Dark Ages 8th century

[kataphraktoi]

I've finally done it. Stupid mod.

It starts from the 8th century at a time when the invasions of Europe were beginning to reach its climax.

Factions:
Avars
Berbers
Byzantines (civil war)
Ummayad Caliphate
Khazars
Bulgars
Mercians
Visigoths
Slavs
Lombards
Burgundians
Vikings (Danes)
Count of Aquitaine
Franks
Eastern Romans (civil war)

It comes in 2 parts:
There is the base mod where the startpos for early and the starting positions are arranged. Plus names, descriptions and factions are changed accordingly.

Then there is 2nd part which has new units, mainly Byzantine to give them a greater variety.

All has been tested.

The total size of these files should be under 1mb.

This is not on the same scale as the WesMedmod or METW or NapTW, I do not intend to match their flair.

I wanted this to be challenging campaign in an age of darkness with the potential for glory.

New units:
Solenarion (early Byzantine crossbowmen) yes it true
Trapezitoi
Klibanophori
Gothic Lancers (no not the same as Spanish lancers, Gothic Lancers meaning Visigothic heavy cavalry)
Skutatoi

Tweaked existing units
Kataphraktoi with bow (there is a slight imperfection to this one, apparently VI doesn't respond the same way to the Kat with a bow in 1.1) Kataphraktoi are not meant to be slow, they are actually like western heavy cavalry with their speed and such. Kats seem to be confused with the Klib which is what MTW were trying to do.

A lot of units were recycled and repackaged to be relevant to the period.

Eg. Ghulam infantry, Persian Turmae cavalry....

Some Catholic barbarian factions get new leader units:
Lombards: Royal Retainers in the form of elite heavy infantry
Visigoths: their heavy lancers

There will be a part 3 to patch up anything...if needed or to make further mods to existing units. Perhaps an addition of another weapon to an existing unit. etc, etc.

Links:

Part 1

part 2

[magnatz]

Downloaded, but I won't be able to play it until next week (assuming I can make it work on the different directory tree of my Italian-only CD, that is).

However it looks very interesting, this is one of my favorite periods

Just a suggestion, in the mod time frame the Lombards were known and referred to as Longobards... the shortened name (Lombardi) only went into use a couple of centuries later.

[Mithrandir]

Check the mainpage,

http://www.totalwar.org Kataphraktoi .

[Mithrandir]

Btw.

I've uploaded the files to The Orgs' download section Kataphractoi.

http://www.totalwar.org/Downloads/Mt...ads/MTWupload/

[Emp. Conralius]

How about some screens? Particularly of the new units.

[kataphraktoi]

Aw shucks Mithrandir, u didnt have to put it in the org homepage

Anyways, I'll post screenies whenever I can.

A few notes:
I'll try to patch things up as quick as I can, so far I've picked out two mistakes, but they don't effect the game at all. They're only typos.

However, I will re-release them without effecting many files.

The info_pics, review_panel and uniticon pics are not custom made....yet.

I am working on them at the moment. I have trouble converting info_pics into bif files at the moment. When I finish them I will offer them up. once again they will effect the whole mod. They are, however, intended to add a variety. My apologies for that.

Magnatz: I had considered Longobards or Langobards but I thought it was Greek. But I may change it in the future.
I intend to release small file patches that fix small things that make the game enjoyable.

Wasn;t there a guy who wanted to do a Dark Age mod before?????????

He wanted to do the fall of Rome.

If he doesn't methinks I will snap it up.

[kataphraktoi]

I recommend downloading maps made for HTW. They are excellent.

[kataphraktoi]

heres the first pak of screenies, they are low quality so I can upload it faster.

Pics

They are mainly of Byzantine units:
- Kataphraktoi firing arrows
- Kataphraktoi running away like a school girl
- Kataphraktoi charging into the fray when tired of arrows
- Kataphraktoi being dodgy because of the text parameters
- Klibanophori in a wedge formation
- Skutatoi running against the enemy
- The Dark Ages campmap factions and all
- The Eastern Romans (Byzantine rebels) starting position

[magnatz]

Quote[/b] (kataphraktoi @ Nov. 11 2003,13:01)]Magnatz: I had considered Longobards or Langobards but I thought it was Greek. But I may change it in the future.
I intend to release small file patches that fix small things that make the game enjoyable.

They called themselves Longobards - they best historian, Paulus Diaconus, wrote the Historia Longobardorum. Also Tacitus mentions them as Longobards in the Germany.

Interestingly the name is thought to come from Long (long) and Bard (as in halbard), so they could actually be a good candidate for the axe-yielding barbarians in RTW...

I like the idea of the small patches, btw

Quote[/b] ] Wasn;t there a guy who wanted to do a Dark Age mod before?????????

He wanted to do the fall of Rome.

If he doesn't methinks I will snap it up.

That's was probably me

However I will probably make it for RTW, because I am too lazy to to be productive by messing around with text files, also I want the siege engines in my mod.
(not to mention that I would need a english MTW CD...)

So you are welcome to take on the Fall of Rome, I am sure it will rock

[Paxx]

Well done kata
for your work i made some cooking for you
do you like musaka?


but i am unable to try it, as i dont have the viking ivasion expansion yet

[kataphraktoi]

I have already completed a new version. When i mean new version, I really means small tweaks as such.

Just small ones to text and the performance to a particular unit.

Plus Lombards become Longobards

By the way Magnatz, the Longobards have an elite unit in the Royal Retainers, axe-wielding bodyguards of the Longobardic King.

[kataphraktoi]

Could anyone help me convert some files into bif file formats??

I have these custom info_pic files but they are bmp and I can't get them working in MTW.

Any help would be appreciated.

Katankatoi

[Dirk]

Kataphraktoi,

I've just downloaded your mod but.....I'm scared (Hm well....it's the right sentiment I guess). Scared to just go and add your mod to my MTW Vi as it's working perfectly well at the moment and I'm not really knowledgeable enough.
Could you maybe explain in which folders the different files should be put and.....is there a way back....

[Paxx]

First you 'll have to back up your original MTW files and folders (note that the mod must be on the viking invasion expansion files), in case it doesnt work.
for the 1st zip 'New Units and Modded stats' after extracted you will notice that the folders are exactly as the MTW folders installed to your hard disk(including the subfolders). You will have to follow the exact path from the extracted zip folders, copy the files inside the folder, then go where your MTW is installed follow again the exact path (from where u took the files) and paste(replace) them there.
example:
from the extracted folder you have:
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\New Units and Modded stats\Byzantine Units (new units and stat mods)\New units and stats\Battle\UnitIcons, you'll find some LBM files. Copy them and go to
C:\Program Files\Total War\Medieval Total War\Battle\UnitIcons and paste(replace if needed) them there
notice that the path highlighted is the same.

**ignore the 'Generic Folder'

hope i helped you and not confused you, please correct me if i am wrong

[The Wizard]

the link to your screenshots doesn't work...

[Hagbard la Suede]

where the heck do i put all the files in the 8th century dark ages map?

[ShadesPanther]

for geocities right click and go save target as

[Jacque Schtrapp]

This sounds awesome *rubs hands together gleefully*

[The Wizard]

Quote[/b] (ShadesPanther @ Nov. 12 2003,17:30)]for geocities right click and go save target as

Oh right, it's a download and not a viewing page. Lol..

[Magraev]

Looks very interesting

I'll download it immediately

I hope the Danes can do some damage to the north, poised to take over the british isles.

[Mithrandir]

you can also click the link, remove the www. part and press enter .

[kataphraktoi]

Thanks Paxx for filling in and helping some guys with installing it.

Some explanation of the installation.

It comes in pt1 and pt2

pt1 lays the groundwork for pt2 with all the stats for the new units in pt2. It also has the modded tweaks to set up the campaign map start positions.

once u've done that u then install pt2.

pt2 u just place the contents of the files into their apporpiate files.

however, there are some folders you have to copy as a whole
but u only need to do this for the Items folder.
eg. Textures/Men/Items/Weapon1 In the Weapon1 folder is the Klibanophori and Trapezitoi folders. All u have to do is just copy those folder into the original MTW Item/weapon1 folder.

Dark Age version 1.1 will soon be out.
The installation of it is the same.

Magraev.

The Danes have the full Viking range of Huscarles, landsmenn, thralls, etc, etc. Go wreak havoc.

With the Danes u have the choice of either setting up a Danelaw on the British Isles or do a Rurik and impose overlordship in Russia and start a new state. In the game I'm playing now, the Danes are doing both. Ambitious little Danes.

An easier way to get this campaign mod is send me your e-mail address. Since its only under 1 mb.

yes ignore the Generic Folder, that was just to remind me of what folders I needed. Its like template for adding new units.

Once you've installed the mod, perhaps u guys would like to continue a game I saved yesterday as the Eastern Romans.

I'm at war with the Ummayads, my fleet is fighting tooth and nail to keep communications open with my wesetern outposts.

My treasury is 85 florins and in the negative as well.

My provinces are quite rich but their lifeline is trade.

My armies are more or less pinned down the eastern frontier. Plus the generals there 7-8 star quality.

My empire consists of everything in Italy except for the Longobardic possessions of Milan, Tuscany and Venice.

I control Greece and Constantinople and all Asia Minor provinces with outposts in Crimea, Rhodes and Crete.

[kataphraktoi]

Tales from the frontier: help save Kataphraktoi and take up his save game.

The beginning of the 1st Byzantine-Ummayad war 745 - 755
The Cilician Raid

Prince Leo was arrogant, but justifiably arrogant. At a young age, Leo was sent to the eastern frontier facing the powerful, but unusually, quiet Ummayad Caliphate. Since his tenure on the frontier, things have been quiet and peaceful. Anatolia is reaping the benefit of this peace by concentrating on its main sustenance of living: agriculture. To the surprise of everyone one day, Prince Leo gave the order for a general muster of the provincial troops.

Pleased by the high level quality of the provinces troops, Leo planned to mobilise this army against Cilicia and the Arab garrisons placed there. Unfortunately, to do so required emptying out the province with no defending troops. Leo sent a missive to the Strategos of the Armeniakon John and asked for 2000 infantry militia and a few contingents of cavalry of mixed types: heavy and light.

Drawing a part of the Anatolia army and his contingents together, he had before him 4000 infantry, 500 Armenian Heavy cavalry troopers, 500 Mardaite light cavalrymen, 500 Thematic Kablleroi and a few assorted Horse Archers. A decent size army of 6000 was the resultant number. It was also the right size for a raiding force into enemy territory.

One of the things taught to Leo as a student in the arts of war was the choice of seasons. Normally, raids were conducted at a suitable season within the year, mainly spring. Leo, on the other hand chose the winter. Recalling the words of the late Emperor Maurice, a great general in his time, how certain foes despise the winter. Those words seemed naturally suited to the Arabs who have had their bad experiences with winter in their campaigns against the Romans in the past such as the siege of Constantinople a few decades back. In the dead of winter, Leo thus marched into Arab Cilicia with his army.

For a while, the Arab garrisons on the frontier have been lax. They could afford to since the garrisoning army in Cilicia was large giving them the confidence of facing any Roman army with the weight of numbers on their side. Little did they realise, the Roman prince and his army had no intention of turning back. But this was Leo’s decision and arrogance more than the Roman army’s decision.

Leo did not meet many Arab troops on the frontier and thus ravaged a few towns here and there, expelling some Muslims while capturing some Christians to be deported into Roman territory to be resettled. It was only when Leo approached the hills overlooking the flat plains of Cilicia did he find the Arab army arrayed before him. However, he was disadvantaged from the beginning with him on low ground while the enemy was on the high ground.

Trusting in the training and discipline of the Roman troops, Leo made his dispositions. Seeing that the Arabs consisted mainly of foot archers with only one cavalry contingent under the Ummayad Prince Khalid, Leo decided on a cavalry charge to shatter the foot archers. Not waiting to march in step with the infantry milita, Leo gave the order for the cavalry to charge the lines.

The left wing cavalry quickly rode up to safe distance of the enemy capturing high level ground before waiting for the rest of the cavalry to catch up. The central cavalry unit of and Armenian cavalry rode up the hill before slowing down on the steep angle while the right wing cavalry had already connected with the Arab line on their far left. Unfortunately for the right wing, these foot archers were actually contingents of Ghulam infantry who are excellent in shooting bows and close combat fighting. After a tight melee, the right wing broke off. The left meanwhile charged into the right Arab wing and crushed the foot archers. The Armenians themselves also managed to connect with the main Arab line and broke the line. Suddenly the reserve Arab infantry charged into the Armenians who did not expect the attack on their flanks. Soon one half of the Armenians retreated. However, the left wing saved the day by turning around after they routed the Arab right and plunged into the foot archers and the infantry causing confusion in their ranks. The Mardaites caught the Ghulams as they were catching the shattered Roman right. But like the Roman right found the going hard because of the Ghulam resistance and experience in close combat.

Meanwhile, the infantry militia finally caught up with the fighting. Most of the militia were marching in good order against the resistant Ghulam infantry who unleashed a barrage of missiles against them. Only one miliita unit assisted the other Roman cavalry units on the left breaking the Arab center. Finally, the lines were engaged as one. The Ghulam infantry was holding strong and in fact sent a chunk of the militia fleeing while the rest were fighting on. Sensing wavering morale on the, Leo and his small bodyguard plunged into the fighting to shore up the line. Rallying the shattered cavalry right wing, they too joined the fray and stopped the momentum of the Ghulams from turning it into a decisive victory.

Ummayad Prince Khalid the situation and decided to commit to combat. At first he succeeded. The Roman left he had set on breaking was crumbling as his Ghulam bodyguards carved up the tight Roman cordon on the weakening infantry. Suddenly he was halted, the charge had ended and the militia held firm and rallied. Soon his rear was exposed as the Roman cavalry quickly moved around behind him and drove home a charge that sent his bodyguards into a panic. The day was lost for Khalid, he fled like the rest of his men.

His Ghulam infantry still held firm and still fighting causing many Roman casualties in the process. But they too found the going tough as the battle wore on. All the Ghulams were committed in the fight with no reserves. They had no protection when the remaining Roman units who were freed from fighting after they broke the main Arab body swung onto the right and plunged into the Ghulam rear causing a bloody rout. Very soon the whole Arab army was fleeing from the field with great slaughter following on their heels.
The Ghulam infantry was mauled everywhere and left the field with a small remnant of their original numbers.

It is estimated that 6000 Arabs died on the battlefield with numerous Ghulam dead. However, of that 6000, 4000 were captured and executed revealing a merciless streak in Leo. The Roman casualties were particularly high as well. 1500 were killed, too high a number to attain victory and in a raid as well. Nonetheless, the Romans were outnumbered from the beginning so casualties of this kind were expected.

Prince Leo followed the remaining Arab soldiers and soon marched onto the gates of Tarsus. With his small army, a siege was impossible and he returned to Anatolia as soon as possible before Arab reinforcements arrive in Cilicia.

Suffice to say, Leo returned with a decent amount of loot but at great cost. His army was greatly reduced but still sizeable. In a few weeks, rumours abounded of the raid into Cilicia. The Ummayad Caliph was livid at this breach of peace on the frontier, even though there was no peace agreement to begin with. Soon the empires were at war.
Upon hearing of the raid, the Emperor Narses marched to the east in support of his brother against the Caliph.
It was a risky to start war with the Arabs, his treasury was stretched and his naval fleet precariously thin in trying to fight in the east and the west.

fast forward to 760, the Romans are fighting in the 2nd Byzantine-Ummayad war.

[kataphraktoi]

Dark AGE 1.1

Heres Dark Age 1.1

Small changes:
Lombards = Longobards
Unit stats changed mainly cost and expense
Campaign and faction descriptions
and very small stuff....

proposed add-on:
new buildings:

Great Palace
Grand Palatial Complex

Marketplace
Market Forum
International Emporium

Royal Gynaecum
Harem

Landmarks:
Great Mosque of Damascus
Hagia Sophia
Al-Azhar
Aachen palace of Charlemagne
Compostela

Agents:
Noble Woman
Concubine
Assasin disguised as a Monk
Missionaries

Tell me what u think. feedback feedback feedback.

Can I send some bmp files to anyone to convert to appropiate bif files????

[kataphraktoi]

Savegame

A savegame for the DarkAge mod.

[SicilianVespers]

Kat,

I bought VI just so I could play this one. I had been working on a Dark Ages mod for MTW, but stopped once I saw your mod.

I have a few suggestions regarding the langobards:

Langobard Gasindii = Royal retainers
Langobard Gastaldi = Excellent quality dismountable heavy cavalry
Langobard Arimanni = all free warriors (could use Italian Infantry)
Langobard Aldii = Semi-free men (like Viking Thralls, armed with bow, Genoese Sailors? )

The Langobards used round shields.

The Langobard Kings:

Ariperto II 703-712
Ansprando 712
Liutprando 712-744
Ildeprando 744
Rachis 744-749
Aistolfo 749-756
Rachis 756
Desiderio 756-744
Adelchi 759-744

The Duchy of Benevento (NAPLES) should be Langobard. The Langobardi were at the height of their power in the 8th century, even conquering the Roman capital of Ravenna.

I suppose you could leave it rebel since the ID_NAPLES represents the independent Langobard Duchies of Spoleto and Benevento (in addition to the Roman Duchies of Naples, and Calabria) It's very hard to unite the Langobard Duchies without taking Ravenna first. You may want to consider giving the Langobards an Adriatic fleet if you keep it rebel.

One of my gripes with the game is that NAPLES is just way too big. it should be broken up into Spoleto, Benevento, Naples and Calabria.

I don't have my books with me, is the Eastern Roman civil war over the Iconoclasm? If so, you may want to consider renaming the Anatolian faction to Byzantine Iconoclasts or something to that effect.

One technical problem I came across. The game is looking for a GothicLancers.BIF in a catholic folder that doesn't exist (right click the unit for the message). I jkust created the folder and copied the BIF into it to get around it.

Excellent work....thanks

[Odinn]

It would be interresting with a Dark Age mod for Rome Total War, specially as the Classic period does not really draw my attention...

[kataphraktoi]

SicilianVespers,

I changed as much as I possibly could to customise the Langobards but some of them shared the same units with other factions so i couldn't change them as an exclusive Langobards.

The Byzantine civil war has nothing to do with Iconocclasm but rather the last of 7 rebellions in the early 8th century. Chronologically, it is inaccurate, I had to take license and cram it within the space of 7 years to accompany the situation with other factions.

The rebels are Eastern Romans because it implies they are Romans of the East rather than a loyalist faction.

Thanks for the names..been looking for some Langobardic names.

I made all titles concerning certain regions empty in the text files, this is the title for each region is customised according to the posessive faction.

I wish I could split Naples but theres apparently a limit on the number of provinces on the map.

Iconoclasm became an issue only when the rebels wer in power, it never was an issue for the cause of the rebellion. Historically, the time for theological debate was inappropiate, the Ummayad was preparing for an all-out assault on Constantinople

[SicilianVespers]

Here are a few Langobard titles:

Stolezaz of the Palace (Majordomo)
Marpahis of the Cavalry
Duddo of the Treasury
Pincerna of the Palace (cupbearer)

I understand about the customization, I usually customize the mods after I install them for my own use.

Regarding the empty region title, are you saying the Naples title could be Duke of Naples when the Byzantines control it, and switch to Duke of Benevento if the Langobards take it? In which file do you specify the customized titles?

When I am playing your mod, I have been interpreting the Byzantine factions as the Exarchate of Ravenna, and the and the Eastern Roman Empire. It suits the situation in Italy very well.

I managed to find a couple of Byzantine rulers for this period:

Marinus Duke of Rome (one of my long lost ancestors )

Paulus Exarch of Ravenna

Thanks Again...

[kataphraktoi]

Thanks for the Langobardic titles, I'll be sure to customise for the next version. 1.2

Here was my aim for the Byzantine factions.

The loyalists under Theodosius held the rest of the territories that did not rebel and that included the Ravennan Exarchate and the remains of the African Exarchate.

Under the rebels, Leo Germanicea holds Asia Minor and has acess to the best native Byzantine troops, they are rebelling because the opportunity is open for the crown plus Leo was a loyalist of the former Emperor Athanasius who was overthrown by Theodosius

Leo's surname is Germanicea after his hometown*

yes, empty region title customises itself.

u can find this in the folders campmap/startpos

the file is early.text file

there should be after the region name, just fill it in...

Katsaphrenic