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What is Everyone Playing These Days?
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| Ftoomsh | Date: Wednesday, 22/May/2013, 6:54 AM | Message # 1 |
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Group: Modders
Messages: 124
Status: Offline
| Hi, everyone. I want to get an idea of what everyone is playing now. I didn't want to do it as as poll but as more of a discussion.
First, to fill in about myself. I play Cossacks I OC Mod Balanced with Clausewitz regularly. We are the only OC Mod players left on GSC Shell that we know of and we are actually playing and still rebalancing a Mod of the OC Mod. The original OC Mod was by Davout. I also play Forged Alliance on the FAF (Forged Alliance Forever) server sometimes.
OC Mod addressed most of the issues that advocates of historical realism, like Nowy, are concerned about. So if you want to play more realistic games, at least on land, then consider getting back into OC Mod but using my rebalanced files (mods01.gs1 and mods02.gs1) to replace the OC Mod files of the same name. If you are interested, we can discuss how to get modded up for this game.
Of course, if you are playing other games like CII, FB, etc. or modsof them please post about that too.
Finally, there are two styles of games in this arena. Please bear with me if you already know these facts. There are RTS (Real Time Strategy) games and Battlefield games. Cossacks I and OC Mod, for example, are RTS. Some the mods the Hawkes of the Field play are Battlefield games. In RTS, the game commences with a few resources and you have to build an economy and then build an army. In battlefield games, the game commences with armies of set sizes already lined up for battle or within close marching distance of making contact.
My preference is for RTS. I like the build-up process, expansion process and the small clashes before big clashes and so on. I actually feel OC Mod is still the best Napoleonic era game or Mod ever made. In big games, we reach populations of about 1,500 peasants and 5,000 unit armies per player in 1v1. You have to use formations or you will lose badly. This is playing from zero peace time on 2x land maps with just 1,000 of each resource and lean mines. OC Mod still has faults of course. Many faults are in the engine. However, despite the faults it is still a great game. Because of the way Davout built the Mod, your armies tend to have historically accurate ratios of infantry, cavalry and artiellry. Relative unit and formation strengths and abilities are about right too. Can anyone name me another RTS game or mod of that era or close it that requires formations and features armies of 5,000 or greater in the later stages of a long game on nice big maps?
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| Daddio | Date: Thursday, 23/May/2013, 1:26 AM | Message # 2 |
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Marquis
Group: Moderators
Messages: 431
Status: Offline
| Well still playing C2, though I lost my playing buddy, (He got a new pc after his old one crashed for good, and we have not been able to get the game up with windows 8 64bit.) I have been playing a little c1 mod1 as well. but it is amazing how much I have lost over the years.
Tried OC mod back in the day. But don't have it installed at the moment.
http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b455/Billy_Jo_Patrick/cossacks2_art_03_zpsel8tgwad.jpg
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| Nowy | Date: Thursday, 23/May/2013, 9:51 AM | Message # 3 |
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Marquis
Group: Users
Messages: 320
Status: Offline
| I still play C2 BfE (single play) time to time. This is the best RTS based on horse and musket or gun powder era.
However there are many faults and many things could be fixed or improved, but this game works smoothly and include many fine ideas.
It could be fine base for modding.
What a pitty that today nobody develop that style games, especially these based on Napoleonic era.
Sometimes I also play C1 BTW and HWK mod to AC FB. These two older games looks worse than C2 and had some glitches, especially with AI.
Bad balance, wrongly chosen units statistics, wrong tactics, crowded and too bloody combats can spoil the fun in these games too.
Nevertheless these games allow smoothly play with few thousands units on quite big maps.
There are many simplifications and gamplays prefer fast clickers, but these allow play large scale battles.
HWK mod looks quite interesting, there are fine units, better statistics, but still strange combats.
Did not tried Mod 1, because it did not want to work on my computer.
However this mod was instaled together with C1 BTW, but strangely I can not start this mod, can not find Mod.exe file.
Also did not try OC mod. My computer did not allow download this mod from that site whcih was linked on cossacksword.
I was not so interested in this type of warfare, but maybe one day I could try test this game.
Then sombody could put this OC mod on other site, more situable to download.
I tried a little 17 HH mod for C1. This mod include some new features, but these did not help too much. Gameplay here was little bit slower, but balance was strange and game did not work so smoothly. It looks that formations and old units works better in original C1 BTW.
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| EbelAngel | Date: Thursday, 23/May/2013, 10:52 AM | Message # 4 |
 Site Administrator
Group: Administrators
Messages: 996
Status: Offline
| Quote (Nowy) can not find Mod.exe file.
Quote (Nowy) My computer did not allow download this mod from that site whcih was linked on cossacksword.
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| Ftoomsh | Date: Thursday, 23/May/2013, 11:30 AM | Message # 5 |
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Count
Group: Modders
Messages: 124
Status: Offline
| One thing we could try is this. I mean if people are interested. We could try a bit of cross-playing of each others' favourite games. In other words, for example, Daddio, Nowy and EbelAngel get kitted up with OC Mod Balanced. And Clausewitz and I get kitted up for Cossacks 2. Then, a volunteer trainer, me for OC Mod Balanced, trains people up in the basics of each game. Then we meet on the server shell (GSC or equivalent I guess) once a week and play 2v2 or 3v3 depending on how many players we get. We change the game each week. We pick sides with one expert and one novice on each, that sort of thing.
Communities can tend to splinter when games proliferate and we go to different games. Being prepared to play our non-favourite games as well as our favourite game, on a rotation basis, might just get more community going. Then again, you might have plenty of community games happening now in games I don't play currently.
Let me know what you think.
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| Nowy | Date: Thursday, 23/May/2013, 1:04 PM | Message # 6 |
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Marquis
Group: Users
Messages: 320
Status: Offline
| Quote ("EbelAngel") can not find Mod.exe file.
Its clancher.exe , i'm sure that's what it says in the readme.
Hmm, I even tried this earlier, but strangely enough this clancher.exe started only original (vanila) C1 BTW V1.35 game.
I thougth that it should start C1 m1.35.
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| Daddio | Date: Friday, 24/May/2013, 2:03 AM | Message # 7 |
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Marquis
Group: Moderators
Messages: 431
Status: Offline
| Always up for a good game.
Where can I get a OC balanced mod?
http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b455/Billy_Jo_Patrick/cossacks2_art_03_zpsel8tgwad.jpg
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| Ftoomsh | Date: Friday, 24/May/2013, 4:28 AM | Message # 8 |
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Count
Group: Modders
Messages: 124
Status: Offline
| Quote (Daddio) Where can I get a OC balanced mod?
OK, first make sure you have Davout's standard OC MOD installed. Then all you need to do is download the new mods01.gs1 and mods02.fs1 files from my cloud. Send me a personal email and I will reply with a link to the files. Hopefully, you can see my personal email in my profile. In case you can't I will send you a personal cossacksworld message with my email address.
Change the extensions of your existing mods files to .bak (to keep them as backups) and copy the new files into OC Mod.
Now, a number of notes about OC Mod Balanced.
First, remember it is still being re-balanced each week based on outcomes. Balancing a 21 nation game is quite a task. We play zero peace time land games on 2x maps, open plains low resources, lean mines. We ban the use of shipyards and boats and ships. We often play random nations but not always. Until people get used to the game, we could use short peace times of 10 mins or maybe even 20 mins.
The general pattern is that turban nations dominate the 17th C and close starting positions. 18th C nations dominate the 18th C and need to start a long way from turbans and to get any or all of fences, walls, towers and artillery to survive the 17th C against turbans.
Individual points.
1. There are few fundamental changes to the game. It is still OC Mod but rebalanced.
2. Russia was badly underpowered in OC Mod. It is now very competitive.
3. Ukraine was badly overpowered. It is now still strong but reasonable.
5. France was somewhat overpowered in the late game. It is now strong but not unreasonable.
6. Sides with skirmishers had a late 18th C advantage. Grenadiers, especially of non-skirmisher sides, are now stronger in an effort to off-set this a bit.
7. Some sides, like Prussia, had almost prohibitive gold costs for 18th muskets. These sides are now more reasonable though still quite expensive.
8. Shot rates are slowed a little bit more so cold steel should in theory be a bit more effective. 18th C muskets still dominate though.
9. Life points of 17th muskets are increased from 200 to 350.
10. Life points of swordsmen are decreased from 400 to 350.
11. Life points of peasants are increased from 100 to 200.
12. Three Imperial sides, Bavaria, Spain and Piemont get log cabins for defence. Ukraine also gets log cabins having no stone walls of towers.
(This might not appear historical but it gives these Imperials, which were lacklustre, rather a new dimension.)
13. Sides without fast walking infantry get to make fast walking infantry out of their diplomatic centre. These can be put in formation but not upgraded.
(They are useul in defence to block fast walking enemy infantry from getting into the food field. Then slow tough infantry can clean them up.
This still takes skill though. Later, little formations of these are good as light, sacrificable, scouting formations.)
14. Ukraine's hetmen are moved to the 18th, strengthened and now have a faster build rate. They become Ukraine's staple horse in the 18th C.
15. Bedouin (for Turkey and Algeria) have increased build rate and are now almost counters for 18th C dragoons.
16. Turkey gets an 18th C Janissary which still should not be as strong as genuine 18th C muskets. (It nstill eeds testing in real play.)
17. Howizters can now attack stone walls as well as wood fences, towers, troops and buildings.
18. Towers are now stronger.
There are probably a few other incremental changes, nothing dramatic.
Let's hope we can get some games going soon. I will get myself a headset with mic so I can voice tutor anyone who wants pointers for playing OC mod.
Message edited by Ftoomsh - Friday, 24/May/2013, 4:28 AM |
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| Daddio | Date: Saturday, 25/May/2013, 8:40 PM | Message # 9 |
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Marquis
Group: Moderators
Messages: 431
Status: Offline
| OK have the mod, plus the patch.
Do not have your email address.
But you can send it to me at - bpatrick888@gmail.com
Thanks,
Daddio
http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b455/Billy_Jo_Patrick/cossacks2_art_03_zpsel8tgwad.jpg
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| Ftoomsh | Date: Wednesday, 29/May/2013, 9:10 AM | Message # 10 |
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Count
Group: Modders
Messages: 124
Status: Offline
| Ok, I have sent you the links to download the two files from my Outlook cloud.
Just rename the replaced files' extensions to .bak just to keep them safe and put in the two new files of mods01.gs1 and mods02.gs1
The new mod files are tested and should run OK.
I have added log cabins to some (4) nations. Only problem is there are no progress animations so you see the blank paving and then the whole building. With Ukraine, who do not have paving, you see nothing but grass till the log cabin is finished. This looks a bit odd and is unprofessional but the rest of the mod is great. If anyone can help me with a few animations (ideas or actual pics) for the log cabin build that would be great thanks.
I am still balancing incrementally after games. It takes a lot to fully balance 21 nations. But there are no stand-out OP or UP sides. Turbans are still powerful early. Some other sides have to try to survive early, wall up and make a big 18th army. Then the turbans can be beaten.
I look forward to some test games with you. Initially, I will tutor you if you still feel too unfamiliar with OC Mod (unabalanced or Balanced).
I have updated the player's manual for it. How can I post that? It's a word doc.
Cheers, Ftoomsh
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