Mod: Ulm: Order of the Black Rose v0.301b

[Squirrelloid]

This is a re-conceptualizing of nation MA Ulm. The motivations and concept behind the mod can be found here: http://z7.invisionfree.com/Dom3mods/...?showtopic=399

This mod is primarily intended for use with CBM. A .dm file is included which contains all of CBM 1.84 (except as altered by the mod) and all of Ulm: Order of the Black Rose v0.28b. This does overwrite Ulm: Forges of Ulm in MA.

There is also a separate .dm file for anyone who wishes to run this in vanilla. The only differences from CBM are the armor rebalancing. Everything else has been incorporated directly into the mod, including heroes from WH 1.9.

New .dm file included: MC version of Ulm Black Rose. This should basically be a total copy of Ulm with the modifications, so you can play vanilla Ulm and Black Rose Ulm in the same game. Not sure why you'd want to... The purpose of this .dm is to provide a Mod Compatible version of the mod (see the Mod Compatibility Project), for which it couldn't overwrite a vanilla nation, even if it is intended to.

If you want a quick glance at all the new units, there is a commented out 'test' section at the bottom of the non-CBM .dm. Just replace -- with # in front of all the relevant commands to make all the units recruitable in your forts. (Do note that without CBM armors may behave differently).

All the new national spells are in Alteration, Construction, or Enchantment.

NOTE: The Inner Circle of the Black Rose pretender is the only way to get access to Agents of the Black Rose and Fanatics of the Black Rose. These become spies and assassins respectively when the Ordain Covert Operative ritual is cast on them. Recommend taking Dom10 with this pretender if you want to try it out.

This is a beta.
--A few units are still using placeholder graphics: Inner Circle of the Black Rose pretender.
--There are some things i'm intending to implement but haven't done yet, including 3 more nation specific pretenders and possibly 1 more national spell.
--All stats, spell research requirements, and gem costs are variously tentative. Comments welcome.

Sprite previews attached below as well as a .rar with a graphics folder, a stand alone .dm, and a combined mod+CBM 1.84 .dm. Do note only Ulm: Order of the Black Rose sprites are included, so if you don't have CBM you will need to download the regular CBM mod to get its image files. Sprite preview does not include a few sprites. When i've finished tinkering with pretenders i'll create a final sprite preview.

Modding is of course impossible without some help. The following people deserve some thanks:
QM - creating and maintaining CBM
Llamabeast - writing and beautifully commenting the Drain spell which i've incorporated into the mod proper.
Sombre - a font of knowledge when it comes to all things mod-related
Iainuki - feedback on alpha version of mod
Burnsaber - maintaining Worthy Heroes, whose heroes have been incorporated into the mod directly.

[Squirrelloid]

Fixed a goof whereby I switched the #effect for commander and troop summons. I should really know better than that... Hotfixed, but I forgot to increment version number, sorry. Do redownload.

[Squirrelloid]

Perhaps this is a bad idea, perhaps this is the product of some fever dream, or perhaps this is just destined for awesome.

I present my blueprints/concept design for the Ulmish Flying Machine. Based on nothing but concepts available to early renaissance Europe or earlier (specifically, the idea to use the 'air drill' for a flying machine dates to Leonardo DaVinci - its use in a child's toy is older, and that's the most recent technology involved), the Ulmish Flying Machine will give Ulm the ability to carry small groups of specially trained soldiers behind enemy lines.

It was long thought that the air guild of master smiths was touched. In the head. They kept babbling about man-powered flight, which never took off. They insisted they could get a man into the air solely on the basis of reason and science. The Ulmish Flying Machine is the final vindication of their efforts, and the first one that's actually worked.

Made possible by the relative lightness and superlative strength of blacksteel, plus the forging and welding skills of the Ulmish Master Smiths, the Ulmish Flying Machine powers a starched canvas air-drill on a lightweight hollow-tube blacksteel frame with an aeolipile fixed on a vertical axis and supplied by steam from a boiler below. The machine has a limited flight range, and cannot refuel in flight even if it did carry more water. In addition, the boiler must be allowed to cool before more water can be added, so significant downtime is required between flights. The crew of two is clad in blacksteel so that the machine can otherwise carry little armor.

The pilot sits in front and controls direction by manipulating sails to the sides (not shown at present). He also controls the machine's offensive weapon, a pair of tubes running off the top of the boiler that fill with superheated steam and can be opened to release that steam in an AoE centered in front of the machine.

The second crew member is an engineer who sits in the back. He controls forward thrust (via a pipe of superheated steam that can be opened to propel the machine forward), and watches the water level in the boiler. He and the pilot can communicate by means of a line about two pulleys to which they attach color-coded pieces of cloth, although the engineer can carefully make his way around the machine to speak with the pilot when necessary. In battle the engineer frequently just watches for waved colored cloth instead of using the line.

The platform can hold up to 15 (should be 10, but #poorleader is the closest i can get) additional soldiers sitting with legs over its edge and drop them into the battlefield. Only carefully trained soldiers are used in this fashion. (New unit, to be summoned with the flying machine)

Ulmish flying machines are neither especially safe nor reliable, and have been known to explode, especially after taking exceptional damage as the boiler can rupture.

[Squirrelloid]

New version released.

Sprites:
Martyred Lord of the Black Rose
Priest of the Black Rose
Master of the Black Rose

Fixed a typo which prevented new commander of ulm descriptions from displaying.

Cost rebalancing for spell Whispers from the Black Rose.

Ok, all content except pretender-related stuff is now included. (And potentially the Ulmish Flying Machine, if I actually decide its a good idea...)
To Do List:
-Sprite for Inner Circle of the Black Rose pretender
-Additional national pretenders (up to 3 theoretically planned)

Feel free to leave feedback in this thread or the one on Dom3mods regarding balance, spritework, content, theme, etc...

[Wrana]

Thanks, some interesting ideas, even though I'm not sure about some parts of the basic writeup. And of CBM, of course.
About The Flying Machine - looks great, I think it should be implemented. Some questions, though: is it commander or did you find a way to make a non-commander transport unit in Dominions??? Did you think about muscle-driven design (maybe together with steam-driven higher up research ladder)?

[Squirrelloid]

Originally Posted by Wrana

About The Flying Machine - looks great, I think it should be implemented. Some questions, though: is it commander or did you find a way to make a non-commander transport unit in Dominions??? Did you think about muscle-driven design (maybe together with steam-driven higher up research ladder)?

Its a commander in theory. I was going to have it be summoned with 5 flying units that it could command (who ideally will be the only flying units you ever have as Ulm if you're playing in theme...)

I'm pretty sure there's no way to make a non-commander transport unit.

The problem with muscle-driven design is it just doesn't work. Getting into the air on muscle power, especially at early renaissance technology levels, is simply impossible. People can't generate enough thrust. So you need an engine or magic. As outright magic is worse than mundane means, because this is Ulm, we want an engine. Fortunately, there is a steam engine which is of sufficient antiquity to be serviceable.

I'm pretty sure i could get a scale model air drill + aeolipile to go airborn. In reality. Building a lifesize one would require more engineering know-how than i have, and may or may not be possible depending on material limitations - the major constraint is probably how you engineer the spiral 'sail'. Fortunately, Ulm has blacksteel, which is steel + awesome, and something mildly fantastic working is fine in a world where everyone else just casts 'flight'.

[Foodstamp]

I like the idea of the flying machine. Things like this are tricky to implement though. I had a very difficult time giving draconians air ships in a mod I am working on. Even now, it hasn't worked out the way I like.

I'll keep an eye on how you do it, maybe you can find a better way to implement it.

[Squirrelloid]

Minor version release
Version .27b
-Fixed Martyred Lord base enc.
-Added WH heroes for MA Ulm directly to the mod
-New .dm file for the Mod Compatibility project. Currently fails to work because of #badstartsite error, but the other .dm files still work fine. Really not sure what's up with it. Anyone help debug this?
-Gave them a multihero - the Knight of the Black Rose summon

[Foodstamp]

The Keep of Ulm needs a level so it can display a graphic. The rarity is not set either.

Goodluck!

[Squirrelloid]

Version 0.28b released
-Bugfix: Lord of the Black Rose and Lady of the Black Rose ages are now as intended.
-Bugfix: Priest of the Black Rose no longer wears Black Steel armor. (Had to give him something to overwrite it, so he has a crown and robes).
-Bugfix: MC version of the mod now works
-Rebalance/Bugfix: Priest and Master of the Black Rose are no longer quite so old when summoned.
-New Descriptions: Black Acolyte, Black Priest, Priest Smith.

To Do list:
-Get balance feedback
-Write a new description for the Master Smith (he probably needs it)
-Finish Inner Circle pretender sprite. (i have a rough version, needs substantial work)
-+3 pretenders