TakTak FM - Announcements and WIPs from Takhisis

[Takhisis]

Hello everyone, this is a hopefully productive thread in the future. My hobbit-like birthday gift to the forum. This post will contain some previews and links.

For now (July2012) I have two things going: one, the Ratha project (see post below).
And a project for a Medieval Japan scenario, to replace the Firaxis-made Sengoku (new, also see below, will link). Finally I've stabilised my computer and other aspects of my life so, yay. I can devote time to it. Unfortunately my old dream of having a Hellenistic scenario remains shelved as it was obliterated with our old family PC a few years ago, the 'Clans of the Shogun' project I found in an old pendrive some time ago.

If I've promised you something in another thread please write to me or post here, the last semester's been chaotic to say the last. I know of some requests that were taken care of by other people, but there's probably something somewhere I've missed.

 

[Takhisis]

As promised, rendering of the ratha has begun, I've been sent an early preview:

 

[Takhisis]

I'll also reserve this post for the Medieval Japan scenario. (with the inestimable collaboration of Shiro)

The currency will be Koku. No more 'I have 150 gold!'.

Factions
Samurai clans:
(tentatively, will be adjusted) Miura, Mōri, Matsudaira/Tokugawa, Oda, Shimazu, Ōtomo, Hōjō, Imagawa, Date, Uesugi, Takeda, Mogami, Miyoshi, Saitō, Chōsokabe, Shimazu, Ōmura.
Ashikaga shogunate (decadent, around Kyōt&#333
Ainu people (Hokkaid&#333
Ryūkyū Kingdom
Minor fiefs/rebels

barbarians=Ikkō-Ikki Monasteries, also bands of rōnin.

Paths to victory
Buddhist:
Space-Race victory (become Shōgun)
sankin-kōtai
Imperial Mandate
sakoku (kaikin)
Control over Nanban trade
Unified currency system (Toi gold mine; Sado Island gold mine)
Expulsion of Christians
Fortresses/Castles: control over Kyōtō, Osaka and the daimyo's own capital.

Christian:
Conquer Japan by force. (Christian government allows the call for help from the Portuguese)

Basically, the setup is to either complete roughly the same conditions that the Tokugawas did, while not being overlords of Japan by themselves, they exrted their authority by controlling Kyoto and Osaka (hence the castle(s)), heavily fortifying their capital (another castle), doing away with the interfering, proselytising Portuguese (control of the Nanban trade and eventually turning it over to the Protestant, non-preaching Dutch and English). As well as stabilising the currency (I'll expand on that) and subjecting the daimyos to personal control through sankin-kotai, eventually isolating Japan.
So it's not just getting the Imperial mandate but also actually securing power.
Of course, a daimyo may only bid for the position of Shogun only after he has a given number of cities. It is also necessary to destroy the remnants of the Ashikaga shogunate by simply conquering their last holdouts around Kyoto and Osaka (they'll have good defenders).
The other alternative (a 'what if?', both for alternate history and to avoid railroading a player into the above), if a Daimyo turns Christian, is that the Daimyo just conquers Japan for the Church.

Units
Some units, like the Conquistador, will be only available to the Christian factions through auto-production.

Also, for native Japanese units, a difference will be made between run-of-the-mill ashigaru units and special 'samurai' units, which will be slightly -or not so slightly- better.

The Arquebus will be introduced by the Portuguese from the South.

 

[Ozymandias]

 

[Takhisis]

It is fitting that my first customer should be you, Cheatem.

 

[Quinzy]

Excellent. Thank you for the gift Tak

 

[Ozymandias]

It is fitting that my first customer should be you, Cheatem.

My pleasure, Dewey!

 

[Verarde]

I'll tune in. Looks promising!

 

[ShiroKobbure]

About Koku and Gold, I thought you can't change the name for Gold.

 

[Takhisis]

Expanded a bit on the Japan scenario.

About Koku and Gold, I thought you can't change the name for Gold.

Yes you can, in EFZI you have Supplies instead of money, you justhave to change a gazillion bits of the .txt configuration files and adapt all the civilopedia entry.

 

[ShiroKobbure]

Here are some leader suggestions:

Ezo (Ainu): Shakushain (a bit late, but its going to be hard to find an Ainu leader who ruled more than a small tribe.) Although I have also wanted to make Ainu Rebel singer Sakai Mina a head ever since I saw her. Maybe I'll make her a pophead.

Ryuukyuu Ookoku/Ruuchuu-kuku (Ryukyu Kingdom): Shou Shin a king during the Golden age of Ryukyu.

For the Japanese clans you probably already know who you want but this is a list just in case.
Date-shi: Date Masamune
Tokugawa-shi: Tokugawa Ieyasu
Oda-shi:　Oda Nobunaga
Uesugi-shi: Uesugi Kenshin
Shimazu-shi: Shimazu Yoshihiro
Mouri-shi: Mouri Motonari
Ootomo-shi: Ootomo Sourin
Go-Houjou-shi: Houjou Ujitsuna or Houjou Ujinao
Imagawa-shi: Imagawa Yoshimoto
Takeda-shi: Takeda Shingen
Mogami-shi: Mogami Yoshiaki
Miyoshi-shi: Matsunaga Hisahide
Saitou-shi: Saitou Dousan
Chousokabe-shi: Chousokabe Motochika

Ashikaga bakufu: Ashikaga Yoshiteru

 

[Takhisis]

I've found some death poems that will make good endings for civilopedia endings. http://www.samurai-archives.com/deathq.html

I've also begun picking out random bits of info for the culture buildings/institutions such as the Tea ceremony, Go, ikebana, etc. Since I'm already trying my hand at the Inkscape calligraphy tool for makingfonts (see the drawing thread at the A&E forum) I'm itching to make kanji once I've settle on which.

Don't worry about the names, there's no way in which Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin won't have it out. they might have a pedia article of their own for their particular rivalry.

 

[ShiroKobbure]

BTW, does this mean you can make some props for me to use for units and leaderheads?

 

[Takhisis]

Sure! I'll do them in Blender and export them as .obj or .3ds files, I've done it before for other people.

 

[Takhisis]

In case anyone wonders why the Matsudaira clan are named so and not renamed to Tokugawa, it's because they'll still be based around Mikawa, the Hojo haven't been dislodged yet by the start of the game.

 

[Takhisis]

I'm nursing an idea for a scenario… if I want whoever owns a city at the end to win (as one of many options)… I wanted to place an autoproducing wonder/improvement in said city, set to produce a princess/treasure retrievable unit once in the game. Will the counter be reset every time someone takes control of it? I'm almost sure it won't… would this be an effective way of saying 'whoever controls X place in the end gets a boost to their chances'?

 

[Bowsling]

No, autoproduction counters are not reset when the city is captured.

 

[Takhisis]

Thought as much, I've recently captured vineyards in Ram's scenario and they keep producing.

 

[Takhisis]

Will be back in March, I'm not dead!

 

[Jerry'sGoldfish]

please change the horse to those of sandris and imperator - a big please...