Rohan! version 1.02 (New Content, few bug fixes)
 

ver 1.02

Been playing a lot of Middle Earth 3rd Age for Medieval 2 Total War, so I have tweaked this mod a bit to reflect some of the things I liked from that mod.

-Tweaked magic paths on Advisor

-Tweaked magic paths on Wise Woman

-Added Axeman

-Added Helminga (Capital Only)

-Fixed lingering issue with militia missing helmet, not sure how that escaped me.

-Riders of Rohan no longer have bows

-Added Skirmisher

-Linux Compatible (Casing)


ver 1.01 (hotfix)

-Weapon/armor bugs as a result of uploading incorrect version of the mod fixed.

-Typos in a few descriptions fixed

-All units who had "Light Lance" weapon now have "Lance" weapon. This fixes an issue where lances are considered ordinary weapons and not one time use weapons that receive charge bonuses.

-Precision on all mounted units except for priestess reduced to 9 or 8 depending on the training of the unit. This makes their archery capabilities on par with other mounted units in the game.

-King of Rohan now only has Castle Defense 25 instead of 32 which was an erroneous number due to the game reading the mod file wrong or not accepting a high value.





ver 1.00
Attached, is the first version of Rohan, an EA nation based on the nation of the same name from Lord of the Rings. I having taken care to keep the nation as close to the books/movies as possible, with very few liberties taken for balance purposes.

All the graphics are custom graphics I did by editing existing ingame graphics. I am very proud of the artwork I was able to do for this mod and the way it plays.

This nation is fairly balanced, a real powerhouse in the early game, but it's power wanes in the mid to late game. The AI plays this nation exceptionally well because the nation more or less is very straight forward.

Here is a list of the Pros and Cons of the nation

Pros:
Phenomenal Cavalry
Units rarely rout
Great protection
Mobility
Special starting commander

Cons:
Lacks high powered mages
Units are very resource intensive
Best units and mage are capital only
Average MR becomes an issue in the mid to late game

---------------------------------------------------

I love playing this nation while listening to the Rohan theme from Lord of the Rings. It is very fun to build massive amounts of Cavalry then charge into battle scattering the enemy. The fact that the King of Rohan starts off as a special commander that cannot be recruited if he falls in battle gives the unit more personality, I was actually sad when he accidentally stumbled upon Ink Pot End during one of my games, watching him gain afflictions over the months, who was going to be his heir? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

I hope you guys have as much fun with this mod as I do. Feel free to bump the age of this mod to MA or LA as you prefer, All my nations are EA because normally I play all my custom nations in my single player games.

I look forward to any feedback you may have to offer http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

Only taken a very brief look so far, but looks very cool. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif The idea of the King as starting commander is great. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

But, I have to ask, why EA? Rohan would seem to fit into MA far better from pretty much every angle I can think of.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

Aye it would definitely fit better in another era. Feel free to change it. I play all my custom nations in EA so I can play them in the same game.

To change the nation to another era, open the rohan.dm file with notepad, look for #era 1, change that to #era 2 (or 3) depending on the era you want to play the nation in.

That reminds me! This nation replaces MA Vanheim. Sorry I had to replace a nation, but I am up to 14 nations now, so I am having to eliminate existing ones http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif.

Enjoy http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

DUUHN DUHN DUH-DUH-DUUHN!! It's more effective if you HEAR me trying to sing the LoTR theme...on second thought, no it's not.

Been playing a small game with this mod and Sombre's Arga Dis mod (will post my thoughts on that one later). Back to Rohan mod.

Excellent job on the graphics Foodstamp. You'd never know that this is your first real attempt at making your own graphics from scratch. Love the King unit as a starting commander.

I still don't really have thoughts on balance. I didn't notice anything being particularly overpowered or too expensive. Militia with some decent moral is nice. I think this is the first nation I've actually intentionally bought militia.

Great job, is what I'm driving at. Maybe some summons or other nation specific spells in a future release would help give it even more unique flavor.

Keep up the good work.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

I took a look at it briefly, and will give it more play after i finish epic heroes, but here are my thoughts:

Great Graphics, I love the nation flag above each province, and the units, especially the calvary which are the heart of the race.

Starting troops seem well above average, with tough calvary available from turn 1, and I have never seen a castle defense bonus of 37 before, but he is a king!

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

From the horse's mouth (pardon the pun), "I KNOW HOW TO DEFEND MY OWN KEEP!" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

I am glad you guys are liking the mod. The nation is very powerful to begin with. When you start facing combat spells, things begin to get rough though. Size 3 with average MR really hurts these guys.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

I am noticing some more item issues that I think are a result of the last patch. Expect an update to this mod soon.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

The server is bugging out. I will attach the new version of this mod to the original post as soon as I am able.

Until then, you can download the file from...
Rohan 1.01 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

Hey, I thought I had the 1.01 but apparently not. The king had a 37 siege bonus.

Good job. I like the king not being recruitable.
Great graphics. Not over powered. almost balanced w/ vinella. I would let someone play this in a MP without a second thought.

Changes I would suggest(but what do I know):

I think the wise women should have old age.

I think Rohan either needs a level 3 priest or a better magic user. Rohan is far too weak in the mid and late game without these. I suggest the preist then it could have a chance at a bless strat.

The starting troops are far better than average and need to be scaled down.

The militia is underpowered, I found that the indy light inf is supereior and come with javalins for the same cost.

Thanks for the mod!

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

The "Rohan Militia" is neither like usual Dominions Militia, nor like the indy light infantry, but is very close to the Dominions indy heavy spear infantry, but with slightly better armor... EXCEPT that although their image shows a helmet, they don't have one in the data! Probably should add an Iron Cap.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

First of all let me say thank you for the feedback. I was pretty disheartened after creating this mod because no one was commenting on it. This mod took the most work artistically of any mod I have done to date and I was getting pretty discouraged, but two new replies, excellent http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I may consider changing the name of the Rohan Militia. I used that moniker not to compare them to the Dominions 3 independent version with the same name, but rather to reflect how they are referred to in books or write ups on rohan. Rohan never has a real standing army, they depend on militias during times of war.

The helmet is a great catch, this is the kind of feedback I love to get. They will definitely receive a helmet in a future incarnation of the mod.

The wise women are pretty old, what keeps them from getting the old age icon is that they normally get 1 to 2 nature picks randomly. Do you think I should bump their age up anyway? I can bump them up to where they are old enough not even nature magic can save them if you guys feel it would be more thematic. Currently I have her scripted for #older 30 which means she starts 30 years older than a standard mage with the same magic picks.

One of the things I was afraid of in this mod was not adding custom spells. Most new modded nations come with all the bells and whistles including modded spells but I could not think of anything thematic to go with Rohan. Lord of the Rings is such a low magic setting, it is hard to add anything magical without taking some creative liberties.

That being said, what do you guys think about a bump to priest levels (as Cor suggested) and some holy spells being added if I can find a way to add them and still maintain the Rohan feel of the nation?

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

I don't know that it is absolutely necessary to give Rohan a high priest unit. Several nations in game have no priests past lvl 1 so your prophet is the only high priest you get. Kailasa and Bandar Log being two examples I know of. Of course, high summons later negate that problem but it takes awhile. So I'll finish this thought by saying, do what YOU think is necessary. It is your mod after all. Everyone else is just giving you suggestions.

I'd been thinking about national spells for this mod as well. Everything I think of takes some stretching. Like a Summon Ent spell, meh? Maybe. Or something that calls the people of the hills, I forget what they are called (Blasphemy!! I know! Looks like it is time to start my annual 'Reading the Lord of the Rings books'.) Or perhaps a morale/defense boosting spell, to show how the Rohirrim rally in times of need.

I honestly don't know.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

You pretty much summed up the spell ideas I have gone through. I thought about having a Summon Huorn (spelling?) spell that summoned some Ent creatures to help Rohan, I base this off the part in the book where the Huorns decimate Isengard's army after they flee Helm's Deep.

I don't think the Hill People would fit at all, they were constantly warring Rohan even before the time period that is the setting for the LOTRs.

As far what I think is necessary. I have found it best to get as many opinions as possible when it comes to modding, then take those opinions and form my final course of action according to what I think after hearing those opinions. When I was working on Haida Gwaii my mod became better to me because people were able to provide different insights that in turn influenced my decisions in the mod to a better end.

On the other hand, I created a mod a long time ago for the original Age of Wonders. I called it the "Heavenly Ruleset" and I changed every version of it according to the opinions of the Heavens Games Community. I ended up hating the mod (I kept this to myself) and even refused to play it in SP or MP once it was finished, a shell of what I envisioned, all because I didn't take their opinions into consideration; Their opinions guided my modding completely.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

That's cool...I meant it the way you worded it any way. Some people have good ideas and others not so good and using what is good is great (Did that sentence confuse anyone? It did me and I wrote it.) I didn't mean to suggest ignoring what they say and doing what you want, just that you ultimately have final say so.

I'ma gonna look at the Battle for Middle Earth games and see if I can't get some more ideas for you. They seemed to do a pretty good job of expanding on the nations. I do like the Summon Huoron though, great minds think alike?



Forget it, no ideas there at all. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

I'm not sure summoning Huorns or Ents really fits Rohan, they feared Fangorn and the trees.

Spell songs similar to those Man has would be more fitting, IMO.

You might include important characters from the history of Rohan as heroes, such as Helm Hammerhand and Eorl the Young. It would take some creative writing, but having more heroes would be great. I can take a crack at it if you don't mind.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

Yeah, they were forever singing. I hate singing. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image.../firedevil.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

Philistine.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

Oh yes, and proud http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif.

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

I had considered both of them as heroes. The issue I had was that both were former kings of Rohan. So if you received them as heroes, you could potentially have 3 kings of rohan which seems odd thematically.

Maybe if they were presented in a way that made them more generic as heroes and in their descriptions they are not mentioned as kings?

Re: Rohan! version 1.00
 

If that is the case, then why not make Hama, and Eomer and Eowyn as heroes? I'm guessing you've prolly thought of this already. Oh yeah, and let's not forget Glamdring.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

You could make three versions, one with the corresponding king in each era.

Foodstamp, I haven't had time to deeply study or playtest this yet, but it looks good, and is sort of my style, as I like trying to succeed with human troops.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

You might have Eorl as the son of the king, and Helm as his uncle or brother, or rather heroes like them not but exactly them. Since it's not a total conversion with multiple LotR-nations and such, not tying the mod directly into any specific characters or time would be what I'd do.

Eowyn is the hero they currently have.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Ah...haven't gotten Eowyn yet or even checked the DM file to see what is in it. Perhaps I should do that more often so I don't sound like an idiot. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Teraswaerto, if you are interested in writing them up as heroes, I would be happy to add them. I can do the graphics if you like based on your descriptions, or you can do the graphics if you feel up to the task.

I think what I am going to do to round this mod out is give them spell songs (as suggested) based on holy magic, and I am going to bump up Eowyn's holy level.

Bandar, if you would like to write up one of your suggested heroes, I would be interested in adding one of them too. That will bring the total hero count to 5.

With 5 heroes, and holy songs, I think Rohan will have it's identity without moving too far away from the LOTR theme of the nation.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Which hero would you like a write up for? I only see Eowyn in the DM file, did you want me to write up of Eomer, Hama, and Glamdring as well? I could, not tonight but later.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Choose one or two of those and write it up if you like. Do not give him an ability that would contradict his representation in LOTR. I can do the graphic (graphics) and I will give you credit in the mod for doing the hero (or Heroes) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

I'll see what I can come up with.

BandarLover,

Wasn't Glamdring Gandalf's sword?

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

You're right, what was that Rohan captain's name?

Ah Ha!! Gamling!! I knew it was something close to Glamdring. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Both names have a ring to them...

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Can Shadowfax be a hero, too?

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

A quick comment on res cost of mounted units: check the #ressize command in the mod manual, the way i understand it (also from some old threads) is that if you have a mounted unit you have to 1) use #ressize 2) give a basic #rcost higher than 1, like 10 or 20 or whatever (depending if it's light, medium, heavy cavalry). Probably it won't change much in the end, from a practical point of view, but apparently that's the intended way to mod cavalry.

Balance-wise, i find that cavalry units have way too high stats, way higher than human elites from other nations. No doubt they are tough guys, these rohirrim, nonetheless i was expecting something like str 11-12 and att/def 11-12, maybe a few less AP, which is the range for many human dom3 elites. But hey - that's just my personal perception of the book/movies. Ah and what about adding an extra cavalry unit with standard human stats (and, consequently, cheap)?

Few more comments before i have to rush back to work: 1) great graphics, 2) i'd give the archer "normal" stats, like 10 att and def rather than only 8, 3) any plan to mod other lord of the ring nations? Great job until now!

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Sube, I just wanted to address your balance concerns.

The sacred Royal Guards have stats comparable to Knights of Avalon, yet they do not get recuperation. The Royal Guards have slightly more hp, str and attack skill, the Knights of Avalon cost less gold, have superior magic resistance, forest survival, an alicorn (bonus magical attack) and better armor.

Considering all the options available to Man, I just can't accept that the Rohan Cavalry is out of balance when compared to other nations on a nation vs nation basis. If I were to nerf the cavalry, Rohan would not stand a chance at any phase of the game.

The AP is actually comparable to some of the higher powered horse units in the game. The reason I went with such a high AP is because of the description of the horses of Rohan being so superior in quality to other horses.

Rohan is all about cavalry, and lowering their stats at all makes Rohan all about nothing really.

Does anyone else feel that the cavalry should be toned down? I am probably not going to tone them down, but I am open to suggestions that would bring them inline so to speak without making the nation pointless.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

I agree, dont nerf the cavalry!

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Morkilus, how would you suggest Shadowfax be implemented as a hero?

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Based on feedback, I have compiled a to do list for the next version of this mod.

To Do List:

-Give Helmet to Militia

-Consider name change for Militia that makes the name more consistent with game naming scheme.

-Add more heroes

-Look into altering resource cost on mounted units to match the prescribed method of creating resource costs for modded mounted units.

-Create spell song type blesses that bolster troops in subtle ways.

-Increase holy on Lady of the Shield-arm and the Priestess.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Well, it was kind of a lame joke spawned from the Glamdring discussion... but how about a horse with absurdly high Defense, Awe (from the end of The Two Towers) and he domspawns wild horses (Shadowfax has to be fecund, after all)? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Shadowfax needs recouperation. He can run for days.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Shouldnt that be reinvigoration?

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Shadowfax, option 1: An immortal warrior, Champion of the Great Horse. Description states how the rider may die, but Shadowfax will just return home and seek out a new rider worthy of fighting on its back.

Shadowfax, option 2: One of the heroes rides Shadowfax. Mapmove 4, all survivals, AP 30 or so, good defence.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Oh yes. Sorry.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Endoperez's option #1 appeals a lot to me.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Is there any way to set up a Dom3 map so Rohan will start in a specific province?

I'm mostly thinking of the Midle Earth map of course....

Thanks, Eradan

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

I could fix you up, but it looks like Dedas has you covered in the other thread. It's fairly easy to fix, so he should be able to take care of it for you no problem http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

There is an inconsistency with upper and lower case letters in your mod. It makes the game crash if you play it on any OS that differentiate between cases - like Linux. The error is here:
myloadmalloc: can't open /home/andreas/dominions3/mods/./rohan/rohanflag.tga

Just to letting you know. )

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Thanks Foodstamp.

Hey are you planning to do any of the other ME nations?

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

@ Dedas

When I update this mod, I will make the case changes http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

@ Eradan

I would like to, but it will probably be a good while. Right now most of my modding time goes towards the "Master of Magic" mod, which still has a ton of work left.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Hey it looks like a cool mod!

Maybe you could make Wormtongue or Saruman recruitable to remedy this? If nothing else, they can help catch arrows! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

i am not sure if this has been done or suggested before but a national spell could be the mustering of rohan. Where they get an above normal amount of their riders for a good price of course. You could give rohan Gandalf cause he did help them alot and he could be riding that white horse of his.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

Why would you make the two enemy mages recruitable by Rohan? Gandalf could possibly fit thematically.

Re: Rohan! version 1.01 (Hot Fix, balance changes)
 

if you put wormtongue in the game rohan would be a cripple of a nation because wormtongue was sarumans agent.