"For God and Country", v1.4

[WesW]

A link to the posted version of the 1.4 readme is here , and a link to the mod itself is here , both at my Apolyton webpage. I have made quite a few changes since the last version, and I have achieved a couple of substantial improvements to gameplay.
Below are some exerpts from the Readme, which cover most all of the changes. I have covered everything else in sentences below those quotes.
HTML
Starting positions:
The priority of ships has been increased, and I am happy to report that the AIs will now spread them out to form decent trade routes once they have protected their coastlines. The time to build first and second level ships has also been reduced to two turns. All this leads to a major change in troop priorities for the human as well, since war with a major power may now lead to epic sea conflict as well as land conflict.
This has also allowed me to reduce the artificially inflated land value for the Middle Eastern provinces and Constantinople, since the AIs can now properly utilize the trade goods of those provinces. I believe that the naval aspect of the game is now as it was intended to be, which allows the economic and trade structure to be as it was intended, also.

I incorporated the changes to province ownership and troop placement made by Paladin in his 1092Early mod, based upon a map of that time and which is included in the mod.
Please note that Flanders and Wessex are no longer connected. (I had altered the campaign map to show this, but it was way too big to include in the zip.)
Some trade goods have been added to provinces in modern-day Germany, and the land value for many of the provinces in Germany and France has been raised, particularly for Franconia, which encompasses the Rhine River and the fertile valleys of central Germany. This should help compensate for the limited access to the seas for the HRE.
Buildings have been added to many of the provinces in the Early and High eras, in addition to those added by Paladin. Most coastal provinces now start out with ports, even in the early period, and the time to build ports has been cut in half. The only province I made major changes to in the late era was Sweden, and that was just to make this valuable province barely decent (it only had an Inn).

Building and General changes:
Happiness buildings: Watch Towers and Border Forts now cost more, as do Churches and Monasteries. Note that I raised the happiness value of Towers and Forts back to their original values.

Time and cost reductions:
The costs and/or time of many other structures have been reduced as well. Please refer to the Building page of the Med mod spreadsheet for details. Specifically I took two years off the time to build these structure lines: Armourers, Swordsmiths, Metalsmiths, Churches and Mosques.

Missile units:
Pavise Crossbowmen and Pavise Arbalesters now require the same level of Bowyer as the plain versions, but with the additional requirement of a first and second level Armourer, respectively.
Mongol Horse Archers now shoot armour-piercing arrows just like Longbowmen. All other stats remain the same as for other horse archers.
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[Dijeeh]

This mod is confusing...

I *think* i have Medmod 1.4

but this is called Medmod For God and Country

What???

Which is the most recent version, please be specific...

[WesW]

This is simply the successor to the 1.3 version, which I noted in the thread's description underneath the title. I used the title of this mod rather than the name of the mod series because I also sent this version in to the posted here at the org. They shortened the name of the other versions I sent in to "Mod IV v1.1" and "Mod IV v1.2", which as you can see makes it hard to associate with the threads here, or with the Medieval Mod series that some people know my work by from visits to Apolyton.
I can see that it may be confusing, depending upon how good your english is. A good example would be the Star Wars series. The fourth movie is Episode IV: A New Hope. That correlates to The Medieval Mod IV: For God and Country.
Hope this clears up any confusion.

[Dijeeh]

My English is fine.

I just got confused when i had previously downloaded a Medmod IV.

And found you Posting Modmod IV For God and Country.

[Gregoshi]

New patron kinkkupa has posted the following question/bug for this mod in the Entrance Hall:

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The mod works fine othwerwise but have wierd problem in the Early campaign - No troops / buildings appear on the map at the start, just the king for each faction. Other campaigns work fine so I'd think I have installed the mod properly.

Using original MTW, patched to 1.1.

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[Mr Frost]

I would like to try your mod , but I cannot : your instalation instructions state to use winzip {duely purchased} to unzip {I assume they changed that function title to "extract" , as there is no "unzip" function in Winzip 8.1 but "extract" where I remember "unzip" being in an eariler version} into the Medieval- Total War {I assume you refer to C:\Program Files\Total War\Medieval - Total War} making sure to have "keep file pathways" checked and there is the rub Reguardless of the diligence of my search , I can find in no place {but your readme } any such thing to check or or even marvel at . Where , pray thee tell good Sir , does one find the fabled "keep file pathways" ?
I try simply extracting anyhow to no good avail {all that happened is to basically shift the whole download to "-Total War , but still in it's same file jacket -or whatever you call them- and no effect notable what-so-ever on the game} .
I am at a loss to contine with installing this unasisted .

Curse Bill Gates , and all Halflings

[WesW]

Kind Sir Frost, I apologise for my out-of-date instructions. I was not aware that the newest version of Winzip had been dreadfully re-designed from its previous incarnation.

One need use the Winzip Classic configuration to find the required check box. When one selects "extract" while using the Classic interface, one should see four boxes in the lower-lefthand side of the screen. The "use folder names" check box must be checked in order for the program to re-create the file structure present when the files were zipped, and then place the files in their designated folders.
I had this option checked in my previous version of Winzip, and it must have automatically been carried over to the update upon installation, since I did not have to manually turn this option back on after updating. I am truly sorry for the inconvienience.

Hi Kink, seen Mario lately? ...sorry.

I checked my files, and found out what was wrong. I forgot to include the latest version of the files in the zip. I posted it right before I went to bed due to a bad headache, and I forgot to copy the text files I had altered for this version from the game folders to the mod folders. I am glad you posted this before any more damage was done.

I have just uploaded a corrected version to my webpage, labeled 1.41. It also includes some corrections I made to the spreadsheet a few days ago, and correct instructions for using Winzip (which you won't need personally).

Btw, just between you and me, Kink, I think that it *is* THE mod now, at least IMO.
And if you, or anyone, has suggestions for improvement, I am always happy to discuss them, and I often implement things based upon feedback I get.

I have noticed a new bug in my current game. For some reason, I keep running up against units with a permanent valor level of 9. I have seen peasant units in armies with a weak general with level 9 valour, as well as other types of units. I don't see the units until I have been at war with a given faction for a couple of turns, and I have witnessed nothing unusual about starting units or units produced by the AIs when I am at peace with a given faction.
Thus, I suspect that the AIs start producing these units when they go to war with the human. Has anyone else seen this phenomenon?

[WesW]

Update Alert:
I have uploaded another patched version of the mod to my webpage, 1.42. If you would rather me email you the single file that was corrected from the 1.41 version, just drop me a line through my email icon.
If you have not gotten the 1.41 patch, you will need to get the entire mod.

Well, I found out what the mysterious valour problem was, and it was one of the oddest things I have ever run across.
Before I completed work on the 1.4 version last weekend, I decided to clean up the odd base strength values that some units had in the units text. I don't know if this stat is even used in the game, but the odd values seemed like CA over-sights, so I set the odd values to ones like all the other units had.
However, I messed up and altered the wrong column for all of the artillery units. All other units were fine. Well, for some reason the errors in the artillery units affected not only those units, but also other units located throughout the file.
I can't explain that part of it, but I did go through the units text slowly and surely to make sure no other values are messed up, and I checked out the game pretty well with play-testing, so I feel confident that I got everything. The problem caused units placed on the map at the start of a campaign to begin with level 9 valour, so if anyone sees this occurance after getting the 1.42 patch, please let me know.

[kataphraktoi]

Hi Wes

Use the standing shooting parameters for horsearchers in the action pages and stick it in the Kataphraktoi file in the same action pages file.

It works i tried.

Can you add a third weapon for the Kats by changing the parameters for "fight" in the kat text in action pages?

[MiniKiller]

What is this mod? new factions? new starting points? I asked this in another post but i cant find it anymore.

[Grifman]

Ok, I can't seem to get this mod to work correctly. I downloaded from the indicated link, and using Winzip I extracted with the file structure intact. But I don't get the new campaign. The Byzants start with the same provinces they did in the original version, and Byzant infantry are still 100 men. Do you start a modded campaign the same way or do you have to do something different? I can't figure out what I am missing?

I now see that your extract creates a MedMod folder under the MTW folder - with everything it the MedMod folder - but how can the game use this - it doesn't know to read this folder - all your files are there. So what am I doing wrong here? Thanks.

Grifman

[Mr Frost]

Downlaoded the new updated mod ; I'm going to try to figure out how to imput what I specifically want from it {which is quite a bit} manually {the hard way , I know ; but I will learn a lot in the process} .

Just a thought , but if you have no region bonus for Gallowglass and Highland Clansmen {for some reason I like them with the bonus ... not sure why ?} , you might want to up their Honour/Moral to match their historical bravery {and the Parchment descriptions} .
With the bonus , they have moral of 2 . I give mine 2 to begin with for a baseline of four {I lower Clansmen melee to 4 for baseline of 5 to balance to the cost , and up the buildcost of Gallowglass to 200} as they were rather gutsy IRL , just that they often bit off more than they could chew .

[WesW]

Mr. Snowman (Frosty), someone else raised the same concerns/wishes with the Highlanders when I was first putting it together, and I did go back and give them higher morale to compensate for the loss of the region bonus.
Trying to paste in parts of the mod onto the standard files is not going to work, I am afraid. I spent hours last night trying to debug a few simple problems caused by changes I made to units regarding which factions, and, more importantly as it turned out, which cultures, they belonged to.

In addition to the changes in provincal ownership I made in this version, most of which will be reversed in the next version due to some research I made, I am also getting into making major changes to which factions the human can play as for the next version (short answer- all of them except the Papacy), and even a couple of changes to which factions are in the game in a given era.

I would much rather hear what changes you would like made to the mod, or added to the mod, than for you to spend hours fruitlessly customizing it, especially since the mod is still being enhanced.

Grifman, I don't know why the Medmod folder was created. I store the mod in that folder, and it is the folder I zip. However, that folder should not be created when the mod is unzipped. I don't know why exactly it isn't created normally, but it has always worked that way, and yes, I have tested it with the 8.1 version.
Anyway, all you need do is cut out the contents of the Medmod folder, and paste them into the Medeival- Total War folder. Then you should get the questions about overwriting files.

MiniKiller, the mod's Readme is available through a link in the first post, or go to my webpage thru the link in my sig, and click on the readme link there.

Kat, I have already added a second weapon, an axe, for melee (fighting). I remember having to customize one of the files to get the weapon to where it looked like it was in the man's hand (it was floating a couple of feet above). I can't remember how it all interacted off-hand, but some of the graphics stuff I did got pretty complicated. I spent every night for over a week figuring out how to do it, though I could have learned much faster had I found the guide thread in the Dungeon before I started rather than midway through. Getting LK's unit addition mod also helped.

I will try and remember about the horsearchers.

[MiniKiller]

I tried to view your readme on your site but when word opened up I kept getting an error, can you maybe send me via email the readme?
jbrvincent@attbi.com
thanks

[MiniKiller]

From what
i understand though its more realitic? More factions? more playable? better land ownership?

[kataphraktoi]

WesW

I rechanged the kataphraktoi's structure, the mount is now a SMAILCAV, I gave it a bow, axe and a lance and a shield, so now it can charge with a lance and alternate to an axe in a melee fighting but sometimes it switches back to lance as its charging and then back to an axe, the bow works beautifully when I switched the standshoot parameter to that of the byz cav's parameter, I added a teardrop shield(pronoia allagion shield) to the unit as well.

The Klibanophori is now a new unit, heavily armoured and armed but damn expensive and the requirements to build it means a longer wait to train them. Maintenance is increased, speed decreased to correspond to increased armour.

So now there is a Kataphraktoi and a Klibanophori unit to train but I will have t change the unit_icon, review_panel and info_pic bif files later.

I would like to reanimate the rider and create a new rider mount - eg. I might create a KLIBCAV from a SMAILCAV, its going to take long time

I used some of your stuff in the mod, I learnt a bit from there, learning by example, thanks

I saw what you did with the Early period, the same thing happened to others, no other units other than the leader of the faction

Anyway I went back and studied the startpos early txt file and made some changes, so now Byzantium has Greece, Constantinople, Crimea, Nicaea, Anatolia, Trebizond, Cyprus, Crete, Rhodes. The starting troops are reduced considerably.
Lesser Armenia and Georgia are independent like they should be, Naples is an independent state or rather a rebel faction in a Norman Civil War.
Treasury is reduced to 6000 in normal.

Right now I'm making a Byzantium thru the ages mod
the first one is the 9th century, play as Charlemagne as the Franks(French), pagan Saxons as the German HRE, Abbassid Caliphate thru the Egyptians, Pagan Bulgars thru the Turks, the Khazars thru the Polish, Omayyad Emirate of Al-Andalusia thru the Almohads, Asturias thru the Spanish, Lombard Principalities in Southern Italy, Mercian Kingdom thru the English and Byzantium under siege thru Byzantines.

In this scenario Byzantium's empire is scattered across Europe, to the West are the outposts of Venice, Corsica and Sardinia, to the South Sicily and Malta, to the East COnstantinople, Nicaea, Crimea, Crete, Cyprus, Rhodes Anatolia and Trebizond.

The empire faces threats from the Abbasids who can at any moment strike through Anatolia, Sicily, Sardinia and Crete putting Constantinople under a third siege in its history, the situation is dire, the treasury is nearly spend and the forces are small but professionally trained. The masses of Arabs on all frontiers presents a difficult challange. In the West the Empire of the Franks is beginning to rise, Charlemagne has the luxury of pursuing one frontier at a time whether it be the Saxons, the Brittany state, Provence and Toulose in rebel hands and finally the Lombard kingdom of Italy. For the Asturian kingdom resisting Islam is the main priority. For the Khazars, they can reestablish a Jewish Kingdom if their might extends further south. The Mercians can reunite the Britannia under their reign. Bulgars in the Balkans can penetrate into the southern Balkan lands under Slav rule.
Balkans present an excellent opportunity here, the majority of it is under rebel slav rule and can be an opportunity for more glory.

[WesW]

Quote[/b] (Grifman @ Jan. 28 2003,20:37)]WesW:

1) Well, Winzip shows the path as "Medmod/ . . ./ . . . so it is picking up that as a folder. I don't know what I am doing wrong here such that the Medmod folder shows up. I'll just copy the main folders in.

2) With respect to the Byzants, I have some map suggestions. Paladin did not give Trebizond to the Byzants - he said historically they controlled the city, but the Turks controlled the province - so he gave it to the Turks. But the city was the key to the province - other than the city and the coastal plain, the province was mountains. It really should go to the Byzants.

Also, Lesser Armenia should be rebel. Various Armenian lords were in effective control - not the Turks.

Grifman

Grifman, you were right about the zip pathways- the files do not extract properly. The reason they seemed to do so for me was because the Medmod folder was already present on my setup. When I got the "overwrite?" messages, it was to overwrite the files in the Medmod folder, not the game's folders.
I thought I was mimicking the setup on my old computer, which I had used for all my other mods. Obviously there was something special about those previous setups that allowed the mods to unzip properly.

Fortunately, I have finished up the next set of changes I wanted to make to the mod. I will post this as the 1.5 version, and try and clear everything up.

These changes consist partly of erasing most of the same changes Paladin made that you guys had a problem with. For example, in the Early era,(and this was all done back on Sunday and Monday), I gave Trebizond, Nicaea and maybe Georgia back to the Byzants, but Anatolia stays with the Turks like always, and I decided from squinting at the map I used that Lesser Armenia was a vassel state of the Byzants as of 1100, so they get it, just like the original game setup.
Btw, I also used a set of map portraying the growth of Islam to try and corroborate ownership, but oftentimes the maps did not agree. Portugal also goes back to a Rebel.

I also made some changes in Asia Minor and Spain for the late age, as well as adding some buildings in the Mongol provinces.

The other major change I made was in the number of factions the human could play as.

I will continue with the description of changes in the 1.5 thread.