readme_snsc_dm.txt

Streamers & Standards v3.12 Mod for Dominions III 

-*- README FILE -*-

Art and Mod By Zepath the Philosopher

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UPDATES FOR v3.12:

-New Early Ages nation Lanka given a new flag

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UPDATES FOR v3.11:

-Late Ages Pangaea given a revised flag with more color and carrion vines 

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UPDATES FOR v3.1:

-Pangaea's flags revamped with new art thanks to the suggestions of Zen from the Shrapnel Games message boards
-Late Ages Ulm given a new icon depicting an armored fist grasping a blood red crescent
-T'ien Ch'i's flags given a darker salmon color
-Serpents on Early and Late Ages C'tis flags given a higher contrast to make them more visible
-Early Ages Abysia given a new icon depicting the flaming fist of the Anointed of Rhaux

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This mod simply replaces all the national flags as well as the independent province flag with flags of my own design.  This mod began as a Dominions II mod that I created in early 2006, toward the end of that game's primary run.  I was a little unsatisfied with the original flag artwork in D2 and couldn't find a mod that filled the niche in quite the way I wanted so I drew my own.  Now that Dominions III is out (and glorious) I thought it would be great to update this!  The original D2 mod also included unique GUIs for each of the nations.  In time I hope to incorporate new GUIs for the D3 nations as well.  (I'm working on finding enough appropriate fantasy art to match each of the fifty or so nations!)

A bit about the flags...

I have tried to make the national flags reflect more closely the histories put forward in the game and manual by the developers as well as incorporate elements from the real-world histories and mythologies on which they were based.  Take a look at Ermor's flags and you'll see this idea at work.  I've tried to keep the artwork (a pixel-by-pixel affair, usually) as clean as possible so the flags come out nice on the map.  The new flags are a bit "taller" than the originals, but this is mostly because the icons attached on top are larger than on the standard flags.  To get a look at all the flags in this mod at once, open the preview.bmp image file in the /snsc directory.

Confused?

If you can't figure it out:

1) The symbol on the Arcoscephale flags is the Greek letter Lambda that the Spartans displayed on their shields.  The Late Ages flag has an icon that I inteded to be a mix of a falcon and Ahura Mazda.

2) The letters on the Early Ages Ermor flag stand for "Senatus Populusque Eldregatum", a play on "SPQR" of the Roman Empire.  The letters are gone in the Middle Ages once the Death Cult takes over the empire.

3) That is a sarsen upright (Stonehenge-style monument) in front of some trees on the Marverni flag.

4) The Sauromatia flag has a horse and a serpent on it.

5) The orbs on the Early Ages T'ien Ch'i flag are meant to represent the Five Elements of both Dominions and real-world myth: wood, earth, fire, metal, and water.  The Late Ages T'ien Chi flag has horses on it symbolizing the Mongol (barbarian) invasions.

6) The Mictlan flags have blood on them, pouring from a bowl (and from the sky in the case of the Late Ages), and the Middle Ages Mictlan flag has a coatl on it.

7) That's a winged magical ice sword on the Caelum flags.

8) The serpents and vines on the C'tis flags surround a pyramid.

9) Those are ravens on the Helheim flag (associated with Odin) and they migrate to the Vanheim flag in the Middle Ages although the noose on the Helheim flag does not.

10) That's a wolfskin draped over the Niefel/Jotunheim flags.

11) The two symbols shown on the Yomi/Shinuyama/Jomon flags mean land (on Yomi/Shinuyama) and sun or day (on Jomon).  Together they form the word for Japan in Japanese and other languages.

12) That's the Dark Crystal and two Deep One antennae on the Early Ages Atlantis flag, the Coral Towers on the Middle Ages flag, and a glacier on the Late Ages flag.

13) That's an Aboleth on the Early Ages R'lyeh flag.

14) The Chalice is shown on the Middle Ages Marignon flag.

In a few places I have taken in-game graphics from D3 and used them to build pieces of the flags (the Ermorian skull, the wings on the Caelum flag, and the excellent icons from the Bandar Log flags), but all other artwork in the mod is original.

Enjoy!

If you have comments or suggestions (especially if I'm wrong about some historical representation), find me on the official message boards at shrapnelcommunity.com or send me an email at evarmy98x@yahoo.com.