Dark Ages:Total War

[ULC]

I am starting a Dark Age mod. Here is what I have so far...

Features
For all you catholics: No Pope until Late!
For all you non-catholics: Many, Many, Many more non-catholic factions!
Considerable unit balancing - Every unit has a role, very little room for error, AI is much more intelligent in use and production of units
Unit rosters streamlined - No more redundant units, most factions now have personal rosters and share few units.
More to be added...

Eras
Rise of Islam
Age of Charlemagne
Rise of the Norse

I need help in deciding when the eras start...

Factions ( Colons represent changes from era to era, or the reusage of a faction)
Franks:French - Germanic Faction
Bavarians:Holy Roman Empire - Germanic Faction
Arabs:Umayyids:Abbassids - Islamic Faction
Saxons:Wessex - Germanic Faction
Britons:Welsh - Celtic Faction
East Romans - Roman Faction
Lombards:Italians - Germanic Faction
Visigoths:Asturias:Spanish - Germanic Faction
Avars:Magyars - Steppe Faction
Norse:Gotalanders - Germanic Faction
Basques:Aquitianes:Burgundians - Celtic/Germanic Faction
Bulgars - Steppe Faction
Khazars - Steppe Faction
Cordovans - Islamic/Germanic Faction
Taherts - Islamic Faction
Abkhazians - Islamic/Steppe Faction
Polanes - Steppe/Germanic Faction
Seljuks - Steppe/Islamic Faction
Armenians - Roman Faction
Papacy - Roman/Germanic Faction
Kievians - Steppe/Roman Faction
Tullnids - Islamic Faction
Idrissids - Islamic Faction
Rostov - Steppe Faction
Danes - Germanic Faction
Aghlabids - Islamic Faction
Volga Bulgars - Islamic/Steppe Faction

Units
I have no concrete Faction unit rosters as of yet, although I have rough ideas, and a few factions differ slightly...

Germanic/Celtic Unit Roster
Light Spears
Light Swords
Light Cavalry
Light Archers
Heavy Archers
Heavy Spears
Heavy Swords
Royal Cavalry

Roman Unit Roster
Light Spears
Light Swords
Light Cavalry
Light Archers
Heavy Swords
Heavy Cavalry
Heavy Cavalry Archers
Royal Cavalry

Steppe Unit Roster
Light Spears
Light Archers
Light Cavalry
Light Cavalry Archers
Heavy Cavalry Archers
Heavy Cavalry
Heavy Spears
Royal Cavalry

Islamic Unit Roster
Light Spears
Light Archers
Light Swords
Light Cavalry
Light Cavalry Archers
Heavy Archers
Heavy Cavalry Archers
Royal Cavalry

Provinces
I am going to add several provinces and change a lot of boundaries, but I am having serious problems with both LMM and Mithal. Here is what each faction currently controls in the early era...

Bavarians
Bavaria
Swabia
Austria
Franconia
Switzerland
Tyrolia

Lombards
Genoa
Milan
Tuscany
Rome
Naples

Visigoths
Castile
Aragon
Portugal
Leon
Valencia

Franks
Aquitiane
Anjou
Brittiany
Normandy
Toulouse
Ile De France
Flanders
Burgundy
Champagne

Saxons
Mercia
Wessex
Saxony
Friesland
Pomerania

Norse
Norway
Sweden
Denmark

East Romans
Cordoba
Granada
Tunisia
Cyrencia
Egypt
Tripoli
Antioch
Edessa
Armenia
Georgia
Trebizond
Lesser Armenia
Anatolia
Nicaea
Constantinople
Greece
Serbia
Bulgaria
Wallachia
Crimea
Crete
Cyprus
Rhodes
Venice
Papal States
Sicily
Corsica
Sardinia

Britons
Wales
Northumbria

Basques
Navarre

Avars
Hungary
Carpathia
Croatia
Moldavia

Bulgars
Kiev
Peryslavl

Khazars
Khzazar

Arabs
Sinai
Palestine
Arabia

Since I can't do this all alone, I need a:
Artist for Unit Bifs ( Textures)
Artist for LBM map
Artist for Flags
A Historian with knowledge of the period, particularly culture, religion, and politics (needed for the Heroes.txt)
Another, full-time, Historian, especially one grounded in dark age warfare
And if need be, another historian on architecture
Possibly a coder for certian files in Loc
An assistant manager for times in which I am not here, who is skilled in public relations
And finally someone who can teach me how to put everything in an installer!

Any and all suggestions welcome! Be as critical (not cruel) as possible! I need to know!

Also, does any one have suggestions for a Finnish, Slavic, and/or Baltic Faction? They were all tribal at the time, so its hard for me tell which should actually be represented. I need them to curb the Bulgars and Khazars from becoming way to powerful to early by snatching up the rebel provinces.

So whos with me?!

[Noir]

The idea sounds good YourLordandConqueror - somewhat ambitious too...

I can help only by inputing ideas whenever i post - i also might be able to give assistance with architecture info you might need. If i was you, i would progressively start and engage people for specific tasks.

For example choosing the rosters and provinces and the tech trees are key issues that need to be first decided and after that possibly altered through testing/feedback from battles & campaigns: start with those because in my experience they need to be refined and that needs time and subsequent versions.

Stats is a major issue - i can give you a couple of modifications that i consider to make the game challenging through the rosters/stats - one of them is CBR's community mod - it makes all units useful and strengthens the RPS so combination of units is needed for success. It has only custom battles (it was aimed at an MP audience) - but you can play for yourself and see (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=32646). I think its very good and may offer some "practical" advice relative to working rosters and stats.

Once you have a fully playable version that you know how to alter in order to progressively refine and so get the gameplay you want in the campaign and the battles then go for fixing all the details, that is: graphics, unit and building cards etc etc.

Doing it progressively also ensures that you "engage" the people you need for relatively small periods of time, increasing the chances to get what you want before things start to fall appart as it happens with teams that assemble at the concept stages of a mod only to find out that after some little preliminaries are done half of them are gone due to unclear responsibilities and work schedule.

Many Thanks

Noir

[History Geek]

Since I can't do this all alone, I need a:A Historian with knowledge of the period, particularly culture, religion, and politics (needed for the Heroes.txt)
Another, full-time, Historian, especially one grounded in dark age warfare
And if need be, another historian on architecture

Though I'm not working as a full-time historian, I'm educated as such, and as this project is quite interesting I'd be happy to assist - I've already been to the library and picked up some books on the subject

As my strenghs are within sociology and social and cultural history, maybe somebody else out there knows more on the warfare side of things?

/HG

[ULC]

All of that sounds good, HG. Thanks for the Tip BTW Noir, I was actually concerned about that happening. I have been unit testing for at least 3 months, but this has been with very limited unit rosters. I come to you players as a Modder to ask for your help in such an endevor. I need to know what tactics and weapons Steppe, Slavic, Roman and Celtic factions relied on. I've got Germanic down (Infantry based, with emphasis on heavy units) and I think I have Islamic (Light units, balanced all around). But after that I need names. I am aiming for names that reflect the cultures they come from. For instance, the Bavarian Heavy Swordsmen needs an equivialnt name (or histroical one) IN GERMAN. Same goes with all the other factions.

Also, I need specific information on the above factions. I need to know more about them, and finding information is rather difficult. Since each faction will essentially have different unit rosters then from what its neighbor has, I need to know about the factions before I can make the rosters (at least the way I want them)

[Kansas Bear]

How sure are you about not having a Pope during some of this time period (476-1095)??


Rise of Islam -- Muslim raids extended until the early/mid 10th cent. Pope Leo VI called for assistance against "Arabs/Saracens" threatening Rome. Pope John VIII(872-882) as well. Rome was sacked in 846 by Muslims, which forced Leo IV to build the Leonine Wall(848-849).


Age of Charlemagne -- The actions of Charlemagne and Hadrian I's request(773). Leo III's crowning Charlemagne, "Holy Roman Emperor"(800).

[ULC]

How sure are you about not having a Pope during some of this time period (476-1095)??


Rise of Islam -- Muslim raids extended until the early/mid 10th cent. Pope Leo VI called for assistance against "Arabs/Saracens" threatening Rome. Pope John VIII(872-882) as well. Rome was sacked in 846 by Muslims, which forced Leo IV to build the Leonine Wall(848-849).


Age of Charlemagne -- The actions of Charlemagne and Hadrian I's request(773). Leo III's crowning Charlemagne, "Holy Roman Emperor"(800).

Well for one, The ingame Pope during the Medieval era was a wee stronger then during the Dark Age era. Yes the Popes did things, Yes they had influence, but sadly, most of the Popes during the period I am covering were pathetic with rare exceptions. Yes they controlled Rome (barely), but the Lombards effectively controlled the surrounding area. Also, excommunication for attacking fellow catholics wasn't truly realized on a large scale during this era (minus the Pope/Patriaarch). Also, he would be attempting to call crusades, but sadly no one would be able to respond because No catholic could crusade. They were not a true major power (Not yet anyway) until later. Since my Late period covers the rise of the Popes to power, they are in that one.

[cegorach]

Factions ( Colons represent changes from era to era, or the reusage of a faction)
Franks:French - Germanic Faction
Bavarians:Holy Roman Empire - Germanic Faction
Arabs:Umayyids:Abbassids - Islamic Faction
Saxons:Wessex - Germanic Faction
Britons:Welsh - Celtic Faction
East Romans - Roman Faction
Lombards:Italians - Germanic Faction
Visigoths:Asturias:Spanish - Germanic Faction
Avars:Magyars - Steppe Faction
Norse:Gotalanders - Germanic Faction
Basques:Aquitianes:Burgundians - Celtic/Germanic Faction
Bulgars - Steppe Faction
Khazars - Steppe Faction
Cordovans - Islamic/Germanic Faction
Taherts - Islamic Faction
Abkhazians - Islamic/Steppe Faction
Polanes - Steppe/Germanic Faction

Which Polanes they are - ancestors of the Poles or of Kiev Rus ??