Asia ton Barbaron disscusion thread

[paullus]

nicely done! its cool to see a map stretch that far east.

[gamegeek2]

Well, there are still fixes to be made :)

[BerkeleyBoi]

Wow, that looks awesome! I can't wait to play this sub-mod! All the factions that I wanted to start an AAR with (Indian or African nations) are here! I'm drooling with excitement...

[Kara Mustafa]

Great work on the maps!

Do you plan to add a landbridge in Bab al Mandab? IMHO it would be more historically correct if Saba and Axum fought over southern Arabia and east Africa, rather than with Ptolemies and Nabateans.

[gamegeek2]

Can we initiate the draft? We REALLY need modelers and skinners, we've got everything mapped out well except for Aksum, which is a very new faction.

[gamegeek2]

Axum will indeed be a Semitic culture.

Soon enough, we'll put up the current map with download instructions so you can load it on a copy of vanilla.

[gamegeek2]

Release - Near-Finalized version of the Nabataean unit list

--- Pre-Reform ---
halParashim halMalekim (Nabataean Bodyguard) - New Model
Xiarot 'Arabayim (Arabian Nobles) - Modified Saba citizen cavalry model
Palxohi 'Edumim (Edomite Infantry) - New Model
Shabatim 'Arabayim (Arabian Skirmishers) - FROM EB
Parashim 'Arabayim (Arabian Light Cavalry) - FROM EB
Qala'im 'Arabayim (Arabian Slingers) - FROM EB
Qeshatim Lihyanim (Lihyanite Archers) - EB arab archer spearmen with reskin
Palxohi halYama hal'Edum (Red Sea Infantry) - FROM EB
Toxotai Syriakoi (Syrian Archers) - FROM EB
Iudaioi Taxeis (Jewish Infantry) - FROM EB

--- Post-Reform ---
halHetairoi halMaleki (Nabataean Hetairoi) - SAME AS BODYGUARD
Thureophoroi (Hellenic Spearmen) - Hellene version with reskin
Thorakitai (Hellenic Heavy Infantry) - Hellene version with reskin
Peltastai (Hellenic Heavy Skirmishers) - Hellene version with reskin
Nabatikoi Longchephoroi (Nabataean Heavy Cavalry) - EB Parasim Libiponnim

[gamegeek2]

bump

[Ibrahim]

double bump.

I've just been hired to help you all by Hax, and I can't find the threads you all use to do modeeling or skinning (in your dev forum).

what's going on?

[svramj]

double bump.

I've just been hired to help you all by Hax, and I can't find the threads you all use to do modeeling or skinning (in your dev forum).

what's going on?

Sorry we've just added u in as a dev so u can see frm now on...sorry for the inconvenience

We need skinners...any one who can skin can PM me....

[gamegeek2]

yeah, we simply need reskins for a lot of new units

[Ibrahim]

yeah, we simply need reskins for a lot of new units

allrighty then, I posted in the de forum. just reply with whatever you guys want.

[gamegeek2]

Reports from testing (on map with vanilla factions) - 230 BC, Saba Campaign

Ptolemaioi severely nerfed by presence of Axum and Cyrene
Axum is quite powerful, consistently taking 1-2 Ptollie provinces by 240 BC
Cyrene consistently has 1 Ptollie province by 240 BC
Nabatu not particularly powerful, but strong, fighting Seleukids
Seleukid collapse delayed, as no more overpowered Ptollies, but it does get whittled away
Pontus is very strong, doesn't just get eaten like before
Hai are also much better than before, and can only get 1 steppe province
Baktria may have a lot of new targets, but it's surrounded by enemies
Maurya is strong, but not the monster we thought it might be
Hayasadan are stronger than before, but Pontus is more powerful
Atropatene is pretty weak, often just gets run over
Bosporas fairly strong, gets into tussle with Pontus
Pergamon takes a nice chunk of Anatolia, but can't nearly compete with Pontus
Maks are strong (pretty much unopposed) but don't do very much
Saka are very strong, dominate the steppes
Parthia carves out its usual Caspian empire but is outmatched by Saka
Wusun kinda sit there, outmatched by Saka too
Yuezhi dominate the Tarim basin, get into small tussle with Maurya



The map is kinda messed up because Maurya took the wilderness province. Athkara will fix that with the next map update.

[gamegeek2]

Saba, 200 BC

Bosporas made a good run, taking Kotais and Mtskheta, but the Purple Menace is punishing them for it, taking the East Black Sea territories.

Yuezhi have the Wilderness, but their empire has been encroached on by evil Bartix! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!1

Saka getting beat down by everyone, their massive empire is no more.

Seleukids going strong, they ate the Hai and Atropatene and reclaimed their Levantine provinces.

Axum has made yet more advances into Aigyptos. As hoped, Axum has nerfed the Ptollies.

Pandya slowly gaining ground on Maurya, but they seem to have stalled.

Pergamon carved out a nice swath of territory in Anatolia, but the Maks now have a fair amount of it.

[svramj]

Hi AtB fans we are in need of modelers
or at the least those who can skin/texture as there are a lot of reskins to be done for some new factions
and new factions also need complete new models
2d Artists who can do faction symbols and Banners...
anyone who can do can PM me...

The Present AtB Team
Athkara
Admetos
Charging_Knight
gamegeek2
Ghaust the Moor
Hax
Ibrahim
Malik of Sindh
Moros
svramj

great...what happened to the Sathavahans ?? aten up by the might Mauryans and Pandyans ???
I see the Pandya are moving towards their 'Barath Varsa' (conquest of complete Indian peninsula)...

[gamegeek2]

I'm concerned about Pontus, to be honest...should we not give them Trapezous to start?

[Moros]

I'm concerned about Pontus, to be honest...should we not give them Trapezous to start?

I'd test more campaigns before drawing conclusions.

[gamegeek2]

All four of them so far have had a super-strong Pontus. I think we have a solution, though. Either cut Herakleia Pontike or Laodikaia

[gamegeek2]

Also, where's Malik been?

[Malik of Sindh]

I'm here alright. I just recently gained access to dev forums again. I'm kinda busy with summer
works right now, so I don't have a whole lot of free time.

[svramj]

note that we've been testing the campaigns with vanilla units...with AtB and EB units we do not know the effect...

[Athkara]

Also, keep in mind that there has been no balancing done yet; all cities starting stats are the same, no armies have been placed yet, economy hasn't been tweaked, no diplomacy, no victory conditions, ect. As such, any consistencies between multiple campaign runs at this point shouldn't cause too much worry.

My whole idea behind running test campaigns was to see how the ai pathfinding would work now that most of the map was finished.

[gamegeek2]

We've got some nice stuff in the works for you forum denizens...

[Hax]

Oh yes...oh yes...expect the preview of an eastern faction soon.

[Hax]

Greetings, Asia ton Barbaron fans

Strength upon you, great Shahrdar and Lord of Atûrpatêkan*.

Our lands are wide and prosperous, Shardar. Were it not us who brought on great people as the great Madai Kurush and Fravartis? We once were lords of an empire stretching from Varkâna* to Katpatuka*, our armies slew the wretched kings of Athura* and burned their citadel at Naînuwa*. Yet those days are long gone; we have to bow to the horrid heirs of Eskander-ê Guzastag*. Our great lord, blessed by Ahura-Mazdah as his great protector, Aturpates saw his opportunity to once again make our lands free. Now that Eskander has died and his heirs are squabbling over his dominions we shall rise again. Blessed by the holy fires of Ahura-Mazdah and Mithra, we shall march our armies through Mada to the ancient city of Hangmatana* and Susan*; we will take the ancient lands of Babirush*, regain the lands of Parsa, the land of our Aryan* brethren and march in unison to cast down the Guzastag from their lands of Skudra*. And you, Shardar, will be Shahanshah; King of Kings, King of the World!

Campaign Strategy: If you thought Hayasdan or Pahlava in EB was hard, try Aturpatakan. Whereas Hayasdan and Pahlava can take some advantage of the regions around them, Aturpatekan has only one feasible option; to take Zadrakata and Ekbatana as fast as possible. Maintaining alliances with Pontos, Hayasdan and Pahlava is vital for the early game. Once you have stabilized your base in Hyrcania and Media you will likely face either Hayasdan or Pahlava; if you are unlucky both. If you do manage to defeat those impostors fate may finally smile upon you. Pray that Maurya has been kept in line by the Seleucids, Baktria and the two other Indian factions. Perhaps Nabataea has managed to defend the lands of Babylonia from the Ptolemaioi, or you might see banners bearing the Eagle of Zeus coming to your cities in Media. The way of Aturpatekan is a difficult one.

Unit Strategy: Your unit roster is very varied. Just to the north you will find the Scythian tribes who might give you their feared horse-archers in return for a reasonable sum. Under your direct command are hardy hillmen and excellent archers and cavalry recruited from the wide pastures of Aturpatakan. Expanding into the lands of the Greeks will give you access to phalangites, and the combination of armoured phalangites, hillmen armed with fierce axes, archers with a huge range and heavy cataphracts is an intimidating one indeed.

Atropatene has an interesting line-up when it comes to buildings, a mix of Persian, Hellenic and Zoroastrian buildings:

Būmi e-Zarathuštrahē [The Land of Zarathustra]

When Alexandros, or Eskander as he is known in Persian, marched into the lands of Persia the cult of Zarathustra was reduced. Media Atropatene was one of the lands where the Zoroastrian belief was healthily flourishing. The lands of Atropatene were therefore known as the Land of Zarathustra, where natural flames could sometime be seen escaping due to the pyrophoric nature of the ground in Atropatene. The Magi, or the Zoroastrian priest caste had a great influence in the lands of Atropatene and were held in high regard by both the native Medians as well as the Persians that would later move to the lands of Atropatene.

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Governments

The governmental structure of Atropatene will be similiar to that of the settled Parthian structure; there are four options:

Level I - Aturpâtêkan ê-Shahwar Vithêd Shahrab
These are the lands directly governed by the Royal Tribes of the crown of Aturpatekan. These lands are your homeland; it will roughly stretch from Media to the outskirts of Armenia and Persia. These provinces will grant you the best soldiers you can gain.

Level II - Aturpâtêkan ê-Vuzurgan
This government represents the lands you have a strong bond with; Hyrcania, Parthia and Persis will know a centralized form of government that is directly under the control of the Shah. You cain train your main armies here.

Level III - Aturpâtêkan ê-Kumarift
This type of government represents the outskirts of your lands, normally this would be the Hellenic cities along the coasts of the Black Sea, Syria, the lands of Baktria and the last civilized cities amongst the steppes. These lands are governed in a decentralized fashion; do not expect to be able to tax these lands as high as you could with your homeland and expansion provinces, but the fairly low amount of meddling of your government will make trade flow freely.

Level IV - Shahrdârân-î Aturpatekani
These lands are the furthest from your control, and this form of government represents the lands being under the control of local kings who rule in your stead. It would be best to leave these cities to their own, and grant them a fair amount of autonomy. You can recruit the best local troops from this government, though. Generally, local kings should be made to rule unruly places; the lands of Egypt, Greece and the steppes.

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Something that will be unique for the faction of Aturpatekan is the inclusion of Zoroastrian firetemples. They come in two variants:

Level I - Agirgeh Fire has always been a sacred object in the Zoroastrian religion; the word "Atar" means more than just "fire", it symbolizes the undying, invisible as well as the visible form of fire. Literally the word means "heat", and it has been mentioned in the oldest compendium of the Avesta, composed by Zarathustra himself. The term for a temple of fire in Old Persian is "Atroshan", in where the stam of "atar" is clearly visible. Herodotos mentioned great mounds where the Zoroastrians gathered to light fires and worship in the open air. Later, in the Parthian and Sassanid eras there have been mentions of "Atash-î Vahram", which means "Victorious Fire", which kept continually burning.

Effects +5 happiness bonus

Level II - Meh-ê Agirgeh According to legend, there are "Great Fires" who were inspired by Ahura Mazdah himself. In total there were three, the most sacred being located at the religious capital at Siz, now known as Taikht-ê Suleiman. That fire was known as the Temple of Adur Gushnap, the fire of Mithra being located in Parthia, and the last being located somewhere in Paropamisadae. Having such a legendary fire in your city will have a great effect on the overall happiness of your population

Effects +15 happiness bonus

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At its greatest extent the Median empire stretched from Cappadocia, Turkey to what is now Afghanistan and the borders of Pakistan. Adding to this, there have been accounts of the Median king Phraortes razing the city of Nineveh, which was then part of the Neo-Assyrian empire. There have also been accounts of them being at odds with the Babylonians; and as such, Syria and Babylonia were added as raiding targets:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x152/Elphir/Asia%20ton%20Barbaron/Preview%20-%20Atropatene/AtropateneVC.jpg

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*Atûrpatekan; the native name for Atropatene, from the Persian satrap "Aturpates" or "Atropates" in Greek.
*Vârkana; the Old Persian name for Hyrcania
*Katpatuka; the Old Persian name for Cappadocia
*Athura; the Old Persian term for Assyria
*Naînuwa; Nineveh
*Eskander-ê Guzastag*; meaning "Alexander the Accursed", due to his destruction of Persepolis
*Hangmata; Ekbatana
*Susan; Susa
*Babirush; Old Persian term for Babylonia
*Aryan; in this case referring to the Aryans of which the word "Iranian" can be found.
*Skudra; Thrace and Macedonia

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Looking good!

Last picture in the spoiler needs IMG tags.

[Ibrahim]

[Smeel]

Hi AtB fans we are in need of modelers
or at the least those who can skin/texture as there are a lot of reskins to be done for some new factions
and new factions also need complete new models
2d Artists who can do faction symbols and Banners...
anyone who can do can PM me...

The Present AtB Team
Athkara
Admetos
Charging_Knight
gamegeek2
Ghaust the Moor
Hax
Ibrahim
Malik of Sindh
Moros
svramj

great...what happened to the Sathavahans ?? aten up by the might Mauryans and Pandyans ???
I see the Pandya are moving towards their 'Barath Varsa' (conquest of complete Indian peninsula)...

I'm rather experienced with Photoshop, I can't make new textures, but I can modify existing skins, if it's to any help. It looks like a great modmod, looking forward to it!

[gamegeek2]

Those atropatene victory conditions are innacurate. We will implement a different system than EB.

Also, Smeel, you're hired. Reskins = good stuff.

[Ibrahim]

I'm rather experienced with Photoshop, I can't make new textures, but I can modify existing skins, if it's to any help. It looks like a great modmod, looking forward to it!

I have left models in the depot for nabateans. you can reskin them as much as you want.