[MODCOM] Mercenaries Mod - Teaser Pic

[J_Period]

Originally Posted by Deathling
Well, both it wouldn't make sense to hire the Mithril Golem or a fireball...

Heh, or a Great Person or a worker for that matter.
Though it might be an interesting tactic to hire a missionary-type unit to spread a religion that you don't have in your civ yet especially if you're going with free religion

One thing I think should be an option for the modder to decide if they want players to be hiring mercs when they don't have enough money (or if they are at -225 )

Also, how does it deal with where the mercs are placed initially? Would it be possible for someone to limit it so that they only can show at a city if it has a certain building (like an inn or something?)

But overall it looks AWESOME, I mean it, really, really sweet. I WILL use this.

j

 

[TheLopez]

Heh, or a Great Person or a worker for that matter.
Though it might be an interesting tactic to hire a missionary-type unit to spread a religion that you don't have in your civ yet especially if you're going with free religion

I have already put the code in place to prevent this from happening in the mod.

One thing I think should be an option for the modder to decide if they want players to be hiring mercs when they don't have enough money (or if they are at -225 )

Also already in the mod as a configurable option through the INI file.

Also, how does it deal with where the mercs are placed initially? Would it be possible for someone to limit it so that they only can show at a city if it has a certain building (like an inn or something?)

It depends on the value set in the INI config file. There are currently three options:
- Capital City
- Player civ. edge
- random

EDIT: Though, that is an interesting idea, having mercenaries only show up if a particular building exists. Would you care to expand on this, provide building defs, etc? This might bee a good 2nd release feature.

 

[TheLopez]

I just noticed on the first screenie that you're losing 225 gold per turn...Are mercenaries really going to be that expensive? (I assume you haven't optimized maintenance prices yet...)

Well I did have something like 100 or so hired mercenaries .

 

[Darkhour]

EDIT: Though, that is an interesting idea, having mercenaries only show up if a particular building exists. Would you care to expand on this, provide building defs, etc? This might bee a good 2nd release feature.

An Inn maybe?.. With certain amber fluid access

 

[seZereth]

got 2 skins for u, (well here are just the pics, wanted to get a feedback first) give me an inspiration for the early doctor, cant think of how he should look like
btw it wasnt so easy, because i definitely likeskinning more combat oriented units more

edit: you can now get them in the Unit Graphics Section

 

[TheLopez]

got 2 skins for u, (well here are just the pics, wanted to get a feedback first) give me an inspiration for the early doctor, cant think of how he should look like
btw it wasnt so easy, because i definitely likeskinning more combat oriented units more

Wow, they both look good. Why is the flag so far away from the statesman though?

As for the early doctor, hmmm... that's a good question.

 

[Shqype]

Heh, or a Great Person or a worker for that matter.
Though it might be an interesting tactic to hire a missionary-type unit to spread a religion that you don't have in your civ yet especially if you're going with free religion

I think it would be interesting to allow to hire workers... think of them kind of like "migrant workers" instead of mercenaries ... that way you can pay to get improvements built up faster. Making them expensive or setting a limit could be methods of preventing abuse.

One thing I think should be an option for the modder to decide if they want players to be hiring mercs when they don't have enough money (or if they are at -225 )

How about this: You can't hire mercs if you don't have any immediate money to pay them (startup cost is 50 gold but you have 20, for example)... BUT, if you hired a mercenary and he is in your service, if you don't have gold to pay him (let's say maintain cost is 5 gold per turn, but you have less, or negative, gold), then there is a chance that he will become hostile and turn on you.

With each turn the chance increases that he will become barbaric and attack you for his money ... maybe even programmed to strike at the nearest city, or capital city.

 

[naf4ever]

Cool idea but those are crazy maintenance costs. I realize your level 3 skirmisher has 4 promotions, but 10 gold? Someone could support 10 regular archers or spearmen for that.... Im not sure how economically feasible these mercs would be in the early game.

 

[TheLopez]

Cool idea but those are crazy maintenance costs. I realize your level 3 skirmisher has 4 promotions, but 10 gold? Someone could support 10 regular archers or spearmen for that.... Im not sure how economically feasible these mercs would be in the early game.

This is why I am going to add options to tweak the hire and maintenance costs though an INI file.

 

[TheLopez]

Good news, I am 5 features away from releasing the Mercenaries Mod to testers. I will hopefully provide some new teaser images either tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[Andrew_Jay]

I like it, I think it could be an interesting way to treat all units for some mods - rather than building them, you can raise them immediately with cash.

 

[TheLopez]

*BUMP*


Added and updated teaser images


EDIT: note the gold/turn amount in the main screen and mercenary manager screen . That took a bit to figure out. But it works now.

 

[The Great Apple]

Oooh, so you can hire out mercenaries as well as hiring them for yourselves - cool!

 

[TheLopez]

I am trying to fit that feature into the first release, but I am no 100% I will be able to get it done by tomorrow when I get the files out to testers.

 

[Shqype]

Would it be too late for me to ask to be one of the 'testers?'

 

[TheLopez]

Would it be too late for me to ask to be one of the 'testers?'

No, it wouldn't be too late for you to ask to be one of the testers. I am putting in the final touches to the mod and should have it ready tomorrow.

 

[Shqype]

Well, I'de love to test it out. Tomorrow I work, but the next 2 days I have off from school, so I'll have time.

 

[J_Period]

EDIT: Though, that is an interesting idea, having mercenaries only show up if a particular building exists. Would you care to expand on this, provide building defs, etc? This might bee a good 2nd release feature.

What I was thinking of specifically was like in Medieval: Total War, you could only hire mercenaries in a province where you had an inn. That would probably be similar to what I was looking for. Once you release it, I'll take a look at the specific coding, see what I can do.

On an off topic, if seZereth is still looking for inspiration for an early great doctor, two of the ealiest doctors were
Asclephius (He was so famous in fact, the Greeks later made him into a god)
and
Hippocrates
They look pretty much like regular greeks in those pictures though. But maybe a great prophet type model with snake wrapped around his staff?
Like this picture kinda. The snake staff is still the symbol for doctors and medicine and such.

Later,
j

 

[TheLopez]

What I was thinking of specifically was like in Medieval: Total War, you could only hire mercenaries in a province where you had an inn. That would probably be similar to what I was looking for. Once you release it, I'll take a look at the specific coding, see what I can do.

In the current code mercenaries will appear in a city with one or more of the buildings configured by the player through the INI file. For instance lets say that the player has set in the INI file that the starting location for mercenaries will be cities that contain at least one of the following: barracks, walls and a castle.

If a city that contains all three that city will have x3 the chance that a mercenary will be placed there when hired over a city that just has barracks.
Also if no cities contain walls, barracks or a castle then the mercenary will be placed randomly. I am open to suggestions of if players should be allowed to hire mercenaries even if they don't have the required buildings in any of their cities. Maybe that should be another configurable option in the INI.

 

[TheLopez]

Good news folks, I have finished the first release and have provided it to my testers. If everything goes well I should be releasing it sometime next weekend .