Conceptual Content Mod
 

So I was talking to QM the other day about a mod project that I�ve been considering for a while and he�d been thinking about a similar thing. While I enjoy bringing entirely new nations to dom3 and will continue to do so (currently working on lizardmen) I also love the basegame nations and often feel like adding stuff to them, particularly when using a nation that has a very short recruitment list or a glaring lack of national summons.

My original thought was to produce a mod which added exactly 1 national spell and 1 new recruitable unit to each nation, ensuring that this new content was thematically on point and if possible gave the race a new strategy (so a niche unit or spell) or helped balance it a bit. I also wanted to avoid replacing anything currently used by the nation � so no flat out better infantry, no atavi longbows, no pale ones with more suitable weapons and shields,� nothing like that. Instead I might give Jomon a battlefield Koga Ninja troop, or Machaka a pygmy with animal awe for elephant killing duty, or a DN vine based entangle spell that also poisons or causes fear for LA Pangaea.

I like this idea of 1 unit and 1 spell for each nation. It gives a clear goal and everyone can tell fairly easily what�s been added. But on the other hand it�s clear that some basegame nations have plenty of content while others are rather bare � particularly those with no national spells whatsoever. So while I think 1 unit and 1 spell would be a nice minimum to aim for, clearly some nations could use more love than others.

I think a good idea to start would be just looking at the MA nations. At this stage I want to plan things out a bit so I thought I�d get feedback from you fine folks. Any great ideas for content? Which nations need it most? Which have a glaring lack of something?

QM and I agreed that while some national spells could be summons, it might actually be more interesting to add new combat spells rather than rituals, because non-summon national spells are a bit rarer in basegame.

Re: Conceptual Content Mod
 

I think every nation should get maybe a national SC, like Iron Angel for Ulm, Angels for Pythium/Mari, Tlalocs and demons for Mictlan...

Every nation could get more summons. National summons are really cool. I suppose it will be small project first and it will get incorporated into CBM later, like WH?

Oh, I could work on summons for T'ien Ch'i, probably all ages. My favourite nations and I like Chinese mythology :0

Re: Conceptual Content Mod
 

Tienchi actually already has quite a lot of content, especially in terms of national summons. I would make sure it got the minimum 1 unit 1 spell though.

As for making SCs, well the problem there is that they're major features of the nation and quite hard to balance. They're also usually pretty big projects to actually make. I'm not saying I won't do them though. They certainly provide a lot of scope for theme and fun factor.

Re: Conceptual Content Mod
 

We could add many magic/holy spells. For example Holy Light [H+F] giving darkvision 50 [or at least 25] to entire army.

MA TC has some crappy summons [for example that Huli Jing]. Maybe they got better with CBM, but vanilla ones are utter crap. I hope summons here do not become like that. And if that mods is for vanilla and we make lower level summons good [especially compared to other ones] it may be really strange. So adding summonable mages/SCs may be easier to balance for standalone mod, not a part of CBM.

I can sit with encyclopedy of mythology and find summons for many nations, I guess http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif Though someone else would have to do stats.

Re: Conceptual Content Mod
 

What does Huli Jing summon, again? Shapechanging Nature mage or something?

Re: Conceptual Content Mod
 

Shapechanging [into fox] stealthy mage.

P.S. Done some tests - it seems it has some decent randoms. Tested with CBM but I doubt QM changed that. Seems that 3N is basic. I have no idea what other randoms are, but I got things like just 3N; 3N2W2A; 3N1W2S; 3N1A1E. IT doesn't really help or fit TC really though.

Re: Conceptual Content Mod
 

The mod will be designed to work with CBM and will use it as a balancing stick. Of course it will also work with basegame.

Re: Conceptual Content Mod
 

So,.. how about some suggestions for new recruitable troops? Remember we're talking MA only right now.

I'm very tempted to do a bog beast cavalry unit for MA Ctis.

Re: Conceptual Content Mod
 

Maybe you should do a bog beast unit for each nation.

Re: Conceptual Content Mod
 

New recruitable troops? As in, national and non-commander? Non-joke?

Abysia: Fire Drake-riders, a la LA Agartha's Cave Drake Knights.

Eriu: Glamered Slingers.

Any nation that uses Mammoths/Elephants: Some other form of early expansion. It gets old. ><

Marignon: Fire-resistant 'Guardian of the House of Justice' or maybe 'Justiciars'.

Pythium: Is there any way to make a _unit_ that gains bonuses from a communion but otherwise does not affect that communion? IOW, have a 'shieldwall' unit for Pythium that when the Communion Master gains Body Ethereal/Luck/Quickness, they also get, but it doesn't pump the Master's paths?

Machaka: A sacred troop that costs <100g. :p Poison Resistance would probably be the way to go. Perhaps give them a weapon that has a secondary effect of webbing the target? Hrm, basically sacred Bane Spider troops, it seems.

Caelum: A hybrid melee/ranged unit. That way, they could use hold/attack much better, and leverage the good precision Caelum gets on most of its units.

Ermor: Cataphract of some kind? Cf. Nightmare for inspiration.

I'm sure I'll think of more.