And the next version is up, with a prototype of my morale system (to be compared against jacobhinds). It allowed me to obsolete a bunch of scripts and agent slots. Performance is comparable to vanilla, but now it actually does something.
jacobhinds' system clearly has better performance in large battles; the question is whether the difference in strategic depth is noticeable enough to be worth it - maybe I'll put both in and make them optional, or switch when the battle size crosses a limit.
I also mitigated stuttering by spreading the calculation out. Previously, the whole batch got calculated every three seconds. Now, I call the trigger ten times per second, but only calculate morale for one troop in fifty each time (This actually feels more responsive, even if it does fewer calculations).
I also integrated Nemchenk's better faces and startup merchants. And while I was at it, I built different town walkers for all six factions, made sure the merchants of each town have the right faces, and adjusted their clothes. Also, all Sarranid lords and ladies now have dark skin.
If the faction was modeled after the Sassanid Empire, they should look a bit more Aryan - the old Khergit faces are pretty close IMHO. But we have the dark skin texture, it's currently unused, and it gives them a distinctive look. And just because Sassanids are Persians doesn't mean Sarranids can't look like Moors. It's a fantasy world, after all.
Finally, I've discovered two unused Vaegir Helmet Meshes that fit in perfectly (A half-mask and an open Nobleman Helmet). The latter looks pretty good on Guards and Knights, so I've used it to replace the Lamellar Helmet (which looks a bit too "barbaric" for high-end troops, IMHO). I also changed a few names with the cheaper helmets, to make them a bit more descriptive (previously, I regularly had to start up OpenBRF to pick helmets for eastern troops).