Floris Expanded mini-mod

[Kinsume]

This is a mini-mod of sorts that will only affect the Floris Expanded Mod 2.5 with the Expanded Troop Tree. It does several key things to help balance the mod and improve the gameplay. Note that this mod may or may not be incorporated into the main game, these are simply changes I will be making, and things I will be adding in order to improve the gameplay.

Version 1.1 Changes (In Progress)

Spoiler

-Increase weekly wages for troops by 50%
-Change Persuasion skill to Charisma based
-Change Looting to a Personal skill
-Make Looting directly affect the random loot gained after a battle
-Change Shield to Strength Based
-Buffing Tactics to 2 troop difference per 1 point in tactics
-Nerfing max size of bandit parties
-Make it so bandits can't recruit from prisoners
-Increase max size of faction patrols
-Ability to release Lords that are already prisoners when you talk to them in party menu
-Adding new bandit upgrade paths
-Adding higher tier bandits to bandit parties

Version 1.0 Changes

Spoiler

1.  Bows/Crossbows all received a nerf to their accuracy from the default 99% to 80%
-This makes them much less deadly at ridiculous ranges, like those 300 meter headshots they were getting on units.

2.  All bandits received a nerf to their proficiencies to a flat 100 for 1h and bow/crossbow based on which they used.
-This was a 20-50 point nerf depending on which one you look at, coupled with the accuracy nerf this makes bandit groups still deadly, but manageable.

3.  Every bow with a Power Draw of 3 or lower had its damage type changed to Cut instead of Pierce. PD 4 and higher bows still have Pierce for their damage type.
-As things were before, tier 3 and 4 archers were able to kill tier 5-7 units no problem due to them having piercing damage, now they still do sufficient damage to units around their tier, but significantly less versus higher tiered units. At the same time Tier 5, 6 and 7 archers maintain their Pierce damage type so they still rip through everything. Bandits were considered a tier 3 units, and as such were affected by this nerf as well.

4.  There is now a Shield Skill rank requirement for most shields in the game. The rank is based upon the shield's resistance and scales from Shield Rank 0 to Shield Rank 4.
-No longer will you be able to build a pure Int character and use the best shields in the game to defend yourself. At the same time, Str/Agi based characters will be much more suited for combat.

5.  The strength requirements needed to equip most armors in the game have been increased significantly. This varies from 7 str to 18 str required to equip them, based upon the armor's tier.
-Now a player must really decide between taking the utility of Int or the new utility of Str/Agi in terms of better armor/shields.

6.  Nord Archers of all tiers had their throwing axes removed and replaced with a Bow/Arrows.
-Tier 3 and 4 Nord archers get the Nord bow which deals cutting damage, while Tier 5, 6, and 7 get the Strong Nord Bow which deals piercing damage. Their Power Draw and Archery Proficiencies were also increased to match their tiers.

7.  Nord Infantry gets a 20 proficiency boost on their used meele weapon of focus and throwing weapons, as well as an additional skill point of ironflesh and shield.
-The reason Nords don't receive any cavalry units and their archers are mediocre at best is because they were supposed to have the strongest infantry units. As things were previously, this was not the case at all, hence the primary reason why the Nords were infact the weakest faction and got walked over.

Some things to note, with these new changes you'll no longer be able to run around with low strength and still equip the best armors in the game. A player with only 9 strength will only be capable of equipping armors with defenses of 20-29 in the case of body armor/helmets, and even less in the case of boots/gloves.

Tier/Str Requirement Charts Used
Shield Tiers (Based on Resistance):
Tier 0 = 0-3 Resistance
Tier 1 = 3-7 Resistance
Tier 2 = 8-12 Resistance
Tier 3 = 13-16 Resistance
Tier 4 = 17-21 Resistance

Shield Skill Requirements:
Tier 0 = Requires Shield skill rank 0
Tier 1 = Requires Shield skill rank 1
Tier 2 = Requires Shield skill rank 2
Tier 3 = Requires Shield skill rank 3
Tier 4 = Requires Shield skill rank 4

Armor Strength Increase:
Chestpiece and Helmet 
Tier 0 = >10 armor
Tier 1 = 10-19 armor
Tier 2 = 20-29 armor
Tier 3 = 30-39 armor
Tier 4 = 40-49 armor
Tier 5 = 50+ armor
Gloves
Tier 0 = 0 armor
Tier 1 = 1-2 armor
Tier 2 = 3-4 armor
Tier 3 = 5-6 armor
Tier 4 = 7- 8 armor
Tier 5 = 9+ armor
Boots
Tier 0 =  >9 armor
Tier 1 =  10-14 armor
Tier 2 =  15-19 armor
Tier 3 =  20-24 armor
Tier 4 =  25-29 armor
Tier 5 =  30+ armor

Strength Requirements for Armors:
Tier 0 = No requirement
Tier 1 = 7 Strength
Tier 2 = 9 Strength
Tier 3 = 12 Strength
Tier 4 = 15 Strength
Tier 5 = 18 Strength

Downloads

Spoiler

http://mountandblade.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=3590

Install Instructions

Spoiler

1.Download the file in that link
2.Unzip file with Winzip
3.Copy troops.txt and item_kinds1.txt into the mod
4.Play and enjoy
5.Ignore the .py files unless you already know what they're for

Compatibility

Spoiler

Currently the game IS save game compatible, however if you have companions equipped with gear before adding the files/changes from this mod then it will remain equipped even if they don't have the required stats to use them. It is up to you whether you want to abuse this fact or properly equip them for their skill levels.

 

[Kinsume]

(Saved for future use)

 

[Ferodaktyl]

do i need start a new game after replacing the files?

 

[Kinsume]

do i need start a new game after replacing the files?

I'm not sure if it is save game compatible or not. Test it out, it should be since only values are changed. The items part logically should be, however the changes I made to the troops may not be. You can check though by opening your Reference section and looking at the Nords to see if they have the bows, then looking at the bandits to see if their proficiencies are at 100.

I currently have no save games available to test it with, else I would.

 

[Caba`drin]

If you didn't change the orders of any of the things in the files, but only altered the values/scores, it should be savegame compatible--save perhaps for some companions/lords/the player who might now have gear they don't have the skills for. This would only be potentially problematic for NPC Lords (and perhaps normal troops?), unless their equipment loadouts were changed with the difficulty adjustments.

If you moved troops, items, etc around at all, (which it doesn't look like you have) then things will be broken.

 

[Kinsume]

Nope only values were changed, as for the Lords requirements, they were all above 18str and atleast 4 shield if I recall correctly so there should be no problem at all in that area.

 

[Ferodaktyl]

first impressions :
- the saves are functional
- the armors and shields are still equipped , but after taking them off can not be reequipped without the specified req.
- the nords have functional archers (tested in battle)
- 80 acc is much to less, 30m distance shoot-outs became blind-drunk let's-miss-the-target contests (and i have 300+ archery points and 5 power draw skill
- in the upgrade tree maybe switch A4 and A5 from top line with L4 and L5 from 3rd line ( makes more sense to me)

 

[Kinsume]

I merely edited values, not going to mess with the upgrade trees as of this moment.

As for your claim that 80% is too low, with 300 proficiency you would still have pretty much 99% accuracy so I'm not sure what you mean. Sure it isn't as overpowered as before, so there might need to be some getting used to, however it isn't too bad in my opinion. And this is from someone who doesn't really play an archer, but I can still spawn in Saragoth, have that bandit turn the corner and still peg him with several arrows and that is with a hunting bow and like 25 archery proficiency. The higher your proficiency the more the damage and accuracy are increased for bows I believe, so really with 300 you shouldn't be having alot of trouble. t7 veigar and swadian troops still never miss their marks xD

And for the companions, well if you choose to abuse the fact you can keep them equipped then that is your own prerogative. However if you want a deeper RPG experience I would suggest not doing so, or starting a fresh game with this setup.

I plan on doing several other changes that affect the game's RPG aspect quite a bit, giving players more decisions as to how they want to play their game, but forcing them to have to choose a certain path in order to do so. Some of the things I had in mind...

-Changing Persuasion skill to Charisma based and increasing the weekly pay of troops by about 50%.
-Changing Looting to a personal skill and making it directly affect the random loot given after battle. 0 Looting = few low tier items, 10 Looting = never have to worry about money.
-Changing Shield to Strength based because lets face it, how agile you are has nothing to do with how effectively you can wield a huge heavy shield.
-Changing Path-Finding to Agility based because it directly affects the speed in which you move on the world map. Sure you can argue that it takes intelligence to find the best path. However I argue, show me one genius hunter. Path-finding comes from being out in the wild exploring and running around, not from sitting inside and reading books.
-Changing Prisoner Management to a party based skill, honestly I don't even know if that is possible however it is logical that the person with the highest PM in your party (out of your companions of course) should be the one in charge of the prisoners. I'm sure the party leader isn't the one watching them every night when camp is set up.
-Altering Tactics to be more significant. Either 1 point = 1 troop difference, or 1 point = 2 troop difference instead of the current 1 troop per 2 points.

Strength would dictate your combat prowess more than ever, as high values of it are required in order to use the best armors/weapons/shields. Someone who skimped out on strength would find themselves doing very poorly in combat.

Agility would gain a couple utility skills such as path-finding and an improved looting that would be one method of you making enough money to maintain a large army.

Intelligence would still be the army utility option with its trainer, surgery, ect skills however with a low strength score Int based units would find themselves with significantly weaker weapons/armors/shields than they were previously capable of using.

Charisma would allow players to get a high persuasion, leadership and trade which would handle all of their money problems, give them an even larger force to fight with, and be able to talk people into doing what they want.

 

[Ferodaktyl]

back to archery
well, i spent the last hour in the training yard, sho0ting arrows at dummies and practice targets
Results :
30 meters - 7, 8 out of ten usually for dummies, 6-7 / 10 for pumpkins
40 meters - 5, 6 for dummies, under 5 for veggies
50+ meters - pray for divine guidance
100 meters - i've seen better chances on lottery 

at least you could ( if you can ) raise accuracy for the better weapons ( higher level ones)

the problem as i see it it's the target reticule, it doesn't narrow down enough, so no skill but sheer luck will help medium to long distance shots


all other changes you want to do seem well thought , but just for the win, go with a 90 acc version too, it can not hurt

LE: or at least tell me how to do this myself
LLE : endorsed on Nexus 

 

[Kinsume]

You can easily change the mod by downloading Morgh's editor. You just unzip/install it, then run it and set the mod directory to the mod folder with this fix in it. Once that is done hit ok and a screen will come up with the different .txt files you can edit. Go into items and on the left side where all of the items are, at the bottom you will see a place where you can select a certain item type in a dropdown box. Select bow and hit ok and it'll bring up all the bows in the mod. Click on each one and change the 80 to a 90 then hit update #(item number) found at the top right, followed by save changes.

Also you don't seem to understand how proficiency works, it does make the aiming reticule smaller so I don't understand how you see 300 as an issue. Even with only 25 proficiency the reticule is pretty small when standing still, so long as you dont hold it too long.

 

[Ferodaktyl]

you were right, i was wrong
80 is just fine

Spoiler

11 out of 25 - almost half
luckily the dummies were too scared to move

 

[Kinsume]

In battles you typically are firing on a mass of units too, not just individual targets. It will just take a bit of time to adjust from how it was originally.

 

[Windyplains]

-Changing Prisoner Management to a party based skill, honestly I don't even know if that is possible however it is logical that the person with the highest PM in your party (out of your companions of course) should be the one in charge of the prisoners. I'm sure the party leader isn't the one watching them every night when camp is set up.

I do not believe that change is going to work out the way you're wanting.  That "script" in the code specifically pulls the player's prisoner management skill value vs. checking for the highest value in the party.  This is fairly easy to fix in the module system though.

I would also caution you on changing the strength or shield requirements for any of the tournament items (very end of the items_kinds1.txt file).  Doing so will have issues since the tournament system expects these items to be equip-able by anyone.

 

[Kinsume]

-Changing Prisoner Management to a party based skill, honestly I don't even know if that is possible however it is logical that the person with the highest PM in your party (out of your companions of course) should be the one in charge of the prisoners. I'm sure the party leader isn't the one watching them every night when camp is set up.

I do not believe that change is going to work out the way you're wanting.  That "script" in the code specifically pulls the player's prisoner management skill value vs. checking for the highest value in the party.  This is fairly easy to fix in the module system though.

I would also caution you on changing the strength or shield requirements for any of the tournament items (very end of the items_kinds1.txt file).  Doing so will have issues since the tournament system expects these items to be equip-able by anyone.

I've only changed the faction troops, mercs and bandit's values. Nothing at all in the tourneys was touched, frankly I think they're just about perfect as is minus the reward being too high.

As for the prisoner management thing, I figured that one was a long shot, but I can deal with not having it. My primary concern is this Looting system, I'm drawing a complete blank on how Native Expansion managed to get it the way they did. I've tried asking the person who did the rework over there, but he refuses to reply so.

 

[Kinsume]

So the changes I am going to focus on are as follows...

-Increase weekly wages for troops by 50%
-Change Persuasion skill to Charisma based
-Change Looting to a Personal skill
-Make Looting directly affect the random loot gained after a battle
-Change Shield to Strength Based
-Buffing Tactics to 2 troop difference per 1 point in tactics

5 of these won't be a problem, I am completely drawing a blank with the looting though. Native Expansion did it perfectly, however I can't get in touch with the person who coded it. As such, this won't really work without that being implemented, so if anyone knows much about editing the Looting section please let me know.

 

[ahseph]

Hi Kinsume,

I like your name and luv your changes

But few things for your considerations:

1. It takes str to carry the shield, but I believe it takes agi to use it well, so an agile and strong fighter = use a shield well. Perhaps don't change this?
2. Persuasion skill is best to be affected by both charisma and intelligence, but i see there's like no way to do it, so do what you must
3. I have to challenge your example. It should be: not all good guides (pathfinders) are agile, but they must be intelligent enough to figure out the best way to travel. But all good guides must be intelligent enough to figure out the best way to travel, they may not necessary be agile. Exploring in the wild being familar with the routes is called Experience, Pathfinding generally refers to the plotting of the shortest route between two points. This takes some thinking and comparing and finally enhanced by Experience. Since there's only 1 stat linked to that (similar to Persuasion), I rather hope you don't change that


Cheers, and thanks for your mini-mod :p

 

[Lorca]

I like what you're doing @Kinsume. The issues that you are addressing are the ones that were bothering me as well. I'll try your changes to see if they work. I'm glad that you nerf the bandits and I hope with such modification they wont bloat to 3000+ in one party. The sizes along with their high tier units were driving me crazy.

 

[Kinsume]

Hi Kinsume,

I like your name and luv your changes

But few things for your considerations:

1. It takes str to carry the shield, but I believe it takes agi to use it well, so an agile and strong fighter = use a shield well. Perhaps don't change this?
2. Persuasion skill is best to be affected by both charisma and intelligence, but i see there's like no way to do it, so do what you must
3. I have to challenge your example. It should be: not all good guides (pathfinders) are agile, but they must be intelligent enough to figure out the best way to travel. But all good guides must be intelligent enough to figure out the best way to travel, they may not necessary be agile. Exploring in the wild being familar with the routes is called Experience, Pathfinding generally refers to the plotting of the shortest route between two points. This takes some thinking and comparing and finally enhanced by Experience. Since there's only 1 stat linked to that (similar to Persuasion), I rather hope you don't change that


Cheers, and thanks for your mini-mod :p

Thanks, glad you like it ^^

Yeah I've decided not to touch path-finding, it can stay int based since if I were to change that one it could be argued to change the tracking and spotting as well. That would leave Int kind of gimped.

Yes it does take agi to wield a shield but nowhere near as much compared to strength. Think about it, they have to charge the enemy, running all the way across the field holding their shields the entire time, then though the entire battle until it is broken or destroyed. That takes strength not agility. Also it ties in well with the gameplay changes I'm doing.

Concerning persuasion, it was the only other skill that could be arguably placed in Charisma, that is why I'm moving it there. Cha kind of gets the short end of the stick and often times you can just start a character with like 6 leadership right off the bat and never touch Cha again. So this will just give players another direction to go with their characters.

I like what you're doing @Kinsume. The issues that you are addressing are the ones that were bothering me as well. I'll try your changes to see if they work. I'm glad that you nerf the bandits and I hope with such modification they wont bloat to 3000+ in one party. The sizes along with their high tier units were driving me crazy.

This current mini-mod doesn't touch the bandit party numbers, theoretically it is possible for them to still get that high, but it is MUCH less likely as they are significantly weaker now and Lords/Player parties should be able to manage them easier.

 

[Lorca]

This current mini-mod doesn't touch the bandit party numbers, theoretically it is possible for them to still get that high, but it is MUCH less likely as they are significantly weaker now and Lords/Player parties should be able to manage them easier.

Sounds good to me. I fought a 35 party bandit with my 32 and with your mod the bandits feels more realistic in their make up. Before, I remember  meeting a 15 party bandit with my 28 party, no sweat so I thought. My party got swept. I knew something wasn't right. 

 

[Kinsume]

The only reason they get that high to begin with is because bandits are capable of recruiting from prisoners, once that is changed you will never see a bandit party above the set max, which is currently 52ish.