I sure love Viking invasion and Medieval XL mod!

[Grand Duke Vytautas]

Hi fans of historical games. I have been playing medieval: total war for about a year, then RTW showed up, I started playing it, but now I'm back to the real classic (because of RTW idiotic bugs untill the release of the patch) - MTW! I've got Viking expansion and MTW XL mod. I'm back with new enthusiasm again. I was very excited to see my own country Lithuania as playable faction, with it's Grand Dukes such as Algirdas maybe even my nickname Vytautas (the greatest duke of Lithuania who almost became a king). Yeah baby! I am so excited! Wish me luck! Cheers everyone

[BGerman]

How is the XL 2.0 mod? I'm thinking about downloading it. Does it come with a readme/manual?

Thanks,
Brad

[ElmarkOFear]

Howdy Duke. The VI game is a lot of fun. In MP, it has a feel somewhat like the old STW game had. I hosted 4v4 VI games all the time when I was playing regularly. Finally got quite a few people playing that era.

Welcome to the forums and have fun.

[TheDuck]

Hi fans of historical games. I have been playing medieval: total war for about a year, then RTW showed up, I started playing it, but now I'm back to the real classic (because of RTW idiotic bugs untill the release of the patch) - MTW! I've got Viking expansion and MTW XL mod. I'm back with new enthusiasm again. I was very excited to see my own country Lithuania as playable faction, with it's Grand Dukes such as Algirdas maybe even my nickname Vytautas (the greatest duke of Lithuania who almost became a king). Yeah baby! I am so excited! Wish me luck! Cheers everyone

Your unbridled enthusiasm is OH SO REFRESHING!

[derF]

I too have recently installed the XL mod. Basically it adds more detail and accuracy to the game. Rebel provinces are no longer just rebel scum. They are now credible and real faction. A very nice touch.

However if i were to make one criticism, it would be the design of the new units. If you look at the original units the edges are smooth, but the additions made by the mod developers (such as a shield) are simply drawn and slapped over the original.

This looks odd because the unit has smoooth edges but the additions are sharp and look like theyve been drawn with paint.

[_Aetius_]

Ive been playing MTW and VI for about a year, and i believe MTW VI is an alround better game than RTW, the graphics on RTW are amazingly realistic, but there are so many stupid things like squalor!! what genius thought that if your city reaches 10-15 thousand people that suddenly squalor sets in and ruins everything? did these people not know that rome once hadas many as 1 million people in?

MTW VI is just fun without all the annoying crap you have to deal with on RTW, i cant even play RTW at the moment because my pc has forgotten i have a sound card and RTW wont install again without an installed sound card *sigh* typical.

[VikingHorde]

However if i were to make one criticism, it would be the design of the new units. If you look at the original units the edges are smooth, but the additions made by the mod developers (such as a shield) are simply drawn and slapped over the original.

This looks odd because the unit has smoooth edges but the additions are sharp and look like theyve been drawn with paint.

Are you shurre it's my mod you are talking about? As far as I remember, I don't have any shields there are "slapped over the original" (sounds realy bad). I will however check the graphics to see if any needs to be replaced when I release the patch for the XL 2.0 mod. The patch will add better info on game features, remove a few minor bugs, replace some graphics and other stuff.

@Grand Duke Vytautas of the Lithuanians
Im glad you like the game. The Lithuanians are IMO a very cool faction because they are pagan and not a steppe people like the Monguls or Cumans.

[JR-]

XL is great fun.

any eta on the patch VH?

[VikingHorde]

XL is great fun.

any eta on the patch VH?

I don't know, some weeks maybe. I want to add as much as possible to the patch so that I don't have to release any more patches. Thats the reson why I have not released a patch earlyer. Most of the changes are just minor stuff, so the mod works okay without the update.

[_Aetius_]

I just downloaded XL before and its not working, i uninstalled mtw vi and that then installed mtw, then patch 1.1, then VI then the mod which took over 90 minutes.

I did all that but when i load up the game it starts up and the activision creative assembly thing comes up, then it just goes to my desktop and thats it?? what could be wrong?

[VikingHorde]

I just downloaded XL before and its not working, i uninstalled mtw vi and that then installed mtw, then patch 1.1, then VI then the mod which took over 90 minutes.

I did all that but when i load up the game it starts up and the activision creative assembly thing comes up, then it just goes to my desktop and thats it?? what could be wrong?

Do you have the VI 2.01 patch installed? (If you got the Battle Collection version, then you don't need the patch). Also, the mod only works if you got english or spanish language installed, others will not work (I hope to get german and french added in the future).

[william the bastard]

Do you have the VI 2.01 patch installed? (If you got the Battle Collection version, then you don't need the patch). Also, the mod only works if you got english or spanish language installed, others will not work (I hope to get german and french added in the future).

Hi VH

IMO don't waste time for a french translation of your mod. 'cause there is no french VI. I play on french MTW + english VI and your mod works fine. no real inconvenience for a trained gamer. install VI overwrite french TXT files.

[Duke Dick]

Are you shurre it's my mod you are talking about? As far as I remember, I don't have any shields there are "slapped over the original" (sounds realy bad). I will however check the graphics to see if any needs to be replaced when I release the patch for the XL 2.0 mod. The patch will add better info on game features, remove a few minor bugs, replace some graphics and other stuff.

@Grand Duke Vytautas of the Lithuanians
Im glad you like the game. The Lithuanians are IMO a very cool faction because they are pagan and not a steppe people like the Monguls or Cumans.

so viking horde, if its not your mod that he's on about, who's could it be???

All modders shields quality look alike (except the shape and patterns), and all will have that not quite right feel to them, when compared to the original games.

Geez, since i've been here, whenever someone feels like criticising your mod, you cannot accept it.

get over it. And please, next time you reply, make sure you spell "shurre" right.

[VikingHorde]

@william the bastard
No french VI, thats odd. I thought it was made for french too, but I don't know because we danes get English install all the time.

@Duke Dick
I can take criticism, no problems there. There are properly shields and other graphics of lower standard in my mod, but not "slapped over the original" ones IMO. He cauld have been playing the beta version too, with had graphics errors. That is why im asking before I go though all the graphics again. If you have any critics, please let me know what they are so they can be corrected in the patch im working on. Critics is only useful if you have played the mod however.

There is no need for criticizing my spelling. If you were writing in danish, then you would properly spell pretty badly

[Duke Dick]

@william the bastard
No french VI, thats odd. I thought it was made for french too, but I don't know because we danes get English install all the time.

@Duke Dick
I can take criticism, no problems there. There are properly shields and other graphics of lower standard in my mod, but not "slapped over the original" ones IMO. He cauld have been playing the beta version too, with had graphics errors. That is why im asking before I go though all the graphics again. If you have any critics, please let me know what they are so they can be corrected in the patch im working on. Critics is only useful if you have played the mod however.

There is no need for criticizing my spelling. If you were writing in danish, then you would properly spell pretty badly

i was only joking about the spelling thing, i seem to remember you picking me up on it once, and i couldnt help it

i understand about the shields now, but i dont think he meant they were actually looking like it was just slapped on, but what he meant was they looked like they were created by a modder not a proper gamer maker, so they looked poorer.

[VikingHorde]

i was only joking about the spelling thing, i seem to remember you picking me up on it once, and i couldnt help it

i understand about the shields now, but i dont think he meant they were actually looking like it was just slapped on, but what he meant was they looked like they were created by a modder not a proper gamer maker, so they looked poorer.

Hmm.. yes that could be it. I would like too correct all/most errors in my mod so that I can focus 100% on the Chivalry: Total War mod (MTW mod for RTW has been renamed), so some final feedback is needed.

[derF]

Are you shurre it's my mod you are talking about?

Im quite positive. Medieval TW XL (the one with all the cool additional factions such as the Volga Bulgars...)

Im not too sure i can expand on my description of the criticism. Are you sure you understand what i mean by "smooth-edges" and "sharp-edges".

Smooth-edges = A line of 1 or 2 pixels dedicated to blending the image with the background colour.

Sharp-edges = No pixels dedicated to this.

Note: I saw this on a new Archer you made which had a new kite-buckler. I think he was Venitian.

[VikingHorde]

Im quite positive. Medieval TW XL (the one with all the cool additional factions such as the Volga Bulgars...)

Im not too sure i can expand on my description of the criticism. Are you sure you understand what i mean by "smooth-edges" and "sharp-edges".

Smooth-edges = A line of 1 or 2 pixels dedicated to blending the image with the background colour.

Sharp-edges = No pixels dedicated to this.

Note: I saw this on a new Archer you made which had a new kite-buckler. I think he was Venitian.

Okay thanks. I will take a look and improve them

[_Aetius_]

I think the mod is fantastic probably the best mod ive downloaded for a game in a long time.

The only problem i have with it is that, well its two problems really,

1, trade has been slashed in value but now its almost pointless establishing trade at all even venice and constantinople struggle to make a decent profit :O and really farmlands dont give the income needed, but it benefits the AI which is good however as the english a trading post gave me only 8 florins a year in wessex which is usually quite rich.

Itd take 100 turns with that much trade for me to make back the 800 florins it cost to build the trading post lol. I was practically bankrupt after 40 years.

2, although i love the fact so many new factions are playable some of them seem abit pointless, like the irish or armenia or the hospitallers. I dont see how the AI anyway can make a decent go with these factions, there homelands arent exactly loaded with cash so they seem like cannon fodder sometimes.

They bankrupt themselves after a few years e.g. Norway makes about 60 florins a year when i saw it earlier the norwegians dont have a chance to survive unless they immediately attack the swedish or something.

Oh yeah and why do welsh bandits appear in every rebellions on the map i saw some appear in naples which was funny lol.

Biggest +'s are the new factions and how many there are, far more historically accurate now, and the new units which is great, the addition of Norman troops for example is brilliant, ive been playing it abit with numerous factions but still discovering lots of new cool units and differing stats etc.

However i think the pluses far far exceed the petty little negatives i pick out so well done on a top mod. 10/10

[VikingHorde]

1, trade has been slashed in value but now its almost pointless establishing trade at all even venice and constantinople struggle to make a decent profit :O and really farmlands dont give the income needed, but it benefits the AI which is good however as the english a trading post gave me only 8 florins a year in wessex which is usually quite rich.

Itd take 100 turns with that much trade for me to make back the 800 florins it cost to build the trading post lol. I was practically bankrupt after 40 years.

Thaks Aetius
The trade value has been reduced because the AI can't handel trade the way that the player can. This makes trade a cheat in the game, giving the player the upper hand. Maybe increasing the amount of ships being build by the AI can help the solve the trade problem, but properly not. Maybe the farmincome should be increased a little more.

2, although i love the fact so many new factions are playable some of them seem abit pointless, like the irish or armenia or the hospitallers. I dont see how the AI anyway can make a decent go with these factions, there homelands arent exactly loaded with cash so they seem like cannon fodder sometimes.

They bankrupt themselves after a few years e.g. Norway makes about 60 florins a year when i saw it earlier the norwegians dont have a chance to survive unless they immediately attack the swedish or something.

Playing some factions will need extra agressive playing style to survive. I often see the Norwegian AI invade England, pommerania or the HRE, so they seem to do well. I will try and look at the province income to see if it can be inproved.

[JR-]

maybe trade income should be bumped up a little.

it would be a shame if trading became totally useless even if the AI couldn't use it as well as it should.

balancing issues will always occur, as long as they are adjusted back in the right direction it isn't a problem.

[VikingHorde]

maybe trade income should be bumped up a little.

it would be a shame if trading became totally useless even if the AI couldn't use it as well as it should.

balancing issues will always occur, as long as they are adjusted back in the right direction it isn't a problem.

I will take a look at the trade setup, but I don't have any idea right now how much it should be increased. Some tests are properly needed.

[_Aetius_]

Now ive played it abit more ive seen that the trade cutting isnt so bad, as the french flanders till makes 1000+ form trade alone plus 2000 more from farmlands etc so if you go a rich faction then its alright.

I think i was wrong about some factions being pointless because on my french game the serbians conquered about 2/3's of the holy roman empire and got as far west as burgundy, a war with them though has ruined that empire :P. Also the swedes are very powerful and rule a good part of northern europe so i guess sometimes the AI can overcome the disadvantages with small factions and create large empires.

I dont know anything about modding but what was done to the AI? because unless im mistaken the AI is far more intelligent, it uses complex formations and doesnt just pile into you with no plan, it also withdraws cavalry to charge again and uses the wedge formation well.

[Alexandr III. Biges]

Yeah, XL mod is excellent.
I changed trade revenues, but they jumped too high, so I'v returned to the XL original and even with them I was able to make more than 8000 from Antioch.