Rome: Total War The Dark Ages Mod

[boranchistanger]

Rome: Total War
The Dark Age Mod

Forum: Coming Friday
Website: Coming Friday
Planned Release Date: May 30, 2005

Greetings. Well, a couple friends and I have hammered out a plan for a new full-scale mod of Rome Total War (This was actually our back up plan to the Barbarian Invasion Mod) and this mod will be based during the period between 620 A.D and 1000 A.D. Before describing the mod itself, let me briefly discuss that period.

The Western Roman Empire collapsed in the mid 5th century and in its place rose numerous Germanic Kingdoms, namely the Goths (Italy/Spain), Franks (France), Vandals (North Africa) and Anglo-Saxons (Britain). In the east, the Roman Empire lived on, only it was now ruled from Constantinople. In the 6th Century A.D, the Roman Emperor Justinian sent his capable general Bellisarius west to retake the former Roman provinces. This Bellisarius did, taking Italy, North Africa and parts of Spain. This expedition left the treasury empty, however, and this would have later repercussions on world history.

The Parthian Empire had been replaced by another Persian one, and they, like the Parthians, had been a thorn on Rome’s side. After a shaky succession to the Roman throne, the Persians attacked the empire and made huge inroads into the Asian provinces. Coupled with an invasion in Italy by the Lombards, the Roman Empire seemed screwed. Antioch, Damascus, Jerusalem, and Alexandria all fell to the Persians while only Rome and The toe remained of Roman Italy. However, a capable Roman named Heraclius (Took power in 620 A.D) took the throne and drove the Persians back, forcing a stalemate. Both sides had been mortally wounded and in this weakness a greater enemy arose. Muslim Arabs swept out of Arabia and completely overran the Persian Empire along with all Asian Roman provinces. Soon, Constantinople itself was under siege and the fate of the world was in the balance.

While this was going on in the east, the Franks were forming a kingdom and the Anglo-Saxons were driving out the old Celtic tribes from Britain. This time is very interesting for it shaped the world we live in today. Islam spread like wildfire because of the weakness of the Roman and Persian Empires, however what if those two empires had been healthy at the time? Islam was eventually halted by the failure to take Constantinople. What if Constantinople had fallen? In this mod, you will be able to answer these questions.

Now, onto basics. The campaign map itself will be adjusted to fit in Scotland and the city names will be updated to fit the time. There will be brand new factions and units (See bottom) along with minor changes to the game itself (More realistic unit speed). The campaign map will be done by my partner Josh and myself while the unit models will be done by both volunteers and freelancers while another group will work on the coding aspect. Still another group will work on the historical and planning aspect of the mod. The work by all of these different groups will come together in one heck of a mod.

Now, the first phase of this is actually planning and laying out the details. A meeting to discuss the details will be held on the Friday after Thanksgiving at 8pm EST on a chat room (Link Coming Soon). Anyone who wishes to give their opinions on certain aspects can attend. Now, below are the current planned factions in the mod along with some unit brainstorms Josh and I have had. At the bottom of the page there is information on how to join the mod. A website and forum will be up by Friday.

Eastern Roman Empire

Infantry
Byzantine Peasants (Bums taken from taken from the street)
Militia (Light Infantry)
Greek Early Scutatus Numerus (Light Infantry)
Asian Early Scutatus Numerus (Light Infantry)
Greek Late Scutatus Numerus (Light Infantry)
Asian Late Scutatus Numerus (Light Infantry)
Federate Infantry (Light Infantry)
Optimati Infantry (Heavy Infantry)
Byzantine Archers (Short Range Bow)
Archers Elite (Long Range Bow)
Buccellarii (Elite Heavy Infantry)
Byzantine Pikemen (Pike Infantry)

Cavalry
Byzantine Cavalry (Light Cavalry)
Early Cataphract (Heavy Cavalry)
Late Cataphract (Heavy Cavalry)
Cataphract Elite (Heavy Cavalry)
Cataphract Archer (Missile Cavalry)
Royal Guard (Heavy Cavalry)

Siege
Early Catapult
Late Catapult
Batista
Heavy Batista

Persian Empire

Arabs

Vandals

Visigoth Kingdom

Lombards

Frankish Kingdom

Anglo-Saxons

Celtic Tribes

Avars

Bulgarians

Slavs

Turks

Norsemen (Maybe Vikings)

Rebels


We need modelers, coders, history buffs and pretty much anyone else. If you are interested post here and/or attend the meeting.

-Boran Chistanger
Email: boranchistanger@yahoo.com
AIM: boranchistanger

[kataphraktoi]

Kataphraktoi wants in, it looks like a serious mod project.

I have information about 6th, 7th century troop types for the Eastern Romans.

If need be, history of the Tagmatic troops formed under Constantine V

I'd like to mod, but I don't know what graphics software I need.....I have the whole summer to tinkle around so anyone want to help or suggest any programs???

[kataphraktoi]

Justinian''s army had a variety of mercenaries, the problem was procurement within the empire. You can;t just recruit Huns in Constantinople. However, their outpost in the Klimata (Cherson, Crimea) allowed them to come in contact with various barbarian groups. Plus marauding groups in the Balkans near the fringes of the Danube yielded Slavic, Gepid and Lombard mercenaries.

An obvious one is the Ghassanids, they can be recruited in Damascus, Judea and Petra since the Arabs have moved closer to the urban areas in the 6th century.

A suggestion only, feel free to disown it:

Hunnic archers
Slavic infantry (spear and shield)
Slavic infantry (javelineers)
Gothic infantry (recruited from Gothia in the Crimean peninsular)
Gepid infantry (spear and shield)
Gepid Lancers
Lombardic infantry (armoured infantry)
Lombardic Lancers (elite heavy cavalry)
Moorish light cavalry
Ghassanid Arab light cavalry
Ghassanid foot archers
Black Nubian guardsmen (recruited by officials in Egypt, mainly Thebes provinces)

[JANOSIK007]

Hey I am here as well.

So here goes my response to your last post.

Not really. Slavs were sedentary centuries even millenia before the common era. Experts estimate that around 3000 to 2000 BC we can see a distinct group of Slavs froming between Dnieper and Dniester rivers. Scythian incursion in 500 BC has significantly disturbed their developement. Driven by not entirelly known reasons they started migrating around 5th century AD that by early 7th c. they spanned from Elbe to Dnieper. Slavs weren't nomads by a longshot, much like Germans and Celts weren't. As they settled they started forming confederacies for mutual protection. The map you've shown is at the earliest stage of developement, but in mid 600s they forming up for mutual protection. One of the most successful and famous of these tribal unions was Samo's Empire, so called because Samo (a Frank merchant) was its leader. They successfully defended themselves against Avars and sigmificantly reduced their influence in central Europe (in half almost), as well as against Frankish invasions. I think this is quite ironic, because just 500 years ago Germans were ones ambushing a foreign invasion and now samething was happening to them. There was also one major battle which the Slavs won and ended Frankish insatiable thirst for conquest further east. When Samo died so did the 'empire.' However, out of its ashes arose a new empire 200 years later. In early 800s we can see Morava becomming a contender for power in cetral Europe that by late 800s it held a vast amount of lands in the central Europe (bigger than Samo's). Also at that time Kiev was becoming a major power in the east and by late 10th c. it was the biggest power in the east.

I don't think that it is best to unite them all. They would be too powerfull (not to mention unhistorical). Perhaps I can send you a comprehensive map of the Slavs and different tribes (there was like two dozens of them). It also shows confederacies that emerged at that time (before Morava). The best would be to have these confederations (about six of them) as nations and the rest as rebels (most would be rebels).

[boranchistanger]

Alright, the forum is up! http://rtwbi.proboards29.com

If you are interested in joining the team, post there.

-Boran

[kataphraktoi]

WHat the hell? I didnt suggest that Slavs were nomadic!?

I had in mind Slavs as mercenaries that could be recruited, last thing on my mind was some united Slav state in the 6th century as soome nomadic invader.

Unless u were referring to something else. AH, the drawbacks of electronic communication.