Feature Requests

[Spartan Guard Itachi]

Any idea yet on weather larger walls or multiple layers of defense could be implemented in xgm?

[DimeBagHo]

Spartan Guard Itachi: Adding multiple layers is, as far as I know, impossible in RTW. Unfortunately large and huge walls are also bugged in vanilla RTW. There is a problem with siege towers that is a nuisance for players, and fatal for the AI. So it's unlikely that the current defense options will change.

Maraxus: I think your idea would be doable. There is one potential problem that I will have to look into when I get back - it might be impossible to distinguish between ethnic governors, other types of recruitable general, and regular family members, when applying the traits needed to prevent movement.

[Bootsiuv]

Why do you have to prevent movement though? I mean, realistically, those governors would likely travel throughout there "puppet kingdoms" when they wanted to....being as they were kings in there own right.

Didn't EB already accomplish something very similiar to this with their gov't buildings? Perhaps that method could be used, but on a much simpler scale. I also remember hearing that Generals can't move far in the winter if they're in the north (the snow-covered provinces), and they can't move far if they're in the desert provinces during summer.

Perhaps the same mechanism that triggers those non-movement traits could be used to keep the native "kings" in their capital city. The only problem I could see with this is as follows... If you can't distinguish between the native "kings" and the factions true family members, then named characters in that city, whether they are one of those local puppet kings or one of your own generals, would eventually get stuck with the non movement trait.

That would be where what DBH says comes into play....would there be a way to distinguish between the locals and your own factions family members? If so, this would be a very promising addition to XGM. I know I would use it. Vassal states are cool.

[Maraxus]

Well, they should be tied to the city to prevent them from becoming cheap generals, also If I put a puppet king in charge of rome, there's no way I'd let him roam the country freely, he'd stay right were I can keep an eye on him, and probably a dagger too.

[Saught]

How about a unit of Classic Style Spartans that aren't Royal Guards? (We have Spartan Phalanx units...)

[Cymera]

How about a unit of Classic Style Spartans that aren't Royal Guards? (We have Spartan Phalanx units...)

Please use this thread for unit proposals.

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=107145

[minotaur]

Hello,
The very best mod around,since I'm playing it from MGM
Anyway,my idea:
export_descr_unit.txt
command = The unit carries a legionary eagle, and gives bonuses to nearby units
Suggest the "command" parameter for the following units:
Greek_cities: Spartan_hoplite,spartan_phalanx,heavy_armoured
Macedonezetairoi_phalanx , 2nd hypaspists
Seleucids + Baktria: Argyraspid, 2nd legion
Ptolemies:Basilikon_guard
PhoenicoCarthaginians:Sacred_band ,poeni (from reform)If poeni is made from native citizenship (sorry,didn't have chance to play carthage till now)
and maybe Pontus:Bronze_shield Armenians:legion

[DimeBagHo]

minotaur: Nice to see someone who remembers MGM. Adding the command attribute to more units is on my to-do list. Unfortunately it requires some significant changes to other files, so it might not happen any time soon.

[Zarax]

Well, they should be tied to the city to prevent them from becoming cheap generals, also If I put a puppet king in charge of rome, there's no way I'd let him roam the country freely, he'd stay right were I can keep an eye on him, and probably a dagger too.

This is basically the old and never implemented "governor units" idea.
Just make them recruitable units with minimal infantry bodyguard.
This will limit mobility and battlefield usefulness so that the "cheap general" trick won't be overly used...

Another way might be to replace the recruitable generals with governors, so that you might have easier time with traits (IIRC there is a recruit trigger somewhere) while keeping your family members as generals...

[Maraxus]

Yup, it is basically your old governor/general proposal, I remember someone worrying about the AI using them as cheap generals, and in my mind a governor wouldn't fight in the field, rather only when their city is attacked...No movement, problems solved?

Earlier I proposed making the Governors ethnic, like a Western governor employed by an Easterner Faction to keep a region happy and vise versa. Like Satraps or kinda like Decurions, sadly that part probably isn't possible.

[Zarax]

It might be possible but I need to check the triggers...

[DimeBagHo]

Earlier I proposed making the Governors ethnic, like a Western governor employed by an Easterner Faction to keep a region happy and vise versa. Like Satraps or kinda like Decurions, sadly that part probably isn't possible.

It would be pretty easy to do that kind of thing. We could, for example, give them traits that would increase happiness, reduce unrest, reduce tax and trade revenues, make recruitment more expensive, and so on. The only problem I see is distinguishing them from regular or adopted family members. If Zarax is right that there is a trigger for recruited generals then that part will also be easy.

[Zarax]

Yeah, you could also make getting command stars very hard for them, further reducing their usefulness as generals.

[Zarax]

Possible triggers:
GovernorUnitTrained
AgentCreated (unlikely)
LesserGeneralOfferedForAdoption
OfferedForAdoption
BrotherAdopted (unlikely)
AcceptBribe (unlikely)

It doesn't looks like there is a specific trigger but maybe it could be made with a countertrigger (IE if not a family member then it can be governor)

EDIT: a different approach might be successful with playing around descr_character.txt, it might be possible that you can create a governor character which can act like a general but without the option of attacking...

[dvk901]

minotaur: Nice to see someone who remembers MGM. Adding the command attribute to more units is on my to-do list. Unfortunately it requires some significant changes to other files, so it might not happen any time soon.

I'm just curious, as we are using this 'command' attribute for a number of non-Roman units.....what other files would have to be changed and why? I don't think we did, and maybe we need to?

[DimeBagHo]

It doesn't looks like there is a specific trigger but maybe it could be made with a countertrigger (IE if not a family member then it can be governor)

I think I can probably work out something along those lines. IIRC recruited generals don't go into the family tree, so we can probably give a hidden trait to real family members and then use the FatherTrait trigger to test whether a general is in the family tree.

A different approach might be successful with playing around descr_character.txt, it might be possible that you can create a governor character which can act like a general but without the option of attacking...

I'm pretty sure that won't work. A lot of the stuff in that file is inactive.

dvk901: The command attribute triggers the various "eagle" traits, and events. If you don't revise the descriptions then you can wind up with inappropriate messages and traits being generated (barbarian generals losing an Eagle etc).

[Balikedes]

dvk901: The command attribute triggers the various "eagle" traits, and events. If you don't revise the descriptions then you can wind up with inappropriate messages and traits being generated (barbarian generals losing an Eagle etc).

I'm pretty sure I have most of the file names regarding the text changes...
One thing I couldn't get to work was the losing/gaining an eagle ("standard/battle standard" in my mod). When a unit of SRGs with the command attribute would get demolished the general would not get the "lost a standard" tile or negative "lost a standard" attribute....just couldn't find the trigger for it.

[Maraxus]

DBH, in the Horse thread you mentioned replacing the Immortals with dismounted Cataphracts. How about making the current Parthian Companions more like the Spartan Royal Guard? By making them recruitable at a government building in the capital, giving them a long (but less than Spartans) recruit time, make them quite expensive and almost as powerful as the Spartans but available earlier in the game?

[Zarax]

That would be totally irrealistic, the actual parthian companions are ahistorical already (they are closer to the seleucid Thorakitai Argiraspidai more than anything), making them a parthian royal guard would be an even worse stretch...

[DimeBagHo]

The current companions are unhistorical and, as it turns out, not all that useful because they cost too much and have to walk to battle. What I'm aiming for in the next version is something much more realistic - just an elite version of Cataphracts. I don't think the dismounted version should be comparable to Spartans - though their heavy armour and armour piercing maces should make them quite tough opponents. I'm also reluctant to pin them down to one recruitment region. Historically the Parthians moved their capital around as their empire expanded, got pushed back by the Romans, and so on.

Giving them a relatively long recruitment time might make sense though. They certainly shouldn't become the standard unit of Parthian armies, even in the late game.