Spartan merc mod, v1.0

[Oleo]

Updated to v1.2, which should work with 0.81a. This will not work in old saved games, only in games started after installation

Following up on TA's idea in this thread:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=78590

Here is a small mod for EB 0.80 (and 0.802) that adds a spartan mercenary unit to the game. The unit is recruitable quite often around the area of Sparta, a bit more rare in the rest of Greece and very rarely around Syracuse and Alexandria, the south of Italy, the west of Anatolia/Asia-Minor.


Here you can see them on the battlefield, they do not look like the KH-spartans, but have a different model, which also results in them using their swords as primary weapon:


Download:
http://www.axifile.com?1680026

Wait a few seconds for the download link to appear on that website.

Alternative download location:

http://rapidshare.com/files/20188247...c_mod.rar.html

Installation:
The rar-file contains a folder 'EB' with all the files and correct folder structure.

Simply extract the rar-file in to your rtw-folder, default: C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War. There should already be an EB-folder in that location. Your RAR-program (Winrar most likely) will ask whether it can overwrite some files now.

I did not include any original files so you'll have to backup the same files as the ones in the rar-file if you want to uninstall, or try the EB-installers repair option for uninstalling.

[Brightblade]

Just in time for my new Koinon campaign :)

Yay! Sparta to have spartans in it permanently!!

Thanks!

[Bava]

Thanks a lot, Oleo!

Spartans for my mak army, yiha!


P.S. Did you make the unit cards, too? If yes, nicely done

[Brightblade]

How often are these units recruitable around Sparta? Playing my KH campaign I have not been able to see them on the list yet... I wonder how often the AI will recruit them as the Maks and Epirotes love to recruit merc pezhetairoi :)

[Oleo]

They should be available about every 5-7 turns around Sparta.
Approximately every 10-20 turns in the rest of Greece, depending on distance from Sparta.
Approximately 15-25 for Asia minor.
20-30 for Italy, Syracuse, Alexandria.

I think you have to start a new campaign after installing though, I dont think it is savegame compatible.

Did you make the unit cards, too? If yes, nicely done

Yes, thank you.

[Brightblade]

Omg. new campaign... and I was doing so well... :S

[Oleo]

I dont think this is worth starting all over for, you know .

[Brightblade]

Nah, I was playing VH/H as the Greeks and two things...

one, Spartans should have at least a standard hoplite inferior to the current one in game, even if it's equivalent statistically to the classical hops or the haploi... I mean, it adds so much to having Sparta anyway.

And second, on VH/H the AI bonuses are ridiculous... takes me 2-3 haplois to kill 1 of theirs and then heavy losses...

so now I can go broke recruiting the spartates (I just did) and have them defend Sparta:)

by the way, we should have Athenian and Corinthian hoplites too!
=)

Maybe we can work on a city-specific hoplite mod together..

[Sdragon]

Why have a Spartan hoplite unit that is the same as the other hoplites and waste a unit slot? Just recruit some regular hoplites from Sparta, they would still be Spartans right? Do the same with Athens. Didn't Corinth have a hoplite unit already or were they taken out in 0.8 in favour of the classic hoplite?

[Teleklos Archelaou]

It's not the same. The whole idea happened because we had included a more richly adorned spartan unit in the build, but it wasn't implemented. We had toned it down a good deal and put it in as a regular unit just for the KH. Actually, there is probably another skin lying around somewhere that is even more richly adorned - with engravings on the greaves for one, and some other stuff. In the mod it was decided not to have a spartan merc unit - some people wanted one though, so it's a good idea for a minimod (for now - till all unit space is gone).

[Gazius]

Interesting, I'll have to try this out, but why no recruitment around Carthage? I thought Spartans had served Kart-Hadast as well?

[adishee]

Would be nice if you could recruit Thebian hoplites too. Would also be cool to get some Corinth-specific Thorakitai, the ones that stood against the Romans for a while. It would just be asthetic.

[Brightblade]

Yeah, I'm just being greedy I guess after seeing this beautiful Spartan Merc model..

Yeah, problem is Thebes was crushed by Alexandros as an example, like Persepolis and some other cities... Tyre, for another. The mod reflects that by the cities being noticeably absent. Great shame, though historical accuracy warrants the decisions the team has made.

KH has got to be one of my favorite underdog Hellenic factions... just wish there was a way to elongate the Iphikratian hoplite spears a bit just as the description reads to be on par with Deuteroi and Pezhetairoi. I love pushing matches! "Erugh eurrrrr eurrrrrr, wahhhh!" Gotta love ceaseless male grunting.

That didn't sound so well.

[paullus]

just wish there was a way to elongate the Iphikratian hoplite spears a bit just as the description reads to be on par with Deuteroi and Pezhetairoi. I love pushing matches! "Erugh eurrrrr eurrrrrr, wahhhh!" Gotta love ceaseless male grunting.

That didn't sound so well.

No, it didn't...but its quite the interesting idea, and honestly, who doesn't love pushing matches? <-- that's supposed to be a pushing match...

and my 2 cents on Spartiate merc recruitment: put 'em in lakonia, the peloponnese, krete, and at antioch and alexandreia, with a nice low refresh rate.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

This is the skin I was looking for. The first one that got toned down more before it became the one you are looking at now in the minimod.



I don't know who has it though, the artist, Agart, isn't active in EB anymore as far as I know.

[Oleo]

Wow, thats awesome!

[Sdragon]

Good lord. His kit looks more expensive than what most generals have. I see why he was toned down so much for the recruitables.

[Watchman]

Spartan bling-bling !

[-Praetor-]

Lovely skin.

(ARGH!!!!, my eyes!!!!!!!!!)

[Oleo]

Updated the opening post with a file that should work with 0.81.

[Dooz]

Hey O, is the unit in the mod the same as the one TA posted? Or is it a less decorated version?

[Oleo]

The unit in the mod is somewhere in between the normal spartan and the one TA posted (richer than the normal one, less than the one he posted).

[oudysseos]

I have installed the mod but I don't seem to get any mercs- I did try a new campaign and waited 5 or 6 turns. I tried as KH and as the Macks, trying to recruit in Lakonia itself. Are there any other steps to take besides copying the files over?

[Oleo]

They should be available around Sparta in 5 -7 turns. It only works in a campaign started after installing.

When you unzipped, did it ask whether it could overwrite some files?

Edit: I just tested it on a KH campaign and it does work for me, I got one unit after 6 turns.

[Grand Lord of Poop~]

so why didn't the EB team include spartans??

[Foot]

so why didn't the EB team include spartans??

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...68&postcount=1

Foot

[Teleklos Archelaou]

We did include the skin/model, but we did not think the richer version of them justified taking up a merc slot (unit space and model space is at a premium in the mod). We've got too much else we want to add. But I suggested this route since the texture is included already in the build. It's really a perfect minimod as long as oleo keeps it updated for the current builds.

[Gazius]

What would I edit so that I can recruit these guys in carthago as well for every 10 years or so?

[Dooz]

Is there any way to get those uber-rich looking Spartans TA posted, or are they forever lost?

[Oleo]

What would I edit so that I can recruit these guys in carthago as well for every 10 years or so?

-Make a backup of ...\eb\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign\descr_mercenaris.txt
- Then open that file
-look for Carthage region (zeugitana, see: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...02&postcount=4):

pool Zeugitana
	regions Zeugitana
	unit greek infantry misthophoroi hoplitai,			exp 0 cost 2405 replenish 0.14 - 0.19 max 1 initial 0
	unit hellenistic infantry misthophoroi phalangitai,			exp 0 cost 3511 replenish 0.15 - 0.2 max 1 initial 0
	unit hellenistic infantry thureophoroi mercenary,			exp 0 cost 2380 replenish 0.12 - 0.21 max 1 initial 0
	unit greek skirmisher peltastai mercenary,			exp 0 cost 2410 replenish 0.14 - 0.24 max 2 initial 0
	unit greek cavalry mistophoroi hippeis,			exp 0 cost 3976 replenish 0.12 - 0.22 max 2 initial 0
	unit iberian infantry scutarii merc,			exp 0 cost 3318 replenish 0.1 - 0.22 max 2 initial 0

and add:

unit hellenistic infantry spartiateshoplitai mercenary,		exp 1 cost 3100 replenish 0.02 - 0.03 max 1 initial 0

replenish 0.02-0.03 means they'll be recuitable every 33 (=1/0.03) - 50 (=1/0.02) turns

-save and start a new campaign.