[B] The Blue Stone: Call to Arms - A small notice...

[Lumos]

"In Light is Shadow..."
The world of Europa is on the brink of war, a war which threatens to engulf everyone and everything until all hope is lost...
Will you, an agent of the Old Tzardom, be able to infiltrate the mighty Sirathean Empire and discover the reason for their aggression? Or will you take the path of the ordinary adventurer, striving to survive in an unstable world? Will you lead your own company of soldiers or will you fight for wealth and glory under another's banner? Will you collect riches by trade and plunder or will you do battle for a better cause?
Will you try to prevent the war?
Your destiny awaits.

"The Blue Stone: Call to Arms" is a total conversion for Mount&Blade: Warband. While retaining the flavour and style of medieval combat, TBS aims to allow great immersion in a world you've never been to before. The mod also happens to be a prequel to the book I'm writing. As I'm a megalomaniac, I have pretty great plans for this project, and they will hopefully come true... one day.

The Singleplayer experience is my main focus. TBS aims to throw the players into a greatly enhanced, yet well-known M&B-style medieval environment and to provide a greater, deeper layer of immersion and functionality to the game, while retaining its core mechanics. You will see the weather change (and maybe seasons also?), you will walk around your army's camp during a foggy early morning and listen to what your soldiers have to tell you... You will explore dangerous caves and dungeons, as well as abandoned fortifications from the age of the Event, and maybe even older. You will lead your army through a hail of arrows to take key tactical fortresses or cities, or you will sneak inside during the night and open the doors silently, allowing your troops to enter freely. You will go to taverns to enjoy a mug of ale and smoke from you pipe, while listening to people's stories or the bards' music... You will use tactics to defeat your enemies and take decisions which could mean the difference between life and death. You will search for hidden items, solve ancient puzzles, explore long-forgotten regions and read the Legends of Old... But will you survive, this I cannot tell.
On Multiplayer I shall work later on, and I'll try and give players a combination of the new, fresh TBS additions and the classic Warband multiplayer. I'm saying this now: The will be a global ranking system where you get experience from doing different things while playing the game, combined with an unlock tree. However, should you wish not to use this system, you'll be able to play in a "classic" mode, much like Native's. This way, I hope everyone will be happy. Oh, and by the way, playing the "classic" mode will still net you experience for the other mode, allowing you to unlock everything the game has to offer without "grinding" and unwanted activities.
The Multiplayer aspect will feature twenty different game modes, some of which will be cooperative, while others will not. TBS will strive to achieve great diversity of available maps and game modes, and attempt to allow each map to be used for every game mode. This way, people could have more fun and see how the change of objectives modifies the tactics that the teams would use.
I also have some other nifty things planned for MP, but we'll get to them later on.

The story of the mod takes place in the late spring of the Year since the Event 316, or E316 as it's called by the people, i.e. three months before the events of the book.
Some things, made specifically for the player's interest, will not have happened in the book, as the book follows only the "canon" story that you will achieve without deviating a lot from the main questline.

The rest of this post will introduce you to other information which you may (not) find useful, as well as a features list. The second and third posts of this thread could also be of interest to you.
Keep reading.
- The Book

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"You can't stop the tidal waves..."
In the face of the unyielding Sirathean Army, a few people from the small Duchy of Timar must find their way through foreign lands and forge an alliance - the only chance their country has against the invaders. And still, will it be enough to save Timar?

"The Blue Stone" is a fantasy/science fiction novel that is currently in the writing. By November 2012 (i.e. around the time of writing of this post), I have a manuscript of 91 pages and nine full chapters, and I haven't even reached one-fifth of everything I'm planning to include. You can read the first chapter of the book by clicking here.

It should hit the shelves of your local bookstore in a few years. I hope.

- Mod Team

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Lumos - everything. I'm a one man team, so don't expect me to work too fast. I also am mediocre at 3D modelling, and can't texture with a mouse, so... yeah.

Part-time contributors: (which are awesome and I thank them for their efforts!)
Beobart - Models and textures;
Zimke Zlovoljni - Models and textures;
Mëanor - 2D art;
Geren - Music; First Book chapter translation;
Jenove - Additional textures;
Belendor - Additional textures.

Download the Alpha (~147 MB)
Warband 1.153. Latest full release 0.3.0, latest patch 0.3.2


The 1.011 version of this mod has been discontinued. Information on reply #998.

- Features List
Legend: + (plus) means "Completed"; - (minus) means "Planned/In the Works".
You'll get a cookie if you read through all of this, until the bottom.
Singleplayer
- Singleplayer campaign. With lots of quests and many different outcomes. Will tie directly into multiplayer. Is entirely optional, of course - you can simply choose to not play it, and play freestyle, like the regular M&B is.
+ 21 factions with unique, balanced troop lines. Some factions have many different soldiers to choose from, some don't; some are large, some aren't. Smaller, weaker factions are more challenging to play with. Will you be up for the challenge?
+ Several hundred different troops. All of the different soldiers from all the factions, when combined, give a number that is several times one hundred. And it's planned to increase even more.
- One to three unique armour types for every faction. You'll be able to know what soldiers you're facing even from the other side of the battleground.
- Unique female troop lines for every faction. Perhaps not as extensive as the male troop lines, but women will also contribute a lot to the war.
+ Total world map overhaul. The map now has several thousand settlements and is incredibly large, in order to provide more realism and to better represent a large continent.
+ Freelancer mode. You'll be able to join any army as a regular soldier, getting equipment and payment for your service. Based on the well-known Freelancer mod, but I'll be adding some modifications to it.
+ Faster overall combat speed. Sprinting added, jumping improved. Combat is now faster, deadlier, spontaneous. One wrong move could be the difference between life and death.
+ Combat: Stamina and fatigue. You can get tired from running around with all that gear on your back and the slashing you're doing. Your stamina will allow you to sprint and do more powerful strikes, but if you get fatigued, your survivability is dangerously low until you recover. This will prevent soldiers from slashing around massive greatswords and axes all the time and will add another level of tactics to combat.
+ Combat: Shield bashing. Shields will be used to bash, dealing moderate damage and temporarily disabling enemies - this could give you the edge in uneven situations.
+ Combat: Advanced formations and tactical options. You'll feel like a real commander now. TBS incorporates some of the best and proven modder-made enhancements to combat tactics and army management, and with a large enough battle size, you could really feel like a field marshal.
+ Combat: Advanced AI, which also does tactics. As a branch of the above. You shouldn't think that you're going to be the only one smart enough to do battle properly...
- Combat: Deployable and pick-up-able pavise shields. You'll be able to carry and use a very heavy Pavise shield, place it on the ground before you in order to defend yourself, and later on retrieve it to move to another position.
- Combat: Fire arrows. You will have the option to order your archers to enflame their arrows. Flaming arrows are visible in the dark, deliver slightly more damage, and will ignite targets on fire. However, fire arrows will depend on the amount of oil in your inventory.
- Combat: No targeting reticle. In order to make things more interesting and realistic, the targeting reticle is removed. You'll need to learn to aim...
- Combat: Iron sights for crossbows. Crossbows will now be aimed in a more proper way, as a soldier would attempt to do while using them. This may or may not be an advantage.
- Combat: Crouching. But done properly, with you being able to attack and move and so on while crouching.
+ All new weapon type: Hybrid Polearms. Hybrid polearms are modified regular polearms, which sacrifice raw damage and attack speed for greater versatility while using shields.
- Special weapon: Mini-Crossbow. Incredibly deadly in close quarters, this weapon may become your best friend or your greatest enemy. Depending on which side of it you are, that is.
- Special weapon: Repeater Crossbow. The Repeater will allow you to take several shots without reloading. However, it inflicts less damage than a normal crossbow would.
+ Special weapon: Hand Ballista. One of the most powerful, if not the most powerful weapon available, the Hand Ballista is incredibly slow, but can penetrate even plate armor with one of the single stone bullets that it uses instead of bolts. Of course, bullets don't have the aerodynamic shape that arrows have, so the Hand Ballista is more suited to closer-range engagements.
+ Special weapon: CLASSIFIED. Some things you must find on your own.
+ Improved Crossbow damage. Crossbows are now considerably more powerful than they were before, in order to balance the factor of Power Draw in the later game.
- New, revamped one-of-a-kind damage system. I'm still considering this one. It will be based on factors such as limbs, body parts, injury, wounds, and bleeding. You certainly won't be able to die from an arrow to the knee toes.
+ Important Focus skill. Replaces the nearly useless Weapon Master, provides greater benefits for nearly everything. You'll want to max it out quickly.
+ Classes system. You will be allowed to choose one of four classes to provide you with unique skills to use in battle. Later in the game you will be able to specialise in one of two other classes, which are in turn dependent on the first class you chose.
- Two combat skills per class. Different classes accord to different playstyles. Your skills could be very different, depending on which class you choose, and later on - on your specialisation.
+ Very powerful professional soldiers. Native's strongest unit, the Huscarl, is at level 28. In TBS, we have troops that are level 45, and even a few that are level 50. Encountering such a troop while you're at a low level will surely mean your death.
+ Town/Castle recruitment. You can recruit the powerful soldiers from towns or castles, and not from villages, with some exceptions.
+ Permanent Death. Period. However, this situation can be remedied a bit...
+ Difficulty setting. So that you can play in whatever way you want. The recommended difficulty is "Normal", however you could find yourself troubled and pick "Easy", or up the ante by choosing "Hard". Difficulty can not be changed after being selected.
+ Improved landscapes. The continent of Europa will look much more beautiful than the regular game.
- Improved settlement scenes. Trust me on this. Oh, and village improvements are visible after being built.
- Improved generic scenes. On your travels, and during battles, you will see more variety than you normally would.
- Larger, more realistic towns. I really mean it.
- Unique scenes for every settlement. I will need help from the players for this, and I will offer rewards if you help me.
+ Quest Journal. Taking a quest will show a popup with relevant info, so you don't have to go hunting for information in the menus.
- Skill tree. Ever wondered why you can learn Surgery with 3 intelligence and zero Wound Treatment and First Aid? Now you won't be able to. This will also increase the RPG element of the game and provide different ways to play.
- Three different armour types. Light, Medium, and Heavy. Your class determines what you can and can't carry; penalties for doing otherwise. That way we won't have agile marksmen in full plate armour.
- Weapon limitations. Your class now determines which weapons you can or can't use; penalties for doing otherwise. That way we won't have agile marksmen carrying greatswords as a secondary weapon.
- "Campaign" mode. Campaigns are series of combat missions, which follow the major battles on the Old Tzardom - Sirathean war. More info will be revealed later on.
+ Favour. Favour can be obtained by doing honourable acts, and will grant you some benefits. If you think you're badass enough, you can screw the whole favour idea... at your own risk...
- Improvement tree for villages and towns, as well as new buildings to be built. Let's do it in a more interesting way. Building buildings unlocks new buildings to be built.
- Siege engines. Including, but not limited to battering rams, catapults and ballistae. This ties into the line below.
- Good-looking destruction. Your siege machines will really make a difference on the battlefield.
+ Tiered troop system. All factions have one to three troop tiers: Militia (recruited from villages), Veteran (recruited from towns) and Elite (from castles) troops. Different factions have different tier configurations. Some factions don't use tiers, progressing their village troops to Elite status (the so-called "General" tier).
- Taxation and laws. If you're the faction leader, you can decide to use different policies for your people.
- More freedom during sieges and village raids. You'll also get the option to directly annex an enemy village.
- Free vassal troops. If you own a village, for an example, the soldiers you recruit from it will be free and will not require wages. However, this will be limited to lower-level troops for balancing reasons.
- Troop experience has effect on morale. Hardened veterans don't mind slaughtering people and marching for long periods of time as much as fresh recruits do.
- Village rebellions. Don't get carried away with taxes, or you'll be sorry. I mean it.
- Resources system. Completing the regular economy, we'll have a system with villages producing one of four resources - Food, Wood, Gold and Stone, which you can refine and use for other purposes. Using raw food to produce goods while in the field, Gold to mint currency, and Wood and Stone - to build structures. Different regions focus on different resources.
+ Greatly increased diplomatic options. Provided by the well-known Diplomacy mod; too numerous to list here (and to be honest, I don't have the slightest idea what they are... ).
- Lots of new sidequests, not related to the main questline. As I imagine it, nearly every place you go to will be related to a different questline.
- Customizable banners. Properly working custom heraldry, yeah.
- Crafting system. You'll be able to create new items from raw materials, repair items that were damaged from extensive use, or improve already existing ones that you have. Or you could just forget about all of this and hire a blacksmith to do it.
- Religions system. There will be a number of religions available for you to choose, and every faction will have an official religion. Partaking in a religion will offer unique benefits and will have different consequences for you.
- Secret locations. And things to find in them. Many things. In many locations.
+ Better faces. Need I speak of this?
- Real bookreading, Journal and Diary. Use the diary to take notes you might need later on. Books will have text in them, which you'll be able to read. I already talked about the Quest Journal above.
+ Automatic item looting and selling. In order to speed up and eliminate the redundancy of these actions.
- Sea travelling, combined with one-of-a-kind sea battles system. Order your archers to sweep the enemy deck with their deadly hail of arrows, board the enemies and bring them your cold steel, or simply ram their ship and send them on a long trip to the sea bottom!
- Customizable weather. Or, I guess not. Just different weather showing up more often.
- Seasons. Still considering this one. We'll see.
- Riddles, Encrypted Logs and other annoying puzzles like these. Yeah, I'll try to invent some stuff like that, and I'll do my best to ensure it's really nasty.
- Flying. I shall reveal no information about why this will exist and how it will work.
+ Scavenging. Scavenging will allow you to indulge in many glorious ground-digging, thing-finding activities during your spare time on the world map. In other words, it provides you with a small chance to obtain something in return of a few hours on the world map.
+ Random name generator. All parties and people with placeholder names will have names given to them upon game start. You're also able to use the generator for various purposes.
- CLASSIFIED. This serves as an excuse for anything I have forgotten to add.

Multiplayer
- Twenty different game modes.
- Global experience and ranking system. Experience will level you up, levelling up will give you Unlock Points to spend on new stuff in an unlock tree.
- Assist points on killing enemies. Something much needed that vanilla Warband lacks.
- Nearly all combat enhancements from the singleplayer will be present in the multiplayer. Things like combat skills, deployable shields, flaming arrows, stamina and all that crap will be present in MP.
- Global banning system. If I approve a person, he or she will not be able to access any multiplayer server for this mod, ever again. Be very careful about what you're gonna do when you play TBS MP. I hate rulebreakers and cunts in MP games.
- "Classic" mode. (Available for every gamemode.) For people who don't like the need for levelling and prefer the regular M&B style of multiplayer. Of course, this will eliminate all of the goodies that the regular TBS MP will have, but this is the price you must pay for being traditionalist.
- "War" mode. Missions are to be played on a dynamic map of the continent, split in sectors, until one of the factions wins and takes control of the entire world.
- Every map will be playable on (nearly) every gamemode. Why limit the available maps? Let's have it more diverse!
- Possibility to use every single location from Singleplayer to fight on. For variety's sake...
- Day/Night cycle during battles. That way you could partake in sieges which start at dawn and continue until dusk, or throughout the night.
- Perhaps something else? We shall see.

These features will be updated and extended as I progress with their development.
- Credits
First of all, great thanks to TaleWorlds for creating M&B and allowing all of us to mod it. Needless to say that without them doing that, this mod would be unable to exist.
Special thanks to cmpxchg8b for his Warband Script Enhancer, a tool that allows me to make most of my ambitious plans come true.
Credits and thanks to:
motomataru - Formations and AI;
rubik - Custom Commander, some community kits;
dunde - Different kits, assistance;
Computica - Amazing basis for the new map. This person is a master!
Caba'drin - PBOD, kits, assistance;
gutekfiutek - Polished Landscapes & Buildings;
Cartread - Inspiration and basis for the deployable pavise;
Waihti - Diplomacy;
MartinF - Dueling kit;
Tempered - Entrenchment;
Iboltax - Improved faces;
taragoth - Freelancer;
Garnier - Banks;
xenoargh - Crouch fixes, ideas and assistance;
Bismarck - Native Mod Compilation, that excellent thing that I resort to when my source ****s up;
sphere - ModMerger;
Narf of Pinklestink - Some of his models;
Dejawolf - Some of his helmets;
Talon - The SWUP;
lucky lancer - Training fields overhaul;
Openshaw - The Expanded Horizons mod

I may have missed someone. If that's the case, be sure to tell me right away and I will correct my mistake.
Other names shall be appended to this list in the moment I'm finished with integrating the feature they are related to.
- Signature Banners
If you like the mod and want to support it, you can use one of these images inside you forum signature.
Looking back at my previous such signatures that I did years ago, I think that some of them are quite dull, so I'm scrapping them.
Here are the only few that I fancy currently.
First are Jenove's two great signatures that he did.

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[url=http://tinyurl.com/tbsmod][img]http://goo.gl/4ZTdG[/img][/url]

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[url=http://tinyurl.com/tbsmod][img]http://goo.gl/Mh6CH[/img][/url]

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[url=http://tinyurl.com/tbsmod][img]http://goo.gl/F2B9m[/img][/url]

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[url=http://tinyurl.com/tbsmod][img]http://goo.gl/1Ow8M[/img][/url]

The others below are mine.

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Did this one when my source code collapsed to the ashes once. I did a complete restart back then...

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[url=http://tinyurl.com/tbsmod][img]http://goo.gl/BvJ5w[/img][/url]

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Related to a bug which I caused accidentally. The issue is fixed now, but the sig remains.

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[url=http://tinyurl.com/tbsmod][img]http://goo.gl/v7NZu[/img][/url]

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Occupies less space.

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[url=http://tinyurl.com/tbsmod][img]http://goo.gl/484t4[/img][/url]

As you may have noticed, this mod has a permanent short URL: www.tinyurl.com/tbsmod (leads to this very page), which you may also use.
If you have the skills and/or desire, make your own signature banner and show it to me. If I like it, I'll post it here as an "official" one.
The next post will introduce you to the world of Europa, and screenshots await you further down. Read on...

[Lumos]

Uh-oh! As my mouse drawing skills are really bad and I lack the appropriate tech at the moment, this post will have far less pictures than I planned. For now, at least.

- The Map and the World
Not only is the world itself called Europa, but the continent on which the action takes place is called Europa by its inhabitants.

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Low quality graphic derived from the in-game map. I'll improve it later on.

The center of the continent is dominated by the vast desert of Sirath, which has taken the lives of many travellers and is rumoured to hold great secrets. From there outwards spans the mighty Sirathean Empire. The desert is divided from the other land by the Kreschenk Mountains, which block all passage beside a few well-known mountain passes and a few secret ones.
The eastern parts are home to great fertile plains and lush forests, providing the people living there with food and materials.
The West is also largely plain, although it's far more hilly and mountainous.
The South is occupied mostly by the Great Steppe, home to the nomadic nations. The territory of Yanmar, i.e. the large southern peninsula, is the exception.
The Shangrian Peninsula in the far north is a reign of ice and chilling cold.
The large southern island of Vlan is where the mountain of the same name is located; there lies the Kingdom of Rikista.
The Holy Order of the Enlightened, a reclusive community of religious people, is located on the small islands in the far east.
The great Sea of Wastes surrounds the continent and continues until the horizon. No one knows what lies beyond it... Accepting there is a "beyond", that is.
- The Nations
You can find information about each of the factions of the continent below.
More details and complete troop trees can be fould only through exploration in the game.
Some kingdoms are large and possess copious amounts of resources and men to war with. Others don't.
Some have naturally fortified hilly positions, others don't.
Some have majestic and powerful navies... others... not.
Helping a small nation survive can be a daunting task, Commander. Are you up for it?
You can fight and conquer all,
With iron fist and maul.
Or you can come with peace,
Force the war to cease.
(Bad attempt at poetry. My first poem ever, actually. Ignore it.)

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Region: North Location: Sirathean Desert Capital City: Sirath Religion: Orthodoxality Territory: Very Large Economy: Strong Military: Very Strong Focus: Heavy Infantry, Heavy Cavalry, Heavy Crossbowmen Best Units: Destroyer, Sieger, Imperial Guardsman Troop Tiers: General Armour Types: Light, Medium The Sirathean Empire fields a lot of different troops, allowing usage of advanced strategy and different solutions to problems. Siratheans are extremely dangerous adversaries. They rely on crossbows rather than bows. Lack extensive mounted archers, but quite strong in all other fields. Destroyers, the most feared and ruthless soldiers of the continent, can potentially decimate entire enemy squads on their own.

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Region: East Location: Eastern Plains Capital City: Thornstadt Religion: Orthodoxality Territory: Very Large Economy: Very Strong Military: Very Strong Focus: Heavy Infantry, Heavy Archers, Heavy Cavalry Best Units: Lion Infantry, Lion Cavalry Archer, Lion Cavalry Troop Tiers: General Armour Types: Light, Medium, Heavy The Old Tzardom have the best infantry and finest heavy armour in the world. Their diverse army marks them as one of the greatest forces on the continent. Their Lion division of soldiers is amongst, if not the, most elite corps in the world. A core of heavy infantry, backed up by their elite foot and mounted archers can be a terrible threat to enemies. Complete with heavy cavalry, they are truly a force to reckon with. The protagonist of the mod (i.e. you) originates from the Old Tzardom.

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Region: South Location: Southern Steppe, East side Capital City: Berivoj Religion: Idolism Territory: Large Economy: Moderate Military: Strong Focus: Light and Heavy Cavalry Best Units: Khan's Guard, Tax Collector, Mounted Swordsman Troop Tiers: General Armour Types: Light, Medium Uhlan-Tongui is one of the cavalry-based nations that live in the Southern Steppe, the other one is Stanna. Unlike the Stannians though, Tongui has an infantry branch in their tree, allowing them to adapt to more diverse situations. Their cavalry is well-rounded and should form the core of their army. Their Khan's Guards compete for the best mounted archers on the continent.

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Region: East Location: Great Forest of Halvaris Capital City: Yarra Religion: Orthodoxality Territory: Moderate-Large Economy: Very Strong Military: Very Strong Focus: Heavy Infantry, Heavy Cavalry, Foot Archers Best Units: Cuirassier, Uhlan, Jaeger, Doppelsoldner Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran Armour Types: Light, Medium The New Tzardom was a part of the Old Tzardom until they received their autonomy 23 years ago. Although they are now their own separate country, they are on very good terms with the Old Tzardom and still think themselves as parts of it. Their military is very strong, fuelled by their great economy, and consists largely of exceptionally heavy armoured cavalry, strong foot archers and multi-purpose heavy infantry.

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Region: North Location: Shangrian Peninsula, Frozen Plains Capital City: Vestir Nord Religion: Logism Territory: Large Economy: Strong Military: Strong Focus: Heavy Spear Infantry Best Units: Halberdier, Emperor's Guard Troop Tiers: General Armour Types: Light, Medium The Shangrian Empire, although lost some of its former glory, still holds its own as the leading culture in fine arts. And spears. Occupying the northernmost and most chilling part of the continent, the Shangrians have a powerful navy and are fearsome spearmasters, although they lack any cavalry and their crossbowmen are not quite strong. However, they, along with their unique polearms, are a dangerous foe.

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Region: Central-West Location: Kreschenk Mountains Capital City: Fjell Religion: Traditionalism Territory: Small Economy: Moderate-Small Military: Very Strong Focus: Heavy Melee and Ranged Infantry Best Units: Knight, Skirmisher, Marksman Troop Tiers: General Armour Types: Medium, Heavy In the mountain kingdom of Sverd, every person passes through a thorough military training at the age of 16, resulting in a very war-proficient population. Although their territory is not large, their fortresses are deemed nearly impenetrable, especially Fjell, the capital. Their army focuses on heavy armoured infantry and supportive skirmishers, although the skill of their marksmen is not to be underestimated.

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Region: West/li] Location: Kreschenk Mountains, Laer Valley Capital City: Kajstadt Religion: Idolism Territory: Moderate Economy: Moderate-Strong Military: Very Strong Focus: Light and Heavy Infantry, Heavy Cavalry Best Units: Huscarl, Einherjar, Protector of Asgaard Troop Tiers: General Armour Types: Light, Medium, Heavy Nemarians live in the pre-mountainous regions along the Western Plains and along the source of Istrum River. They hold one of the key passes through the Kreschenk Mountains that leads to Sirath. Spirited and brave, Nemarians are by no means a peaceful people. The backbone of their army consists of both fast and armoured infantry soldiers, backed up by skirmisher support and heavy equestrians.

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Region: South-East Location: The Reach Capital City: Eks Religion: Orthodoxality Territory: Very Large Economy: Strong Military: Strong Focus: Medium and Heavy Infantry, Cavalry Archers Best Units: Knight of Eskalion, Assassin Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran, Elite Armour Types: Light, Medium, Heavy Inhabiting the distant Reach, the people of Yanmar are as good as traders, as they are soldiers. Experienced, respected members of the Brotherhood of Eskalion form their army's core. Yanmar is one of the oldest countries on the continent, and from there originates the Mini-Crossbow, a very deadly personal defence weapon, which is fielded in combat exclusively by Yanmar's agile Assassins. Yanmarians are also quite proficient in horse archery.

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Region: West Location: Planes of the West Capital City: Omnia Religion: Traditionalism Territory: Moderate Economy: Moderate-Strong Military: Moderate-Strong Focus: Medium Infantry, Skirmshers, Foot Archers Best Units: Elite, Axeman, Archer Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran, Elite Armour Types: Light, Medium Being one of the larger kingdoms of the West and its "trading hub", so to speak, while living in peace with their neighbours, the blood that runs in Albian veins is not a soldier's. While the people of Alba do not like armed conflicts with other nations, their army can certainly hold their own in combat, though, and they focus on infantry with skills in weapon-throwing, and partially on archers. Lack cavalry units.

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Region: West Location: Kreschenk Mountains, Pass of Ehera Capital City: Pasadenna Religion: Traditionalism Territory: Moderate Economy: Strong Military: Moderate-Strong Focus: Heavy Infantry, Skirmishers Best Units: Royal Swordsman, Halberdier, Royal Horseman Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran, Elite Armour Types: Light, Medium Ehera is located in a large valley separating the Kreschenk Mountains, known as the Pass of Ehera, which means that they have a direct border with Sirath. This spot has allowed them to benefit from trade for many years, but now exposes them to the might of the Empire. Eherans focus on heavy sword infantry, backed up by tough halberdiers and strong, yet limited cavalry. At range, they rely solely on their javelin-throwers.

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Region: West Location: Hcull Peninsula Capital City: Vestir Ponente Religion: Idolism Territory: Moderate-Large Economy: Very Strong Military: Moderate-Strong Focus: Heavy Infantry, Supportive Cavalry Best Units: Legionnaire, Mounted Legionnaire Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran, Elite Armour Types: Light, Medium Hcullians are renowned to be the best shipwrights in the West, their navy is powerful, and their ports see lots of activity. However, on solid ground, Hcull is not so well. Their troops lack many improvement options and are limited mainly to the ever-present hcullian Legionnaire, mounted or not, and his nearly unbreakable shield. The lack of diversity will either cause a victory, or be a reason for Hcull's defeat.

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Region: West Location: Timarian Peninsula Capital City: Tanburg Religion: Traditionalism Territory: Moderate-Small Economy: Strong Military: Strong Focus: Heavy Infantry and Archers Best Units: Duke's Guard, Armoured Sergeant, Armoured Archer Troop Tiers: Militia, Elite Armour Types: Light, Heavy Timar is a small country located in the West on its own isolated peninsula, south of Hcull. Timarians are known for their very high-quality steel, and for their determination while in battle. While neither their territory nor their economical strength are extensive, nor is their fleet large, they do have some very strong and well-protected foot soldiers and archers. Lack cavalry soldiers. The protagonists of the book originate from Timar.

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Region: South Location: Isle of Vlan Capital City: Elgarath Religion: Orthodoxality Territory: Moderate-Large Economy: Strong Military: Moderate-Strong Focus: Fast Heavy Cavalry, Light Infantry Best Units: Lancer, Medium Infantry Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran Armour Types: Light, Heavy Rikista is a kingdom that occupies the large southern isle of Vlan. While Rikistans rarely involve themselves into military conflicts and prefer to trade with passing ships in their numerous ports, protected by the fact they're on an island. However, they rely on blazing fast armoured heavy cavalry while in combat, combined with light supportive infantry. They do not use any professional archers in their army, however.

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Region: Central-South Location: Kreschenk Mountains Capital City: Yarkutsk Religion: Idolism Territory: Moderate Economy: Moderate Military: Very Strong Focus: Heavy Infantry Best Units: Knight, Stronghold Defender, Stronghold Protector Troop Tiers: Militia, Elite Armour Types: Light, Heavy The people of Verhoyansk are mountaineers, living in the Kreschenk Mountains. Quite like their neighbours in Sverd, their castles and cities are incredibly hard to conquer, but the army of Verhoyansk specialises in defence rather than offence, and therefore they see no purpose in using cavalry. Rather, they prefer to use their rock-solid infantry and archers behind their castles' walls, in order to vanquish the attackers.

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Region: South-East Location: Southern Steppe, Great Forest of Halvaris Capital City: Arijcha Religion: Orthodoxality Territory: Moderate-Large Economy: Moderate Military: Very Strong Focus: Infantry, Cavalry Best Units: Heavy Infantry of the Cross, Heavy Cavalry of the Cross Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran, Elite Armour Types: Light, Medium, Heavy Gomorians are fearless religious fanatics. Other religions are outlawed in their country, and when they go to war, it's in the name of the One True Faith. Their location is strategic - a strip between hte Mountains and the Sea, from north to south, and their army is strong, fierce, and well-balanced. As a friend, they are powerful, as foe - extremely dangerous. And if you're a heretic, you better run...

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Region: West Location: Planes of the West Capital City: Nikopolis Religion: Logism Territory: Large Economy: Strong Military: Strong Focus: Medium Infantry, Heavy Cavalry Best Units: Freelancer, Swordsman Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran, Elite Armour Types: Light, Medium Istrum, called "the kingdom of the Two Rivers", as it is located between the Istrum River and Upper Nestra, is a large country which has borrowed its religion from the Shangrian states in the North. They occupy this fertile portion of the western Plains, and their economy is strong as a result of this. The backbone of their army is the strong Freelancer, backed by their tough infantry and their light crossbowmen.

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Region: South Location: Southern Steppe Capital City: Om Religion: Traditionalism Territory: Small Economy: Moderate Military: Moderate Focus: Crossbowmen, Light Infantry Best Units: Sharpshooter, Pikeman, Footman Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran Armour Types: Medium Naiarians, although Traditionalist, hold the horse as a sacred animal, so they never send cavalry to battle. They are located on a tiny peninsula between the large steppe-states of Tongui and Stanna, and rely primarily on trade. Due to their small territory and non-extensive military, they are not on par with the large countries, and they may easily fail to protect their lands in an armed conflict.

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Region: North Location: Shangrian Peninsula Capital City: Emon Religion: Logism Territory: Moderate-Small Economy: Moderate-Strong Military: Moderate-Strong Focus: Crossbowmen, Light Cavalry Best Units: Sharpshooter, Pikeman, Footman Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran, Elite Armour Types: Light, Heavy Trasir was once a part of the Shangrian Empire, but a long time ago, they became autonomous, along with Satyr. Now they live south of Shangra, and prosper. But they would be one of the first countries that Sirath would strike in case of an invasion to the North and West. Trasir focuses on precise marksmen and incredibly deadly light cavalry in the face of their Hussars. Their infantry, however, is not as good as expected.

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Region: North Location: Shangrian Peninsula Capital City: Tyrann Religion: Logism Territory: Moderate-Small Economy: Moderate-Strong Military: Moderate-Strong Focus: Medium Infantry, Crossbowmen Best Units: Master Crossbowman, Phalangite, Hypaspist Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran, Elite Armour Types: Light, Medium Shielded from all enemies, the people of Satyr have lived in peace nearly ever since the Splitting of the Shangrian Empire and the autonomy of the Shangrian States - Satyr and Trasir. Just like the Shangrains and Trasirrians, to some extent), the people of Satyr value arts and food, and spears too. Their Phalangites use the deadly long pikes, based on the ones used by the New Tzardom, and their army is balanced.

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Region: South Location: Southern Steppe, West side Capital City: Mata Religion: Idolism Territory: Large Economy: Strong Military: Strong Focus: Melee and Ranged Cavalry Best Units: Mounted Archer, Mounted Axeman, Mounted Swordsman Troop Tiers: General Armour Types: Light, Medium The Stannians possess an all-cavalry army, a fact that may be useful in some cases and a hindrance in other. They also have large ports where they trade with passing ships, and they are generally peaceful. The straight border between Stanna and Tongui is determined by the Borderstone, a massive landmark visible in nearly half of the Southern Steppe. Their army focuses more on melee than ranged cavalry.

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Region: East Location: Islands of the Holy Order Capital City: Stronghold Blackrock Religion: Traditionalism Territory: Small Economy: Small Military: Moderate Focus: Light Infantry Best Units: Bulletproof Monk, Archdeacon Troop Tiers: Militia, Veteran Armour Types: Light, Heavy No one is sure why or when was the Holy Order created, but this community of religious people lives in seclusion, away from the rest of the world, and rarely troubles itself with the matters of the continent. They do not use castles, and their army is laughable at best, as their Light Armour is nothing more than a robe. However, their elite "soldiers" have more than meets the eye...

And so these twenty-one factions dwell in this world, and all are going to be affected by the events that are happening...
- The Religions
As you may have noticed, each faction has an official religion that it uses. All nations generally allow their subjects to believe in any of the four major religions, the only exceptions being Gomor, which do not allow freedom of faith, and the Holy Order, simply because there are no people that live with the Order that are not Traditionalist (and even if there are such people, they are negligible.
In-game, you will be able to choose one of the religions as your own, and each will provide its own unique benefits.
So, what are the religions?
- The Traditionalism is most common in the West. Traditionalists believe in a single God - an entity with unknown force, which desires only the best for the people, if they are worthy, and which observes everything from the heavens and rewards people if they live justly, according to the religion's laws. Traditionalist countries are: Sverd, Alba, Ehera, Timar, Naiar, and the Holy Order.
- The Orthodoxality is more widespread in the East. It tells of the "Iron Gods", extremely powerful beings with absolute force that will one day return in a day of glory for the righteous and suffering for the sinners. Gomorians, although Orthodox, have a skewed perception of their mission in life - they believe not so that they must be righteous themselves, but more that they should bless heretics with the knowledge of the One True Faith, as they call it. No matter if the heretics want it or not, and whether the same heretics die in pain after that. Orthodox countries are: Sirath, the Old Tzardom, the New Tzardom, Yanmar, Gomor, Rikista.
- The Idolism is common in the South, and is believed to originate from the people of the Steppe. Idolistic faith revolves around four "idols" - Moira, idol of life and death, Vaarn, idol of war and nature's forces, Dalia, idol of fertility and freedom, and Daedal, idol of crafts and travel. Believers try to behave like the idols and their good traits. Idolistic counties are: Uhlan-Tongui, Stanna, Nemar, Verhoyansk, Hcull.
- The Logism is a faith, presumably of Shangrian origin. Logists believe that there exists other worlds with people in them, and that incredibly knowledgeable beings called the "Sky people" have left them on this world, so that they can understand the meaning and point of living. Once that is done, the Logists believe that the Sky people will return and allow them, the ordinary humans, to join the ranks of the Sky people. Logist countries are: Shangra, Isturm, Trasir, Satyr.

As said above, the religion you choose will have an impact on the story, on what bonuses you get, and how characters treat you.
Have any ideas about anything else that should be put here as an introduction to the world of Europa? Let me know!
The next post contains screenshots...[/list]

[Lumos]

Please know that I'm not much of a screenshot guy - I never seem to manage to capture that perfect frame...
Anyways, I'll do my best to put here some pictures for eyes that would prefer them.
- The Screenshots

- General screenshots
The Old Tzardom:

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Meet the Lion Infantry, the best soldiers in the game! The Lion Infantry is one of the most powerful units in the entire continent. They are extremely deadly, powerful, and experienced, being at level 50. Their only equipment is the finest Lion Armour, bearing the blazonry of the Tzardom, and a greatsword which they use to deliver killing blows to their opponents.

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"Onwards! Charge!"

And while we're at it...

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Mounted Guards are tough, experienced soldiers of the Tzardom. Although lightly armoured, they wield their weapons with skill and precision. They've also got a plated charger.
Note that they are not the Tzardom's strongest cavalry unit.

- The World Map
As it is seen in-game. I think I have other screenshots of it, but that's going to be them for now.

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A view to a bay of the Old Tzardom	The great Desert of Sirath	A distant look towards the vast Southern Steppe	The hilly Planes of the West, visible beyond the mountains
A part of the Shangrian Peninsula	The Islands of the Holy Order	A village in the forest	The Forest of Halvaris and the Eastern Plains
The Frozen Plains lie ahead	The Southern Steppe, now at a closer inspection	A view from the Mountain towards the Desert of Sirath

- Difficulty setting:
An old screenie of the "Difficulty" window, which you will see only once every new game. Your choice can make the entire game feel quite different!
I've fixed some of the issues with this particular screen though - for an example, the misalignment of the boxes has been corrected.

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- Class selection:
Two old screenshots of the class selection window. Currently it's either the same, or with minor modifications. Will be improved in the future.

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Vanguard	Soldier

Very old screenshots from the 1.011 version; you can think of them as "dev-leaked" screens.

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You can see debug messages on-screen on many of these screenies...

Random shots:







The Adventures of Lumos and 4 Lion Infantries against 24 Royal Swordsmen of the Old Tzardom (Deserters)


Keep quiet, they may not see us!


This is the point where I got a new monitor. And what did I use it for? To show off a foggy snowy scene, of course!

You still here? Stop loitering around, {boy/girl}, go do something constructive! Download the mod and help me squash all bugs and improve it even more, or write me a comment. Or do both, if you wish.

[NikeBG]

Snimka.bg? Didn't know you're Bulgarian...

Also... "2. ~400+ new troops" - wow! The mod sounds quite interesting. But what would the sea battles be like? As in the Roots of Yggdrassil or you've revised a new system?

[Lumos]

If you could just wait about half an hour or so and I'll add descriptions of each feature... but now I just want to write them down before I lose my notes 

[Geren]

Didn't know you're Bulgarian...

Same here...

I'll wait 'till you add "your notes" and then ask what it's based on then

[Marx91]

My, this looks most interesting! Please, feed us some more info and screenshots! I wish you the best of lucks. 

[In Vain]

Dude, this is a kinda long features list! I wish thee luck

BTW, what does "TBS" mean? (Sorry if that is a noobish question I-) ) "To Be Scripted"?

I do like the looks of the padded-looking surcoat in this picture. Is that texture by yourself or is it from another mod already released? *wants have*

[Refear]

OH MY ALLAH!!!
Looks great.. If this mod finish, it will my favorite mod i think..

[damnimbored25]

Is an ambitious project.

[Refear]

I want to help you 

[spijdie]

it looks nice

[Volkodav]

*Blown away by sheer awesomeness and coolness*
Man,one mod to pwn them all...
This is too much...too f****** much,YOU RULE DUDE!!! 

[COGlory]

Wow. 

[FrisianDude]

Cool, even though the first feature gave me a "Lumos, you little shit" - feeling.