Help me chose one of these mods?
I am in the process of purchasing from Steam right now. These are the mods under consideration.
* Europa Barbarorum
* RTR VII
* SPQR
* Roma Surrectum 2
* DarthMod (I know the above have bigger followings, but I am use DMS for Shogun 2 and am happy with it.)
Let me tell you what is important for me:
BAI and CAI game play. The single player campaign game should be challenging in a "human" sort of way. Meaning that the AI uses logical strategies, full range of features, doesn't cheat horrendously (more has pluses or maluses). That the mod improves the game's atmosphere and immersion by enhanced graphics and sound. Game balance is important too along with faction differentiation. Realism is NOT top motivator. I am mainly in search of a good game; if I wanted history I would be in search of books.
So, given what it is important to me, how do these mods compare? What would you recommend and why? (One other thing, I like mods that somewhere document what they have done to the base game.)
Thanks!
Re: Help me chose one of these mods?
The only mod out of that list that I actually played is EB. EB's emphasis is on realism; and it has much improved the atmosphere by tweaking graphics and adding music. Combat A.I. is also improved over the base game, but not much. The strategic game is much more difficult, mostly due to increased cost of construction and upkeep. However, the A.I. can't handle this, so it receives economic boosts to keep it competitive.
But the A.I. is one of the weaker parts of the R:TW engine to begin with. DarthMod significantly improved combat A.I., but it can only do so much. There is a DarthFormations submod available for EB: it helps, but the A.I. still remains limited and predictable.
Re: Help me chose one of these mods?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ludens
But the A.I. is one of the weaker parts of the R:TW engine to begin with. DarthMod significantly improved combat A.I., but it can only do so much. There is a DarthFormations submod available for EB: it helps, but the A.I. still remains limited and predictable.
I don't think I've ever found a game where that wasn't true, modded or not. AI improvements seem to be adding money and supplies (resources) which makes it harder early (which isn't generally needed or wanted by me :) )
Well, I suppose I should stay within the original intent of the discussion, especially when quoting a moderator :) but, I rarely have tried mods and none for TW so I cannot really answer.
Re: Help me chose one of these mods?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
LordK9
I don't think I've ever found a game where that wasn't true, modded or not.
Indeed, and creating a competent A.I. is already a fairly challenging part of game design. However, R:TW's combat A.I. is the nadir of the series. All it can do is line its army up. Unlike previous instalments, it does not use the terrain correctly or scout for ambushes. It either sits there and waits for you to approach, or it marches straight at you.
Quote:
AI improvements seem to be adding money and supplies (resources) which makes it harder early
Actually, there are things you can do to help A.I. without giving it bonuses, even in R:TW. DarthMod improved combat A.I. by fiddling with the formation files. It still makes the mistakes described above, but at least the forces are arrayed in a more competent manner. These adjustments have been incorporated by many other mods. EB created its own formation mod (which also improved the A.I.), but there is a submod that allows you to replace these with Darth's. It's been too long since I played EB to remember which of these was better. Some people swore by DarthFormations, but others said it barely made a difference for EB.
Slowing down combat also helps. I believe the other reason why the R:TW A.I. fails so dismally is that it cannot keep up with the pace of the battle. S1:TW and M1:TW battles were much slower, allowing the A.I. more time to respond.
Fiddling with recruitment and construction priorities/limits can force the A.I. to spend its money more effectively. There is also a faction-objective file that can be used to prompt the A.I. to expand in more sensible directions. (Not sure if this was incorporated in EB. It maybe be BI-only. If so, there is a submod available, but it only works for EB-BI, which is not officially supported.)
