The Lordz Games Studio

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

Now back to work one of my favourites we produced lately:




LZoF

Very nice dude
Looking forward to see actual screenshots.
The engine you are using looks quite nice and I can only drool when I think of what the Lordz can do with it.

[Lord Hal]

I am speaking for the LMC here and would like to express another view of the story about the differences between the LGS and LMC.

I will here only post once and not reply to any questions or follow-up posts as it is not my intention to start a discussion on TWCenter. I just want to clarify the reamining Lordz's point of view as it seems that you have heard (read) only one side up to date and I also want to comment some statements I consider onesided and having to be contradicted.

It is of course their point of view as always there is another side of the story, basically the last three years the new team have build, produced, maintained NTW2 and The Lordz community all around.

So do not judge before knowing some facts.

These statements are true and the reason I'm posting here.

The ones who are going to kill the work done the last few years have not been active or hardly been involved since 2002-2004. Not one file in NTW2 have they produced.

Firstly I want to say that it is true, that most - though not all - of the remaining Lordz have been inactive (for several - often personal - reasons) within the last, lets say 1 to 3 years.

But the question should be asked if the work on NTW1, ACW, The Lordz website or forums is of lesser worth than the work on NTW 2? If the work a person has contributed to a project looses of worth the longer ago it has happened? If within a Collective the right to participate in decisions more depends on a "current" level of activity or on plain membership?

The Lordz Games Studio is not the Lordz Modding Collective, it is a game developing company formed out of the complete team that build NTW2, so basically 90% of the former Lordz who worked their butts off the last few years.

This is true. But it has to be said that the Lordz Games Studio has been a top secret project until a few days ago, known only to the future participants or staff of the LGS. These future participants have been chosen and individually contacted by the initiator and leading head of the new company. It looks like they have been chosen on base of their skills, talents and worth for the future project - which is only logical.

Nor have the other members of the Collective been informed about the project neither have they been offered to participate. They have been caught by surprise when the LGS went public a few days ago.

Regardless that there are good reasons for the LGS head to only chose the persons considered of worth, the others felt left behind and got upset and disappointed. Before this incident they considered themselves equal members of a Collective with their fellow Lordz. Then they have learnt, that some seemed to have been "more equal" than themselves.

When going public the Collective website and forum have been used to advertise the new venture without informing the person paying all cost for both - it was the Lordz founder, who also had not been informed or offered participance. Later it was stated that they considered themselves having earned the right to do so by having made NTW 2. The remaining Lordz had a different opinion.

Some of the remaining Lordz also disliked the fact that the name "Lordz" has been used. But as the leaving party has made NTW 2 it could be argued that they have themselves well earned this title and so gained the right to take it with them. Of course the founder of the Lordz Modding Collective, who also invented the name, does not share this opinion. A really difficult question which each reader will have to judge by himself.

They can start NTW3, get new people in, build a new team, work further on NTW2, find and motivate new people and build on. The remaining Lordz have been inactive for years. They should start being a modding collective again.

Thats true and maybe this will even happen. But its funny to hear these words from persons, who went along to another project, thus inflicting a heavy drain to what WAS a Collective until a few days ago, when this happened. Maybe they argue that they have been kicked out by the "rest" of the Collective and this is not wrong. But how would they have been able to contribute to future mod projects when they have to run a company? On top of this a company, that is designed to give a modder and gamer the chance to make a living out of his hobby some day, would be FAR more attractive than the collective. Each of us would probably feel the same about picturing himself in their role. So the remaining Lordz have the feeling just to have made official what would have happened anyway.

Indeed it was a disbute among us, but why killing the NTW community who has nothing to do with it and all to loose. People who just like coming to the LMC for years and can still enjoy NTW1, ATW and NTW2 will loose all that.

It is a measure I find in gross disrepect with the fanbase, still I have no part in it anymore, it is and would not be not my choice. The LMC are just punishing their own fanbase and supporters.

Now they kill everything people invested in, all past and present Lordz and especially the loyal fans and supporters. The people who stood by and build the NTW community equally, just as we all did. The NTW community will be the victim of this radical measure and that is just sad.

It seems they rather excecute the community than swallow their pride. We worked hard and now simple revenge will leave all those NTW fans in the cold and kill seven years work in a minute. The whole team who build NTW2 was excecuted yesterday, with hands tied to their backs.

It was the remainig Lordz who made the decision to disband the rest of what had been the Collective, to close down the website and forum. This is true.

But let me ask the question if solely they are to be blamed for their measures. Each move has a cause. It can be a small stone thrown to the right place that unleahes a landslide - who is responsible for the damage, the stone or the landslide? Maybe both instead just one of them.

The remaining Lordz did not so much feel hurt pride but more a deep disappointment for having been what they see as left behind by their former comrades. Also they felt that the Collective itself has suffered so much damage, that it virtually couldn't recover from that loss - there are not so many talented 3D modders around, who on top of this are interested in the Napoleonic Era. They considered it unlikely that there would be a chance to further produce new mods, especially as MTW 3 seems to be a big drawback for the modding community in general due to a lack of support by CA.

But modding was all the Collective and forums have been about. So instead of slowly shrinking into insignificance they chose to pull back with Trumpets and Standards. This desicion is being reconsidered now as the community on the forums expressed very clearly how they felt about the split of the Collective and the announced close-down of the forums and that they intend to stay loyal to the Collective.

There is no final decision made yet, but it will be made within the next days. If website and forum should be allowed to further exist, there will significant technical improvements to be made as both have not been cared for in the past two years as they should have been. The remainig Lordz will inform the TWCenter Community at first place about any further decision.

Please do not ask us any questions here as they will not be answered. If you want to learn more facts about this story (Although I think I didn't miss anything important here) feel free to ask your questions at the Lordz forums. Please let me conclude with the hint that we will welcome everyones opinion about the future of the Lordz website and forums but not allow flaming or *****ing against the LMC or LGS.

Lord Hal for The Lordz Modding Collective

[Lord Zimoa]

I hope you'll keep us up to date here on TWC!

I will, We are making some others as well, will be a couple of weeks before they are done. Will post regular upgrades here for the TWC.

LZ

[Libertine]

this looks fantastic - and grats for working with Slitherine, i've seen what those guys can do and ave nothing but admiration for them - Iain McNeil is a bit a of dude too

[Lord Zimoa]

The title of the game and the first game features will be revealed through another official press release, probably in just a few weeks time.

Cheers,

Tim aka LZ

[Hells Bells]

i wonder how did the lordz come into being and what is the history behind the team? How and when did you decide to become a studio?

[cudakite]

i wonder how did the lordz come into being and what is the history behind the team? How and when did you decide to become a studio?

Excerpt from an article from an Australian PC gaming magazine, Summer 2003.

PCPP: What inspired the team to start creating Napoleonic Total War?

The Lordz: Well the mod was the original concept of Damien (Lord Krazy) and Frank (Lord Black Adder). We had worked in previous tests with musket and bayonet with the idea of making mods for a musket era. We wanted to see a Napoleonic game from Creative Assembly, but as Rome had been announced to be the next game, we decided to try to make our own NTW (Napoleonic Total War) for a laugh. We were very interested in progressing the game in a new direction, to see if the MTW (Medieval: Total War) engine could support a NTW mod anyway. We knew it would be hard of near impossible, but we figured that was no excuse. A basic unit version was made for a battle only mod and it became quite popular. We were surprised by the amount of people that downloaded it and responded with praise and many offering to help progress the mod. Most of them were Napoleonic freaks and the rest were just overmedicated I presume, so with the help of the new Lords - many of whom were regulars at totalwar.org forums where the mod was first announced and got noticed - we progressed to make the campaign,

With that the organization of the Lordz Modding Collective (LMC) was born.
Napoleonic Total War 1 was released in September 2004 and has been updated several times since. (thank you LVD )

Work on Napoleonic Total War II started shortly after Rome Total War was released by a primarily new team of Lordz members managed by Lord Zimoa of Flanders. In August 2006 The Lordz released the fist NTW2 product: the 1812 Borodino scenario, introducing the French and Russians.

The 1815 Waterloo factions: British, Prussian, United Netherlands and Brunswick released in November 2006.

The Austrians released in December 2006.

After work finished up on the Austrian release several members of Lordz team that created NTWII set off on a new endeavor and created the Lordz Games Studio. (LGS)

From their website-

The Lordz Games Studio, or LGS, is a privately founded game developer company. Our mutual interest and goal is developing fun strategy games. We have a natural love for the Napoleonic Wars, but basically we find in general that the age of musket & saber has been neglected for too long within the gaming industry and our focus will be on designing challenging historical strategy games set between the 16th to 19th century AD.

Most company founders share similar roots as they started as amateurs in the The Lordz Modding Collective, and helped create some very successful freely available award winning modifications. The Lordz Games Studio was a natural next step up and we look forward to creating even better products. So we decided the time has come to make a change and start creating our own games.

The Lordz Modding Collective is still very much alive and kicking and work continues on NTW2 with updates and additions thanks in large part to newly 'ennobled' members Lord Nickster, Lord Hokomoko, Lord Wellington and Lord Mikel. The LMC is also currently involved on a Napoleonic mod for the game 'Take Command: Second Manassas' that is headed by Lord Roglea.


Well that was fairly long winded but I hope it in some way answers your question Xiàhóu XiangLong



Reference sites:

http://lordz.thelordz.co.uk/

http://www.thelordzgamesstudio.com/index.php


P.S. I apologize if any of the info above is inaccurate. I'm not the official word on this matter, just a fan of all the Lordz and their work.

[cudakite]

New artillery movie up on the LGS website. http://www.thelordzgamesstudio.com/index.php

We've created a small movie explaining varied types of artillery ammunition for PR purposes. It is available in our downloads section.

Note that this movie has nothing to do with the game itself and that it is not made with and does not represent the game engine or any game features.

- Lord Adherbal

Medium

http://www.thelordzgamesstudio.com/d...tiClip_med.mov

Low

http://www.thelordzgamesstudio.com/d...Clip_small.mov

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

Still no in-game shots

[cudakite]

Not yet my friend. No worries, as soon as one is available I'll post it here. In the mean time enjoy the movie. And those wily scarecrows

[cudakite]

Small progress update from Lord Zimoa posted on the LGS forum-

Dear guests and members,

We know we are a bit silent but that is mainly because we are working very hard behind the scenes. Progress is good and we are really seeing this game grow. Do not expect to see any screen-shots soon though as we will only reveal them closer to release.

I noticed when reading some topics here lately, people do still have the idea we are making a Total War copy. Well those will be in for a surprise, this game will have quite a different angle, approach and design.

The game is progressing nicely, but there is still enough work ahead. The expected time of arrival I cannot reveal, not any time soon though so speculating or asking will not help.

I also want to stress we are making a game here, that is the main aim: producing a fun and challenging war game. We try to base it on a very interesting part in military history and get the correct historical details in as much as possible but we do not design a historical document.

We really appreciate all the hints, tips, ideas and support. Although we do not always react on them in public, I can assure you we read them and always evaluate any possible improvements.

Thank you all for the trust and support, we will do our best not to fail your expectations, pleasing everybody will be impossible, but we hope to provide you with hours of fun game-play in the near future.


Cheers,

Tim aka LZ

[Giorgos]

Good luck you guys. We are expecting great things from former quality modders. Do us proud!

[The White Knight]

This is absolutely great news. By making an own game you can overcome the limitations of the Total War engine (which were, we have to admit, quite big when concerning Napoleonic combat). The artillery movie is extremely professional and informative!

Good luck with this project!

[Lord Zimoa]

Thank you for all the support chaps, we are really hard working and we see good progress every week. We hope we are able to show you that it is possible to produce and build a game when you really go for it.

Cheers,

Tim aka LZ

[PurpleScotch]

Did you guys decide on a name yet?

[Black Francis]

I just watched the artillery video. Very nice.

However, when the narrator started talking I nearly fell off my chair. The darn fellow has stolen my voice! It sounds exactly like me.

[DisgruntledGoat]

The video was great. Is it indicative of what you will be able to achieve with the engine?

[cudakite]

Did you guys decide on a name yet?

I also inquired about the name. LZ replied:

We have an intern working title, but the name of the game is also a commercial licensing and publishing matter. We have several options and until we are absolutely sure, no definite title will be announced. Again expect this only much closer to release.

The video was great. Is it indicative of what you will be able to achieve with the engine?

It would seem the video is not related to the game engine at all.

[cudakite]

Form Lord Zimoa on the LGS Forums
http://www.thelordzgamesstudio.com/f...hp?topic=536.0

Hi everybody,

Just for those who are following our progress more closely a little heads up.

We are working hard on a first alpha demo that we will present to Slitherine Software`s headquarters at a conference, set in December in the UK.

Development of the game is ongoing and 2008 will be a busy year for us, so do not expect this game already in a few months time.

Another scoop: as it looks PC will probably not be the only platform this game will be released on.

I realise some of you are eagerly awaiting the first in game screenshots and animations. I will have to plead again on your patience, as due to marketing strategy and publishing obligations they are only planned much closer to a release.


Cheers,

Tim aka LZ

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

Oh, a Xbox360 release would be awesome.