How many play vanillla and how many use mods?

**IceWolf** · 03-19-2007, 16:02

While i'm still having tons of fun with vanilla I see in another forum here there are tons of mods out there. The one that gets the most talk on a different site is RomeTotalRealism. Y'all that have been playing for a long time do you still play vanilla or do you mod? if so, what mods would you reccomend and why?
Thanks

IceWolf

**professorspatula** · 03-19-2007, 16:33

I play my own mod which nobody else can have because it's all mine! Mine I tell thee! (Aside from the occasional bit borrowed from elsewhere) It's basically vanilla RTW with numerous enhancements. I never really bothered with other people's mods because I like to mess around with the game too much myself. I gave RTR a brief go though and it was quite enjoyable.

EB is another mod that appears to be becoming more and more playable and popular. Worth a look because it has an incredible variety of new units and factions and has a massive and dedicated team of modders so you know there's such attention to detail.

Oh and for BI, I do have a public mod that is available to all that just adds extra hordes and unlocks factions. Although my copy is updated, I still haven't updated it fully for the public yet since the last patch. Sometimes I can be lazy.

**Poulp'** · 03-19-2007, 16:48

I play my own mod too, which is based on Barbarossa's VBM and that I have heavily modified. That mod contents me; I have customized the game to my own taste (or at least tried to...)

I gave a try at XGM but stopped playing because the game was lagging so much that it was unbearable.

EB does appeal to me, but I fear it will be the same story that for XGM.

I know I could upgrade my CPU but there's a greater danger lurking, Oblivion.
I know that if my CPU can handle that game, I'll turn again into no-lifeness...

**Ludens** · 03-19-2007, 17:01

I have spent many hours with vanilla, but ultimately it lacked challenge. Currently, I am playing Europa Barbarorum v0.81: it's a really great mod if you aren't afraid of a steep learning curve. I am also waiting for the releases of Athurian: Total War v0.7 and Rome: Total Realism 7.

**Fate** · 03-19-2007, 19:45

At the moment, im enthralled in End Of Days for BI.
In the past ive also played ATW, and HEAVILY played RTG (completed it as practically every faction).
I'd love to mod up my own version, but as i know nothing about modding, i dont think it'd be very good

**Severous** · 03-19-2007, 20:44

Hi

RTW vanilla for 12 months.
BI vanilla for last 3 months...with some RTW during that time as well

Only mod was to unlock the Celt faction in BI.

**redriver** · 03-20-2007, 21:50

if ya don't have mtw or mtw2 for one rason or another and wanted to get a feel of the period check out Chivalry mod. it's a total conversion of RTW 1.5/1.6 and nearin' final public release out of beta stage.
I've been playin' Chivalry myself.

**Sohwen** · 03-20-2007, 23:09

I play mods for the bigger maps. I don't fight on battle maps cause it takes forever and I always lose more men than if I had gone automatically. So I like the big Campaign Maps.

**dimitrios the samian** · 03-21-2007, 09:56

Hi Guys ,, Its probably not the right thread to ask this but along the sames lines .... Which mod provides the best AI on the battlefeild ? because Im like econ21 & fallen851 " un-challenging .. lame " Darths or Sinuhets ? ,, cheers DTS

**Dexter** · 03-21-2007, 12:37

hy ...
the original patched game (1.5) whit unit size to largest (160) and one single change by me... the game is playable from 270 bc to 230 AD - 500 years -
love to turtle a lot build watch towers and forts. AI likes to attack forts a lot.
And recently added the bug fix - cant remember the name sorry !!! - that changes the texture of some units which appeared incorrect - still the roman generals shoulders are red not the silverish plate armor -, but now at least the senate is roman not 2 macedons and 3 romans. No mod.
I have Europa Barbarorum but not played it yet.

**econ21** · 03-22-2007, 13:56

Originally Posted by dimitrios the samian

Hi Guys ,, Its probably not the right thread to ask this but along the sames lines .... Which mod provides the best AI on the battlefeild ? because Im like econ21 & fallen851 " un-challenging .. lame " Darths or Sinuhets ? ,, cheers DTS

Mods cannot change the battlefield AI. I know some people rave about Darth's formations etc, but I am not sure how big an impact they have.

Mods can change the way battles play out. Realism mods like RTR and EB weaken cavalry and missiles to a greater or lesser degree. They also tend to raise the morale and lower the kill rates. These changes tend to mean the AI sticks around on the field for longer and that you have to slug it out for a while before they rout.

Mods also affect the strategic layer. Both RTR and EB change the way buildings work to make it much harder to recruit men in captured settlements. This tends to slow down player expansion. We played an RTR PBM for about a year of real life in the Throne Room and at the end could only recruit soldiers in Italy. They also tend to make the economy tighter - especially EB.

If you find RTW too easy, you may find the challenge of EB more to your taste; RTR maybe imbetween the two.

**dimitrios the samian** · 03-23-2007, 13:16

Thanks for your insights econ21 ,, Looks like MTW will be getting re-loaded very very soon ,, cheers ...

**Ludens** · 03-24-2007, 19:30

Originally Posted by econ21

Mods cannot change the battlefield AI. I know some people rave about Darth's formations etc, but I am not sure how big an impact they have.

I've been using formation mods on and off, and I must say that their effect, while not big, is still noticable. The A.I. advances in a more carefully laid out formation, and seems more able to carry out flanking moves or respond to your tactics. However, like you say, it won't do a miracles, and nothing can stop the A.I. from running its units to exhaustion.

**RabbitDynamite** · 03-24-2007, 22:01

I recently downloaded EB as a stop-gap and have been very, very pleasantly surprised. More challenging, more deep and much more addictive.

**Teleklos Archelaou** · 03-25-2007, 06:21

I've played and worked on EB for more than the last two years. Don't have much time for other mods, but I can't imagine playing vanilla for sure at this point. If it wasn't EB then it would be RTR or Rise of Persia or something else like that. One reason I keep working and playing on EB is that I want something that I can keep playing as all the different factions for years to come, and I fully expect to do so.