[CK2] Equality and Balance

[Monk]

!!! NEW RELEASE !!!

Version 1.0 (that's almost twice the number of the previous version!)

Remember to delete old versions completely before installing new ones!

Changelog:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

-------v1.0-----------

*Women of exceptional skill may now wear the armor that Paradox so kindly made for them.

*Armor is now automatically applied to all characters in command of armies.

*Raised the threshold needed for high martial characters to wear their armor when not in command. Now requires martial 20.

*Muslim women may no longer command armies, nor can they wear armor.

*Final Fatimid rebalances:

-Emirs of Aswan, Damietta, Sinai and Damascas begin the game with levies specially tied to their characters.

-These levies function exactly like those used by William the Bastard and Harald of Norway

*Massive Longbow Volley tactic has been rebalanced.

-Now provides a 320% increase to light-infantry attack, up from the previous 120% nerf.

-Can now only be used by very talented commanders, 14 martial along with proper culture is required

*Mongol Retreat and Ambush tactic has been rebalanced

-Now requires a martial skill of 12 to be considered a viable tactic.

Notes about this version:

It's been almost 10 months since i started modding CK2. In that time my original inspiration for this series of mods has evolved from simply wanting the ability to have a woman chancellor to a more balanced and stable vanilla experience without the need for a huge overhaul mod. Balance through practical, lightweight and simple means was the name of the game from day one, and I like to think I've kept true to that since I started. It's with no small bit of pride that I present what I consider the final, feature complete version of my mod: Version 1.0, and with it the final tweaks for the 1066 start date.

Armor and female commanders:

The blacksmiths of Europe and the Mid-East have been working at full capacity to give every character a full set of armor! No longer is the wearing of armor restricted to high martial men. Anyone who has a high martial skill (threshold set to 20) may now wear armor outside the battlefield, and everyone wears it while leading troops. Women never wear helms, however, as the basic helm Paradox made was meant for male characters. It simply does not look right when sitting on female portraits. Without making a new one there's not much I can do there.

Muslim women can no longer lead troops on the battlefield. This was a bit of an oversight initially, but in practice it turned out to be a "get out of decadence free" card for any Muslim dynasty. Since unlanded women do not contribute to decadence it felt really overpowered to allow them to lessen it by fighting in battles. For lack of a better solution, Muslim women can no longer serve as commanders no matter how capable. Women of other religions can still command provided they have exceptional ability.

Fatimid changes:

The vassals of the Fatimid Caliph now control significant portions of his army. This will now hopefully simulate the historic ethnic tension that nearly tore the Caliphate apart at the game start and is accomplished by using a system similar to the one already in use by the game. The same system that William the Bastard and Harald Hardrada use for their invasion forces is what the caliph vassals use for their civil war forces. This, combined with the previous changes to the mamluks, provides for a much more difficult position for the Caliph at the start of the game.

Two wars are now very common to see in the early years of the game. A war for control of the throne of Egypt, which then inspires spiraling independence wars. The system in place is very dynamic and can go a huge number of ways, as beyond the coding of characters and army strength, I have included no behavior scripts to tell the AI what to do. I simply let it do what comes natural. Do not be surprised if in some games the Caliph defeats his usurpers, while in others he falls. The trend leads to a much weakened Sultanate of Egypt from my observations, and holding together the Fatimid dynasty through decadence and betrayals is now a feat to behold.

Tactics:

I've only attempted to balance two cultural tactics in my mod because, from my perspective, these are the only tactics which can serve to radically alter game balance. Mongol and English tactics were far too good before I touched them, and now, they require at least a bit of 'skill' on the part of your characters for them to be as effective. Longbow tactics got lowered a bit too far in the previous release, I think, as the base volley that anyone can use is a 300% increase. Longbows now enjoy 320% effectiveness but require a very talented commander to coordinate. Mongol tactics now require a talented commander of 12 martial to use, rather than just any idiot with a bow.

New Screenshots:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Future Plans:

Hard to say, beyond a few radical ideas and hidden quest chains I'd love to implement, I've done all I want to with modding CK2. I plan to keep this mod series updated with future paradox patches and am eager to see what new interesting gameplay mechanics Old Gods bring. If that requires some balancing, I'll be sure to give it a go.

I tested thoroughly but as always if I find a bug later I'll hotfix it as soon as I can. If you find a bug, please don't hesitate to tell me. My contact information is in the readme, I would also welcome bug reports here in this thread.

Thank you for the continued support and interest.

Monk...
I am moved, your help was above and beyond the call. You are by the bottom of my heart "a cut above the rest" Thank you very much.

Thank you. It was my pleasure, I was happy to help.