Announcing: Europa Barbarorum

[Sarcasm]

What in Heaven´s name is THAT?!

Never seen that kind of siege engine before...

[Wishazu]

will the diversity of mercenary troops be improved? Vanillas rather paltry amount of mercenary units allways bothered me. i hated only being able to hire rubbish barbarian mercenaries when i know that ancient generals like hannibal etc. was able to recruit some of the hardiest warriors from iberia and gaul into his armies.

[khelvan]

Mercenaries - you better believe it. In general, troops that were widely used in various armies (Cretan archers, Balearic & Rhodian slingers, as an example) will be available as regional recruitment in very small areas to reflect subjugation (by those factions that would raise native units, given the appropriate government type chosen for that province) and in a wider area as mercenaries to reflect their mercenary activity.

The siege engine - I know there are a ton of guys asking for diversity in siege weaponry. I'm surprised no one has told you what that one is. Well, I'll let you guys guess.

[Malorix]

this is great! thanks for opening some stuff up finally!

[Sarcasm]

The siege engine - I know there are a ton of guys asking for diversity in siege weaponry. I'm surprised no one has told you what that one is. Well, I'll let you guys guess.

I hate it when you do that. *goes and starts yahoo*




I can see how it works....



1- Rope applies tension to the beam
2- Mechanism is released, the beam returns to its original position
3- The beam hits the missiles, and they are fired horizontaly

But what´s it called?

[Ignoramus]

Excuse me for being an ignoramus, but what is a beta?

[Sarcasm]

BETA is kind of an unfinished testing version of software, but bordering the final stages. ALPHAS on the other hand are much more unfinished, a working version of the initial stages of development.

[khelvan]

But what´s it called?

I'll give you a hint, its name sounds kind of like a vegetable. (in English, at least)

Excuse me for being an ignoramus, but what is a beta?

A "beta test" is jargon for a version of software being tested by non-developers. In other words, a test done by people outside the group that made the software. This generally follows an "alpha test," a phase during which testing is done internally. You can expect to see a non-complete version of EB, though we will do our best to keep to our usual standard of quality - as few bugs as possible, for instance.

Essentially, open beta tests are done so that people get the enjoyment of at least parts of the finished product, though understanding that it is in fact not finished, so bugs will be expected. Testers have nothing to complain about when running into a bug (as opposed to a version termed "production," if we were to not call it a test version) as they are agreeing implicitly to help us test for bugs, among other things.

"Alpha" and "Beta" have different meanings for different people. In short, you can play it, but you do it with the knowledge that it isn't as good as the finished product will be, and you may run into bugs (though you likely will not given our standard of quality).

[Divinus Arma]

given the appropriate government type chosen for that province

Please elaborate. We get to choose a government TYPE? If so, then HOLY S.

[Steppe Merc]

Not really. I'll let Khelvan explain...

[Divinus Arma]

Whomever. I look forward to it. I won't even speculate.

Regards

[Sarcasm]

Merc, man...I´m acking here!

What´s that thing called?

[khelvan]

Governments - each faction will have choices to make when taking over provinces. These choices reflect how the faction interacts with the people they have conquered, and in some instances the land and resources. For instance, the steppe people will have to choose between a nomadic or agricultural infrastructure, and this will affect the type of troops they can raise and the bonuses and such from the economy and people. The Celts will probably have a choice of four types of government - Directly controlled by a king (subjugated - homelands only), controlled by an installed noble (subjugated, different bonuses/penalties), controlled by an indigenous leader (client), or controlled by a religious leader (assimilated).

As you can see there will be considerable variety between factions. Furthermore, if there is some suggestion you have along these lines for individual factions, we are happy to consider it.

Ok, ok, I won't torture you anymore. It is a bricoli, and while it may look like it isn't very powerful, such devices were more powerful than an arrow and often used for killing mounts. You don't get a sense of scale with these pictures.

The production release will be a fully-automated install. I am not sure about the open beta yet. The size of the open beta will likely be in the neighborhood of 500MB.

I cannot currently forsee anything "sold," as that brings very real legal issues. We may offer a written manual for download. Certainly the mod will require documentation.

[Sarcasm]

Khelvan, you are a beautiful human-being.




What will be the difference between the closed BETA and the open BETA?

[Divinus Arma]

You folks are freaking geniuses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot even believe this... Installed nobles? Client states? You are capable of making changes this drastic?

Wait... I think I may have grasped how you can pull this off. It's the religious buildings right? You guys must be converting those to manipulate each state!

YOU ARE FREAKING GENIUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Divinus Arma]

I still can't believe it...







FREAKING GENIUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brilliant I tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WesW]

Governments - each faction will have choices to make when taking over provinces. These choices reflect how the faction interacts with the people they have conquered, and in some instances the land and resources. For instance, the steppe people will have to choose between a nomadic or agricultural infrastructure, and this will affect the type of troops they can raise and the bonuses and such from the economy and people. The Celts will probably have a choice of four types of government - Directly controlled by a king (subjugated - homelands only), controlled by an installed noble (subjugated, different bonuses/penalties), controlled by an indigenous leader (client), or controlled by a religious leader (assimilated).

As you can see there will be considerable variety between factions. Furthermore, if there is some suggestion you have along these lines for individual factions, we are happy to consider it.

Ok, ok, I won't torture you anymore. It is a bricoli, and while it may look like it isn't very powerful, such devices were more powerful than an arrow and often used for killing mounts. You don't get a sense of scale with these pictures.

The production release will be a fully-automated install. I am not sure about the open beta yet. The size of the open beta will likely be in the neighborhood of 500MB.

I cannot currently forsee anything "sold," as that brings very real legal issues. We may offer a written manual for download. Certainly the mod will require documentation.

If you do decide to charge for the mod, I want royalties. j/k

Concerning the bricoli, I wonder if you don't have the bolts oriented the wrong way. I mean, the lever won't hit any of the bolts at a right angle except the topmost one. Imagine hitting a nail with a hammer at the wrong angle and you'll understand what I am getting at here.
It would make more sense to me if the bolts were lined up horizontally, hit by a large head on the end of the lever, similar to the head on a golf driver. Launching a horizontal barrage would also seem to make more practical military sense as well.
Just trying to help.

[Dux Corvanus]

If you do decide to charge for the mod, I want royalties. j/k

Concerning the bricoli, I wonder if you don't have the bolts oriented the wrong way. I mean, the lever won't hit any of the bolts at a right angle except the topmost one. Imagine hitting a nail with a hammer at the wrong angle and you'll understand what I am getting at here.
It would make more sense to me if the bolts were lined up horizontally, hit by a large head on the end of the lever, similar to the head on a golf driver. Launching a horizontal barrage would also seem to make more practical military sense as well.
Just trying to help.

Yeah, the lever must end in a 'T' shape, firing simultaneously the bolts which should be alligned horizontally. Even if the angle was correct, in the actual machine, the lower ones would receive a significantly minor impulse, due to lesser inertia moment and speed of the low part of the lever. The upper the beat, the stronger the impulse, it's easy to see. Besides, the bolts should lay on some type of channeled support, to avoid flying without control once they have been beated.