Originally Posted by
Tokharian
I downloaded the mod yesterday and played it for 2 days so here's my feedback:
1.- I'm a good player, so it is pretty easy for me to wipe out the enemy even on VH/VH with Gracul, however I was surprised to see fighting the Cumans, Kiev and the Rus as the Volga Bulgars. The fact that nations now can ally randomly is a good addition since it gives the game unpredictability.
2.- I don't wanna be a jerk on this one, but I expected more unit variation and specially new units for the Bulgarian factions. It was disappointing for me to play as Volga Bulgaria and see only the Mongol troops available, I think only 1-2 new units were created and that kinda let me down since I'm a fan of Bulgarian history myself.
The fact that the units still have Mongol descriptions doesn't help either.
It's kind of sad to see my brave Bolgar troops ride down the Rus' and then seeing in their description they are "Mongol soldiers".
3.- I understand why you removed the Mongols and Timurid, but in my opinion you should have kept the Mongols at least. I agree the whole Timurids cannibalizing Mongols is silly, but it would have been awesome to experience the Mongol invasion as Volga Bulgaria.
I know you created this mod for gameplay experience mostly but including the Mongol invasion gives the ultimate challenge experience for the Eastern factions.
You don't know how crazy and difficult it was for me to fend off the Mongol invasion as Khwarezmia in the original SS.
Over 65 turns fighting for a couple of regions, defending against countless mongols stacks and spamming forts near my border; it was insane.
Mongols need to be reworked so they can reach Western Europe 100% of the times (unless they are defeated) so they don't stagnate after killing 3-4 factions.
That being said, if a Mongol rework is not your objective then I agree with the removal of the Mongols altogether, with more new factions taking their place.
3.- The new buildings are nice, it would be great if you could ass unique buildings to Volga Bulgaria in the future. According to many sources, their capital was amongst the greatest cities in the World, and within the Islamic World it was said to rival even Baghdad itself.
4.- The map aesthetic looks great, just like you said. I was wondering, maybe you could add a few more regions/settlements for the Eastern side of the map. That would provide more variety to the Eastern front, seeing how the regions in that area are huge and few compared to Western Europe for instance. A couple new settlements in the North Caucasus and the Volga Region would be perfect in my opinion.
In resume, you have created a good mod, with much potential. Seeing how Ruski mods and even Stainless Steel itself aren't being updated nearly as fast enough, your mod has the potential to outpace them.
I remember reading another submod, named ​Titaniu​ considered to add the Bulgar factions as well, but that mod is on the verge of death so I don't see that happening anymore.
Also, perhaps you didn't know but Volga Bulgaria was already added as a faction for the mod ​Broken Crescent​ You should check that out. They added completely unique and new units to that faction specifically, and their unit descriptions match the ones of the historical Volga Bulgaria.
I don't mean to compare both mods since they are very different from each other, but it could be a nice inspiration to look upon.
Other than that, your mod is great, unfinished in my opinion, but definitely has a lot of potential. I would help you with the flag issues if I only knew how lol.
I liked that you added the Teutonic Order in your latest patch, but in my opinion if you are considering to add new factions, maybe you should consider Eastern factions for that job.
The options I'm contemplating are Armenia and the Khazars. Some people have suggested to you that you add Georgia but since many other SS submods have already added that faction I personally don't see it as a good option.
You could really innovate and bring even more attention to your mod if you added completely new factions that no one has made.
Also, the Khazars were long time enemies of Old Great Bulgaria, and they were responsible for the creation of the 2 Bulgar states when the Khan's sons went to the Volga and the Balkans respectively. A Khazarian faction would fit very well with the theme of your mod.
The thoughts of playing as the Bulgarian states and conquering the Khazars and avenging Old Great Bulgaria drives me crazy!