Random Thoughts and Ideas

[DC123456789]

Most of those are basically taken off RFCE++.

I actually think that a Sultanate of Rum is really necessary. The Byzantines tend to regain Anatolia far too often, since barbarians are terrible at defending anything they own, which is one of the main causes of Ottoman underperformance. A Lombardy/Milan would also certainly be interesting.

I think Navarra, Hesse, and Moldovia are too small- they would really be one or two city civs if we stuck to historicity. Splitting Leon and Castille might weaken Spain too much; besides, they were continually splitting and reuniting, and I don't really think it's necessary. Otherwise, I think your suggestions are fine (mainly since they're basically "integrate RFCE++", which I really liked).

 

[Baron03]

Morholt did a great job, but it's just outdated compared to the regular fix ups of RFCE.

I think barbarians are only necessary if the taken city doesn't easily flip back to its former owner. That and maybe increasing amount that appear.

For Leon and Castile, there only needs to be a union or two that don't result in a continuous re-split. Spain is very easy to play as, and fairly boring without any challenge. The union would make it really challenging to play while achieving UHVs. And they could be given more starting units to compensate for less land.

Hesse is the bottom of the unplayable barrel, and not serious at all. But Navarre is something I like a lot. It would be a very diplomatic civ to play as to survive (their union was much later with Spain) and there's nothing stopping them from being conquered by a more powerful neighbor. S they can't hang around forever.

I don't see how Moldavia would be a problem. It's an unplayable respawn of dead Kievan AI like the Cordoban-Hafsid thing now. Is it a tough thing to code?

 

[DC123456789]

In my opinion, the main problem with Moldavia is simply that it's pretty small and insignificant. When you consider that their maximum extent was essentially the ingame province, they would be a one or two-city civ and really not worth bothering with.

 

[Baron03]

The Cordoban respawn starts small, but they do have more historical room to grow than Moldavia. But you are right. Either way Moldavia isn't that important.


Edit:

This civ does sound pointless to add, but for the fun of gameplay, the Latins could be an option to beat the odds stacked against them. They replace the fourth crusade and if they succeed, then they succeed, if not, then it doesn't matter.
-Latin Kingdom
Spawn outside Constantinople one tile west in 1200 or 1204. Have Constantinople go through a minor revolt like SOI's Jerusalem/Antioch when crusader civs spawn.
Starting stack: three UU's, two trebuchet, one catapult, two crossbow, two foot knights, one mounted sergeant, four galleys outside of Constantinople.
Leader: Baldwin I, or Robert I, or Baldwin II
UP:Catholic buildings produce double stability? Or buildings are not destroyed upon conquest. Or conquering a city produces twice as much gold
UB: Salic Court? (Replaces courthouse) +1 extra culture, and +50% trade route yield?
Or Garrison (generic replacement for barracks) +1 happiness
UU: Frankish Sergeant (replaces maceman) +25% vs archery units
Or Flemish Infantry (replaces guisarmier) ignores defensive bonuses (as in, ignores walls and castle defense bonuses on attacking). Base strength of seven instead of six.
UHVs:
1. Control Thessaly, Morea, Constantinople, and Thrace
2. Survive to the year 1455
3. Control four relics in Constantinople *(If relics are included!)
4. Spread Catholicism to ten Orthodox cities
5. Control four luxury resources by trade
6. Ensure Catholicism has twice(or thrice) as many followers than Orthodoxy does

Title ideas: (small effects? Most of them are pointless, and titles probably won't be used in the game)
1. Holy Roman Emperor
Requirement: Get elected...
Bonus: Unique German legislation.
2. Protector of the Holy Sepulcher
Requirement: Control Jerusalem, be Catholic, and control two Christian relics.
Bonus: same as SOI? +1 attitude with Catholic and orthodox civs
3. Italian King (True Roman Emperor)
Requirement: Control every mainland Italian province, except Roma.
Bonus: All historical western Roman Empire provinces become foreign territory instead of foreign core.
Or: Cities produce extra culture dependent on size. Golden ages last twice as long.
4. Conqueror of Spain
Requirement: Control every province of Spain (+Balearics)
Bonus: +1 happiness and culture in every city.
5. Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople?
Requirement: Control Constantinople, and have Catholicism as state religion.
Bonus: Doubles "gifts" from the pope, and receive frequent Crusadeer help.
6. The Caliph
Requirement: Control every North African province, the Middle East, and Al-Andalus.
Or: Control Damascus, Jerusalem, Cairo, Cordoba, and Tunis.
Or: Control a continuous empire from Jerusalem to Tangier.
Bonus: +12 stability, starts golden age, and/or Great People generated faster.

 

[Baron03]

Since Germany is a suggested split: (However it does not need to be split, it is a suggestion!)
Saxony:
Spawn: Leipzig? Wittenberg? in 843 or 880
Starting stack: four axeman, two workers, three Fyrd levy, two archers, two settlers, two missionaries.
Leader: Henry the Lion
UB: Schloss (replaces manor) +1 health
UU: Fyrd Levy (replaces spearman) +2 strength, smaller bonus against mounted units (use levy artwork from DoC)
UP: No stability penalty for losing core cities (Because their entire core territory is Saxony)
UHVs
1. Allow no French territory within German provinces until 1215
2. Be the largest HRE state in 1400 in population and territory
3. Found Protestantism
4. Control 2 coastal cities by 1180
5. Ensure Protestants have a higher combined score than Catholics.

Bavaria:
Spawn: Regensburg, Munich, or Augsburg in 843 or 876 (Keep Augsburg as indie to flip!)
Starting stack: three archers, two axeman, three spearman, two workers, one missionary, one settler.
Leader: Louis IV, Frederick Barbarossa
UB: Estate (replaces guild hall?) no health penalty. Bonus +15% wealth, or slight research bonus
Or Rathaus from German UB
UU: Rhenish Knight (replaces Knight) +1 strength, -1 movement. Or +1 strength, -1 movement, and +15% vs polearms.
UP: Power of Wittelsbach Continuity: Minimal instability penalty for switching civics.
Or cities don't declare independence from instability.
UHVs
1. Control five cities within the Holy Roman Empire
2. Be Holy Roman Emperor for three continuous election cycles
3. Conquer Northern Italy
4. Have two vassals while being the Holy Roman Emperor

Brandenburg:
Spawn: Berlin in 1156
Starting stack: three armored lancers, two settlers, one missionary, three crossbow, one man-at-arms, two workers.
Leader: Albert the Bear, Ludwig II, Louis I (the Brandenburger)
UB: Festung (replaces walls) +1 production, but 5-10% less defense
UU: Death's Head Hussar from RFCE++
Or Wend Raider: replaces guisarmier/maceman. Starts with woodsmen I and city raider I promotion.
UP: Sandbox of Germany: Regular buildings are cheaper until the Late Medieval Era
Or Mines and Workshops produce +1 food
UHVs
1. Have 4,000 gold in 1414
2. Control two cities west of the Elbe river in 1320
3. Control a continuous empire from the Rhine river to Prussia in 1618
4. Have a higher score than Bavaria, Saxony, Austria, Bohemia, and Lorraine in 1618
5. Have the highest population of any civ in 1686

Lorraine is an Frankish respawn...
Leader: Francis I
Spawn: Nancy in 969 (anywhere between 960 and 1010), or at random date after Franks collapse.

All the extra buildings thus far: most are just filler buildings.
Rathaus, German UB, as an HRE specific building (you have to be part of the empire to build it). -30% extra maintenance, +1 stability (something like that).

Alchemist lab from SOI but with curbed bonus: +5% research (and -5% production?).
Or +1% production and research for every metal resource consumed e.g. Silver, sulfur, gold, copper, iron...
Or Sulfur provides +1 happiness. (Requires: Alchemy) Costs 176 hammers?

Moat from an older post: (requires castle and siege engines tech) +20% defense but defending units heals twice as slow. +2 unhealthy. Obsolete with polygonal forts? Costs 185 hammers.

Crenellations: (requires castle and Gothic Architecture tech) +15% defense for archery units. Costs 76 hammers. Double production speed with stone.

Tower House: (functions mostly as Town Watch from RoM. Requires Engineering tech) +1 espionage, and experience for spy unit. +10% defense.
Or, +1 espionage points per population number. Obsolete with polygonal forts. Costs 87 hammers?

Royal Mint: (requires Atlantic Access resource, and Gunpowder technology) Each gold and silver resource from colonies have an increased revenue (or trade yield) of 30%. Cost a lot to build. Maybe cause inflation?

Cannon foundry: (or just Foundry) cannons are built 25% faster. +2 unhealthy. +5% production with iron. Requires: Steam Engine tech

Butchery: (from SOI. Requires Market) I don't know if RFCE already has this, or if it matters. +1 health and +5% wealth for pig and salt. Costs 136 hammers?

Add a 'well' or 'artesian well' (artesian aquifer, first built in early 12th century) building. Effect: +1 health. Requires engineering tech. Costs 78 hammers.

Mill: costs 82 hammers? Effect: Barley and wheat yield +1 food. Or it requires a wheat or barley resource to be built, same effect. Also requires granary. Maybe an extra bonus: horse and cow resources +1 production (it is rare to have all of those within a city radius).

Castle Keep/Guard Tower: Requires engineering, vaulted arches tech, and castle. Costs 142 hammers? Double production speed with stone or timber. Effects: +3 espionage, +10% defense, and produces a small probability of an independent revolt if the city is occupied by foreign civ---Or reduces chance of barbarian peasants spawning by 40%

Béguinage: costs 200 hammers? Requires a catholic monastery in city, and at least three other monasteries built (like cathedral requirement). Maybe require Catholicism as state religion? Effect: +2 culture, can turn citizen into a priest, and maybe provide great points for great prophet?
Town hall: (from RoM) +1 production, +1 culture, and +10% city maintenance. Requires: Gothic Architecture tech. Requires Catholicism/Protestantism to prevent Muslim civs from building it?

Possible extra mercenaries: (I don't think there needs to be many more, there's plenty of unique ones)
Hajduk (Irregular?) : (replaces Musketman and/or pikeman) a freedom fighter and outlaw unit of the Balkans primarily used against Ottoman expansion. Oddly enough, this could be a UU for a Transylvanian civ. +25% versus gunpowder units. +1 movement.

Streltsy: ("mercenary" replacing Musketman or arquebus that can be hired in Russian and Kievan provinces. -1 strength, but +50% vs melee units, because it's armed with the bardiche.

Extra timber resource in Eastern Russia, and Finland? The area is already highly productive though

 

[Baron03]

Forgot about adjusting England for Anglo Saxons (it's pretty boring before England or Scotland spawn). They can be represented by an independent city or two centered around Sussex and Mercia, or a playable/unplayable civ named Sussex (Anglo Saxons). It would be a civ very low on necessity of inclusion, and probably doesn't need to be included. Have London spawn as an indie at the start of the game.

Since it is a thought: Adjust England's spawn to a turn or two earlier with Norman cities already flipped and not at war with France, and with a large invasion force at Hastings/Southern England. When they conquer London, it automatically becomes their capital. Cut their flip zone by one tile in the west which doesn't affect their holdings in Normandy (so they flip to the coal resources). England's workers would still appear in London but their original ones appear in Normandy before conquest. No settler needed due to Anglo Saxons settling most of the island with Scotland civ to north.

Leader: Harold Godwinsson, Alfred the Great
Spawn at Bristol
Or Winchester, but it would be flipped for the English automatically.
Starting stack: two Fyrd militia, one axman, one archer, one worker, one missionary.
UU: Fyrd militia (replaces spearman) +50% defense from amphibious landings, +1 movement (added militia to distinguish from Saxons 'Fyrd Levy' unit).
UB: Burh (replaces walls) +1 gold and cost 90 hammers instead of 120.
UP: Shire Courts - Cities have an improved trade route yield (30%?)
Or no city maintenance on same continent as capital
Or cities produce +1 culture per resource consumed
UHVs:
1. Settle two great people by 1040
2. Control London, Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia, and Northumbria by 1000
3. Control twelve farms within your borders
4. Have a catholic monastery and manor built in each city you own
5. Ensure there is no foreign culture in England by 1055 (successful defense against Vikings. I'm assuming there would be plenty of extra Viking barbarians).
6. Settle two great artists by 1360
7. Have the most culture of any Western European civ in 1030 (alternate: 1500)
8. Have the most friendly relations with the pope
*It would make the area challenging and fun for Denmark/Vikings UHV, and the English too instead of a free colonizing early game.

Ireland resources:
I didn't know there was honey, dye, and iron in Ireland... Then again my resource is an encyclopedia from the seventies. (Remove dye and iron)
Add copper 1 west of iron, add cow two north and one west of dye, add one coal west of new copper resource, add one cow south of wheat.

Extra building:
Town hall: (from RoM) +1 production, +1 culture, and +10% city maintenance. Requires: Gothic Architecture tech. Requires Catholicism/Protestantism to prevent Muslim civs from building it?

Extra naval unit?
Brigantine: 11 strength, 12 movement

Edit:
Florence doesn't need to be playable or have unique buildings, but there's no harm in suggesting it.
Florence:
Still spawn in 1115
Starting stack: one worker, two crossbow, one man-at-arms, three maceman
UU: Bandiera (translates to flag, but this was the name of organized units under a Condottieri. Replaces guisarmier or pikeman) Cheaper unit but less bonus versus cavalry.
UB: Camerata de' Bardi - (replaces theatre, costs a little more to build) double culture than theatre, city maintenance +100% and war unhappiness +50%
Or Art Gallery? - (replaces ?) same effect as last one...
UP: Florentine Arts - For every building built, you receive an extra culture boost. (Depends on how many hammers. Say five to ten percent?)
UHVs:
1. Control every land tile in Tuscany in 1532
2. Have a greater score than Venice, Genoa, and Milan (Lombardy) combined.
3. Have 10,000 culture by year X
4. Control two banking corporation headquarters
5. Settle two great merchants and one great artist in Florence

*If a vassal of France, then name changes to Republic of Etruria

If papacy is made playable, or at least more active in the game, then have their units start with the equivalence of the "fanatic" promotion in SOI. Or have units received in crusades have the fanatic promotion

I still support a lot of early civs because Europe gradually united into larger states, but having the small important ones makes history fickle and fun to play.

Edit II:
Extra alternatives for Milan and Florence UU (because both used "Urban/Citizen Militia")
Colbnello - replaces mounted sergeant. +4 strength, also requires iron working.
Famiglia - bodyguard cavalry used in Milan
Lanze Spezzate (broken lances) made up about 2/3 of Milan's cavalry in 15-16th centuries. Replaces knight. Start with Flanking I
Colonella(s) - comprised of 1/3 arquebusiers and 2/3 pikeman (guisarmier)
*Change urban militia artwork (citizen militia) into a mixed unit of crossbowmen and arquebusiers and/or guisarmiers and a long swordsman unit. They were irregular units.

Longship unit suggested in an earlier post for Vikings requires Norse UB to prevent other civs from building it? Has 4 cargo space, and 4 strength. Costs 50 hammers. Replaced by cog.

Edit III:
Unique systems from Sengoku mod made by embryodead are something I really like as well!
Granting land to vassals or creating vassals from captured land: I think this is originally from a separate modcomp? You capture a town and are given the option of granting it to a vassal you already own or creating a new vassal from a historical roster! The roster of civs will be minor! No UU etc, just leader heads, a color, and flag.
Potential roster can include every civ that remains unplayable: Wales, Flanders, Hesse, Geulderland, Brittany, Aquitaine, Italian city states, Transylvania, Savoy, Wallachia, Moldovia, Russian Principalities, Ireland, Galicia, Depostates from Byzantines, etc.
And how is SOI and Sengoku so fast compared to RFCE?

Edit IV: Civic suggestions: (only changes are listed unless stated otherwise)
Despotism: -30% maintenance cost from distance to palace. Gradually becomes less stable with more cities. Barbarian peasants spawn more often if they're included.
Feudal Monarchy: units made with food.
Rename tribal law to junta, village law, or slavery?
Rename Bureacracy to Nobility with complete new effects at medium upkeep: +20% wealth and production in capital city. Specialists +2 gold. +10% great birth rate in all cities. Requires Aristocracy tech instead of civil service.
Merchant Capitalism: +200% unit maintenance cost.
Common law: take out "+100% culture" and add: courthouses produce +2 happiness and +1 extra stability, or non conquest stability penalties are halved. Specialists have +1 science.
Free Peasantry: no appearance of barbarian peasants within borders IF a concept from earlier is made applicable.
Apprenticeship: guild hall building has +1 gold and culture?
Trade economy: speeds up market production? +5% wealth in all cities.
Guilds: remove previous effect and add: better trade route yield with civs running "guilds" and +15% city maintenance. Corporate maintenance halved. Guild hall building has +1 production.(Guilds were like medieval monopolies)
Mercantilism: remove no foreign trade routes and +5 market gold bonus and add: no "local" trade routes (all must be with foreign cities!), harbors +5 gold, and colonies provide +1 food and gold in capital?
State religion: unlimited priests, and +1 unhappiness per non state religion in a city. Upkeep raised to medium.
Theocracy: +1 unhappiness per non state religious building existing in a city.
Remove organized religion and replace with "Prophets/Monasticism." Upkeep lowered to low, and requires Monasticism tech. Effects become: +50% great person birth rate. Monasteries produce +1 happiness? And great people are more likely to become great saints.

Here's some of the why: "organized religion" doesn't make much sense to me when compared to the others. Prophets I guess is a middle way to state religion and to help more great saints appear.
Mercantilism was all about exporting, so that's why local trade routes don't exist. Be friendly to other civs then.
Guilds were like medieval monopolies...
Nobility sounds better for a mod that has a great deal of medieval history and it will actually be used without the city stability limit.

 

[saddam_who_sane]

does anyone have an idea about Halych-Volhynian kingdom (Kingdom of Rus; as vassalized by Poland - Great Duchy of Ruthenia)?
i think it was big enough and existed as independent state for enough time (for 150 years) to be represented as playable civ.
does it make any sense to add it as independent playable civ or respawn of Kievan Rus or else?
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alex_K_Halych-Volhynia_general.png

 

[Baron03]

Halych Volhynia may work as a respawn, but I don't think it is important enough to be a separate civ. I suggested the Kingdom of Moldavia in an earlier post, but it is largely unimportant. Kiev normally lives to the Mongol spawns and if the Golden Horde is made playable, then the respawn/subsequent flip would immediately be conquered.

Other recent thoughts:
Add extra units: All suggested "regular" units into game.
1. Foot knight - ten strength (can upgrade from man-at-arms?) requires civil service tech, iron, and obsolete by Arabic knowledge. +15% versus heavy cavalry and +10% city attack and defense. (Costs less than regular knight ie "mounted knight," but more than a maceman). Rename knight to mounted knight? Foot knight is replaced by Musketman. Also requires feudal monarchy? Or some other feudal civic? Costs 165 hammers.
2. A man-at-arms unit: six strength, +10% vs polearms, and +10% city attack and defense. Requires Catholicism as state religion to prevent other civs from making it. (They cost food). Costs 80 hammers? +1 support cost?
2.1 Or seven/eight strength and no bonus at all. Available at a later technology and costs more.
3. Maybe a halberdier/Poleaxman, a mix between a mace man and pikeman? Strength of eight or nine, +25% versus polearms and +75% versus heavy cavalry. (Costs 130 hammers). Requires Plate armor and civil service tech. Replaced by Musketman.
4. Militia unit. Appears only for independent revolts if they occur, or instability. Strength of four, +25% hills and forests defense, and +10% city defense.
5. Barbarian Peasants can be divided into three units that are all under the same name:
A) Peasant: same as SOI, 3 strength and +50% vs mounted units.
B) Peasant: 4 strength, +50% vs melee units.
C) Peasant: 5 strength, +25% forest and hill defense. (Use artwork from Sengoku mod?)
6. Replace swordsman unit's name to

Maybe add a fluff technology or two for enabling the man at arms and/or other units. Although I would like a later technology to increase its base strength by 1.
For example: "Heraldry" as an offshoot of "chain mail" that requires Feudalism. Costs 2188 beakers. And "Plate Armor" or "civil service" gives the man at arms unit +1 base strength.

-Chemistry could give arquebusiers +1 base strength (from 7 to 8). They're pretty weak until Musketman.
-Another Papal Idea- I don't know how this mechanic would work... Have Papal approval for being at war with another civ or minor state. Prerequisite: open borders with pope and have at least pleased diplomatic relations. When you get approval for war: -75% war unhappiness and have slightly better chance at bringing in a war ally against enemy. If you have friendly relations the. You can "hire" papal units. (All start with fanatic promotion). You can buy/control up to five papal units. Price decreases for the more faith points you have.
-Add independent city of Lutetia Parisiorum/Paris at start if Franks and French are split
-Have London spawn as Londinium/Lundenwic, an independent city at the start of the game.
-Either/or: increase axeman cost and decrease spearman cost. Pole arms should be cheap to build.
-Add unique promotions from Sengoku mod by Embryodead. "Flaming Arrows" that give archery units +20% city attack and +2% bombard damage. "Ranked Fire" that gives gunpowder units +20% field attack and defense. "Spear Wall" that gives pole arms +25% versus melee and mounted units. "Swordsmanship" gives non pole arm melee units +2 first strike chances and +10% vs. melee units. ****Those four all require combat II promotion.
-For a strange concept... Player, and AI, can "turn a land tile into a fief." The tile doesn't change in color, unless that helps to identify it. Here is how it works: that particular land tile can't be worked by the city and instead produces a small income per turn to help with finances (some amount to compensate for not being able to work it. An improvement produces more!). Everything else is the same except when the cursor hovers over the tile "fief" can appear under the tile's description. Every ten or so you own add 1 stability under vassalage civic.
-Have archery range give drill I promotion along with the extra experience? (Might be too much)

Edit II:
Maybe have the Byzantines start with four extra swordsman in their starting galleys to give them an incentive to immediately go out and conquer southern Italy and potentially Sicily. If their entire empire is intact (excluding Africa and the Holy Land) then their war map should have an interest for Italy. In the long run they will lose Italy via instability or Norman civ if their included.
-Alternate Cordoba UHV: Control southern France and Paris, or vassalize the Franks.
-Have barbarian units (mostly spearman/axeman units) spawn in Brittany during first few centuries.

Edit III:
-If including a poleaxman/halberdier as a regular unit is too much then have plate armor technology grant the guisarmier +1 or +2 strength, because there is a large gap between that unit and the pikeman which makes the former rather weak.
-A concept that relates to royal/dynastic marriage that works like the honor system in Embryodead's Sengoku mod. Like open borders and what not agreements, have a "royal marriage" trade option. Effects: Increases favorable relations by two or three points; if you declare war on a civ while holding a royal marriage then all other civs lose trust in you (-2 or -3 relations) ; acts as a preemptive alliance increasing the likelihood of bringing in said civ into a common war but a bigger penalty if you refuse to enter a war with them; and if union mechanic works then increases chance of having a successful union.
-Add a "Castle Keep/Keep/Guard Tower" building. (Inspired by RoM building) Costs 142 hammers? Requires castle and similar tech. Effect: +3 espionage, +10% defense (non-cumulative), and produces a small probability of an independent revolt if the city is occupied by foreign civ---Or reduces chance of barbarian peasants spawning by 40% Double production speed with stone or timber.
-Curb Hungarian's UB, the vegvar, by eliminating the "per turn enemy damage" and replacing it with: gives cavalry defend bonus in city or drafting units creates half of normal draft unhappiness.
-As a part of random events feature, add more semi historical revolts like the Ziyyanids in Algeria. Examples: "Independent" revolts in Brittany if England and France are at war during 14th-15th century; maybe revolts in Aquitaine during same time period for English or French; Italian revolts against French and German occupation. Or maybe this could be better represented with only militia units proposed earlier.

Edit IV:
- Change companies to be like SOI but include headquarters. The headquarters appears within an appropriate timeframe and most favorable Christian city that will support it. For example, the Hanseatic League in Northern German coast with most trade. Can use spies to move headquarters to your city via an espionage action where the headquarters is located. Better bonuses if running guilds civic?
-If random events are brought back, then include Catholic Religious Orders for something. (Cistercian Order, Dominican Order, Society of Jesus, etc). Or somehow include religious orders?

 

[Baron03]

Knights, or mounted knights, should have +1 gold support cost to reflect how expensive it was to have horses, armor, etc.
Have a message appear at the top of the screen (like someone built a wonder) when your religion has been purged from a city. (It at least helps with Arab goal. Although if some of the extra civs are added, then maybe the UHV needs to be lowered to 30%

Province values for a few of the new suggested civs (even the outlandish ones)
Brandenburg:
-cyan: Brandenburg. -green: Pomerania, Holstein. - yellow: Silesia, Prussia, Holland. -Orange: Livonia, Saxony.
Latin Empire:
-no cyan/no flip. -green: Constantinople, Thrace. -Yellow: Thessaly, Thessaloniki, Morea. -Orange: Opsikion, Paphlagonia, Moesia, Macedonia, Epirus.
Golden Horde:
-cyan: Donets, Kuban. -green: Sloboda, Zaporizhia, Crimea, Kiev. -Yellow: Moldova, Podolia, Pereyaslavl, Simbirsk, Nizhny Novgorod. -Orange: Brest, Galicia, Chernigov, Volhynia.
Normans:
-cyan: Apulia, Calabria. -green: Sicily. -yellow: Malta, Arberia. -Orange: Epirus, Sardinia, Crete, Ifriqiya.
Anglo Saxons:
-cyan: Wessex. -green: London, Mercia. -yellow: East Anglia. -orange: Wales, Northumbria.
Florence:
-cyan: Tuscany. -green/yellow: none. -Orange: Verona, Liguria, Lombardy, Corsica.
Navarre:
-cyan: Navarre. -green: Castile, Aragon. -yellow: Aquitania, Provence, La Mancha, Valencia. -Orange: Leon, Orleans, Normandy.

Modded: (all entries are at the end of each edited file)
Man-at-arms: Slightly higher cost than idea. New bonus is +10% vs polearms and heavy infantry. Has been tested. Upgrades to Foot Knight. Only problem is that the artwork doesn't have changing colors for civs, and faded button doesn't appear before you can build it. Requires Catholicism as state religion.
Foot Knight: not tested. Slightly different cost. Requires chivalry. Same artwork problem and faded button problem as above, but not a big issue. May change bonuses if AI uses it for defense too much.
Halberdier: having trouble finding graphics other than landschnedt.
Mill: couldn't code the same bonus I wanted (won't do city radius for resource like RFCA) so now it's: +1 food, +5% production with horse. Requires wheat and Granary. Problems are: artwork is tiny, and I'm stuck with a +1 stability bonus. Tested.
Gave knight +1 in support cost. Not tested.
Moat: problems: couldn't code the units heal twice as slow, and it uses star fort art+buttons. Does not show up on tech tree.

Edit I
Not easy to test those modded pieces above...
Idea: Change up/diversify how the vassal system works in RFCE.
-You can directly "draft" your vassals military units: they have a hidden support cost of 1 or double of your units.
-You can directly take a portion of your vassal's wealth/gold. Can cause unhappiness from the vassal.
-You can take any of their tradable resources on a whim.
Overtime unhappiness increases within vassal cities to reassert their independence.
Maybe that is a bit much.

You can make independent cities "protectorate." I don't know what would qualify for it, but you get a small gold and/or happy bonus for keeping that city independent from others. Every protectorate you have counts as a diplomatic penalty. "We feel threatened by your large empire" sort of thing.
For every three to five cities you conquer, an diplomatic expansion penalty? Like above.
Make it so that land/cities are more easily given away, especially in treaty...

If France is split into Franks and French then maybe change France's UP to "French Renaissance" or something where Golden Ages last twice as long so that their old UP can be incorporated into a feudal civic (lesser expansion penalty into foreign territories). Mainly because nationalism didn't exist yet, but something needs to balance it.
If Germany can't be split in one of my earlier suggestions then perhaps rename them to "German Principalities" or "German States" to stop using kingdom when they were a piece of the HRE.

Since the current knight unit is fairly powerful then maybe limiting it (and foot knight if included) to be a "national" unit where only three can be made, and +1 for every city that you own. (Sengoku concept with samurai units). Maybe make the knight only available with a specific feudal civic?

Edit II:
Making the knight a limited national unit would help curb a giant civ's power. So there wouldn't be thirty knights along with a siege train conquering everything. It happened to me a lot.

 

[Baron03]

For HRE:
If the Germans are split into Bavaria, Saxony, and Brandenburg then the HRE mechanic could work this way: (besides the other previous suggestions made)
As soon as the HRE is formed in 962, all 10th century provinces historically a part of the HRE become HRE province (all cities within those provinces show that flag from RFCE++). Such areas include: Germany (excluding Holstein), Austria, Carinthia, Northern Italy (excluding Verona), Netherlands, Lorraine?, Silesia, Bohemia, Corsica, Sardinia, and Provence. All civs with cities within such provinces are automatically in at the start. An election is either held for the first emperor or one is chosen at random... Before 962 all civs are essentially standard.

The mechanics I thought of along with RFCE++'s
-Collecting taxes, raising an army, adding/excluding provinces from the HRE: I would adjust the last one so that only the elected Emperor can unilaterally add a province or take one away. And using these primary options excessively should make the AI more likely to vote in an Emperor from a different civ.
-voting is based on population within HRE provinces. Outside ones do not count.
-Common war: emperor holds a vote to declare war on a non HRE civ. less likely to be approved if at war, or war weariness high.
-Members can secede from the HRE at any time (through what I'm imagining as an HRE button somewhere, or a diplomatic option with the emperor) at the cost of being at war with everyone in the HRE. For example: Italian civs secede and become at war with all the other HRE civs.
-Automatic defense pacts: If a non HRE civ declares war on a HRE civ then all HRE civs declare war on the aggressor with an exception below.
-If you control any cities in a non HRE province then the automatic defense pact doesn't apply to you in any way. Example: Burgundy's capital and Lyon are not part of the Emperor's sovereignty (unless an addition was made prior), therefore if Bavaria is declared war on by France Burgundy doesn't automatically declare war on France. However, if France declares war on Burgundy then Burgundy is on its own! *This prevents a giant foreign civ from having a toehold within the empire and gaining all of its benefits.
-If you are a part of the HRE you can declare war on any other civ without any penalty unless it's with the HRE.
-So this system is somewhat constraining for an expansionistic player, so maybe the automatic defense pact doesn't apply to infighting members?
-This helps smaller states prevent from being overrun so easily like Bavaria, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Lorraine.
Downsides: I don't know how this can affect vassals (maybe all the automatic defense pacts dissuade HRE civs from trying)? And it's complicated.

Although splitting Germany doesn't need a huge protection system. Saxony is very large, and Bavaria can have three strong cities in the south. Brandenburg would be susceptible to vassalage though.
***So an HRE system may not need to be implemented!


This is more speculation, but if the map is extended there could be a possible addition of the Khazars (along with the Armenians and Georgians). SOI has plenty of info for the last two, but not the first. So no harm in suggesting it.

The Khazar Khaganate
Spawn: 618 at Atil or Balanjar with three settlers, three archers, one spearman, five or six UUs
Leader: Tong Yabghu, Bulan, or Benjamin
UU: Ursiyya - replaces lancer. +1 strength, +25% vs mounted units, and +1 movement. Cannot receive flanking promotions. (Use artwork from RFCCW)
Or Tarkhan - replaces lancer. +1 movement, +25% vs mounted units, and costs a little less.
UB: Tudun - replaces manor house. -20% maintenance cost of city.
Or Yarmaq Mint (from RFCCW) replaces market. +10% extra wealth
UP: Pax Khazarica - Your positive stability provides extra income during the early Middle Ages.
Or Sacred Diarchy - Half combat experience is required for great generals to appear.
Or Sacral Diarchy - Two capital cities may be built? Something like that...
UHVs:
1. Convert to Judaism by 900 (Or Judaism could have a high rate of spreading to the area)
2. Control the Caucuses, Khazaria, Crimea, Kuban, and the provinces that make up the Ukraine (East of Moldavia) by 850.
3. Control thirteen provinces by 800
4. Conquer Jerusalem by 1080
5. Acquire the following resources through trade or conquest: marble, silk, incense, and silver by 840
6. Ensure that there are no European cities in the steppes (Khazaria, Kuban, Crimea, and southern Ukraine) in 1040.
7. Have at least one city with Judaism
8. Have 4,000 gold by 970.
9. Have Islam, Christianity, and Judaism spread in Atil by 920
10. Have open borders agreements with five civs in 1000

Potential Dawn of Man texts
Florence "Margravine Matilda has passed away, and with her the feudal Tuscan domains that ruled over us. The Florentines support a republic ruled by Florentines! With the empire and the pope to our north and south respectively, our fledgling republic may have a difficult road ahead at retaining independence. We will prosper not through conquering our enemies, but through banking and finance. Our city will become the financial capital of Europe!"

Navarre "Your lands have resisted the tide of moorish invaders from the south for over a century, and after the battle of Tours their power has gradually been receding.
The combined strength of the northern Christian states can drive the heathenish Moors back over the straits of Gibraltar and reclaim Iberia for the cross! With our small towns in the hills of Basque Country it will be wise to divide the spoils and be weary of our much larger neighbors."

Sicily/Naples "Our Norman army hears of great news. Our fellow countrymen have been serving as warlords and mercenaries to various Lombard and Byzantine units in the rich southern Italian countryside for years. Without a central authority, the divided land lies fragmented and weak for conquest under one king, Robert Guiscard. With even more good fortune the recently divided, but rich, island of Sicily under its weak emirates will fall into our possessions. Not even the Byzantine Emperors will be able to stop us!"

Anglo-Saxons "Britannia has succumbed to wave after wave of Jute, Angle, and Saxon invasions after the Romans abandoned the island. Slowly these tribes have organized into small states capable of self governance. On this island your state will be undisturbed for some time, but not isolated. Beware of invaders from the North Sea and Northern France."

Khazars "Nomads have roamed the steppes for centuries, but only the strongest hordes can forge lasting empires. The Gokturks from the Asian steppes have lost their hold on European lands as their empire fractures into feuding tribal factions. This leaves our forming empire as the strongest in the region with control of the northern Silk Road route. With cavalry that never retreats and an expansive trade network, we will forge an empire to last for centuries!"

Respawns(If they are turn based)
Florence 1197, 1378, 1512? (Too much too late?)
Milan should have plenty from RFCE++
Navarre 1004
Sicily/Naples none 1200
Anglo-Saxons none
Bavaria one during the 15th and 16th centuries?
Saxony one during the 15th and 16th centuries?
Brandenburg 1356
Leon 1296 only if Castile is collapsing, or core is controlled by indie cities.
Khazars 750
Castile same as Spain

Dynamic names extra:
If Khazars are a vassal to Byzantine: East Tourkia.
If Sicily/Naples is a vassal to (capital in Southern Italy) Byzantine: Catapanate of Italia.
If Sicily/Naples is a vassal to (capital in Sicily) Byzantine: Theme of Sicily.
Duchy of Bavaria should be Bavaria's main name, assuming Germany is split.
If Florence is a vassal to Germany: Margraviate of Tuscany.
If Florence is a vassal of Byzantines: Exarchate of Florentia/Tuscia Theme
If Florence is a vassal of Ottomans: Eyelet of Floransa
If Kiev is a vassal of Khazars, dynamic name becomes Tributary Rus' States

Add plenty of horse archer barbarians for Khazars

Edit:
Ok, I know having a more involved papacy would be great but a playable pope seems... ridiculous. However, I'll create a case for it because there's no harm having it on the table in a more developed light for something someone may do in the future.

Papal States:
Leader: The Pope (or Urban II, and Pius II)
Spawn: Rome (everything as is)
UU: Swiss Guard - same as mercenary
Or Apostle (replaces Catholic Missionary) An invisible unit that can spread Catholicism, or purge a non religion. The purge option requires open borders with owner.
UB: The Saint's Tomb - replaces Manor House. Costs 300 hammers? Bonus is +4 culture, +3 great saint points, +1 happiness.
UP: Crusades - Can call and direct crusades
Or Relics of the Saints - Relics produce extra income in Rome (say 4 gold per turn?)
Or same name - settled great saints produce double wealth benefit.
UHVs: for an active or passive pope
1. "Roman Splendor" Make Rome the city with the highest culture and wealth in 1200
2. "The Holy See" Ensure that every European city has Catholicism
3. "The Savior" Conduct four successful crusades
4. "The Inquisition" Purge all non Catholic religions from every European city
5. "His Holiness" Become a great saint by year X
6. "One God. One Church" Ensure there are no Orthodox civs alive
7. "Sacred States" Control two cities in Central Italy and one in Provence (Avignon)

Notes: the Papal States can be implemented as playable either as an OCC with religious/diplomatic emphasis, hence the UU option, or more militarily as any standard civ, but with plenty of restrictions. All provinces with the exception of Provence and Latium should be foreign core. War map and settler map should be small obviously. It should be very difficult for pope to hold extra cities outside of Latium.

The crusades UP is tricky to say the least. A screen comes up with three predetermined cities to send an army to during specific turns(Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, Kaunus, etc). As pope, you choose city and who leads the crusade. If you don't pick the one who obtained the most votes, then maybe one diplomatic penalty that lasts until next crusade. A successful crusade gives pope extra faith points?

*There are plenty of pitfalls: What if Rome builds a navy/army? What if Rome collapses? What if their culture radius grows too big? What if Rome becomes someone's vassal? What if youtien plays as the Papal States?
1. I don't think larger nations should have to worry abut such a thing happening.
2. Immediate respawn? For the player, lose half wealth and culture.
3. Keep radius of all papal cities confined to basic cross
4. Then they influence pope?
As for the last one, we can only pray

*I do like the Sengoku mod by embryodead where expansion counts as a diplomatic penalty against other expansionistic clans. Ex: "Your expansionistic practices trouble us!" To adjust this feature for RFCE make historically large civs a little sensitive to the player's expansion. Expansion civs: Russia, Austria, Ottomans, etc. Smaller/stagnant civs: Genoa, Byzantium, Bohemia, etc. This would keep large nations from being overly friendly with one another and create competitive wars. Hopefully smaller civs can use diplomacy to evade such costly wars... However, this may unbalance diplomacy!

Edit II
If the map is extended eastward, maybe cut the western parts of the map that are mostly ocean tiles and islands (18 tiles). Readjusting Portugal and Norse UHVs would be necessary though.

Reiterating on companies: I think having companies modeled like SOI's will work historically speaking, and for gameplay. I don't know how viable this switch would be because I can't mod. Every company will spread to a city primarily based on history within the province, tax rate, and resources needed; secondly (which will vary) peacetime, war, trade routes, culture, civics and so on. For example, the higher your tax rate then the spread of any company into your lands will decrease, and if too high then they leave. If your rate is low, then the spread rate is normal or much higher depending on how it is coded.

The guilds civic negates all corporation effects. The apprentice civic could either increase the spread rate of companies or improve the yield. Divine Monarchy, Despotism, Theocracy decrease spread. Merchant Capitalism, Mercantilism, and Trade Economy increase spread.

Maybe rival companies can cause a rare one turn revolt if they occupy one city (low probability per turn).