Is this true?

[Aster]

I read this on the TWC forums about EBII in a thread ranking most anticpated mods:

Europa Barbarorum II (T=212 R=0.045)

EBII used to be the talk of the forum, and of the modding community. In fact so much so that it completely swallowed another mod, and eventually the mod became a scrambling submod under my leadership with not a modder to its name. I can only say this is a reflection not only on how promising the mod was, but on how far it outstripped rival rome-era mods to the point that even the RTR:2 team seems to have vanished.

But EB2 has fallen upon hard times, it now has the lowest thread:posts ratio of all the mods on this list, and there's a reason for it. The flare has gone. The excitement has worn off. In over a year of development it has released pictures of a few models and series after series of sigs made by the eager 2D-artist fan community. The fact is, even EB in the era of RTW didn't move this slow. I never liked the first EB (Ultimately I was an RTR modder and fan, but that was just personal preference), which is what drove me to continue a side-project for a short while. But when I gave in to time restraints, I hoped EB2 would go on to better things, with all the ex-RTW lovers in loving support... but no.

It just so happens that RTW is one of the most popular eras in fan modding... anywhere. Not even just in TW. EB2, as usual, has a vast amount of historians and 2D artists bringing out stuff in vast quantities, and I know much of the rest goes on behind the scenes... but this isn't good enough.

EB2 merits a place here, because, believe it or not, EB was great. Yes I preferred RTR, but in the end EB was the historians wet dream and the emersionists paradise. I anticipate it's release for it's era, and the masterpieces I know the EB team can produce, not for anything they've shown me so far. Sorry EB2, but you're at the bottom of the mods I look forward to.

Is EBII in trouble? What I've quoted seems to say that there is a dearth of active modders working on EBII.

Things seem to be boiling along quite well from what I've seen of the February preview/Gaza campaign preview.

[/Bean\]

Burn the Heretic!

If that guy does not want to play EB II, then let him miss out. EB II, with appropriate beta testing and fixes, will soon become the model of all mods to follow. Go EB II team

[SwissBarbar]

Answer to your question: NOT TRUE

Wait until EB II actually is out, let's see if anyone even cares to post in another forum ever again. The only negative effect EB II will have, is the widespread deaths of other mods

[desert]

I find his lack of faith disturbing. He will be assimilated into the subjunctive.


Join us, anonymous poster, and we will make your face the greatest in EB II! Or else you will DIE!

[/Bean\]

That's not negative...that's like saying a sudden worldwide Metallica-craze that rids the world of rap and hip-hop. How can that be bad?

[desert]

rids the world of rap and hip-hop.

Wut.

[SwissBarbar]

Of course, it just occured to my mind... if the crazy end-of-the-world-prognosticating fellow, who from time to time shows up, turns out to be justified, then of course EB II is doomed, like we all. Puh

[Aster]

The poster did not say EBII is bad. He put it as his top anticipated mod above DoTS even. The poster says there is a strange lack of visible progress in EBII development.

I am asking if this is true: is progress in EBII development going well or not so well?

[SwissBarbar]

But he says "Sorry EB2, but you're at the bottom of the mods I look forward to" In some countries that's a crime

[desert]

Last month's preview...

When was that post made, exactly? Maybe it's old?

And there is definitely less activity on the TWC EB2 section. Most go here for all things EB.

For example, few RTW mods here get ANY activity at all, but those same mods have high-activity sections in TWC.

[/Bean\]

Of course its slow; theres only like, 5 active people on the team. Many of their dedicated historians and skinners vanished after EB I, and decent replacements are hard to find.

[Aster]

But he says "Sorry EB2, but you're at the bottom of the mods I look forward to" In some countries that's a crime

Oh my bad. I thought his list was the other way round.

[Atilius]

Of course its slow; theres only like, 5 active people on the team. Many of their dedicated historians and skinners vanished after EB I, and decent replacements are hard to find.

I think you mistake posting in the public forums for being active on the team. Your statement is utter nonsense and I can't imagine why you think you know anything about what goes on inside the EB2 team. We've got four active Romani guys alone, all of whom worked on EB1.

[Bucefalo]

The short version:
When EB II release, i think i´ll finally store my RTW Cds with my old no longer played games

The long version:

The only reasonable thing this guy (the one quoted in the first post) is pointing, is that he would like the EB team to release information and work in progress more often, so that the forum is not so dead.

But he fails to understand that the EB team has his own way of working, and if they do not release previews frequently, it is just because they want each preview to be sustantial and not two screenshots.

Also in the end, it is just the way the team has chosen to work with and that guy, as we all, should respect the hard work they are doing entirely for free. I think that the system the team use is fine and they have more time to work on the mod instead of doing previews.

[bobbin]

But EB2 has fallen upon hard times, it now has the lowest thread:posts ratio of all the mods on this list, and there's a reason for it

Not really sure how thats a signifier of how well a mods doing, going by the number of posts(and therefore the amount of people intersted with what the teams producing) EBII ranks just below DOTS so its certainly not at the bottom of the pile. As desert said most people tend to go here for EB stuff.

The only problems I've ever heard of are a shortage of modelers.

[Zaknafien]

i dont even know if Atilius was counting me, if not that would make it 5x active Rome faction members alone, and the only reason I was inactive for so long was because I was in Iraq doing..uh, field work.

the idea that EB has fallen on hard times is ludicrous. Our internal forums are far more active than these public fora, in fact, I can say that I am simply amazed by the amount of progress that has gone on in the past year while I was away. When I left for Iraq in November of 2007, EB II was still in the 'talk' phases, brainstorming, we didnt even have internal forums for it yet, and EB 1.x was still in the works.

When I came back this month, the amount of work on everything from factions, models, skins, to maps, to audio/visual effects, is stunning.

[Tellos Athenaios]

In short: no. In long: nah, we just don't show you too much.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

From the TWC point of view, EBII has been quiet. EB has always had a home at the Org and the TWC center has been secondary. I think I may be the only EB team member that visits the EB forums at the TWC daily.

One problem EBII has is modelling and skinning. It seems to be the choke point in development. Many skinners join and then disappear. I think things have picked up, but for a while there was only two or three skinners to do the more than 200 units needed.

[SwissBarbar]

In short: no. In long: nah, we just don't show you too much.

let's see some triarii

[Macilrille]

There is an RTW Forum?

I prefer to hang here with the other nerd fundamentalists, let others think what they want, EBII should put them in place. Action speaks louder than words in a Forum...

[Ca Putt]

he clearly never worked on anything to release to the public :D you just don't show off every single skin you made and every page of code finished. that would destroy the whole hype :D and apart from that once you start posting progress on a regular basis Fans start protesting once you miss a Preview because the team is mostly working on complex codes which don't make a good showcase.

[Zaknafien]

let's see some triarii

oh, they look good

[satalexton]

BURN THE HERETIC, KILL THE MUTANTS, PURGE THE UNCLEAN!!!!

FOR THE EB TEAM!!!!!!! CHARGE!!!!!!

[Ludens]

No major TW modding project is complete without some clairvoyant announcing to all that the project is doomed and the mod is never going to come. This not the first time that this happened to the EB team either. As for the unfortunate lack of updates, this TWC topic may shed some light on that.

[antisocialmunky]

Look at the Ran no Jidai mod forum here. And they were still trucking along just fine until jsut recently. :)

[Prussian to the Iron]

i too am curious about eb 2s death. it was really anticipated, but now it is taking super long. and the models i have seen are not very good, i actually prefered the older ones with uniform shields.

[Zaknafien]

good thing we're not making EBII for you then. EB I took several years.

[Prussian to the Iron]

yah but im getting E:TW in a week at most. if i get it then i know i will not go back to m2, even for EB2. there is still almost no information on anything released yet. the team needs to pick up the pace.

[Zaknafien]

hm, again, we don't work for you :)

secondly, I have E:TW and have quit playing it already. It was cool for a couple weeks, but thats about it. Different tastes for different people. If youre looking for flashy units and bright shiny colors, EB assuredly isnt for you. We primarily make this game for ourselves, and those in the community who share our love for history.

[Tellos Athenaios]

oh, they look good

Very, very, good.