Update news:
Version 1.3 released!
Known Issues as of 07 April '17:
-CtD when attempting to load mod on Steam version of BtS - to solve, right-click Beyond the Sword in your Steam library, select Properties, then the Betas tab and opt in to the Original Release version.
Everything below in this post is from before I actually released the mod, because Posterity. Post 2 has the mod download, links to any hotfixes, and the installation instructions. Post 3 has the Changelog.
OK, here we go. As mentioned in my 'What would you like to see' thread, I am planning my own RiFE continuation, which will be named Rebirth and Legend. This will be based on the last released version of Rise From Erebus 1.4, so any and all bugs that have been fixed in Final Fixes, Final Fixes Reborn and Ashes of Erebus, will obviously need to be fixed again. But before that.
This is the first time I have taken on a project of this magnitude. RiFE itself is no small mod, and is a massive step up for me, someone who has previously been quite content to make modules. There are going to be false starts, unexpected pitfalls, issues and bugs galore, but I'm not going to let these things deter me. Above all, this is going to take time. I do (still) have a life outside of what I've been doing here, and as you would expect, that takes precedence. I won't hold myself to any release schedule, nor set deadlines, as much as these may help, because if I do I'll only end up having people expectantly awaiting what the schedule says should be there, and having to disappoint.
So, with that aside. This is my current 'to do' list:
-Set up a form of distribution. Dropbox is suitable for modules, but not for a mod.
-Decide on how to release the mod and updates. As it stands, this will be a patch applied (manually) on top of Rise From Erebus. This may later change.
-Bugs. Squashed, flattened, beaten and firmly shown the door. There are a lot of them to fix.
-Python and DLL source - not only do I have to learn to work with this on a level I haven't before, but I also have to figure out how to compile the source. As if that wasn't enough, I also have to do this on a non-Windows system. Fun!
-This list. There'll be things that will need to be added to this over time, and they'll be added as and when.
And this... is my vision for everything that is not a bug (they're features )
-Balanced. With the exception of game options saying otherwise, the AI should be able to do everything the player is, and vice versa. No civ should have any massive boon over any other that makes it overpowered, neither should there be a civ that is so drastically underpowered that they cannot hold their own.
-Compatible. I want existing modules for Rise From Erebus to continue to work with RaL. Some modules that have been made compatible with Ashes of Erebus will have to be tweaked due to changes made there that will not be reflected here.
-Lore-friendly. This point is mainly inspired by Max's Mekara Mod, which will not be merged (except for bug fixes) into RaL. As is seen in the thread for Max's Mekara Mod, Jherel... did not like the way it went away from the lore. Similarly, where I feel there have been unnecessary deviations from the lore, things will be realigned. Where changes have been necessary, the lore will be adapted to handle it, while at the same time trying not to have to rewrite too much.
-Modular. There are parts of RiFE that add very little and should be optional, if they are not already. One key example of this is Leaders - there are leaders which do not bring anything unique, or if they do it is very little, to the scene. Some may want to play with these leaders, so while they will be removed from RaL's core code, they will be made modular so people can continue to use them if they wish. This will extend to more than just leaders in the future.
-Reworked. Primarily focused on the Civs themselves, there are many things that need to be redone and reworked. In particular, as I become more adept with python and the DLL (and as others choose to assist) I would like to merge parts of, if not all of, such mods as BUG and More Naval AI.
-Community oriented. What you say will play a large part in what happens. At present I may well be the only one working on this, but that doesn't mean it will simply be what *I* think it should be - I will listen, and take on board what is said. Where something cannot be done or does not fit, I will explain why. Where things need to be reworked before they can be included, this too will be covered. When something is brought into RaL from the community, appropriate credit will be given (and if I forgot, poke me until I remember).
Understandably, you're going to want an idea of what I want to change. At the moment this is focused on Civilizations. Not all of them have tweaks I want to apply to them yet, but many will be touched on. So, in no particular order, and spoilered due to length...
Other changes:
The return of Kahd! Technically he never went away as such, just the civ (the Kahdi) did. He can occasionally pop up in games where the Amurites are, and if you play as them he may put in an appearance and try to take over one of your cities.
This will be changed. That event will no longer happen, and Kahd will be a playable Amurite leader from the start. He'll gain access to the Vault Gates he had with the Kahdi, and the Vault Gates will be affected by the Amurite buildings just as they were the Kahdi unique counterparts.
Several modules that are either made or updated by me will be merged into RaL itself, rather than being left modular (they'll still be available for Ashes of Erebus users). These are:
Advanced Workers
Khazad: The Next Generation
Fortifications
Giantkin Fix
Lizard Art Fix
More Arcane (After I take the WIP tag off it and handle remaining issues)
Scion Healthcare
Werepyre
The updated Jotnar and Frozen modules will also replace the outdated ones provided (which you knew if you'd read the civilizations spoiler).
Version 1.3 released!
Known Issues as of 07 April '17:
-CtD when attempting to load mod on Steam version of BtS - to solve, right-click Beyond the Sword in your Steam library, select Properties, then the Betas tab and opt in to the Original Release version.
Everything below in this post is from before I actually released the mod, because Posterity. Post 2 has the mod download, links to any hotfixes, and the installation instructions. Post 3 has the Changelog.
OK, here we go. As mentioned in my 'What would you like to see' thread, I am planning my own RiFE continuation, which will be named Rebirth and Legend. This will be based on the last released version of Rise From Erebus 1.4, so any and all bugs that have been fixed in Final Fixes, Final Fixes Reborn and Ashes of Erebus, will obviously need to be fixed again. But before that.
This is the first time I have taken on a project of this magnitude. RiFE itself is no small mod, and is a massive step up for me, someone who has previously been quite content to make modules. There are going to be false starts, unexpected pitfalls, issues and bugs galore, but I'm not going to let these things deter me. Above all, this is going to take time. I do (still) have a life outside of what I've been doing here, and as you would expect, that takes precedence. I won't hold myself to any release schedule, nor set deadlines, as much as these may help, because if I do I'll only end up having people expectantly awaiting what the schedule says should be there, and having to disappoint.
So, with that aside. This is my current 'to do' list:
-Set up a form of distribution. Dropbox is suitable for modules, but not for a mod.
-Decide on how to release the mod and updates. As it stands, this will be a patch applied (manually) on top of Rise From Erebus. This may later change.
-Bugs. Squashed, flattened, beaten and firmly shown the door. There are a lot of them to fix.
-Python and DLL source - not only do I have to learn to work with this on a level I haven't before, but I also have to figure out how to compile the source. As if that wasn't enough, I also have to do this on a non-Windows system. Fun!
-This list. There'll be things that will need to be added to this over time, and they'll be added as and when.
And this... is my vision for everything that is not a bug (they're features )
-Balanced. With the exception of game options saying otherwise, the AI should be able to do everything the player is, and vice versa. No civ should have any massive boon over any other that makes it overpowered, neither should there be a civ that is so drastically underpowered that they cannot hold their own.
-Compatible. I want existing modules for Rise From Erebus to continue to work with RaL. Some modules that have been made compatible with Ashes of Erebus will have to be tweaked due to changes made there that will not be reflected here.
-Lore-friendly. This point is mainly inspired by Max's Mekara Mod, which will not be merged (except for bug fixes) into RaL. As is seen in the thread for Max's Mekara Mod, Jherel... did not like the way it went away from the lore. Similarly, where I feel there have been unnecessary deviations from the lore, things will be realigned. Where changes have been necessary, the lore will be adapted to handle it, while at the same time trying not to have to rewrite too much.
-Modular. There are parts of RiFE that add very little and should be optional, if they are not already. One key example of this is Leaders - there are leaders which do not bring anything unique, or if they do it is very little, to the scene. Some may want to play with these leaders, so while they will be removed from RaL's core code, they will be made modular so people can continue to use them if they wish. This will extend to more than just leaders in the future.
-Reworked. Primarily focused on the Civs themselves, there are many things that need to be redone and reworked. In particular, as I become more adept with python and the DLL (and as others choose to assist) I would like to merge parts of, if not all of, such mods as BUG and More Naval AI.
-Community oriented. What you say will play a large part in what happens. At present I may well be the only one working on this, but that doesn't mean it will simply be what *I* think it should be - I will listen, and take on board what is said. Where something cannot be done or does not fit, I will explain why. Where things need to be reworked before they can be included, this too will be covered. When something is brought into RaL from the community, appropriate credit will be given (and if I forgot, poke me until I remember).
Understandably, you're going to want an idea of what I want to change. At the moment this is focused on Civilizations. Not all of them have tweaks I want to apply to them yet, but many will be touched on. So, in no particular order, and spoilered due to length...
Spoiler :
Mercurians
These will not be summonable any more. The Mercurian Gate wonder will be temporarily disabled until I figure out what to do with it. They will be selectable from that start, by AI and human players. Instead of being blocked from many units, they will have the Angel racial. This prevents them from using their own units as sacrificial lambs for more Angels (As in the units), which in turn prevents them from fielding their angelic upgrades in large numbers, forcing them to have a strategy similar to other Civs. Basium (the unit) will be tweaked to be buildable in the late-game to offset his power.
Infernals
Like the Mercurians, these will no longer appear with Infernal Pact, but will be selectable from the start. Hyborem will require tweaking similar to Basium (the units). While they will continue to gain Demonic Citizens in all cities, they will no longer gain free buildings. Further changes will need to be made to prevent them from being overpowered at the start.
This idea may not be possible, but I'd like to make Hell Terrain no longer spawn automatically in Infernal lands. An Infernal Civ should still have to research Infernal Pact, upon which a ritual becomes available that provides the initial Hell Terrain around the city completing the ritual. It will spread as normal from there.
Chislev
This civ needs a lot of work. As it stands, it doesn't have enough to make it stand out properly, and they appear to have only one theme: We Hate Orcs. The entire civ will be made into a module until such time as it stands out properly as a fully fledged Civilization, rather than the way it is now.
Clan of Embers
Goblin units will not be a part of the current Clan. There will be a new (or possibly changed) leader, which when played as will have primarily Goblin units, while the rest of the Clan leaders use Orcs, Lizardfolk, etc.
Cualli and Mazatl
The updated Lizard Art Fix module from my Ashes modules thread will be merged into the main code of RaL. There is the potential to merge the two civs themselves, and have the Cualli specific parts apply only when choosing a Cualli leader, and similarly for the Mazatl. However, until the game can be taught to choose the same civ randomly twice, and make one Cualli and one Mazatl, doing this will mean you will never see both of them in the same game unless you pick them yourselves.
Doviello
The Baron's Lycanthropic trait makes logical sense, but I think there's potential for a lot more. So (possibly by module, for those who don't want this) all his units will now also get the Werewolf promotion and be werewolves. They'll also skip the 'Ravenous Werewolf' stage.
Dural
The Dural function well as they are, perhaps a bit too well, so they may (I know, don't yell at me) get a slight nerf. They will not, however, be merged with the Grigori, despite their similarities.
Grigori
Following on from the above. Several Dural buildings will be made available to the Grigori due to their cosmopolitan attitude. If possible, I'd like to add unique buildings which exclude each other, which when built in a city apply a racial to them - allowing for a primarily Dwarven city, an Elven one, etc. In general though, the Grigori do need a few new mechanics.
Illians
Not technically Illians as such, but the Ice Touched trait will be removed. Auric will have a powerful favouring for the White Hand, which if done correctly should stop him even considering adopting other religions, and effectively do the same thing. The Frozen will be affected similarly (See their own entry further down)
Khazad
The Khazad: The Next Generation module will be merged into RaL with its various changes. The Luchuirp leaders will also be migrated to the Khazad, and allow for limited access to Golems, similar to the Luchuirp as they stand right now. See the Luchirp entry for more details.
Kuriotates
Orbis allowed their settlements to be more than just non-productive forts with names. This I'd also like to bring over to RaL. Like the Grigori though, they also require a bit more.
Ljosalfar and Svartalfar
See Cualli and Mazatl. While the Lizard Art Fix module has no bearing here, they again may be merged into one civ that plays differently depending on whether you choose a Ljosalfar or Svartalfar leader. Again, this will suffer from the same issue mentioned before.
Luchuirp
These are going to be replaced with an all-Golem civ lead by Barnaxus. The leaders will be moved to the Khazad, where they'll allow for access to Golems similar to how they handle right now. They'll have their own new mechanics and changes. For the current details, see my 'What would you like to see...' thread. This is a longer-term project, and so for a while these changes will not take place. They will not be going away straight away.
Mekara
As mentioned before, I side with Jherel on the changes brought about by Max's Mekara Mod. They'll receive bugfixes, but will remain true to Jherel's original vision of them.
Jotnar and Frozen
As I've been updating these modules for Ashes myself (Frozen with LPlate's help) I'll replace the outdated modules in RaL with these. They will not be merged back into the main mod as such, so you'll still be able to choose whether to use them or not.
The Frozen will be changed similarly to the Illians w.r.t the Ice Touched trait.
The Jotnar will benefit from my Giantkin Fix module being merged into RaL itself
These will not be summonable any more. The Mercurian Gate wonder will be temporarily disabled until I figure out what to do with it. They will be selectable from that start, by AI and human players. Instead of being blocked from many units, they will have the Angel racial. This prevents them from using their own units as sacrificial lambs for more Angels (As in the units), which in turn prevents them from fielding their angelic upgrades in large numbers, forcing them to have a strategy similar to other Civs. Basium (the unit) will be tweaked to be buildable in the late-game to offset his power.
Infernals
Like the Mercurians, these will no longer appear with Infernal Pact, but will be selectable from the start. Hyborem will require tweaking similar to Basium (the units). While they will continue to gain Demonic Citizens in all cities, they will no longer gain free buildings. Further changes will need to be made to prevent them from being overpowered at the start.
This idea may not be possible, but I'd like to make Hell Terrain no longer spawn automatically in Infernal lands. An Infernal Civ should still have to research Infernal Pact, upon which a ritual becomes available that provides the initial Hell Terrain around the city completing the ritual. It will spread as normal from there.
Chislev
This civ needs a lot of work. As it stands, it doesn't have enough to make it stand out properly, and they appear to have only one theme: We Hate Orcs. The entire civ will be made into a module until such time as it stands out properly as a fully fledged Civilization, rather than the way it is now.
Clan of Embers
Goblin units will not be a part of the current Clan. There will be a new (or possibly changed) leader, which when played as will have primarily Goblin units, while the rest of the Clan leaders use Orcs, Lizardfolk, etc.
Cualli and Mazatl
The updated Lizard Art Fix module from my Ashes modules thread will be merged into the main code of RaL. There is the potential to merge the two civs themselves, and have the Cualli specific parts apply only when choosing a Cualli leader, and similarly for the Mazatl. However, until the game can be taught to choose the same civ randomly twice, and make one Cualli and one Mazatl, doing this will mean you will never see both of them in the same game unless you pick them yourselves.
Doviello
The Baron's Lycanthropic trait makes logical sense, but I think there's potential for a lot more. So (possibly by module, for those who don't want this) all his units will now also get the Werewolf promotion and be werewolves. They'll also skip the 'Ravenous Werewolf' stage.
Dural
The Dural function well as they are, perhaps a bit too well, so they may (I know, don't yell at me) get a slight nerf. They will not, however, be merged with the Grigori, despite their similarities.
Grigori
Following on from the above. Several Dural buildings will be made available to the Grigori due to their cosmopolitan attitude. If possible, I'd like to add unique buildings which exclude each other, which when built in a city apply a racial to them - allowing for a primarily Dwarven city, an Elven one, etc. In general though, the Grigori do need a few new mechanics.
Illians
Not technically Illians as such, but the Ice Touched trait will be removed. Auric will have a powerful favouring for the White Hand, which if done correctly should stop him even considering adopting other religions, and effectively do the same thing. The Frozen will be affected similarly (See their own entry further down)
Khazad
The Khazad: The Next Generation module will be merged into RaL with its various changes. The Luchuirp leaders will also be migrated to the Khazad, and allow for limited access to Golems, similar to the Luchuirp as they stand right now. See the Luchirp entry for more details.
Kuriotates
Orbis allowed their settlements to be more than just non-productive forts with names. This I'd also like to bring over to RaL. Like the Grigori though, they also require a bit more.
Ljosalfar and Svartalfar
See Cualli and Mazatl. While the Lizard Art Fix module has no bearing here, they again may be merged into one civ that plays differently depending on whether you choose a Ljosalfar or Svartalfar leader. Again, this will suffer from the same issue mentioned before.
Luchuirp
These are going to be replaced with an all-Golem civ lead by Barnaxus. The leaders will be moved to the Khazad, where they'll allow for access to Golems similar to how they handle right now. They'll have their own new mechanics and changes. For the current details, see my 'What would you like to see...' thread. This is a longer-term project, and so for a while these changes will not take place. They will not be going away straight away.
Mekara
As mentioned before, I side with Jherel on the changes brought about by Max's Mekara Mod. They'll receive bugfixes, but will remain true to Jherel's original vision of them.
Jotnar and Frozen
As I've been updating these modules for Ashes myself (Frozen with LPlate's help) I'll replace the outdated modules in RaL with these. They will not be merged back into the main mod as such, so you'll still be able to choose whether to use them or not.
The Frozen will be changed similarly to the Illians w.r.t the Ice Touched trait.
The Jotnar will benefit from my Giantkin Fix module being merged into RaL itself
Other changes:
The return of Kahd! Technically he never went away as such, just the civ (the Kahdi) did. He can occasionally pop up in games where the Amurites are, and if you play as them he may put in an appearance and try to take over one of your cities.
This will be changed. That event will no longer happen, and Kahd will be a playable Amurite leader from the start. He'll gain access to the Vault Gates he had with the Kahdi, and the Vault Gates will be affected by the Amurite buildings just as they were the Kahdi unique counterparts.
Several modules that are either made or updated by me will be merged into RaL itself, rather than being left modular (they'll still be available for Ashes of Erebus users). These are:
Advanced Workers
Khazad: The Next Generation
Fortifications
Giantkin Fix
Lizard Art Fix
More Arcane (After I take the WIP tag off it and handle remaining issues)
Scion Healthcare
Werepyre
The updated Jotnar and Frozen modules will also replace the outdated ones provided (which you knew if you'd read the civilizations spoiler).
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