Complete Pike/Sheild/2-Hander Fix

[Carl]

It can be found in this post with full details of what i've done. It includes no personal balance changes beyond those required to make 2-handed swords competetive with the rest of the 2-handers.

Enjoy.

[Carl]

A 102 veiws and no comments? I though loads of you wanted this...

[Moah]

We're all too busy downloading and installing to be grateful!

Thank you so much! This was precisley what I asked for in an earlier thread.

You're a lovely man (woman/human being)

(is that better? )

[Carl]

LOL, yeah. Man actually. I was hoping it might be somthing like that but I wasn't sure.

If any of you spot any 2-handers I missed, let me know. I think i've got them all, but you never know...

[Gen_Lee]

Nice:)

[Carl]

*looks embarrssed* got it wrong with the Viking Raiders. They're fine actually, I was doing a side by side comparision to the vanillia file to make sure I knew which units have sheilds in vanillia and got mixed up...

[Marchicus]

I'm at work so cannot d/l the file, but does it deal with the Varangian Guard?

[Carl]

Yep.

p.s. theirs no self installer so you'll need to know how to set it up or ask somone to explain, (it's pretty easy if you know how TBH, i'm just not much good at explaining it).

[Moah]

Ok can someone post the explanantion. I was just going to find a file of the same name on M2TW and paste this one over it. I take it that's not what to do....



Hey, I'm a social science graduate. What do you expect....

[Carl]

Just had a thought, i'll create a version you can just copy and paste in properly. Give me about 5 mins.

[Carl]

Added a new updated download to the post linked to in the first post of this thread. it's a ZIP file. Instillation instructions are also in the post linked to.

If anyone want to tell me how to crate an auto-installer or would like to create one, then feel free to do so. i'll give you credits where due.

[Moah]

So you need to start a new campaign to get the fixes?

But you can still continue with your old Vanilla campaigns using the old M2TW shortcut?

Thanks for all your help (and work)

[Carl]

No, you don't need a new campaign normally, it will let you pick up where you left off with the changes in place. All it changes is where the game looks for the unit stats.

Your Welcome BTW.

[Zatoichi]

What happens when units get armour upgrades with this fix? Do they lose the extra bonus you've given them, or do they become really armoured? I'm at work at the moment, and so I can't see for myself!

Also, how does this fix affect autocalc and the AI's willingness to build units? Or is it too early to tell?

Thanks for putting this out there though!

[Carl]

They get the upgrades as normal. It has no effect on auto-calc as total defence values havn't changed for anything, (auto-calc assumes the sheilds are working in vanillia even though they arn't), and only 2-handed swords get better attack. They will effect auto-calc a bit, but where honestly a bit underpowered in vanillia auto-calc for their price anyway.

[Raffi Fleischmann]

Hey
im new here so ill introduce myself first
my name is Raffi Fleischmann and ive been a fan of the TW franchise since it began in Shogun total war. im 21 years old and my occupation is a medic.

my question is
will the change in armor class not make units with shields in general more resistant to missle weapons?. Why do u boost the armor stat instead of perhaps the Defence skill?

[Carl]

The sheild value is zeroed so it has no effect against missile fire from the front and left. it does effect missile fire from the right and rear as these are not normally protected by the sheild. It was not put into defence skill because doing so would have left the units in question with less than half their defence against missile fire in most cases.

[zstajerski]

thnx man

[Goofball]

Thanks for the great work Carl. One question: I don't know if you are familiar with it, but I'm using ShellShocks's MedManager tool to manage mods. How would I install your fix using that?

I haven't tried installing your fix yet, but I believe all I should need to do is install your fix into the specific mod folder I want it to apply to in my MedManager mod folder, but in order to do that I need to know exactly which files are involved with this fix. Can you please list them? Or tell me if I'm way out in left field?

Thanks in advance.

[Carl]

The only changed file is the one called

export_descr_unit

I've never even heard of MedManeger so I don't have a clue how to install it with that. I just included a structure that would allow people with nothing but the basic game to easilly install it.

[Goofball]

The only changed file is the one called

I've never even heard of MedManeger so I don't have a clue how to install it with that. I just included a structure that would allow people with nothing but the basic game to easilly install it.

If that's the only changed file, how is the 2-hander problem fixed?

The current two-hander fix I have installed required me to replace a couple of animation files.

[Carl]

I've changed the Soilder line in that fil for the bugged unit. it dosen't change the apperrance, but it does change the animation thy use. I think thats all the solider line controlls TBH. What animations it uses.

i.e. my 2-hander fix changes which animations the bugged units use, rather than changing the animation file as the one you described does.

[Goofball]

Oops. Don't worry about answering that last question. I just read the "Which 2-Handed Fix Do You Prefer" thread and answered my own question.

[Carl]

Allready anwsered. but don't wory about it.

[Yanar]

Thanks for this all-in-one fix. However I think that in order for this to be playable you need to rebalance a lot more units. For instance the previous king of melee, 840 gold JHI, gets utterly slaughtered by the 530 gold DEK with this file. I tried a little in custom battle by lowering DEK/DNK/DPK attack value to 18 and raising the "working" units like JHI by 4 (like you did with 2Hsword) and it atleast felt closer to what I think they should do.

Also I don't think the costs should be changed for units, it's probably better to change attack/defense stats until the unit "matches" its cost.

[Carl]

@Yanar: I go with the view that their stats indicate what they should be doing, that’s indicative in my mind of what CA wanted and in addition, ALL fixed 2-hinders are WAY under priced with this mod. English bills are just worse. JHI are the ONLY working high power 2-hander in vanilla, so they actually got given a price worthy of their stats, everyone else didn't, and as a result the fixed 2-handers makes JHI look expensive but are actually fairly well cost balanced vs. each other, with the exception of Billmen/heavy Billmen/militia Billmen/heavy militia Billmen.

It's also worth noting that DEK remain the ONLY 2-hander I’ve found that can beat JHI. Considering that the DEK have 9 more attack and 6 more defence, I’d say the JHI do pretty well.

I chose not to re-balance the costs as it's a very subjective thing, and 2-handed swords are subjective enough.

The same issue your describing also effected vanilla pikes for the few people who actually got them to work, (very hard), they could easily beat much larger, (i.e. expensive), forces in these circumstances. (My pike fix just makes it fairly easy to get your pikes working).

For what it’s worth, I understand your complaint, but that kind of balancing is subjective and I feel that units should perform according to their stats, with the cost changed to match stats, not according to their cost.

[Carl]

Just had a thought. Your idea of applying my 2-handed sword fix to JHI is a good one as they are really the only unit that took a hit from the 2-hander fix. doing that would put them back where they where in large part and would mean they arn't so badly messed up in auto-calc.

I think I will do that as it should clear things up nicely.

[Jambo]

One thing that's not be discussed is how the shield to armour fix and any other subsequent rebalancing affects the shieldless halberd units. The halberd units (e.g. voulgiers, halberd militia, swordstaff, etc) presumably might have been balanced versus the old "bugged" shield units and it's unclear how these changes have affected them. Increases to the 2HS units would suggest there may be a need? There's no tests to indicate otherwise.

Regards

[Carl]

I'm not sure myself TBH. But I think your right, it's also worth noting that Halberd Militia and Heavy Billmen cost the same yet are tottally diffrent in terms of avalibility and suppposed quality, both in game and historiclly, which makes me think theirs some seriouslly bad pricing for the english bill units.

I also missed a 2-hander in my fixing (Dismounted French Noble Knights).

Expect a 1.01 version with fixed JHI and HFNK soon. (Like a hour or less). With possiblly a 1.02 late tonight if tests show the composite pike/hlberd units are UP now.

[Carl]

Version 1.01 Now up.

README below:

CHANGES

Below is a list of the various things done in each version of this fix.


1.00

All animation bugged 2-Handers eithier use the Halberd-Militia, (Bills and DEK/DPK only), or Voulgier, (all others), animation set now. No units have been re-priced so a few units, (mostly Bills and DEK/DPK), are underpriced ATM.

The Pike fix simply removes all Pike units secondery weapons.

The Sheild fix is the same as Foz's, and move the sheild value into the armour, then zeros the sheild.

2-Handed Swords have been given +4 Attack, increased to 8 Charge Stat, (this makes up for swords having a worse animation that the rest of the 2-handers), and have been given the AP attribute. This roughly brings them into balance with comparable 2-Handers (price wise) with fixed animations.



1.01

Dismounted French Noble Knights, (DFNK), have now had the 2-Hander animation Fix applied to them. I missed them the first time round

All 2-Handers have been given an additinal +2 attack as DEK/DPK/DFNK where still beating them too hard considering their reletive prices.

JHI have now had the 2-Handed Sword Fix applied to them as they, like 2-handed Swords, where proving underpowered vs. Animation Fixed 2-Handers of a similar or lower price.



INSTALLATION

To install copy the SEGA Folder into C:/Program Files:

If it asks you if you want to Overwrite, click "yes to all". Then Copy the Medievil 2 Total War Mod Shortcut to your desktop and use that to play the game with the fixes in place.



MEDMANAGER INSTALLATION

For the purposes of MedManager, the only file that has been modified is the "export_descr_unit" file.


COMMENTS AND BUG REPORTING

You can Find my online thread relating to this fix at the following address

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=77759


CREDITS

CARL BARRASS (me)

THE_FOZ_4 (For the Sheild Fix)

DOPP (For the Pike Fix)

AND EVERYONE ELSE AT THE GUILD (For the 2-Hander Fix and Support)