Wars of Religion or Philippe II vs Elizabeth or... PREVIEW

[LouLong]

NOTE : this scenario is currently in beta-testing.
You can test the SP version by following these steps :

- go there (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=2250589&postcount=85) and install the file located there in C3C/Scenarios. It should create a TGA folder in scenarios.
- go there (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=2273041&postcount=145) and download both files. First unzip TGA.zip into Scenarios (it should overwite previous TGA files and the you click OK), THEN unzip the texts and copy them (easier than unzipping into) in TGA/Texts and choose overwrite.
- then download the biq file v0.99 here (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=2277758&postcount=166) and put it into your scenario folder then open C3C, choose Civ-content and load TGA0.99.

Please report any bug you see.

You can also follow our MP test (PBEM) in this thread :
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=102165

*****

Hi all,

I am creating this new thread for the actual preview of the scenario.
It is not completely finished but not much to do remains except testing.

The scenario includes western Europe (the Irish clans, Scotland, Spain, France, French League, Netherlands, Maghrib, England and the HRE as place-holder) between 1580-1640 including the French wars of religion, the Dutch fight for independance, the Spanish American treasures and English sea dogs, the Spanish attempts to control North-Africa, the era of the Tercios with leaders such as Alba, Farnese, Spinola, the waiting of Scotland...

It means I am looking for playtesters for next week. If you are interested, send me a PM. I will upload a (secret) beta version next week that needs some testing before the actual scenario is published in the Scenario forum.
The file at the moment is 30 MB unzipped. With the last units and art it won't probably be more than 34 MB unzipped.

So this is a teaser, including 14 screenshots !

Some PBEM players will play test it (there will be one version dedicated for PBEMs) but some other people are welcome. I will provide them with a form to fill in about the different issues (bugs, missing stuff, unbalance,...).

Thanks to all the people who have contributed directly or indirectly to this scenario. But the wrong things are to be blamed on me only :
- Steph for his Cossack conversions (they give a lot of flavor to this scenario)
- aaglo
- Kinboat
- Bebro
- Utahjazz
- Dom Pedro (for telling me there were heavy galleass in the Great Armada !).
- Ozymandias
- Yoda !!!
- etc.... (I probably forget a few but it is not by malice).



Pic 1 : the tribes (civs)
Pic 2 : some of the techs
Pic 3 : pedia description for Matchlock
Pic 4 : pedia for Military Strategy (including new units avaliable).
Pic 5 : pedia for Piracy entrepreneurship (including new units avaliable).

 

[Dom Pedro II]

............

 

[LouLong]

Pic 6 : Pedia for Regimental Orgnanization
Pic 7 : Pedia for Reiter (mercenary troop for both French sides mostly)
Pic 8 : Spanish heavy galleass fleet hunting down North African pirates
Pic 9 : the Golden Hind (England starts with 4 named Sea Dogs) cruising along the coasts of Spanish Portugal. Is this the Great Armada or just a bait ?
Pic 10 : discussing with Henry of Navarra (future Henry the IVth ?) with his strawberry neck !
Pic 11 : England - Scotland : a dangerous frontier ?
Pic 12 : the tech-tree from the English side (the tech-tree looks slightly different depending on the civ you play).
Pic 13 : Pedia for tercios
Pic 14 : The map with the different civs.

Some more infos :

The tech-tree is partly specific :

- The Muslims have a dedicated limited tech-tree.
- the Europeans can research different specific governments
- the Irish have access to only a few techs of the European tech-tree as they were quite backward.
- there is not a direct unit upgrade line, meaning you cannot just research the unit line first then care (or not) about the rest.

Units :
- land :
pikeman ---> pikes --> Musketeers
Musketman --> Musketeers and dragoons with mounted refrom
Late knights (Riders) --> Reform ---> Cuirassiers
0 --> Men-at-arms (weak but amphibious)
Lots of units dn't fit in that because they are either specific (galloglass, highlander), mercenary troops (reiter) or foreign garissons (janissaries)

Ships :
Caravel --> Carrack --> Galleon
Carrack --> War Galleon --> Frigate (or Man O War)
Privateers or sea dogs

Running a deficit (especially with war weariness) is easy so the regular American treasures and the other benefits from Oriental trade are vital in this scenario but they can be captured.

There is a chance for Henry of Navarra if he captures Paris to be able to "build" Paris is "worth a mass" which can get him a strong support of troops to reunite the kingdom.

Spain has a base at Kinsale and controls some North African harbors.

Coastal artillery can sink ships but it is expensive and immobile.

In my tests so far, the civs build up and move navies a lot.

The southern Netherlands are heavily fortified, barricades are supposed to represent the use of flooding for defense but graphically speaking they are not great. Any volunteers ?

No comments at all ?
Dom Pedro, what does "....................." mean ?



For Kinboat
(sorry for the time but I needed to find the pictures...).

Maybe impossible to do because they used various weapons : pikes, very very long doubled-handed blades, or muskets (the ones carrying the musket or the armor had double pay).

 

[Kinboat]

That third picture (especially 2, 3, and 5 of that picture) was what I was thinking of... I do have a question about the massive Zweihanders (? my german's a little rusty). How would one weild such a thing? Would they even try to swing it like a conventional blade... or was it gripped one hand on the handle and one on the 'blade' below the spines and thrusted with short slashes? Grabbing that thing and swinging it over my head would seem to me to be a monumental waste of energy (And I'd probably take my ear off).

 

[LouLong]

handling the "Zweihanders" ? I don't have a clue.

 

[Dom Pedro II]

Also, I'd like to point out as I said before that Ireland is the noun for the country... Irish is the noun for the people and the adjective.

 

[LouLong]

@ Dom Pedro : sure. It is just it is not really a country (in this scenario) so it should be (the) Irish clans.
You are right "Irish" by itself looks a bit weird...

 

[Xen]

@ Kinboat
is thier nay cahnce of a unit based on the pic "lansquenet2", excetp armed in a more "stnadard" fashion?

he loks ripe to be made into a foot conquistador with sword and shield

 

[LouLong]

No real comments after the teasers, only one volunteer !

Is this not interesting anybody ?

 

[Xen]

well it looks well thought out, and fun I would pla it, if possible, but my own PC is broken, and at the momenbt, i'; using my moms mac

though, shouldnt thier be itallian states? The it;aians were never exactley "happy" citizens fo the holy Roman empire, and liked to go delcaier thie rindipendece, which the HRE was usually forced to do, since its amries were ineefecite half the time, and even Barbarossa couldnt secure them

 

[LouLong]

Xen, the time you refer to is the XIIIth century ! This is going from 1580 to 1640.

During that period the main protagonists were the ones this scenario includes. The Papacy is hard to represent in Civ3 terms and the Italian city sates were too many and outside the scope of this conflict so I decided to cut that and to focus on the important civs. HRE is actually having only 5 cities on this map so it is just filling space but it can be of importance as a trading partner. Divided as it was (the war will start in 1621) there was no way to represent it fully on the map and to respect historical accuracy.
In the MP version it is even "out" so that there are only 8 powers.

@ Zulu, if he reads this : should I write the pedia for the Scots or wait for yours.

@ all : should I provide more teasers ?

 

[Xen]

18th century? The itallian states were indipendent of the HRE before the 16th century

representation is simple enough;

Papacy; put a trade reosurce or somthign called 'papal favor' so everyoen wants to caryry favor ewith them, or alternatelly, just a locked alliance with all other cahtolic nations;

for the other itallian states, just divide them up into regions, or just make the papacy, the Kingdom of italy that took place in the north around this time (thier have been several "kingdoms of Italy" over time- at least according to one map, but its possibel that it was just a mis labeing foe th lomabrd league with the area sof tuscany, and apperntlly, soem fo the Papal states thrown in), and the kingdom of Naples in the sout

if I had acces to my computer i could provide soem good maps tio illustrate, but for now you will have to wait until i can find soem over then internet

 

[LouLong]

I think I have maps (lol). Our disagreement seems to be about misunderstanding here.

I am well aware of the fact the Italian states were independant before the XVIIth century.
Actually after 1250 (death of Frederick the second) they were or became increasingly independant.

Now my point was there is no way I will represent all these small states in this scenario. It would clutter things for no benefit.
A scenario for me is focusing on one period, area, event, not a global view of Europe at that time. Hence I chose (or redraw actually) a map where these relatively unimportant (and for sure here hardly concerned) powers don't appear.

If you prefer large scopes, Kubz is preparing one such scenario for nearly the same period. But mine is NOT about Italy so Italy and its various states are not present.
They had hardly any role (even the Papacy) in the struggles between Ireland and England, Spain and Dutch and France and League and these are my choice for this scenario.

Now an Italian scenario would be interesting but it is something else.

 

[Xen]

well, i would at least ask that italy beunder firm Spanish Influence, as it would be more accurate, IMO (spain had quite afew itallian possesions at this time, IIRC)

 

[LouLong]

You are right about that. Spain controlled areas in Southern Italy.
But including these areas would have meant adding lots of civs and since these were overseas possessions that required as much as they provided, I don't think it dramatically changes the balance of power not to have them. I would have prefred to have them but I had to make a choice. A bit like Firaxis did not put Russians in WWII Pacific.

That way the game is going fast on my computer and quite balanced.

Now, I wonder... after this and Reconquista are released, should I finish my project about the "Latin Empire" or not.... ?

 

[Xen]

now what would that be about

 

[Dom Pedro II]

Spain at this time has control over the Netherlands, Franche Comte, Savoy, Italy south of the Papal States, Sardinia, and Sicily.

I'd also recommend including Venetia (independent) and Austria.

 

[Xen]

instea dof ventia, a more powerful 9and, taking up the left over space in italy as the papal states could just as easill be lopped into what Spain controls) would bet he lombard league, which Venice itself was a part of

 

[Dom Pedro II]

instea dof ventia, a more powerful 9and, taking up the left over space in italy as the papal states could just as easill be lopped into what Spain controls) would bet he lombard league, which Venice itself was a part of

Except for the fact that the Lombard League was dissolved long before this scenario even begins.

 

[Xen]

sush.

they still retinaed economic ties, and money has a startielg way of bringing everyoen together into one big happy camp

anyway, dosent matter, i was just nameing an alterntive to venice