Fans suggestion thread for future releases

[QuintusSertorius]

Some feedback on 2.2r:
Posted this on TWC before, but...

1) Why do the Suebi faction name and various titles have Umlauts in them? What are they based on - is it an official transcription?
Do they indicate pronunciation - so the second syllable in "Swëböz" is supposed to be pronounced like in "Öztürk"?
If however they are supposed to be stress or length markers, may I just point out that they are a very unfortunate choice (especially on isolated, single vowels), and accents etc. would be much more appropriate for that.

I've no idea, I'd have to ask our Germanic linguists.

2) Are there plans to replace the remaining RTW Vanilla 2d graphics with custom-made ones or paintings/photographs? If the latter, I could help out with a few.

No plans, but if you have ideas and the skills, by all means. If you're referring to ancillary portraits, we've changed loads of them in 2.3, though you can't see it in 2.2r.

Regardless, more 2D artists are always welcome.

[athanaric]

I've no idea, I'd have to ask our Germanic linguists.

Please do, unless one of them gets here first.

No plans, but if you have ideas and the skills, by all means. If you're referring to ancillary portraits, we've changed loads of them in 2.3, though you can't see it in 2.2r.

Regardless, more 2D artists are always welcome.

I'm mainly referring to building info pictures, both the symbols in the city UI and the detailed "unit card" of each building. Right now, they are a hodgepodge of pictures of different styles from different sources, with some being photographs (with or without filters), some being original EB art, some paintings, and some being directly taken from RTW and M2TW. In the interest of creating a more immersive atmosphere and giving the mod a more uniform look, I think that straightening these out would be a good idea. Ideally, all vanilla TW art would be replaced, especially the stuff from RTW which, while not necessarily bad for its time, looks bland and lifeless.

Personally, I like the photos best (a good example are the province info pics). That's where I could help out most easily, by providing you with royalty free ones for use in the mod specifically (and cropping or formatting (etc.) them if necessary).
Example (taken in Greece, no less. Might be suitable for a farming tier):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Not sure I have the skill or time to help with creating 2d art unfortunately, certainly not paintings or CG models.

[Kull]

Please do, unless one of them gets here first.



I'm mainly referring to building info pictures, both the symbols in the city UI and the detailed "unit card" of each building. Right now, they are a hodgepodge of pictures of different styles from different sources, with some being photographs (with or without filters), some being original EB art, some paintings, and some being directly taken from RTW and M2TW. In the interest of creating a more immersive atmosphere and giving the mod a more uniform look, I think that straightening these out would be a good idea. Ideally, all vanilla TW art would be replaced, especially the stuff from RTW which, while not necessarily bad for its time, looks bland and lifeless.

Personally, I like the photos best (a good example are the province info pics). That's where I could help out most easily, by providing you with royalty free ones for use in the mod specifically (and cropping or formatting (etc.) them if necessary).
Example (taken in Greece, no less. Might be suitable for a farming tier):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Not sure I have the skill or time to help with creating 2d art unfortunately, certainly not paintings or CG models.

This is my area, so I'll just note that the preferred art-style is "painting". Provinces are a completely different animal since they are geographic in nature, and thus photos are the best way to represent them. But in all other cases (buildings and events) the intent is to use artwork. In some cases (ports and farms in particular) we do rely on vanilla RTW, but even there, there's a conscious effort to keep the styles similar across the whole range of building levels. So if you have an RTW graphic at L1, they'll be used all the way through to L5 (or whatever the terminating level. And they will be different by culture.

So I take exception to the "hodgepodge" accusation, because there isn't just a random distribution of pictures and art sprinkled everywhere. There is a theme, and we're slowly moving toward the ultimate goal, but within building types the sequences are consistent and yet still different for every culture.

[Gigantus]

There is software around (I have dabbled with FotoSketcher) that does reasonable converting from photos to 'art' - can that be helpful?'

3 minute process with a default setting - can obviously be refined:

...

[athanaric]

^ Good idea.

This is my area, so I'll just note that the preferred art-style is "painting". Provinces are a completely different animal since they are geographic in nature, and thus photos are the best way to represent them. But in all other cases (buildings and events) the intent is to use artwork. In some cases (ports and farms in particular) we do rely on vanilla RTW, but even there, there's a conscious effort to keep the styles similar across the whole range of building levels. So if you have an RTW graphic at L1, they'll be used all the way through to L5 (or whatever the terminating level. And they will be different by culture.

I see. Makes sense.

So I take exception to the "hodgepodge" accusation, because there isn't just a random distribution of pictures and art sprinkled everywhere. There is a theme, and we're slowly moving toward the ultimate goal, but within building types the sequences are consistent and yet still different for every culture.

It wasn't meant in a denigrating way. But surely, you can see what I mean - a consistent art style would be preferable (even though difficult to achieve considering how many different individuals of different professional and cultural backgrounds are working on this mod), in fact, IMHO, it should be one of the primary goals for any total conversion mod, such as this one.

[Kull]

It wasn't meant in a denigrating way. But surely, you can see what I mean - a consistent art style would be preferable (even though difficult to achieve considering how many different individuals of different professional and cultural backgrounds are working on this mod), in fact, IMHO, it should be one of the primary goals for any total conversion mod, such as this one.

And that was my point, it IS a primary goal. If you could compare the 2.0 vs 2.2 versions of EB2, you'd see we made MASSIVE steps in that direction, and it remains an ongoing activity. Take a look at the small icons and you'll see the same thing. A steady move toward a common style.

[Gurkhal2]

I've got to see the Spartan land reform now and it was, ok I suppose. Although i still think that there should have been a quest for the Koine faction in regards to the helots, and if more quests could also be done I'd love that too. :) But then again I'm a sucker for quests and stuff in this mod.

[QuintusSertorius]

I've got to see the Spartan land reform now and it was, ok I suppose. Although i still think that there should have been a quest for the Koine faction in regards to the helots, and if more quests could also be done I'd love that too. :) But then again I'm a sucker for quests and stuff in this mod.

In 2.3 both Epeiros and Ptolemaioi have "missions" relating to installing their own favoured candidate in Sparte. Not to do with the helots, though, rather exiled kinglets.

[Elmetiacos]

I've no idea, I'd have to ask our Germanic linguists.

I think this is a mistake, it should be a circumflex - Swêbôz, which is how it appears in the introductory text.

[Gurkhal2]

Here's an idea that I've been thinking about. Its to add spouses as retainers to male characters. Right now its s total sausag feast with women in the ruling family being total non-entities. I realize that this is an unfortunate effect of how the game's hardcoded but I feel that maybe that could be done something with in order to bring some more life into that part of the system by making spouses retainers that, should the spouse die in the family tree, the retainer is removed from the male character.

You probably wonder, what's that adding to the game? I would say immersion and perhaps less sausage feast over all as well as more color to the characters. For example imagine that a Socialite Wife or a Soldier's Daughter could add some stuff.

Its not prioritized thing but I thought I would mention it and see what you think of it.

[Guils]

The office of Princeps Senatus should be added for the Romans. It was bestowed for life to the oldest living censor, then (after 209 BC) to the most influential former censor. It could give influence boost. It was not given after an election though (by the censors when they drew the list of senators).