Since I like it so much, I took a deeper look at the mod, and I think I have a few observations (if the mod is still in developement?)
Features I am already in love with
- the sabre tournaments are super fun (and for me, also challenging). They also remind me of the Michalku-Kmicic duel from the novel Deluge
- I like that bows are cutting damage. Very cool. I love WFAS, but I always feel that I am playing suboptimal when deciding to play something else than a horse archer.
- I think I like the recruitment systems, but I think being a player of WFAS helps a lot. In my opinion players not knowing WFAS, coming straight from Warband might have some troubles figuring it out. Some kind of summary would be nice (you can put it into the camp menu, or game concepts, and use the starting screen to point the players to read it)
Spellings
Tamash Nadashdy (HRE vassal) - Tamás Nádasdy, or Tamas Nadasdy if you don't want to use "á"
Trentschin - german spelling. SK is Trencin, HU is Trencsén
Neusohl - german. HU spelling is Besztercebanya, SK is Banska Bystrica
Lizenz - I don't know this city
Kaschau - SK is Kosice, HU is Kassa
Some strange things, which are not serious, but I don't know wether these are intended or not:
- you can swing with some obviously thrusting weapons (like daggers)
- you can block with very small blades and very unwieldy weapons (the game warband works you can block a lance charge with a small blade)
- as a commoner, you cannot enter a noble feast, even when you win the duels
- there are some slow weapons which should crush through blocks (also, I think heavy lances should also do the same. It seems wrong to block a lancer charge with a small blade)
- "horsemen spears" are missing from the mod. It was actually quite common to use not long lances, but standard spears on horseback (length similar to napoleonic uhlans, maximum 2 meters). These should be standard spears, 150-180 length, but only thrust attack and high speed (100-110). There are records of duels (Hungarian-tartar, hungarian ottomans) fought with spears on horseback. This is not a big deal, but I think it would add some flavor to the mod. Also, while my examples are hungarian, I think tartars, lithuanians, polish also used shorter spears this way.
Smaller suggestions:
- create a gun ammo which holds only 1-2 bullets. Use this for reiter type units. In Csatádi's WFAS mod, these types of cavalry units are armed with sword, pistol, pistol, 1 spare bullet. This means they fire twice, reload once, and then charge into melee. Not really meant for player use, but help the AI decision making a ton. (I actually started using this loadout on companions too)
- Csatádi also has a nice script, which breaks the lances after the first blow. Again, help the AI a lot in sieges. (IIRC this is OSP)
- I would also advise to remove the melee use from the guns. Again, to help the AI. Currently they swith to melee and use the gun to block instead of firing in your face.
- the Habsburgs used tercios from their other territories in this theatre of war. If you want, adding valloon, italian and iberian mercenary units to taverns would be historical. These are: valoon/napolitan/iberian tercio pikeman/rodelero/arquebus mercs. Also vlach units to taverns for ottomans, moldovans and maybe polish. (voynuks)
- in some mods I saw melee pistols used as a small club
- "brace of pistols". A pistol weapon with 4 shots, but possible minimum reload speed, and 4X the price of a pistol. A "pistol pair" with 2 shots and very slow reload time, with double price. Simulating going to battle with 2/4 pre-loaded guns, and not bothering with reloading them when they are emptied. This was very common, there is even a folk song from the era where the soldier gives different names to his
four pistols.
- I'm not sure if this is allowed, but there are nice items in Caribbean: Blood&Gold which you could use, if it is allowed. Breastplates, some of the hats, shoes, women dresses, horses. What is really nice is that Caribbean has female versions of all armor. Obviously bucaneer stuff is out of place, but Caribbean is a nice pike and shot mod, and a breastplate is a breastplate, so...
Kind of difficult suggestion:
As a hungarian, I always wanted a mod where I can fight the ottomans (and after them, the Habsburgs
), so really big thanks for this. However, it feels very strange that you can only recruit ottoman and german peasants in Hungary. Even though I understand the reason behind this.
However, I would like to ask if you could add two types of hungarian mercenaries to the mod? Both to the german and the ottoman merc camp? Historically, both of these employed hungarians in numbers. (germans as normal recruits, ottomans as mostly vassal forces from Transylvania).
Hungary mercs:
- pikes: nope (some transylvanian princes created halberd units, but mostly for the show.)
- crossbowmen/archers: not really. Because of the "hungarian time of troubles" the population was very militarized, and everyone had a weapon. Even shepherds, peasants and cattle herders had a gun and a fokos (pick axe) at minimum.
- light infantry: yes
- light cavalry: yes
Hungarian pickaxe: 70-100cm long handle, the blade is similar to axe, but the opposite side is usually a pick. There are also blunt versions. In warband terms it is a swing only one handed/two handed weapon, quite good speed, but relatively short reach (~90) for a bastard weapon.
light infantry: troublemaker (or protagonist) - hajdú - veteran hajdú
Fur hat, fur hat with feathers, polish type kaftans, kuntush. Some kind of firearm. Melee weaponry should be pickaxe, maybe sabre and rondel dagger at high tier. Should be skilled in one handed and firearms, no pikes or crossbows.
light cavalry: horseman - cavalry - hussar
The basic equipment would be tarsch shield and fur hats, again with polish-ottoman style kuntush. Main melee should be a mix of sabres and pickaxes, and a choice of either a lance or a horseman spear. High tier hussars should get military pick instead of regular pick, some mail and a helmet (lobster type). This era a bit too early for the classic hungarian hussars (sabre and 4 pistols)
WFAS low tier hussar (note the shield and the pick)
veteran with mail, lobster helmet. (polish colors, but since WFAS doesn't have a Transylvania faction, it is a compromise. Hungarians used very similar equipment to this below). No giant lances, plate armor or wings like in Poland tho. So not heavy cavalry, but rather medium)
