DUX: a VI MP enhancement mod

[L'Impresario]

DUX: a VI MP enhancement mod
Created by [VDM]Alexandros_R & [VDM]BuuKenshin

OVERVIEW

The DUX mod is a relatively small project by me (Alexandros) and BuuKenshin of clan VDM,
whose initial concept had been just to provide a set of stats for the very successful BKB Supermod. No major gameplay or stat changes were planned, only a relatively playable format for a multiplayer setting, as the initial prices were presenting a big obstacle to balance.
Gradually interest for VI MP diminished, while mods such as the Samurai Wars one, were more than adequate to provide a different and quite more interesting than “vanilla” VI game. Unfortunately (well, at least from one point of view), the 1.2 RTW patch rekindled some (short-lived) interest for some VI players, so a further setback was noted, one that brought mod games in the VI lobby to 0, ofcourse with the remarkable exception of NTW.
As gameplay and armies were becoming once more repetitive (as far as normal10-15k games go),the CWC “Knights of Honour” tournament rules were conceived and became the norm among the group of 50-60 regular VI players, with occasional 10k games still making an appearance. Still, many players (and among them yours truly) while admitting that they offered more balance and promoted more varied armies, the rules were promoting the same heavy cavalry overuse, esp. in team games, and exploits could be found, ofcourse to a lesser extent than in VI. It also proved hard to provide some kind of intuitive gameplay, due to deceiving prices.
Not having any other ambition than to save my opponents from the time-consuming of randomly building an interesting army by using even remotely useful units, we started formulating the DUX mod, using a variety of ideas and personal observations made by playing a host of other mods during those last 2 years, namely the “Community Mod”, “La Reconquista”, our own [VDM]Ein’s “V202”, the “Samurai Wars” and combining them with the huge amount of work put in the SuperMod’s technical area. Most solutions provided to real or perceived issues of VI do use many already known and recognisable patterns.
Recognising the difficulty of getting players to play any mod, this one was made in order to be used by the same people who could actually enjoy games around or a bit lower than 7k VI, with the relatively limited amount of players active working as a positive factor for distribution purposes.


MOD FEATURES

-More Balanced Gameplay : By using the “zero upgrades” approach and prices being increments of 100, a much greater number of units could be balanced and denote clearly a distinct “rock-paper-scissors” system, with a few subcategories among them, serving specialised battle tasks. As ChivalricKnights(AT5–DEF5–MRL8–CH9) cost 1200 and can rout a FeudalMenAtArms(AT3-DEF4-MRL5-CH3) costing 600 unit head-on in little time if allowed a clear charge -if not instantly-, one will be forced to invest either in equally expensive cav to stop the CK, or substitute that FMAA with 500 florins FeudalSergeants or 700 fl. ChivalricSergeants, both fuly capable of stopping a charge by one of the strongest cavalry units in the mod. It is of value here to note that most VI units keep their original stats, at least in CH,AT,DEF. Morale though is a very important gameplay factor, therefore much thought was given at the formula that would offer a more intense feeling in combat than 10k but not very unpredictable and hard to learn. So normal combat units have around 5-6 morale, with lower quality ones or just those suited specifically for harassing or skirmishing getting down even to 3. Spears right now do have comparable morale with swords so in a straighforward attack with FMAA or CMAA against a solid spear line of good,steady ( worth 700+ florins) units, there are high chances that ,unless an external factor comes into play, the spears will keep the swords occupied for a long time with high casualties for both sides. But usually if swords are used in wedge or manage to envelop at least one side, the spears won’t be holding for long. A boost to heavy cavalry charges is another incentive not to depend too much on one type of arm and will also cater to the tastes of those who believed that charges were too weak in VI: just wait till you see the results of a charge from the elite crusader cavalry.

-More Options : 13 new factions and a complete lifting to the old ones. BKB’s work allows us to offer a breathtaking amount of new units (over 70), all used to provide the player with more customisation options and allow room for an amazing number of army combinations.

-Simpler Army-building Process : What you see is what you get; even if you choose units without knowing their exact stats , you will stand a chance against any enemy, simply because you don’t need to memorise the standard armies and each unit’s required upgrades, or fear any type of rush armies. If you play prudently, chances are that you’ll be rewarded, as mistakes allowed in 10k VI will be punished to a greater extent, due to the new morale scale.

-A Reasonable Amount of Historical Accuracy : The mod covers approximately the period between 1180 and 1320. Efforts were made to maintain a realistic army selection for each faction, without sacrifising possibly interesting gameplay additions. Some units have less historical backing than others, but a certain degree of abstractions was necessary, as the game engine can’t offer things like multiple melee or missile weapons, area fire, parthian shots etc. Still we believe that the factions in the DUX mod are diverse and unique in many ways, letting the player field a believable army, without an excessive number of “elite” units.

-Lots of Tweaks : The vast number of small changes can't be detailed here, although it’s imperative to highlight the inclusion of concepts like:
a)“mercenary/rare units” (as in the additional 100 florins a faction can pay in order to have a few premium, usually mercenary, units that enhance its fighting style- eg the Byzantines have a pool of elite steppe units ,and even western knights, that can be employed with an extra cost)
b)the 3 “A”s : Ammo/Accuracy/Armour differentiation (the quality of missile units is represented by the number of ammo,their accuracy level and armour/shield, removing unbalancing factors like the longbow’s extra range)
c) Speed tweaking (slow infantry units no longer crawl behind the others when walking, fast light cavalry gets a small boost to their charging speed in order to help them fullfil their HA chasing duties etc)
d)Reduced defence stats for the basic missile units versus cavalry, so as to promote a more intense skirmishing phase, but not sufficient to give an edge to rush armies.
e)Different sizes for the same unit types (Golden Horde specific, allows 60-men Horse Archers and Mongol Horse Archers Units to be fielded)
…and many others!

-Regular Updates : After a number of games, we might consider some changes for balance purposes, and player feedback will guide any future finetuning.

-No second VI-install needed : By installing the Dux mod, the Generic Mod Enabler by JoneSoft contained within allows you to switch from VI mode to Dux mode easily and safely. If you wish to uninstall the Dux mod, simply delete the MODS folder inside the main MTW/VI folder (usually C:\Program Files\Total War\Medieval - Total War).

- A custom music pack to be downloaded seperately, created by Silent-Faust

Please remember that the mod is created for play at a certain amount of florins per player, namely 10.000.


Additional information and the credits are to be found in the README file!

Many thanks to TosaInu for kindly accepting to host the mod!

Also to Adherbal for finding us an extra host (and maybe being willing to host the music pack when it gets some set-up instructions;))

Last but not least, we should not forget to mention Phoinix_Mas' contributions to the mod, like the logo and the new unit graphics. We are glad to have you onboard:)

LOG
5/3/06: Version 0.4 released


LINKS
---New Version (0.4)
http://mizus.com/dux

---Older Versions
http://www.mizus.com/Files/k0rgs8gVt...Dux0.2beta.zip
http://www.thegregersens.com/TempFiles/Dux0.2beta.zip
http://tosainu.demon.nl/files/files/...Dux0.2beta.zip
http://rapidshare.de/files/9381119/Dux0.2beta.zip.html
http://www.3ddownloads.com/totalwar/...Dux0.2beta.zip

MUSIC
http://mizus.com/duxmusic

SITE
http://dux.atspace.com/index.html (Under Construction)

FORUM
http://p209.ezboard.com/fclanofvalidusduxmundusfrm21

Currently organising this one as well: http://dux.forumfree.org/index.php?&act=idx

http:\\mizus.com\infodux

[buujin]

For all those who have recently downloaded this mod !

Myself, Alex and many others will be meeting this evening from around 8pm GMT onwards to play a few games of Dux, please feel free to come and join us! You wont be dissapointed ;)

Buu

[Tomisama]

All Hail The Mighty DUX

This sounds like the rebirth VI, and that me thinks is a Grand Idea

Thanks in advance Alex and Buu. Hats off to ye both

[L'Impresario]

Thanks a lot Tomisama, we hope as well that this mod will be embraced by all those who faithfully stay in VI and also anyone who just wanted an incentive or an excuse to return.
These last weeks had been quite hectic, but it seems it has been worth it:)

[AggonyDuck]

I'm highly sceptical about the mod myself and anyways until the end of the CWC I will prioritise the normal game. After that I might give it a shot.

[L'Impresario]

Your loss, Fossilducky

[buujin]

Why are u sceptical ducky ?

[Scurvy]

"d)Reduced defence stats for the basic missile units versus cavalry, so as to promote a more intense skirmishing phase, but not sufficient to give an edge to rush armies."

no more 6 pavs armies for me then....

Im a bit skeptical but willing to try :)

[AggonyDuck]

Firstly mods have a very bad habit of dividing a community. Also I'm quite happy with how the game works currently and the argument of making the game more balanced isn't always true with mods. Often according to my experience mods result in new unbalancing factors. Anyways I did download the mod though...

[L'Impresario]

Ducky

Firstly mods have a very bad habit of dividing a community.

Well I don't agree with you (would hosting custom map games or a late era game be considered the same?), it's just an extra era that you install once, and, here's a tip, you can even play normal VI games with the DUX mod activated, if you can bear with some unit graphic anomalies. Else you just need a couple of minutes to log out and use the modswitcher. Surely explaining any rules in VI games to people who have never heard em before is more time consuming and risky. OTOH, you have a game that plays at 0 upgrades, it can't get more intuitive.Anyway my views on balance are quite clear, should you have read the first post. We can always use constructive criticism.
We'd love to hear about new unbalancing factors, there may be things we overlooked. This is a live project, not something set in stone. It's an interactive process that can be enriched and smoothened.

In the end everyone can play what they want, forcing people to stay content with the vanilla game isn't in anyone's wishes. Many of the best games I had on VI were with mods, esp the Comm mod one. I do admire the NTW developers and players, quite impressive feats they have achieved.
We could discuss the shortcomings of the current VI game if you wish, although it's a horse that's barely surviving;)

Curvy Scurvy

Well, there 're lots of surprises for you heh
Now you can even get some Xbowmen hybrids with good shields, like the genoese ones. Also vanilla xbowmen are already posessing decent morale and defense compared to their cost (as cost relations are different now, even if most VI stats stay the same), so we had to slightly liven up the skirmishing phase.

[buujin]

Ok ducky

Well im pretty sure you will enjoy the mod, so hopefully see you online soon.

:)

[AggonyDuck]

Yup, I better try the mod before I continue to talk against it...

[Tomisama]

I'm highly sceptical about the mod myself and anyways until the end of the CWC I will prioritise the normal game. After that I might give it a shot.

With Aggony so close to the title of Early Era Champions in the Knights of Valour Competition, not wanting to loose focus on playing with the current CWC rules is perfectly understandable.

But would like to put forward that there is less difference “functionally” between playing the DUX mod and playing with the KoV valour rules, than there is between playing the KoV rules and playing vanilla VI.

So if you are currently playing both of those, I don’t think that DUX will compromise your game in any way

[L'Impresario]

Yes, true words Tomi, if we can say that base morale in KoV CWC is 4-5 (apart from the heavy cav armies, where it gets again close to 8 ) and the swords have a diminished role, then you can directly find quite a few basic similarities with DUX. Ofcourse I did suspect that Ducky wouldn't want attention to be driven away from the CWC;)

[AggonyDuck]

Well I tried it and something really disturbed me......that is the question, why doesn't the Il-Khanate have access to Mongol Horse Archers?

[L'Impresario]

They do have MHA, as well as Turcomans and HA. What they don't have is the 60-men MHA and HA, which is a Golden Horde specific element that is there to make up for the lack of any xbows or armoured archer, and to better show their historical reliance on HA tactics(ofcourse for an extra cost than 40 men HA and MHA).

BTW, we have spotted a few omissions in some units (like a +1 def and mrl that the templar foot knights got by mistake), and we could use a greater number of people playing so s to fix all that may go wrong within the first weeks of January.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Nice to see you guys got this off the ground, great work. I might give it a try at some point.

[buujin]

Thanks again BKB, without you none of it would have not have been possible.

We had several great 4v4 games yesterday which were very successful.
A big thanks to all who came along to play, including :

MizuTosaInu
Hunter King Goerge
Tiger MaCod
AggonyAdherbal
MaxTheLeveller
UgliestSoul
Scias

and ofc ChaosSimooooooooooo and Silent Saint Cain who have helping and beta testing since we first starting making the mod. Thanks guys



Hope to see you all online again soon !

[Scurvy]

hmm im enjoying playing as the danes (with cautious optimism) i keep managing to break centre but still loose which im still trying to work out :P

il be on 2moro 8.30 GMT and in need of a host :)

[L'Impresario]

Yes, I remember those games hehe
The danes are pretty strong infantry wise, but lack fast cavalry to give chase to routers, and if you decide to commit too many florins on those danish nobles and schwertbrüder foot, then you must sacrifice the heavy cav.

I think hosts will be plenty during that time;)

[Hunter KIng George]

You guys are the ones we should thank for creating the mod!

[Scurvy]

yay i finally got it work (against buu and saint-cain i think) and only needed 3 units of cav :P i think the 0 val rule makes cav a lot less effective (which is good)

[buujin]

Heavy cav are actaully now even more effective than they were in VI...

The thing is, now the knights cost a lot more, so its impossible to get an army of purely elite troops. Armies in Dux must consist of a good balance between heavy and light, expensive and inexpensive troops. A well timed charge from a unit of chivalric knights can sweep the battlefield clean!, but if you want the rest of your army to be strong, taking more than 2 or 3 units of CK is a bad plan.

The same applies to infantry, for 900 florrins you can buy hospitaller spearmen which will repell almost any attack if used correctly.. But IF your entire main line is made of hospitaller spearmen, chances are your cavalry forces will be quite meager.. and so you will be more suseptable to getting flanked during the melee which renders any heavy spear unit almost useless.


Happy Dux'ing !

Ill see you all online later

[Scurvy]

hmm im not sure about the h.cavs being better, they might be statistically but if u can only take 1 unit due to florins cost they are completely nulified as 1 unit of inf can hold them up for whole battle np

ya cya later

[L'Impresario]

but if u can only take 1 unit due to florins cost they are completely nulified as 1 unit of inf can hold them up for whole battle np

Yes, but that unit will have to be a spear, and it's not always very hard just to disengage, although if you admittedly commit the mistake of charging them head on with pointy-stick bearers, then you've already wasted lots of money. Still any cav with a good charge (>6) and decent attack (>3) can annihilate most non-spears by hitting them frontally.
Plus there are many cav unit tiers, with the lower cost ones serving different roles, usually not having to do with slugging it out vs infantry in a prolonged melee, like a ck could do in some cases.

[Scurvy]

i'l take your word for it :D

[_mas_]

Hi Alex, Buu and all Vik players,

I have some idea about Dux mod.
We can modify/add unit graphic, and add/correct historical units for many factions.
But one only condition is necessary for this great work:Dux mod must be "Foyer mod".............if many guys play Dux mod the work on it is justified ,otherwise not.
I hope you understand me and sorry for my bad english :(


Happy new year



Phoinix_Mas

[L'Impresario]

Yes I know what you mean Mas, and in VI there aren't many people anyway, but that's why it's somewhat easier to inform people about the mod, and we get questions about it in the lobby everyday. The more people get informed the easier it all becomes, esp. with the older players that have beared with 10k and 15k florins gameplay for too long and are willing to adopt a more active posture towards how much better the game could be made.
As long as players seek something new and can be imaginative, the initial problems of waiting for the last guy to come for that 4v4 will find remedy.
A good thing is that we have at least 20-25 people already with the mod and I' ve noticed that this whole effort makes us come closer to many people we didn't know that well previously.
The mod afterall doesn't require a second install, and one can simply remove it or keep it deactivated if one doesn't find it a good gaming platform, for whatever reasons that may be.

Furthermore, I had mentioned previously that historical accuracy is always considered, but, above all, it is to be brought in juxtaposition with gameplay. But input is kindly requested, even though ideas about completely new unit graphics are hard to realise, due to the very strenuous VI unit creation process.

Felice anno nuovo anche a te:)

[Boudicea]

Hi there Buu, I have finally found it! YAY!

[L'Impresario]

Hello Crow, good to have you with us:)
I guess Buu won't be able to post here for a week or so, skiing vacation are awful indeed:p