TestMod 0.3 - Released Jan. 3, 2008

[HardCode]

I created a test mod, hence the name , to try out some new things, and some rebalancing. I used some elements of Band of Warriors, namely the Hero management. I figured someone might want to try it for something different to play, so here it is. It won't be officially maintained, unless I develop it into a real mod.

The Four Ways Inn may act strange when you first use the menus.

Here's a list of some changes:

• New - Reworked the Nord troops. Very fast, very deadly.
• New - Misc. tweaks and things.
• Added back the Deserter parties!
• Reworked item weights.
• Shields have less hit points, so should splinter easier.
• Village Elders now offer quests every 3 days instead of every 20 days.
• Captured villages offer recruits from your faction.
• Only Vaegir and Swadian Knights have lances. Too many insta-kills on the battlefield for my liking.
• Watchmen upgrade to Caravan Guards or Caravan Soldiers (footmen). Caravan Soldiers become Foot Mercenaries and Foot Hired Blades. Regular Mercs and Blades all have horses.
• Nord troops split after Nord Warriors, so one branch have one-handers and shields, and the regular Nord Veteran and Nord Champion have heavy two-handers.
• No archers have any heavy weapons or shields, except Nords as usual.
• Less Heros than Band of Warriors, but some new ones.
• Food micromanagement, which I hate, effectively eliminated since food is "eaten" once a week. Ale and Wine have higher morale bonuses.
• All merchants have much more gold and refresh every 6 hours to reflect daily business.
• Hate sieging a castle to have the same NPC Lord attack you 10 times in the 20 days with a new, full army? Now, defeated Lords are out of action for 2 weeks.
• Tavern mercenaries refresh every 48 hours instead of 72 hours.
• The player and Heros have XP values jacked up way high. This is intentional since I plan on trying other things in the test mod later.

Download version 0.3 for M&B 0.903 at the Repository: https://www.mbrepository.com/file.php?cid=10&id=630

 

[Lt. of the tower]

This sounds like a good mod, I will download it and have a play to check it out

Suggestions for future development -
Maybe try and add some new items or region specific troops (there is a thread about it in the Kings court maybe take a look if you haven't seen it cuse its pretty interesting.)

 

[HardCode]

If I ever develop this into a mod, new items would be the very last thing. I'm more interested in trying to first work with what we already have, in terms of balancing things or changing things. Wouldn't faction troops be region specific already?

 

[NCrawler]

Sounds cool HardCod, download now...


NC

 

[Someone_forgotten]

Sounds like a mod! We are waiting to see more!

 

[HardCode]

Well, the XP values are jacked up in module.ini, because I've always felt that for a skill to be worth anything, you need 5 or 6 points in it. Otherwise, the effect is pretty insignificant. For example, to be on par with a Nord Champion's 7 Athletics in the mod , you need to be a high level, assuming you put some points in other essential skills. However, anyone can edit the module.ini if they prefer to grind. So the PC and the Heroes level very, very fast up to about level 30 for the PC and 20 for the Heroes. I would like to make things that are skill dependent, so the ability to reach a high level would be required. Just remember, everything in this "mod" is a piece of an overall vision, and may not necessarily be apparent right away. Now, back to the Spiked Egg Nog!!!

P.S. I will plan a release with the item weights completely rebalanced, because as they are now, they aren't in sync.

 

[SnoeiSchaaR]

Have played this1 all afternoon and I haven't got any probs using the FourWayzInn 

Also I like your idea of balancing everything before expanding it...
Keep up the good work! 

 

[Chel]

some interesting ideas, wonder what else you got in mind.

 

[HardCode]

Well, I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants with this. I'd like to have the majority of troops as conscript cannon fodder ... cheap to hire and replace ... as opposed to many armies of massively armed and armored troops. Something like armies of 100+ low level troops, and maybe a small subset of 25+ "professional" troops. It would make for large battles, but they would go faster as most of your troops and the enemy Lords' troops would get chopped up fast. Imagine something like lines of low level troops with spears and shields, or small swords and shields. Only the professional troops would have good swords and heavy axes and such. Maybe the cannon fodder would cost 5 gold per week, but Infantry would cost 100+ gold per week.

Or, perhaps I'll minify (as in "minimum-ify" ) the parties so that you only have Heroes and fight small bands of enemies. Later in the game, like once you become high in your faction, you get a large party capacity boost so you can lead armies. I really want to make a different game dynamic with what the game already has, in some way. So these are two possible directions to take. For this to work, I'd have to make a good plot and story, with lots of options.

I really, really want to incorporate Bandit King into a mod whatever I do. I really like the faction system, and I really like the small things, such as gaining relation points with a village by defeating outlaws in the vicinity of the village.

However, before I'd do any of those things, I'd want to do the grunt work of rebalancing item stats, troops' equipment array, and things like that. But the FIRST thing I need to do is figure out how to get Village Elders to offer some damn quests more often than once every few game months!

 

[NCrawler]

However, before I'd do any of those things, I'd want to do the grunt work of rebalancing item stats, troops' equipment array, and things like that. But the FIRST thing I need to do is figure out how to get Village Elders to offer some damn quests more often than once every few game months!

Look in module_scripts.py.  I believe this is what determines how often they give out specific quests: (assign, ":quest_dont_give_again_period", 20)

It's located in the get_random_quest script...


NC

 

[imalamer]

Or, perhaps I'll minify (as in "minimum-ify" ) the parties so that you only have Heroes and fight small bands of enemies. Later in the game, like once you become high in your faction, you get a large party capacity boost so you can lead armies. I really want to make a different game dynamic with what the game already has, in some way. So these are two possible directions to take. For this to work, I'd have to make a good plot and story, with lots of options.

I really like that idea. Additionally it would be neat to have your Heroes become your Lieutenants and they can command their own armies in your name.

 

[HardCode]

However, before I'd do any of those things, I'd want to do the grunt work of rebalancing item stats, troops' equipment array, and things like that. But the FIRST thing I need to do is figure out how to get Village Elders to offer some damn quests more often than once every few game months!

Look in module_scripts.py.  I believe this is what determines how often they give out specific quests: (assign, ":quest_dont_give_again_period", 20)

It's located in the get_random_quest script...


NC

Golden! Thanks.

 

[HardCode]

Released v2.0.

 

[Lt. of the tower]

Released v2.0.

Kick ass 

 

[Sibilance]

I like this. Bandit King and this mod are just going to be delicious together.

 

[HardCode]

New release today. Check out the new, nasty Nords!

 

[Lectus]

Reading this thread (or another, I'm not quite sure), I took it that you meant to give veterans and above only two handers?  I've played this mod with a nord army, and saw a veteran with a norman shield and one-hander.  An axe to be specific.  And I think I've seen it happen more than once.  Good mod though.  I can't wait to see the inclusion of bandit king source.

 

[HardCode]

No, for the Veterans, I just added the chance of larger two-handed axes. The Champions should all have big-ass two handed axes. If not, let me know.