Customizable Troops v4/a released! (new! Also, a logo competition)

[Cymro]

Customizable Troops
This mod creates new troop types, which, by using NPCs in Zendar, allow you to customise your troops in 8,437,500  different ways!

How it works
By talking to Ieuan, Iwan, Ifan or Ioan in Zendar (.960 and upwards: Mercenary post), you can upgrade:

-Your troops' weapons (5 levels of one handed, two handed, polearms, spear and clubs)
-Your troops' ranged weapons (5 levels of bow, 5 levels of throwables and 5 levels of crossbow)
-Your troops' armour (5 levels of heavy, medium and light)
-Your troops’ headgear (5 levels of heavy, medium and light)
-Your troops' gloves and boots (5 levels of them)
-Your troops' shields (5 levels of them)
-Your troops' mounts (5 levels of them)
-Your troops' attributes
-Your troops' skills (Ironflesh, Power Strike/Draw, Riding, Athletics, Shield, Horse Archery)


By handing over some money, you can buy these, and apply them to your troops. You have the option to equip and unequip the items, free of charge. You can now talk to the troop type on the map and change it there, as of v2.

Screenshots (6 as of 4th October)


Talking to Ieuan, the trader



Some troops display a few of the different types of gear available


Multiequipmental diversity. Also a display of what happens when you forget to buy boots.

What each level of equipment gives you

One handed - Sword > Nordic Sword > Fighting Axe > Broadsword > Bastard Sword
Two handed - Axe > Voulge > Great Sword > Sword of War > Great Axe
Polearms - Pitchfork > Scythe > Boar Spear > Spear > Double Sided Lance
Blunt - Cudgel > Hammer > Winged Mace > Spiked Mace > Military Hammer
Bows - Hunting Bow (+arrows) > Short Bow (+arrows) > Long Bow (+barbed arrows) > Strong Bow (+bodkin arrows) > War Bow (+khergit arrows)
Throwing Weapons - Stones > Throwing Knives > Throwing Daggers > Javelin > Jarid
Crossbows - Hunting crossbow (+bolts) > Light crossbow (+bolts) > Crossbow (+bolts) > Heavy Crossbow (+steel bolts) > Sniper crossbow (+steel bolts)

Shields - Battle Shield > War Shield > Heraldric Shield > Heater Shield > Steel Shield
Gloves and Boots - Leather gloves/Hide boots > Mail Mittens/Leather Boots > Scale Gauntlets/Mail Chauses > Gauntlets/Iron Greaves > Gauntlets/Black Greaves

Light Armour - Shirt/Straw hat > Tabard/Fur Hat > Gambeson/Nomad Cap > Leather Jerkin/Steppe Cap > Studded Leather Coat/Black hood

Medium Armour - Scale Armour/Skullcap > Heraldric Armour/Nasal Helmet > Byrnie/Segmented Helmet > Haubergeon/Mail Coif > Mail with Surcoat/Helmet with Neckguard

Heavy Armour - Mail and Plate/Nordic Helmet > Cuir Bouilli/Flat Topped Helmet > Coat of Plates/Guard Helmet > Plate Armour/Great Helmet > Black Armour/Black Helmet

Horses - Saddle Horse > Steppe Horse > Hunter > Warhorse > Charger

Known Bugs
My troops lose all their armour when you save, exit, and come back!
This is a fault with the engine. Do not worry, as you can go to the upgraders and equip it again.

Progress Log
Key: Green - 100%, Blue - 75%, Orange - 50%, red - 25%


v1/0
DONE
Stability - Stable
Bughunting - Stable

v1/2
Fixed bug - all armour was referred to as "light" armour from levels 2 onwards

v1/4
Fixed bug -the wrong types of weapon and shield were given to you at level 4/5


v2/0
DONE
2/2
Fixed bug - the "Soldier" troop type had some problems with equipping

2/4
Fixed some bugs. Hopefully.

2/6
Fixed loads of bugs!

2/8
Fixed the no-weapon assertion error!

2/a
There are only 10 troops in the taverns of each type now to balance the game a little. The troops now refresh at ~2 every 2 days.

2/c
Throwing weapons have been added into the game, along with a power throw upgrade.

v3/0
DONE
Final, stable release with source

v4/0
DONE
Port to .892
Streamlining the code a lot so I can perhaps get some more troop types or item types in.

4/2
Crossbows enter the game, along with a slight reorganisation and some bugfixes

4/4
Many game breaking bugs fixed

4/6
Helmet upgrades are now seperate. The upgraders' huts are now decorated

4/8
Bugfixing

4/a
Port to .894. Polearms now divided into melee polearms and spears

v5/0
Port to .960

Download
Download v4/a - MBRepository (thanks to Janus)

-Now includes a full two colour 2(ish) page manual detailing most things in this post!

Source will be released with the final release (v5)


Special thanks go to:
DJNad: Helped me with upgrading attributes
Amman De Stazia: Limited upgrades are based on one of Amman's suggestions
Golcondio: Incredible bughunting skills! He continues his bughunting in the Zendar Tavern.
Eagle114th: For his stalwart enthusiasm and provider of some great screenshots
M&B Forum community: For your continual support and above-average bugfinding skills!

[KON_Air]

Having them tied to Skills would be super awesome (Trainer for stats, Logistics* for equipment).

*Can be (Trade+Inv. Management/2) or just trade...

[DJNad]

what happens when you get low level troops that are not upgraded mixed with highly upgraded men, then you try to upgrade them?

[Cymro]

It is only 1 troop type, and every instance of that troop will get that equipment. So, if some die, you can hire more troops and they will have whatever you have set to be equipped.

[Morgoth2005]

Looks good.

[Amman de Stazia]

for the starting level, make it 'local youth' or similar, and almost free, but equivalent to an arena novice fighter.
I'd suggest that the first upgrade is equivalent to buying a nordic shield, leather jacket, skullcap and arming sword, then the upgrade costs are double the previous every time.   Maybe put in a clause which prevents the palyer upgrading to the VERY top level(s) until they have a certain faction rank? (ie knight).

[Cymro]

The troops do not gain levels, but I like the idea of limiting the upgrades to certain levels.

Perhaps, you need to be level one to get the first upgrades, 3 for the next, 7 for the next, 13 for the next etc.?

[Llew2]

  Wow! Great idea!

[Nethoras]

so can you customize each individual troop, or does this only work wholsale?

[Cymro]

It only works for one troop type at the moment, sorry. If I have any time over the next few weeks, I might just be able to add a custom swadian/vaegir troop type, and that would only require changing all the dialogs a little bit... hmm, I'll see what I can do

[Amman de Stazia]

The troops do not gain levels, but I like the idea of limiting the upgrades to certain levels.

Perhaps, you need to be level one to get the first upgrades, 3 for the next, 7 for the next, 13 for the next etc.?

For myself, this woulfd be far prefferable to a financial upgrade system.  There could then be the potential to have a second tier of upgrades, which would be actually changing of equipment rather than core skills,absed on money - ie once your troops are all 'Man-at-arms' level, you can pay to switch them between heavy (axe) infantry, light (skirmishing) cavalry...   etc

[Leprechaun]

Cymro, you are made of sex awesomeness. If I ever get my Python tools working again, mind if I yoink this in exchange for anything I've coded that you'd like?

[Cymro]

I'll make it fully open source when I release - an eye for an eye or something along those lines. The community gives me good mods and hours of enjoyment, I will give them this to use in any mod, free of charge.

Progress report: Everything's going smoothly. Version 1/0 should be released by saturday.

[Sameth]

Good idea this.

[Morgoth2005]

Congratulations on nearly finishing it!