Weapons and Aging

[Snite]

how is everyone?

I need help with two issues:

Issue 1: I hate how my Sweboz general's bodyguard is always switching to their spears in battle since there's supposed to be a penalty for using spears against enemy infantry units, so I got into export descr units or whatever it's called and took their spears away. I go back to playing the game, and bam! they're using spears and when I check the file again, somehow their secondary weapon is back. How did that happen? How can I get rid of the spears? And do they switch because the spear has a higher attack rating? If so, will making the sword higher keep them from switching?

Issue 2: I keep reading in classical history how so many people lived well into their 80s. Some even managed to live into their 90s, however, according to Herodotus the average lifetime was 80. Considering that it wasn't as if their calendar years were 1/2 of ours or anything, I wanna tweak the aging system in EB so that my generals live longer. Anyone know how to do this?


Snite

[Foot]

Issue 1: To change the secondary weapon you would need to open the model in a model editing program (3DS MAX or Milkshape) and delete the item "secondary weapon". The malus for spears against swords has been taken away, iirc, by increasing their attack rate by 4 (the malus is -4 when attacking non-spear infantry).

Issue 2: I believe the age at which generals start popping off is hardcoded, afaik.

Foot

[Aemilius Paulus]

how is everyone?

Issue 2: I keep reading in classical history how so many people lived well into their 80s. Some even managed to live into their 90s, however, according to Herodotus the average lifetime was 80. Considering that it wasn't as if their calendar years were 1/2 of ours or anything, I wanna tweak the aging system in EB so that my generals live longer. Anyone know how to do this?

Snite

You cannot "tweak" it, but you could do what I have been doing in all of my campaigns: simply saving before hitting End Turn and reloading, unless of course, you consider that cheating. As for the average lifespan of a person during Antiquity, I have hard time believing it. Herodotus is my favorite Classical historian as his accuracy and objectivity is mostly unsurpassed by his contemporaries, but he is not faultless. Just read his descriptions of India... they sound more like fairy tales or fantasy books than a historical treatise.

In the Antiquity, the average lifespan for a Roman or a Greek was about 50 years(that's not counting the 40-30% infant mortality rate), according to most modern historians, doctors and archaeologists. Media, both modern and ancient, like nothing more than writing about the isolated and rare cases of a person reaching extraordinary age while failing to mention the millions that die in their 40's 30's or 50's. Not to mention, that Herodotus often wrote about important people. Important people were often of the upper classes of society. An important person from the upper class had more chances of reaching old age if he/she was not assassinated or killed in battle.

[Snite]

But it's in Livy's works as well, hell, Furius Camillius lived over 90 years. And our generals are upper society so it makes sense for them to reap the life expectancy benefits.

As far as messing around with models and such.... way over my head, but thanks for the info.


Snite

[Brucaliffo]

Aemilius Paulus is right: average lifetime of 40/50 is correct, even in the upper classes.

[Hax]

Do you have any sources for that? I'm quite sure Hippokrates lived over 80, and doctors weren't the upper class, AFAIK. Of course, better than most citizens, but still.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Well he may be right there; considering that even though the life expectancy of well-to-do adults may not have been all that radically different from their modern offspring, the life expectancy of childs under 5 were significantly lower. Indeed Herodotos (wrong era, I know!) documents a certain practice of not informing fathers of their newborn sons until it is safe to assume the kids will reach adulthood. Assume 12 years.

That said life expectancy of 'your average x' has nothing to do with the life expectancy of an individual; much less in a game which is known to more or less kill off in an arbitrary fashion.

[TWFanatic]

I suppose I'm a little late but happy anniversary.

[fatsweets]

I respect everyone who works on this mod, and if there is anyone who downgrades you guys I will fight back with a vengence. Played EB now for over two years and still not tired of it, love this game and you guys have done a tremendous job. I wish their was an awards show that gave you guys the credit, but there is not? Oh well? Keep on keeping on.

[konny]

Issue 1: I hate how my Sweboz general's bodyguard is always switching to their spears in battle since there's supposed to be a penalty for using spears against enemy infantry units, so I got into export descr units or whatever it's called and took their spears away. I go back to playing the game, and bam! they're using spears and when I check the file again, somehow their secondary weapon is back. How did that happen? How can I get rid of the spears? And do they switch because the spear has a higher attack rating? If so, will making the sword higher keep them from switching?

"alt+right click" to switch between primary and secondary weapon. Spear-Swordsmen are by far the best infantry because they are able to deal with cavalry and infantry the same effective. For the other problem: Seems like you have changed the EDU in the data folder and then started the game with the Trivial Script?

Issue 2: I keep reading in classical history how so many people lived well into their 80s. Some even managed to live into their 90s, however, according to Herodotus the average lifetime was 80. Considering that it wasn't as if their calendar years were 1/2 of ours or anything, I wanna tweak the aging system in EB so that my generals live longer. Anyone know how to do this?

EB has 4 turns per year, RTW 2 turns. That makes it the double likely for a character over 60 to die in a given year in EB.