Sooo...
This is my first post (kinda...I have actually been playing M&B all the way back since the mid-betas of the original M&B. I also had a forum name (TomShirk) back then and I think I may've posted once or twice under it before I lost the login and changed my email. But I digress...
I went looking for a Conan/Hyboria/Robert Howard-themed total conversion mod for Warband and haven't really found anything that caught my eye. So in the spirit of independence, I'm doing it myself. I'm a programmer by trade and a darn good one who has been trying to get into game development (by "trying to get into game development", I of course mean I dink around in Unity3D in my spare time LOL) and I've already been picking up the Python of the Module System really well. But one thing I am NOT is a modeler! I am utterly incompetent at building a 3D model. So for now, the plan is to implement as much as possible using the existing models until either one of you wonderful people joins in and lends some expertise or I reach the end and have no choice but to learn. Whichever comes first.
This is a total conversion mod; as part of learning how to do this, I have already reworked much of the player background choices (though I have yet bigger plans for that!), added several items (using existing meshes as stated before) and changed a load of the factions. Obviously, this is only the tip of the iceberg that "Conan's Legacy" will be.
The setting is immediately following the death (or sailing off into the sunset if you're feeling optimistic...but let's face it, REH never would have had such an uplifting ending to Conan! LOL) of King Conan I of Aquilonia -- without heir -- the most powerful kingdom in Hyboria has been thrown into a succession war. Instability in Aquilonia means instability in all of Hyboria and without the feared Cimmerian monarch, many other nations feel it is their time to rise above the others. I want to make this one have a lot more story than native WB through quests and dialogue while still preserving that sandbox we know and love.
So...without further ado, my list of features and status of development! I'd call current development "pre-alpha" given the tiny iceberg-tip nature of what's implemented so far.
CURRENT VERSION: PIPE DREAM - though I think I might one day put a numbered version here!
DEVELOPERS/MODELERS: Thomas Shirk a.k.a. Smokey (me)
CONTRIBUTORS: none
FEATURES & IMPLEMENTATION:
Incorporate "Floris" Mod pack & Decapitation mod: not started
New World Map: not started
New Items: in progress - 1% complete
New Factions: in progress - 5% complete
New Troop Trees: in progress - 5% complete
New NPCs: not started
Execute Prisoners: not started
Full House (tavern patrons): not started
Tavern Brawls: not started
Tavern Wenches & Wenching: not started
Death to the King!: not started
More story in dialog & quests: in progress 2% complete
Utterly destroy towns, villages & fortresses: not started
Build Fortifications: not started
Fortress -> Village -> Town Evolution: not started
Bandit Kings: not started
Quests: not started
That's what I've got for now as the core set of features. This may or may not be updated with further features, and I'm pretty sure that some features will end up being optional -- especially if I can't get some of the features of Floris Mod Pack that inspired this into this mod. We'll see though. Maybe I can implement all of this on my own.
If anyone wants to volunteer, PM me. I am a working man and a father so expect slow going, however! But you should always at least hear from me within a couple of days at the most. I am currently definitely looking for modelers, as well as anyone who has modsys-compatible previous work that'll fit in with the above features. Any coders are also welcome to join in...divide and conquer and all that. If I DO get fellow coders, I'll open up a source forge repository for it so we can all work on the same modsys files.
LAST UPDATED 11/11/14 @ 1056EST
CURRENT STATUS:
This is my first post (kinda...I have actually been playing M&B all the way back since the mid-betas of the original M&B. I also had a forum name (TomShirk) back then and I think I may've posted once or twice under it before I lost the login and changed my email. But I digress...
I went looking for a Conan/Hyboria/Robert Howard-themed total conversion mod for Warband and haven't really found anything that caught my eye. So in the spirit of independence, I'm doing it myself. I'm a programmer by trade and a darn good one who has been trying to get into game development (by "trying to get into game development", I of course mean I dink around in Unity3D in my spare time LOL) and I've already been picking up the Python of the Module System really well. But one thing I am NOT is a modeler! I am utterly incompetent at building a 3D model. So for now, the plan is to implement as much as possible using the existing models until either one of you wonderful people joins in and lends some expertise or I reach the end and have no choice but to learn. Whichever comes first.
This is a total conversion mod; as part of learning how to do this, I have already reworked much of the player background choices (though I have yet bigger plans for that!), added several items (using existing meshes as stated before) and changed a load of the factions. Obviously, this is only the tip of the iceberg that "Conan's Legacy" will be.
The setting is immediately following the death (or sailing off into the sunset if you're feeling optimistic...but let's face it, REH never would have had such an uplifting ending to Conan! LOL) of King Conan I of Aquilonia -- without heir -- the most powerful kingdom in Hyboria has been thrown into a succession war. Instability in Aquilonia means instability in all of Hyboria and without the feared Cimmerian monarch, many other nations feel it is their time to rise above the others. I want to make this one have a lot more story than native WB through quests and dialogue while still preserving that sandbox we know and love.
So...without further ado, my list of features and status of development! I'd call current development "pre-alpha" given the tiny iceberg-tip nature of what's implemented so far.
CURRENT VERSION: PIPE DREAM - though I think I might one day put a numbered version here!
DEVELOPERS/MODELERS: Thomas Shirk a.k.a. Smokey (me)
CONTRIBUTORS: none
FEATURES & IMPLEMENTATION:
Incorporate "Floris" Mod pack & Decapitation mod: not started
I love the Floris Mod Pack and really consider it to be the only way to play WB. I would love to incorporate many of its features and then re-tool them fora Hyborian feel. Obviously, this means I need to talk to Floris. If anyone knows how to reach that developer, please let me know. Not that I've tried, yet; this one isn't high on the list of where I'm at at this time.
New World Map: not started
This one's an important one but I'm not currently set up to do it. Currently, the plan is use the existing map and just superimpose Hyborian cultures and locations on it until this can be remedied.
New Items: in progress - 1% complete
I currently have a "Cimmerian broadsword" a 1h weapon that uses the Sarranid Arming Sword as a base, as well as a couple of axes both 1h and 2h. Again, currently I'm using the existing models until I learn to 3D model or a modeler volunteers to help out. Weapon deadliness (i.e. speed and damage) has been upped slightly to make combat tougher, but just a smidge.
New Factions: in progress - 5% complete
I've replaced all the existing factions with their geographic (not cultural) Hyborian equivalent with the assumption that Swadia = Aquilonia. This replacement is based solely on the aforementioned geographic superimposition of cultures, so as I work the troop trees the nature of these factions will change dramatically from native/Floris.
The intention is also to increase the number of factions and cultures as well as alter how they interact (i.e. currently the Nords have been replaced with Cimmeria, but ultimately the Cimmerians won't have a "king", nor found big cities, just villages. But more on that later.
The intention is also to increase the number of factions and cultures as well as alter how they interact (i.e. currently the Nords have been replaced with Cimmeria, but ultimately the Cimmerians won't have a "king", nor found big cities, just villages. But more on that later.
New Troop Trees: in progress - 5% complete
I really liked the extended troop trees of Floris mod, but it seemed like the names often had little indication of how they would promote up, and there were a lot of "dead ends" that prevented promoting to elites & champions. My trees for HCL (I'm using that from now on since "Hyboria - Conan's Legacy" is such a long thing to type) will offer the same branching, but also allow all branches to eventually promote to champions/elites.
Also, I'm looking at the possibility of multiple troop trees per faction. So you won't promote "Aquilonian Recruits" to "Gundermen Infantry" as that'd be silly. Instead, you can hire (depending on which village you stop at) different recruit types for the same faction...i.e. in northeastern Aquilonia you can hire Gundermen, and in southwestern Aquilonia you can hire Bossonians and finally in central Aquilonia, you hire true Aquilonians.
And, of course, I'm making all the troop trees Hyborian. The troops are all either harder & stronger and/or carry better weapons once you get above the villager level.
Also, I'm looking at the possibility of multiple troop trees per faction. So you won't promote "Aquilonian Recruits" to "Gundermen Infantry" as that'd be silly. Instead, you can hire (depending on which village you stop at) different recruit types for the same faction...i.e. in northeastern Aquilonia you can hire Gundermen, and in southwestern Aquilonia you can hire Bossonians and finally in central Aquilonia, you hire true Aquilonians.
And, of course, I'm making all the troop trees Hyborian. The troops are all either harder & stronger and/or carry better weapons once you get above the villager level.
New NPCs: not started
I'm trashing the entire array of companions and starting fresh with characters that fit the world. This includes not just your companions, but all the "nobles" and "kings" as well. And as stated before, the barbarian tribes (Cimmerians, Aesir & Vanir and Picts) won't have kings and cities per se, but will have leaders who are loosely aligned with eachother. I'd even like to have some factional infighting for those (especially amongst the Nordheim tribes!).
I would like to figure out -- or be shown -- how Floris pulled off those bandit heroes; that could be a help. And I would like to have Floris himself present in this one if I end up incorporating his mod pack into this. Should be fun to have some dialog writ that shows is bewilderment at being stranded in that world! But that may be a pipe dream or fanboy raving.
The companions themselves would be more fitting of the Hyborian world, and I intend to model a few of them as shout-outs to non-REH "Conan" material such as the Milius and Momoa movies and some of the novels. One thing I think is really important is to disable companion complaints or at the least the fact that many of the companions stop being willing to support your claim to the (a) throne when you've made promises to another. That made no sense to me; companions that had (up to that point) supported everything I did and loved following me suddenly think me a bad ruler because another companion wanted something that sounded reasonable at the time?
Instead, companions in HCL will support your claim when you make them lords -- i.e. promoting a companion to a lord grants right-to-rule. Granting a lord a fief also increases right to rule. Basically, being a king grants right to rule. This is Hyboria! People follow results more than lineage (remember, the previous king of Aquilonia got his throne by strangling his predecessor!)
The option of supporting you in dialog now raises your standing with the companion's home culture, rather than right to rule, and can be done multiple times.
I would like to figure out -- or be shown -- how Floris pulled off those bandit heroes; that could be a help. And I would like to have Floris himself present in this one if I end up incorporating his mod pack into this. Should be fun to have some dialog writ that shows is bewilderment at being stranded in that world! But that may be a pipe dream or fanboy raving.
The companions themselves would be more fitting of the Hyborian world, and I intend to model a few of them as shout-outs to non-REH "Conan" material such as the Milius and Momoa movies and some of the novels. One thing I think is really important is to disable companion complaints or at the least the fact that many of the companions stop being willing to support your claim to the (a) throne when you've made promises to another. That made no sense to me; companions that had (up to that point) supported everything I did and loved following me suddenly think me a bad ruler because another companion wanted something that sounded reasonable at the time?
Instead, companions in HCL will support your claim when you make them lords -- i.e. promoting a companion to a lord grants right-to-rule. Granting a lord a fief also increases right to rule. Basically, being a king grants right to rule. This is Hyboria! People follow results more than lineage (remember, the previous king of Aquilonia got his throne by strangling his predecessor!)
The option of supporting you in dialog now raises your standing with the companion's home culture, rather than right to rule, and can be done multiple times.
Execute Prisoners: not started
If you've plenty of gold -- or even are hoping to eliminate contentious lords/chieftains, you will now have the ability to eliminate your prisoners in a variety of fun cruel and barbaric wicked and depraved humane and fast ways; you can hang them, shorten them by a head or crucify them. This includes the ability to completely eliminate rival lords/kings/chiefs!
However, this does mean that you could find yourself running out of nobles. So I intend to write a script to dynamically generate new nobles from a list of random names. Kings/Chiefs will try to keep a bare minimum of followers, performing a random honor & renown check at a set interval to appoint a replacement for whoever you just ended.
Of course, the same can be done to you! If you are captured, checks will be made against your captor's honor, your relationship to him, and your relative renowns. If he can't ransom you, he might just send you to the Tree of Woe. There'll be a Milius-inspired crucifixion scene whereupon if you have any free (and not dead) companions, you'll be rescued. Of course...if all your companions are dead or captured, then you'll get an ending screen similar to retiring but less friendly. And with no ability to return to adventuring. Because you died. Badly.
However, this does mean that you could find yourself running out of nobles. So I intend to write a script to dynamically generate new nobles from a list of random names. Kings/Chiefs will try to keep a bare minimum of followers, performing a random honor & renown check at a set interval to appoint a replacement for whoever you just ended.
Of course, the same can be done to you! If you are captured, checks will be made against your captor's honor, your relationship to him, and your relative renowns. If he can't ransom you, he might just send you to the Tree of Woe. There'll be a Milius-inspired crucifixion scene whereupon if you have any free (and not dead) companions, you'll be rescued. Of course...if all your companions are dead or captured, then you'll get an ending screen similar to retiring but less friendly. And with no ability to return to adventuring. Because you died. Badly.
Full House (tavern patrons): not started
Taverns will be far more happening places, as they should be! It should be crowded, noisy and, well, HYBORIAN! Taverns will be full of adventurers, locals, wenches and drunks.
Tavern Brawls: not started
You can fist-fight with just about anyone in the taverns. It's all good, no one hates you for it in the morning, even if they could remember it. Unless you punch a tavern wench. Or draw a sword -- lethal tavern brawling will lower the town's opinion of you quick as well as lose renown and honor.
Tavern Wenches & Wenching: not started
This one definitely will require some modeling, as Calradian clothing is generally far more conservative than what we'd expect on our wenches. But for now the "nude" (i.e. underwear) females will do. Tavern wenches will include lots of flirty dialogue to increase your standing in the town, with the Tavern Wenches faction (word gets around if you know how to treat a lady!) and dialog will change based on your current wealth and renown. Finally, you can seduce and/or rent tavern wenches' "other services" -- no, it won't be shown, I'm not a complete sleaze!
Did I say finallly? I lied. If you are female (or your charisma high enough and strength low enough, because Hyboria isn't christendom!), you can be a tavern wench (or twink) and flirt, seduce and cajole coin from the various patrons of the tavern, as well as gain automatic high faction with the Tavern Wenches faction (because you're part of the sisterhood now, girl/boy!).
Did I say finallly? I lied. If you are female (or your charisma high enough and strength low enough, because Hyboria isn't christendom!), you can be a tavern wench (or twink) and flirt, seduce and cajole coin from the various patrons of the tavern, as well as gain automatic high faction with the Tavern Wenches faction (because you're part of the sisterhood now, girl/boy!).
Death to the King!: not started
As stated, lords can be executed when part of your prisoner train. But you can also execute troublesome vassals -- and capture & execute/assassinate rival kings! When a king is killed, the marshall -- or highest-renown lord if the marshall's dead too -- of the faction becomes the new King! Death to the King! Long live the king!
As stated, I'd like to create the ability to assassinate rival kings and lords -- both to send assassins, to kill them yourself or even to take assassination quests from other lords/kings!
As stated, I'd like to create the ability to assassinate rival kings and lords -- both to send assassins, to kill them yourself or even to take assassination quests from other lords/kings!
More story in dialog & quests: in progress 2% complete
I consider my updates to the character generation process to be part of this, but generally overall I want to add more dialog and quests to really pound home more story to this game than exists in native... all while preserving the sacred sandbox.
Utterly destroy towns, villages & fortresses: not started
This is part of a whole new enhancement trilogy I have in mind where you would be able to utterly and completely sack a village, fortress or town (maybe not a town...or it should require a LOT of men to do!), erasing it from the map forever (except maybe spawn a pict-infested ruin?)
When you take a hostile action -- or even after you've plundered it -- against an enemy location of any sort, you have the option to totally destroy it. Tear down castle walls, set fire to the buildings of a town and salt the fields of villages, leaving nothing but a ruin. Doing so would require more men than other hostile actions and would lower your standing with the whole culture, making it more difficult to hire those troops. AND it would, obviously, mean that if you subsequently capture the area that you're out a source of troops and revenue.
When you take a hostile action -- or even after you've plundered it -- against an enemy location of any sort, you have the option to totally destroy it. Tear down castle walls, set fire to the buildings of a town and salt the fields of villages, leaving nothing but a ruin. Doing so would require more men than other hostile actions and would lower your standing with the whole culture, making it more difficult to hire those troops. AND it would, obviously, mean that if you subsequently capture the area that you're out a source of troops and revenue.
Build Fortifications: not started
The second town system enhancement is based on the "entrench your campsite" camp option. Once entrenched, you'll have the ability to -- if you have sufficient men, money and tools -- make the campsite a permanent fortification. Doing so will require setting men aside for an initial garrison, cost thousands of coins (not sure what I'm going to rename them yet), and permanently remove any tools you have in your inventory.
Once you have a permanent fortress though, congratulations: you're lord of a castle (unless you're a vassal...then the castle might still be awarded to someone else...or perhaps I'll remove this option for vassals, you have to be your own man or a king in your own right to comission castles?). You get revenues and the ability to hire a chancellor and constable, send out patrols et cetera.
All fortresses start out as very primitive motte-and-bailey emplacements that have multiple points of breach when besieged. These can be improve upon, though (see below).
Once you have a permanent fortress though, congratulations: you're lord of a castle (unless you're a vassal...then the castle might still be awarded to someone else...or perhaps I'll remove this option for vassals, you have to be your own man or a king in your own right to comission castles?). You get revenues and the ability to hire a chancellor and constable, send out patrols et cetera.
All fortresses start out as very primitive motte-and-bailey emplacements that have multiple points of breach when besieged. These can be improve upon, though (see below).
Fortress -> Village -> Town Evolution: not started
Once you have a fortress -- either through building one, conquering one or having one enfeoffed to you -- you will at varying intervals (depending on your wealth, renown, honor and faction relations) have refugees coming to you to found villages under your castle's protection. The culture of the refugees and thus the village will be based mostly on what the nearest culture is, but hostile cultures are less likely to come to you for help. Allowing refugees to build a village will raise your relationship to that culture. However, the building process LOSES money until the village is complete (time that takes depends on your engineering skill but should take several pay cycles).
Over time you can improve your fortress, both with standard improvements as well as an option to "Upgrade my castle to ..." which will slowly increase your castle's style from a collection of pointy logs to a mighty fortress (perhaps have maximum garrison size limitations that increase as well?). Increasing the fortresses might does not increase revenues because realism. It does, however, increase your renown and make it more likely that refugees will come to found villages which can increase revenues.
Once you have a maximum fortress and a village with all improvements, you can take a village that has full improvements and start building town commodities: taverns, merchant stalls, arenas. Once you have all town improvements and at least two satellite villages to the fortress, you can upgrade the improved village to a town. Congratulations, you've a city.
Over time you can improve your fortress, both with standard improvements as well as an option to "Upgrade my castle to ..." which will slowly increase your castle's style from a collection of pointy logs to a mighty fortress (perhaps have maximum garrison size limitations that increase as well?). Increasing the fortresses might does not increase revenues because realism. It does, however, increase your renown and make it more likely that refugees will come to found villages which can increase revenues.
Once you have a maximum fortress and a village with all improvements, you can take a village that has full improvements and start building town commodities: taverns, merchant stalls, arenas. Once you have all town improvements and at least two satellite villages to the fortress, you can upgrade the improved village to a town. Congratulations, you've a city.
Bandit Kings: not started
Everybody wants to rule the world.
One of the reasons I want Floris Mod in this is the bandit heroes. Because I want to add to that to make it so that bandit heroes will attempt to found their own kingdoms, either through conquest or building depending on how wealthy they get. I'm starting to think this feature optional, though.
One of the reasons I want Floris Mod in this is the bandit heroes. Because I want to add to that to make it so that bandit heroes will attempt to found their own kingdoms, either through conquest or building depending on how wealthy they get. I'm starting to think this feature optional, though.
Quests: not started
As stated above, I want to add more quests to the game to flesh out the story. One thing I'm thinking is that "why do lords never ask me to attack trade caravans or pillage villages?". So I want to add "reaving" quests when you are working for but are not yourself a lord. Even when you're a member of a lord's army, you can improve your relationship (but lower your honor) with him by accepting reaving quests: attacking caravans and pillaging villages, gathering conscripts, and attacking villagers.
That's what I've got for now as the core set of features. This may or may not be updated with further features, and I'm pretty sure that some features will end up being optional -- especially if I can't get some of the features of Floris Mod Pack that inspired this into this mod. We'll see though. Maybe I can implement all of this on my own.
If anyone wants to volunteer, PM me. I am a working man and a father so expect slow going, however! But you should always at least hear from me within a couple of days at the most. I am currently definitely looking for modelers, as well as anyone who has modsys-compatible previous work that'll fit in with the above features. Any coders are also welcome to join in...divide and conquer and all that. If I DO get fellow coders, I'll open up a source forge repository for it so we can all work on the same modsys files.
LAST UPDATED 11/11/14 @ 1056EST
CURRENT STATUS:
I am currently working on an items list and adding all the items to the module. I've found that having items in place is necessary before moving on to other features like troop types. If I find another dependency that has to be done in order to continue on that, I'll of course end up shifting gears.
