/Sauromatae):
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- New "early support" for the Saka player, with rewards for conquest
- New early events for Sauromatae
- Adds two new pieces of steppe music from chur
- 63 new steppe ancillaries
- Adding the new Sauromatian Retinue standard bearer
- Sauromatae Toggin traits and ancillaries
- Adds many new Sauromatae traits
- New bodyguard unit for Saka (cataphract-based)
- Adds new Skulatai Kantata uniques for Sauromatae
- Adds Saka leadership traits
- Fixed Sarmatian Bal traits and triggers
- Adds the new "Gold Route" unique to 10 Steppe Nomad settlements
Section II - Game Play & Miscellaneous:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- New "Player Guide" with over 100 pages covering everything from installation to faction reforms
- Extensive revisions for BAI and CAI, including a "war weariness" mechanic which switches AI behaviour between two potential states - diplomacy (peace-seeking) or warlike (standard TW aggressive)
- 1000+ changes to unit recruitment locations and pools, including including several new "crossover" regions, plugging the "post-Marian gap" in Italy, reduction in overall size and proportion of cavalry in polis pools, removal of doubled Greek recruitment for Hellenistic factions in Hellas, and regionalisation of all government and colony pools
- A working finance script now in place. The AI no longer gets +5000 mnai whenever their debts are levelled, along with something that takes money away if they're stockpiling cash, and a bonus in spring
- Faction Re-emergence added and extensively tweaked
- Selective Garrison Script added for factional capitals and a handful of "Rebel capitals" - half a garrison of levy-grade units spawned for the AI when they're besieged
- Rebel hotspots made harder to hold with a "Troublesome Regions" script, which keeps resistance spawning
- "Failsafes" for date-based reforms, should the script be interrupted. This means they'll trigger a few turns later if for some reason they didn't the first time
- New "war triggers" script which causes war when certain Rebel provinces are threatened by specific factions
- Adds AI "opening moves" - starting actions consistent with the historical goals of those factions in 272 BC
- Implements "Pastoral Settlement" system which combines Camp & City elements into a new structure that restricts certain city-type buildings while enabling camp-type buildings (deployed in provinces that had city-type growth but maintained a strong pastoral element
- New Province descriptions for Illyria, Elymais, Histria
- Adds 27 Strabo/Periplus-based province descriptions
- New province descriptions for 4 regions in the Balkans
- Reduced assassin cap to 2, and diplomat cap to 3 and spy cap to 5
- Updates faction selection screen maps for Boii, Carthage, Makedonia & Epeiros
- Adjusts the farming maluses for a range of buildings to be more consistent
- Greater variety of starting ancillaries for many factions, in particular Lugia (they had none), Aedui, Arverni, Getai, Pontos, Hayasdan, Leusitane, Saka, Bosporans, & KH
- Update to major/minor city unrest - guaranteed the first time, 25% chance of occurring on every subsequent attempt
- Adds descriptive text for the hidden Trade Level bonus
- Adds text for hidden Construction Time reduction bonuses
- Adds text for hidden Trade Goods quantity bonus
- Reduced unrest from major/minor city script to 25%/10%
- Created 8 groups, each with 3 similar, mutually exclusive ancillaries
- Revised unit cards for "swordsman" units so they are depicted with swords instead of spears
- Changed orientation of client/BG cards & adds several new cards to replace duplicates
- Adds several new unit cards (elephants/lithobolos)
- Added strategy sections for all Uniques
- New nomadic enclaves building to represent movement of nomadic groups into unused pastoral lands (text & icons)
- Updated descriptions for second and third tier of eastcol
- Removed italics from all text files
- Rebels recruit light fleets instead of pirate fleets
- Jewish Garrisons now only work for the faction who actually controls Ioudaia or Babylonia
- Portrait improvements (new Pritanoi & Iberian campaign leaders, updated Captain portraits)
- Adds impassable forest to restrict tran-Caucasus travel to the Caspian side
- New and revised grass textures
- Rhodos earthquake event (with graphics)
- New Tributary State pre-req for Allied gov (with all-new icons)
- Adjusts map (changed climate and tiletypes in Zagros region)
- Adjusts map (shifted Brenner Pass to the east) & closed several smaller Alpine passes
- Albabagenna moved to the other side of the Alps
- Removes most land bridges: Gibraltar, Aegean, the one in Scandinavia, & the Bosporos land bridge (between Byzantion and Naissos)
- Activates 90+ Gallic/Greek/Roman/Punic voice files by adding text file links
- Activates 100+ Gallic & Greek voice files by changing previous links to (english) M2TW files (Celebrate, Charge, Confirm, & Retreat)
- Trait update to tweak warmonger/supervisor/lenient/brutal triggers, along with a host of other antagonistic pairings of traits
- Adds 4 new traits: Calm/Jealous and Duty/Distracted
- Adds Obese trait and triggers
- Adds fertility/infertility triggers and traits
- Adds GoodMiner/BadMiner triggers and traits
- "Races" frequency is now cost of associated festivities
- Adds the "Genius General" ancillary
- Revised Camp Port economics and icons (now completely different from City ports)
- Changes Farm level sequence to Farm5-->Reform1-->Farm6-->Reform2-->Farm7 (where Reforms are optional and can each be upgraded)
- New devastation/raiding script
- Adds 22 new YIH events (now reaches 200 BC and the end of the 2nd Punic War)
- Adds Horde Stipend and revised horde settings
- Cannabis plant added
- Various tree models added/fixed
- Restored "Hanging Gardens" visible wonder as "Ziggurat of Marduk" (text and pix revised accordingly)
- Adds a different "Asp-Assassin" video for East/Semitic cultures
- Adds a host of northern and central european "strategy" recommendations into the associated province buildings
- Adds free upkeep to steppe precursor governments
- Forced Diplomacy and perfect_spy are moved to the campaign_script, so no longer need activating with "show me how". Just click on the "?" button to achieve the same effect
- Script optimisation - large-scale consolidation in the number of monitors, and all now have termination conditions (over 200 monitors removed)
- Revision of fleet recruitment, only a few specific centres now able to raise "heavy" fleets.
- Ability to hire defeated hoplites and phalangites as mercenaries for settled factions
- Rebel govs get more "free upkeep" slots
- Rebels cannot hire mercs
- Tweaks to EBII.cfg to add settings recommendations (for log files, windowed mode, & autosave)
- Script to periodically add elephant and chariot units to AI factions which historically recruited them (but don't)
- New "Reactive Rovers" script which moves several starting Rover stacks into a script which spawns them when their region is under threat (prevents "wandering")
- Complete rework of Illyrian/Thrikian recruitment
- Removes a large number of unused M2TW animations and sound files
Section III - New & Revised Units (and Models/Textures/Animations):
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:- 100's of changes to unit cost and stats
- Rebalance of cavalry to be less capable in melee, culture-based defensive skill and reduction in morale. AP removed from lances
- Integrates Paltmull's recoloured KH general for all Hellenistic factions
- Adds early and late Southern Arabian Tribal Highlanders
- Adds early and late Arabian Lowlanders
- New African forest elephant models and textures
- Adds Machimoi Hippeis, Toxotai and Akontistai
- Adds Belgic Swordsmen (Lagenas Kontegi)
- Adds Belgic Spearmen (Onnogaisoi)
- Adds Maiotian cavalry and infantry
- Adds Sauromatian Retinue cavalry (Maryagatæ)
- Adds Ligurian Spearmen(Lancetai)
- Adds Umbro-Picenian Warriors (Leginu)
- Adds Late Hellenistic Lancers (Aspidiotai Hippeis)
- Adds Bosporan Bodyguard
- Adds Baktrioi Hoplitai (Pahropan i Balk)
- Adds Galatianised Spearmen and Swordsmen
- Adds Iwzag Riders
- Adds IndoGreek Hoplitai, IndoGreek Peltastai, and IndoGreek Cavalry
- Reworked textures for the Sacred Band
- Adds Saka Cataphracts and new models for Sakan Bodyguards
- Amends Libyan Infantry (lose javelins and become light hoplites) and Numidian Skirmishers (secondary weapon now a spear)
- Amends Polybian Hastati, Leves and artillery crews
- Adds new camel unit (with sounds)
- Mount textures re-assigned so that all units no longer use the same textures based on the owning faction, but have regional ones instead
- Changes to the placeholder models for several Client Ruler bodyguards.
Section IV - Bug Fixes:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:Bug Fix: Fixes NumEnemiesInBattle bug by replacing it with BattleOdds and fixes faulty GeneralNumKillsInBattle mostly by replacing it with GeneralFoughtFaction
Bug Fix: Fix for double ethnicity traits for Client Rulers for Tribal factions with fallback scripts
Bug Fix: Fixed the Syrakousai intervention mission for Ptolemaioi
Bug Fix: Fixes historic event titles to fit in window
Bug Fix: Altered the Routs conditions to avoid "doubtful courage" when victorious
Bug Fix: Fixes Getai Rover General's name problem
Bug fix: Veneti/Uenetoi triggers were the wrong way around
Bug Fix: Text for all traits (including biographies) now fits on screen
Bug Fix: Text for all ancillaries now fits on screen
Bug Fix: Adds effects for 4 named ancillaries (they had none)
Bug Fix: All starting factional characters now have age traits, so will age properly
Bug Fix: Fixed 2 switched Pritanoi ancillary descriptions
Bug Fix: Adds fallback path to reconstitute carthage_council in Qart-Hadast
Bug Fix: Replaced AntiTriggers for Warmonger/Supervisor and Brutal/Lenient.
Bug Fix: Reordered Carthaginian Disgrace trait conditions
Bug Fix: Integrates several missing Seleukid government texts
Bug Fix: Removed "Management" (a non-working effect) from all ancillaries and replaced it with various functional equivalents.
Bug Fix: fixed trait text to match actual bonuses
Bug Fix: lowered the chance of diplomats becoming "Tactless"
Bug Fix: Comprehensive text file review to make "it's" to "its" fixes
Bug Fix: Unrest from disloyalty trait now works properly
Bug Fix: Fixed all Trait/Ancillary errors identified by the validator tool
Bug Fix: Removed all non-working bonuses from EDB
Bug Fix: Stonehenge moved to the correct province
Bug Fix: Reduced HE movie width to 625 to minimize stretch effect & reduced movie height from 400 to 385 to allow for three lines of text instead of two
Bug Fix: added native names for various steppe and greek buildings
Bug Fix: reenabled Impoverished and Wealthy anti-traits
Bug fix: Removes 145 unnecessary "interface" files (folders holding WIP items)
Bug Fix: Carnyx sounds now working properly
Bug fix: Elephant sounds now working properly
Bug fix: Changed requirement for roads_garrison_one for Carthage to break circular logic
Bug Fix: Fixed farming_level issues in all Farms, Nomad/Pastoral farms, and Herds complexes
Bug fix: Activates 5 existing ancillaries and fixes code on several others
Bug Fix: Eliminates the last instances of Latin used by Punic & Sanskrit units and removes all links to English language "charge" voices
Bug Fix: Adds Sanskrit taunts (used to be Latin)
Bug fix: Accent conversion from "east_european" (vanilla M2TW) to "germanic" (Lugia/Sweboz no longer speak English on the strat map)
Bug Fix: Chariot sounds now working properly
Bug Fix: Cleanup of Baktrian/Hayastan independence scripts
Bug Fix: Adds sounds for all 12 of the new mounts
Bug Fix: Removed "Best Friends Forever" code from descr_faction_standing.txt
Bug Fix: East Greek helcol icons were reversed for L2 and L3
Bug Fix: Deletes duplicate Veneti description
Bug Fix: Adds a hidden trait for alleviating the winter movement penalty for client rulers, so they won't get stuck in winter
Bug fix: Resized all Spy, Diplomat & Assassin unit card pix so the "cost text" is not obscured
Bug Fix: Fixed the CTD when clicking the unused2 climate (Indian Jungle) in the battle editor location selection screen
Bug fix: Missing capitalisation on the Rumourmonger trait
Bug Fix: Replaced faulty fallback for CelticTwilight reform
Bug Fix: Semitic town CTD fixed
Bug Fix: "Traitor" message test now displays
Bug Fix: Fixes Parthian General infantry animation error
Bug Fix: Fixed trait problem that made Rebel Generals easier to fight than AI faction generals
Enjoy!
As ever, thank you for your support and remember to read more history.
- The Europa Barbarorum II Team
