Age of Absolutism

[The_Jackal]

Hey, I was thinking about making myself an Age of Absolutism Mod. I mean if I could actually complete it I would post it. I was going to make it simple and take the default Europe map from BTS. I am an ameteur modder and just am doing this for fun.
I would like to change the techs around to focus on only that era (apprx. 1700AD) and edit some units for the era. Prussian Civ would have unique units like "The Grenadier" and the "Needle Gunner." If easy enough, I would also like to make the religions Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Judiasm, Islam, and Puritan or Atheism. I have selected these civs and possible/definate leaders for the mod:
-Five Major Powers
-Russian Empire- Peter the Great
-Austrian Empire- Hapsburgs (Some famous Hapsburg)
-England-Elizabeth/Charles I
-France- Louis XIV, The Sun King
-Prussian Empire- Frederick the Great
-Other Empires
-Swedish Empire- Charles XI
-Ottoman Empire-
-Portuguese Empire-
-Spanish Empire- Phillip II
-Polish Empire-
-Other Civs
-Republic of Venice-
-Dutch Republic-
-Northern Italy- Pope _____
-Kingdom of the Three Sicilies (Southern Italy)-
-Khanate of Crimea-
-Kingdom of Denmark-
-German States-
-Minor European States (Other European countries that are together, like Transylvannia, Swiss Confed., etc)- Some Minor Leader

I was learning about the era in history class and I love history and civ... I decided a nice easy mod would be some fun. Maybe a smaller map for Europe would work better, considering that I would need a lot more cities for the unmodded BTS version.
I am looking for feedback and ideas or the "That mod has been done, look here (link)." I did not see exactly the same thing in the mod directory, but I may have missed one... Thanks!

 

[Androrc the Orc]

For Austria, I think you should use Francis I as a leader. There is a leaderhead of him here for download, and it's remarkably well-done: http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=8817

On another note, for the "Needle Gunner", IMO "Needle Gun Infantry" would be a better-sounding name.

 

[The_Jackal]

Alright, thanks.

 

[Le Sage]

For Sweden, Charles XII (Karl XII) is better than XI if this is going to be 1700. Make him and Peter the Great fight it out. That should be fun.

I was thinking a while ago about making a mod about the Great Northern War myself when Sweden fights Denmark, Brandenburg and Russia, but it came to naught, since I have my hands full.

I am very interested to see what you come up with! For information on the Great Northern War, I can probably be of assistance.

 

[The_Jackal]

Alright, thanks. I will have to pull a "Earth 1000 AD" and have some leaders not from that time period. I will use Karl XII, though. I am not sure whether to give the Russians St. Petersburg to start or not. If I give it to them, I am not historically correct if I give other parts to Sweden like Riga. If I do not give it to them, I do not know how to make Russia found St. Petersburg there and make it the capital.
I am currently looking for the strongest leaders in the near era. I will stay as accurate as possible. Thanks for the help.
PS: I am thinking of some unique units for Sweden and right now I have the Finish Hakkapeliitta. I have a rough outline of what to mod. I will post when done if anyone is interested.

 

[Le Sage]

The Finnish Hakkapeliitta really belongs in earlier time periods than The Great Northern War, but you could easily use the units you have and perhaps rename them into Finnish Partisans or something. There was a quite substantial partisan war when Russia finally invaded Finland in 1714; the regular Swedish army was defeated and the war was carried by the peasantry. In reality the entire country was emptied of people; people fled to Sweden proper or into the woods when the Russians pillaged Finland.

As for other Swedish unique units, I suggest the "Karoliner", which was the name of the soldiers during the eras of the three kings named Karl during Sweden's Age of Greatness. The Swedes were known far and wide for their tactic of prefering cold steel to firing their muskets. The Swedes were more bent on going in for bloody bayonet attacks than standing on line and firing their weapons; this tactic in the battlefield also gave them quick, great victories.

I think you can found St.Petersburg already, for in reality it was founded in 1703. Make it a fledgling city of size 1, but with great resources around. St. Petersburg grew rapidly and the resources will make it do that. Or just put a Russian settler along with the Russian army in the area and hope the AI understands to use it. Also, you have to make Russia seriously at a tech disadvantage, because Peter the Great's historical legacy is really his modernization of the country and the armies of Russia that Sweden encountered during the early phases of The Great Northern War were seriously outdated. Of course, Russia counters with numercial superiority.

Further, there was really no Prussia in this era. There was a strong Saxony though, and a Brandenburg. Saxony was in union with the entire mass of Poland and should be an interesting nation to mod. You can make Saxony superstrong with Poland as a vassal with a major landmass and outdated troops. Sweden forced Poland out of the union with Saxony, but after Karl's defeat in Russia 1709, Saxony retook its power over Poland. That should be an interesting situation. The king of Saxony was August "the Strong". Oh, and Denmark was led by Fredrik IV. Norway is also under Danish control, just like Finland is under Sweden.

I include a picture of a famous painting of Karl XII. He died in battle in Norway under somewhat mysterious circumstances, and here we see his body being transported home. The Swedish uniforms are quite correct in this pic. I have been thinking about reskinning the Redcoat into a Karoliner. I can do that and post my results later on. I photoed this painting myself at the Swedish Nationalmuseum last year.

(Sorry for my being so eager. I know how hard it is to mod when someone sits about and has a wishlist like this! See it as just that - suggestions and some historical information that might help you. Your mod idea is great and I can't wait to play it! )

 

[Le Sage]

Actually, I made a Karoliner already.

 

[The_Jackal]

Hey, thanks for all the help. I think I might start this scenario with most European civs having reniassance era units. I would like to remake the tech tree to allow for Hussars, and other units that were taken out of that time period. Here is my rough civ outline. I would like to give most civs several unique units to enhance the experience. Certain civs share unique units because they acted as mercenaries, like the Stradiot which I believe came from Albania. Here is what I have so far:
-Five Major Powers
-Russian Empire: Peter the Great
-Cities
-St. Petersburg
-Moscow
-UU’s
-Cossack
-Strelet
-Oprichnik
-UB’s
-Blockhouse
-Austrian Empire: Francis I
-Cities
-Vienna
-Budapest
-UU’s
-KuK Infantre
-UB’s
-Opera
-England: Elizabeth
-Cities
-Default + Scotland and Ireland
-UU’s
-Redcoat
-Longbowman
-Green Jackets
-France: Louis XIV
-Cities
-No change
-UU’s
-Gendarme Cuirasser
-Prussian Empire: Frederick the Great
-Cities
-Konigsberg
-Berlin
-UU’s
-Prussian Grenadier
-Needle Gunner
-Czapka Ulan
-Teutonic Knight
-UB’s
-Teutonic Castle
-Other Empires
-Swedish Empire: Charles XI
-Cities
-UU’s
-Hakkapeliitta
-Karoliner
-UB’s
-
-Ottoman Empire: Suleiman the Magnificent
-Cities
-Default+Fertile Cresent+Northern Africa
-UU’s
-Janissaries
-Great Bombards
-Mamluke
-UB’s
-Default
-Portuguese Empire: John IV
-Cities
-No change
-UU’s
-Cassador
-UB’s
-Default
-Spanish Empire:
-Cities
-No Change
-UU’s
-Conquistador
-Rodelero
-UB’s
-Default
-Polish Empire: John III
-Cities
-
-UU’s
-Heavy Huzar
-Tatar Uhlan
-UB’s
-
-Other Civs
-Republic of Venice
-Cities
-Venice
-Zadar
-Split
-Ragusa
-UU’s
-Stradiot
-Venetian Galley
-UB’s
-
-Dutch Republic
-Cities
-Amsterdam
-UU’s
-Ruyter
-Fluyt
-UB’s
-
-Northern Italy
-Cities
-Rome
-Milan
-Florence
-Genoa
-UU’s
-Stradiot
-Elmeti
-UB’s
-
-Kingdom of the Two Sicilies: Ferdinand I
-Cities
-Naples
-UU’s
-Elmeti
-Khanate of Crimea:
-Cities
-Bakhchisaray
-Kezlev
-Karasubazar
-Aqmescit
-UU’s
-Crimean Cavalry
-Tatar Uhlan
-Kingdom of Denmark
-German States
-Cities
-Unclaimed Cities after 30 Years War
-UU’s
-Black Riders
-Jäger
-Landsknecht
-UB’s
-
-Minor European States
-Cities
-
-UU’s
-Swiss Pikemen
-UB’s
-
Most of my units I took out of Age of Empires 3, since the time periods overlap. I was wondering how to give civs unique attributes like in Ryhe's and Fall of Civ. It may be beyond my modding capabilities as I do the best I can with some common sense and forum/guide viewing. Please don't fret about the cities if they seem off, I made some reminders for lack of a better term for myself.

 

[The_Jackal]

Sorry couldn't get spacing to work, I wan't to keep the outline form that I have...

 

[Ajidica]

Nice, we don't really have any Enlightenment era mods really.
>I would reccomend against Charles I for England. He failed as an absoutist leader (Parliament overthrew him) and he ruled in the mid 17th century.
>Likewise Phillip II was leader of Spain during the Grand Armada. IIRC Phllip IV would work better as he completly reformed Spain.
>For Austrian Leaders I think Charles VII (Pragmatic Sanction, Austrian lands cannot be divided up) or Maria Theresa.
>Prussian Needle Guns were invented in the mid 19th century so they wouldnt work that well as a UU.
>I realize this is your mod, but I do have a suggestion with regards to the timeframe. I would push the start date back to the Defenestration of Prague, with the end date around the Franco-Prussian War of WWI. Currently there weren't that many wars in the 1700s. It was really just Spanish Sucession, 7 Years War, and the Austrian Sucession with the French Revolutionary wars coming at the tail end.

 

[Le Sage]

Extending the mod to start at 1618 and end at the end of the 19th century is also an interesting idea, however, I would really recommend keeping it at and around 1700. The 18th century was a most interesting era in history.

Europe was full of small states and a really interesting political climate. It was the beginning days of democracy and new ideas that created some very interesting social tensions that you could use. They could be reflected in civics, and technology among other things. It was also an era when the church was still strong and really directed much of the national policies. Karl XII, as we have discussed earlier, considered himself the warrior of true protestantism. Things like that, and you can reflect the religious tensions pretty easily in the mod.

The era was certainly not without great wars between the great powers. The War of Spanish Succession that coincides with the Great Northern War is considered to be "The First World War" in that it was fought in all parts of the world as a result of the colonial empires. There were always smaller conflicts going on in continental Europe as well. Sweden, as an example, had three wars with Russia during the 18th century and also took part in the Seven Years' War against Prussia.

It is a dynamic and very exciting era you have chosen! it's perfect for a mod!

 

[The_Jackal]

Alright, thanks for all the comments, keep any ideas coming. I am trying to decide whether to cut off the mod at a time period not. I may stop the new tech tree with pre-WWI techs and then leave more time for playability and more, "What could I do differently" and "What if" scenarios. I think I will soon start modding, doing the scripts for the civs. BTW, I cannot do anything with images. If someone knows where I can learn anymore about that, it is appreciated. I also, to be truthful, do not know how to integrate units and leaderheads into the mod. I could learn, I suppose, but right now I haven't made that effort.

 

[Le Sage]

Yeah! That's how we all started out. Adding Leaderheads and units is pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it.

There's a good tutorial section on CivFanatics with all the tutorials you'll ever need. I suggest you follow a tutorial when installing your first units. The reward is immense. I was so happy when I saw my first unit run around on screen! Make sure to take a screenshot of it. Mine was a French Medieval knight.

Here's the Tutorial Section.

 

[Ajidica]

I would reccoment using historical portraits for leaders instead of animated heads. It adds a sense of realism and a 'civilized' nature to the game.

 

[Le Sage]

I can also sign under for using static leaderheads. Somehow I also think they look more professional than the animated ones.

If you still want to use animated ones, there are lots of great leaders to be downloaded and used. Check out The Capo's leaders. He has made a whole lot of them! I haven't seen Karl XII though, but indeed Gustavus Adolphus, who could be useful if you want to expand the era to include the Thirty Years' War.

 

[Ajidica]

I looked at the faction UU list and a few comments:

>Russia was known for its Infantry Guard Regiments. I'll check to see what their names were. Russia should also have monster artillery.
>Austria was known for its light troops (Jaegers) and Hungarian Troops, mainly hussars.
>England should not have longbows as a UU. Longbows hadn't been used in serious warfare since the War of the Roses.
>Ditch the Curiasser part for Gendarmes. Gendarmes were generaly assumed to be equiped with curiasses. France should also have pretty good artillery. More mobile than the Russian type though.
>Prussian Needleguns weren't invented until the mid 19th century. Likewise Grenadiers rarely used grenades anymore. Prussia should have a line infantry unit. IIRC the name was either Freikorps Infanterie and Duetchmark Lineninfanterie. I'll have to check on the German spelling.
>For Spain, Conquistadores weren't even part of the American Spanish army anymore. And what are Rodeleros? Spain was known for its guerilla war against Napoleon so Cazadores would be appropriate. Or a infantry with a low base strength but a high attack bonus as Spanish troops were known to prefer a melee over shooting. Plus they didn't have the discipline for shooting.
>The Dutch could use as a UU the Blue Guard, although those might have been disbanded by now. Walloon Guards would also work. If this mod inlcudes India, they have the have VOC Infantry.
>I don't know enough about the armies of the German states, but the state of Brunswicks army was known as the 'Black Brunswickers' on account of their uniform.

 

[Le Sage]

The Danish should also have a substantial naval power to boast with. It's army should be small but effective when challenged. Around the year 1700 Denmark had a great navy and the Swedes had a hard time dealing with it. The Swedes countered with piracy, in fact, and you could give Sweden some Privateers sailing off the coast of Norway and in the Northern Sea. I think there are good Danish and Swedish ships in the DL database already.

The Russians should have galleys still, actually. Much of the war at sea in the Baltic was carried out by Russian coastal vessels that functioned like ancient galleys!

Oh. And on the Ottoman Empire. When Sweden went to war with Russia, the Ottomans joined on the Swedish side; so Sweden and the Ottoman Empire were in fact allies. When the Swedish king Karl was defeated at Poltava in 1709, he fled to Turkey and lived there until 1713! The Russian armies followed him in on Turkish territory but where surrounded by the Turks. The Turks would have won a great victory in the battlefield, but they chose to make peace with Russia instead.

Sweden was also allied to the Crimean cossacks under Mazepa.

 

[The_Jackal]

Thank you for your input. I really want to start after the 30 years war, but I like the idea of having late Renaissance units, like Swiss Pikemen and Rodeleros (Spanish Swordsmen, deemed inefficeint and most groups disbanded by 1530). At 1650, though, I feel that most of the interesting Renaissance units are gone. Do you guys feel I should start off at 1650 or 1700 or at another time? Do you think I should start with Renaissance tech and the move into Industrial techs? and, Should this be Europe only? Any input would be appreciated.

Pretaining to Ajidica:

-The Russians' most origninal unit that I could find was the Streltsy or Strelets. They were disbanded in 1720 by Peter the Great. They had rebelled while he was away.
-I like the idea for Austria
-Thanks for Longbowman info, thought they might still be in use at end of renaissance
-Cuirasser part, understood. Maybe horse artillary for France, like I said I got many units from Age of Empires 3
-I will have needle gunners as a late game tech. Grenadiers will use guns, but have a bonus of some sort. If you have any info on the other infantry, let me know.
-Rodeleros as I mentioned before were disbanded in 1530, didn't know their ineffiency before, thanks... I checked wiki for more info. Thanks for conquistador info, maybe they will start with them and become obselete quickly. Cazadors would be good, any ideas for Portugal?
-Don't know much about the Dutch, I got Ruyters and FLuyts from AOE3
-German States: I have Black Riders or Schwarze Reiter in German, landsknecht, and Jaegar

 

[Ajidica]

I personaly would prefer the mod to start before the 30 years war, but thats mainly because I want to see a 30 years war mod. After the 30Years War would probably be the best bet for you. Most borders were stable for building up but enough smaller wars going on to keep things interesting. Plus by this time most of Europe was shifting to the idea of Marching REgiments (line infantry) that gives some sense of army standardization. You should probably create a new tech tree for the mod. Here is a link to PDFs of the Empire Total War tech tree.
(At bottom of opening post)
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=234127
I would also reccomend their Historical Research Center and under Hosted Mods the Imperial Splendor or A Proper Empire sub-forums as being a good place to ask questions about the time period or gain access to their research.

I'm not sure how to handle the map. I'm leaning toward including India due to its importance but then a lot of new factions need to be added which would slow down the game.

>Streltsi: THere is no rule saying there can be only UU per faction. The streltsi generaly performed poorly while Russian Guard Infantry were considered some of the best in Europe. Unfortunatly the Russian Guard Cavalry Corps were less than stellar.
>Longbows: The Renniassance had been well over for near 100 years using the most liberal definition of the Northern Renniassance. IIRC, there are no documented accounts of the ENlgish using longbows in the English Civil War.
>Needle Guns: If the mod ends before the Napoleon Wars, Needle Guns would be horribly innacurate. As I've said before, they were invented around 1860, prior to the Austro-Prussian war.
>Portugal: Their roster would likely be very similar to Spain with a greater deficiency in cavalry due to less suitable land. IIRC, the Imperial Splendor mod team for Empire gave them some British trained line infantry.
>Dutch: Their army was mainly made up of German/Swiss mercenaries with perhaps some New World troops.

EDIT: The Russian Infantry Guard Regiments were:
>Preobrazhinski
>Siemenovski
> Ismailovski Leib-Gvardii Polk
The cavalry regiment was called Leib-Gvardii Konny Polk

 

[Androrc the Orc]

A few statistics that might help you make the scenario:

Army Size: (according to Paul Kennedy's Rise and Fall of Great Powers) (in men)
Austria: 50,000 (1690); 100,000 (1710)
France: 400,000 (1690); 350,000 (1710)
Great Britain: 70,000 (1690); 75,000 (1710)
Netherlands: 73,000 (1690); 130,000 (1710)
Prussia: 30,000 (1690); 39,000 (1710)
Russia: 170,000 (1690); 220,000 (1710)
Spain: 30,000 (1710)
Sweden: 100,000 (1710)

Navy Size: (according to Paul Kennedy's Rise and Fall of Great Powers) (in ships)
Denmark: 29 (1689)
France: 120 (1689); 50 (1739)
Great Britain: 100 (1689); 124 (1739)
Netherlands: 66 (1689); 49 (1739)
Russia: 30 (1739)
Spain: 34 (1739)
Sweden: 40 (1689)

Percentage of World Manufacturing in 1750: (according to Paul Kennedy's Rise and Fall of Great Powers)
Austria: 2.9%
China: 32.8%
France: 4%
Germany: 2.9%
Great Britain: 1.9%
India: 24.5%
Italy: 2.4%
Japan: 3.8%
Russia: 5%
United States: 0.1%

Population per Country: (according to www.populstat.info and Paul Kennedy's Rise and Fall of Great Powers)
Austria: 8,000,000 (1700)
Denmark: 745,000 (1700)
France: 19,000,000 (1700)
Great Britain: 9,000,000 (1700)
Netherlands: 1,800,000 (1700)
Portugal: 2,140,000 (1732)
Prussia: 2,000,000 (1700)
Russia: 17,500,000 (1700)
Sardinia: 2,481,000 (1770)
Spain: 6,000,000 (1700)
Tuscany: 1,063,000 (1770)
United States: 2,000,000 (1750)

Population per City: (according to www.populstat.info)
Amsterdam: 205,000 (1700)
Barcelona: 50,000 (1750)
Berlin: 90,000 (1750)
Brussels: 65,000 (1690)
Copenhagen: 93,000 (1750)
Edinburgh: 57,000 (1750)
Glasgow: 24,000 (1750)
Lisbon: 675,000 (1750)
Madrid: 109,000 (1750)
New York: 22,000 (1750)
Paris: 576,000 (1750)
Quebec: 9,000 (1750)
Rio de Janeiro: 29,000 (1750)
Salvador: 34,000 (1750)
Seville: 66,000 (1750)
Stockholm: 15,000 (1663); 60,000 (1750)
Valencia: 60,000 (1750)
Vienna: 175,000 (1750)