Is EB the best mod for any game of all time?

[Grimmy]

I'm holding my vote until I get to try Europa Barbarorum 3 for Rome Total War 2, which should be released in about 15 years if current production pace holds true.

[stratigos vasilios]

IMO yes. Well, until EBII comes out it is.

[mlc82]

I could not have said it better than Frtigern above.

It is my personal favorite game mod to date. I was a die-hard Medieval Total War (original) player, and HATED Rome when it first came out due to it having mainly generic and underpowered factions (besides Rome and Carthage) with silly units, battles in fast-forward (kill rates and movement increased to where infantry became roid-raging berzerkers on speed, and any sort of heavy cavalry just steamrolled everyone else on the battlefield), and of course, RTW's omission of any sort of AI at all, unlike Medieval 1's which wasn't brilliant but required you pay attention and would actively try to beat you in battles (by using units to their strengths- I still play with it today, so I don't think this is just nostalgia speaking).

EB drove my already strong interest in ancient history to a new level by bringing it to life, and the aspects of the game that irritate me are the fault of the Rome engine itself (still awful AI in general that needs to be baby-sat with money and unit cheats, nonexistant diplomacy on any campaign difficulty over "medium", etc), and not anything to blame on or caused by EB itself- the mod has turned what I found to be an awful game into an "ancient era toybox" that brings my imagination to life unlike many games ever have. I've been playing EB regularly since it was v0.8 or so, and won't stop til EB2 arrives, functioning AI (surely, all the better Medieval 2 mods have one) and all.

To sum things up: For me EB is amazingly impressive as is, but for it to have turned what I saw as an abysmal and disgraceful sequel to one of my favorite games, into yet another of my favorite games, really says something. To claim it is the "best" mod is of course subjective, but to me it is.

[Power2the1]

Well, as an EB member, I have a bias of course j/k, but I could not read this thread and not give a nod to The Grey Wolves 3 (GWX 3) for Silent Hunter 3.

What EB is to the ancient world genre in PC gaming, Grey Wolves is to the submarine genre. Besides that, I cannot think of any other mods I've personally tried out that I would include in this, except perhaps the Utrapack/Dark Blue World mod for IL-2 Sturmovik 1946.

There are so few mods that satisfy the need for depth, learning, and history out there. If you enjoy experiencing true history as it was meant to be, get those games (they are very cheap) and try those mods out - I can guarantee you'll not be disappointed as they truly are of EB quality!

[Jive]

Best mod? Well, let's see:

First time I played it (as Romanii) the 1.2 patches weren't properly installed so after countless hours replaying battles I gave up on it. But somehow I couldn't shake the EB "bug" and the second time I completed the Romanii campaign despite all the crashes and giant trees. For good measure, I completed a Baktrian campaign (mercifully fewer CTD's) as well. Alas, a subsequent Lusotanni effort didn't prosper so it was retirement time again.

Finally I installed the patches properly and had another go with the Lusotanni. It was smooth as silk at first, but as the campaign lengthened end-of-turn crashes began to appear more and more frequently, until replaying several times from two years before couldn't correct the problem (Summer, 175 BCE). This was truly exasperating, and I vowed to give up EB forever. In a fit of pique I uninstalled and deleted everything EB.

That was two months ago (RL-wise). Yet now I find myself downloading EB again, with the intention of using the BI execute to enable amphibious AI landings and cut down (drastically, I hope) on the CTD's.

Moral of the story? There isn't a single game--let alone mod--I've played for which I've gone to so much trouble. Either I'm a masochist or the EB team have done such a terrific job that anyone interested in ancient history, outstanding simulation, and a lust for combat will find it irresistible. In short, EB rocks.

Update EB fans: Incredible news! The Lusotanni campaign wasn't lost after all (it pays sometimes to be a digital ignoramus, eh?), and now it's 174 BCE--could it be the terminal CTD has been overcome? After a single turn-ending CTD and a rash of battle crashes it's been fine. Plus the AI is doing amphibious invasions, as promised. Life is wonderful.

[Westworld]

Yes, EB is awesome. Thank you guys for making it.

[seleucid empire]

If RSII had a map as big as EB and its battles were the same then I would vote that instead but it doesnt so yes, EB IS THE BEST MOD of rtw

The thing I love the most about EB is the amount of time that the modders spent on making the units balanced and battles longer. Its not like RTW or most other mods where they didnt bother to change the battle mechanics and where levy units have absolutely no chance against elites and break after a few seconds of fighting (vanilla urban cohorts vs greek militia hoplites comes into mind)

Ive tried Roma Surrectum II twice and I still have those crappy battles where I charge 3 units of medium cav into the face of a unit of their infantry and they just disintegrate immediately. RSII battles feel just like vanilla battles to me.

They also have a weird starting position for many factions (e.g. The Seleucids start with their main army and Antiochus III at Raphia facing a Egyptian stack which has better quality troops. There are 2 more fullstacks behind the first Egyptian stack so after a battle you have to retreat since the casualties from the first battle are so high. I mean what the hell is the point of that?)

Also in Roma Surrectum II the economy is absolutely B.S. As Sparta you start with only one city but you make 15 000 a turn even though you have a fullstack army and half a stack guarding the city. wow really? I didn't realize sparta was a economic powerhouse????????????? You fight about 2 battles every turn aswell from the beginning.

With Eb, you have to slowly build up an army which your economy can actually support and if you are careful, you can use this single army to conquer vast amounts of land (more realistic i think). Since the battles are slow paced and the lethality of units has been toned down, you suffer less casualties per battle as long as you use clever tactics and keep your army intact.

Also population growth in RSII is just like vanilla. Exterminate a large city and they begin to riot after only 10 turns

So yes in terms of everything EB is the best