Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Anything D&D pretty much.
User avatar
Zanaikin
Tsunshun
Posts: 4433
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:37 am
Race: Tofu
Class: Strategist 5/Worldforger 3/SW Engineer 5
Location: Lost in my virtual universe
Contact:

Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby Zanaikin » Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:54 pm

Based on two Total War mods I found, one to Rome and one to Medieval 2, frankly I can't believe these are freaking mods...
Both mods seek to recreate the entire Tolkin universe, one in the 3rd Era and the War of the Ring, and one as an alternative history of war in the 4th era...

- mod for Medieval 2: Total War
- mod for Rome: Total War + BI

The hyperlinks in the Third Age mod's factional information goes to screencaps section, and they've really done a ridiculous job at it... complete overhaul of all units, graphics, animations, maps, etc etc. they even have their own sounds and animation teams.

for an example:
Gondor infantry attacking Dragon Claw Regiments of the Lôke Rim
camera1901copy.jpg
camera1901copy.jpg (1.36 MiB) Viewed 10152 times
|

()

"Hurrah, Warsaw's ours!" / "Hurrah, Field Marshal!" - Battle report & promotion notice between Alexander Suvorov & Catherine the Great

User avatar
Laharl
Overlord of the Netherworld
Overlord of the Netherworld
Posts: 2290
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:23 am
Race: Demon
Class: Tennis Player 4/Geek 5/Software Simian 2
Location: Between the keyboard and chair
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1107: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby Laharl » Wed Mar 02, 2011 6:54 am

That...is fucking impressive.


Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pron surfed, weak and weary,
Over many a strange and spurious site of ' hot xxx galore',
While I clicked my fav'rite bookmark, suddenly there came a warning, and my heart was filled with mourning, mourning for my dear amour,
"'Tis not possible!", I muttered, "Give me back my free hardcore!
...quoth the server, 404.-Bash.org

User avatar
littleangryman
The cake is a lie because I ate it.
Posts: 1608
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:58 pm
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby littleangryman » Wed Mar 02, 2011 2:17 pm

As someone who plays both the games on which these are based, I have to say I'm... strongly considering it.

If you have someplace I could download these, I'd appreciate a link. I've looked myself, but had little luck.
"Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently determined fool."-someone

"Man up or I'll beat you with my Peace Prize!" - Switzerland (Hetalia)

"ERROR!!!!!" -warforged barabrian

"Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly." - Captain Jack Sparrow

"And now... let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." -Albus Dumbledore

[CENTER]Image[/CENTER]

Iron Gods battle map: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing

User avatar
Zanaikin
Tsunshun
Posts: 4433
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:37 am
Race: Tofu
Class: Strategist 5/Worldforger 3/SW Engineer 5
Location: Lost in my virtual universe
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby Zanaikin » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:08 pm

|

()

"Hurrah, Warsaw's ours!" / "Hurrah, Field Marshal!" - Battle report & promotion notice between Alexander Suvorov & Catherine the Great

User avatar
littleangryman
The cake is a lie because I ate it.
Posts: 1608
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:58 pm
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby littleangryman » Tue Mar 08, 2011 9:42 pm

Ok, after a few days of life stuff, I have successfully downloaded Third Age. Review pending.
"Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently determined fool."-someone

"Man up or I'll beat you with my Peace Prize!" - Switzerland (Hetalia)

"ERROR!!!!!" -warforged barabrian

"Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly." - Captain Jack Sparrow

"And now... let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." -Albus Dumbledore

[CENTER]Image[/CENTER]

Iron Gods battle map: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing

User avatar
littleangryman
The cake is a lie because I ate it.
Posts: 1608
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:58 pm
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby littleangryman » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:44 pm

Well, I spent all day yesterday playing Third Age. Clearly, I still have much to explore, but here's what I've got thus far.

THE GOOD
-Epic cast: The game features a wide variety of actual characters from the books, each with a "biography" entry under their traits list that gives them unique bonuses.
-Who are these guys?: I freely confess I'm not as well read on the history and peoples of Middle-Earth as some. As testament to this, a number of the playable factions are totally new to me. Also, the variety of playable factions is quite astounding (I mean really, you can play as the Orcs of the Misty Mountains. Who knew they were organized?). Each faction has strengths and weaknesses that set it apart from all the others, meaning a great deal of replay value.
-As far as the eye can see: Huge map. HUGE. No skipping half the book on these guys, no sir.

THE BAD
-I can't build what?: I have found that for some reason you cannot upgrade settlements. I know not the reason for this. Perhaps the right event has yet to occur, perhaps it's a bug, or perhaps it's deliberate, emphasizing which settlements were and were not historically important in that Age. Whatever the case, it means that roughly half to 2/3 of the settlements on the map are useless drains on your military (in the form of order-keeping garrisons), contributing few troops and almost no money. Also, you can't build ports, and must make do with the ones in place at the start.
-Guns and butter: Even more so than Medieval II, of which this is a mod, Third Age suffers from crippling unit upkeep costs (I didn't think it possible, but here we are). If you build an army capable of defending your own lands, never mind invading someone else's, your faction will be hemorrhaging money, out of every orifice, in perpetuity. And (apart from cheating) there's NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT except disbanding your entire military and watching the bad (or good) guys curb stomp you.

*Ahem*
All told, I thus far give it a 6.5 out of 10.
"Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently determined fool."-someone

"Man up or I'll beat you with my Peace Prize!" - Switzerland (Hetalia)

"ERROR!!!!!" -warforged barabrian

"Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly." - Captain Jack Sparrow

"And now... let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." -Albus Dumbledore

[CENTER]Image[/CENTER]

Iron Gods battle map: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing

User avatar
Zanaikin
Tsunshun
Posts: 4433
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:37 am
Race: Tofu
Class: Strategist 5/Worldforger 3/SW Engineer 5
Location: Lost in my virtual universe
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby Zanaikin » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:34 pm

Okay...

first of all, settlements can be upgraded when you reach certain population gaps as normal. I've already upgraded one settlement in this game which unlocked a lot of buildings so I know it works. The game apparently also has scripted Barracks events that unlocks certain advanced level units a certain number of turns into the game. There's apparently a lot of scripted unlocking in this game. Some by population as usual, some by turns as story events, and some by region. For example the dwarves can recruit their strongest unit (Royal Guard of Kaza-Dum or something like that) only if they take back Moria and rebuild that to a Lvl4 settlement.

Second of all, the upkeep isn't that bad. The issue is that the starting map is made based on the books, so your capital is often is a very awkward place which sends your corruption skyrocketing due to game mechanics (for example, Minas Tirith is on the edge of Gondor's domains, and you always want capital in the center). The first thing you want to do when playing is switch your capital to where it benefits you the most. I played as High Elves and switching my capital to Mithrond on the first round changed the ~2500 corruption penalty to budget down to below 400, that's a lot of money. Take advantage of free unit garrisons like normal medieval 2 and you can go pretty far; I'm not sure but I think they have more options for "free upkeep garrisons" than normal medieval 2 as well, so you can pretty much create defensive armies just by merging several towns' garrisons. For me, High Elves have some of the highest upkeep cost for units and I can still field 3 armies fairly early in game.
The biggest con is the lack of peasants makes transfering populations between towns an issue...

Given they have full bios for every general (many I've never even heard of), completed factions like Rhun and Dale that wasn't really mentioned in the movies much, and that their fellowship campaign, based on some videos I've seen, is based on the book--- well yeah, these guys REALLY did their homework.




Found a cool trailer for those not playing, made COMPLETELY pretty much with ingame graphics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CU2dja1EsI
|

()

"Hurrah, Warsaw's ours!" / "Hurrah, Field Marshal!" - Battle report & promotion notice between Alexander Suvorov & Catherine the Great

User avatar
littleangryman
The cake is a lie because I ate it.
Posts: 1608
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:58 pm
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby littleangryman » Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:06 am

Yeah, I just noticed all this as well. What they did was jack up the thresholds at which settlements upgarde, that's what threw me. Instead of 800, you upgrade a village to a small town at 1200, for example. Also, yes. LOT of scripted events. Lay seige to Moria, for instance and the Orcs of the Misty Mountains go wake up the balrog to help them hold on. Isengard takes Fangorn, and boom! The Ents are going to war.And the point about upkeep costs stands regardless, but moving your capital to reduce corruption costs is a smart move.

Anyway, now that I know that all those villages can be upgraded and no longer have three or four settlements supporting my whole army, things have gotten a great deal easier to deal with. Bump the review score up a point or two.
"Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently determined fool."-someone

"Man up or I'll beat you with my Peace Prize!" - Switzerland (Hetalia)

"ERROR!!!!!" -warforged barabrian

"Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly." - Captain Jack Sparrow

"And now... let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." -Albus Dumbledore

[CENTER]Image[/CENTER]

Iron Gods battle map: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing

User avatar
Mr_Praetorian
High Lord of Ham
Posts: 3473
Joined: Mon May 01, 2006 2:57 am
Race: Paragon Gelatinous Cube
Class: The Classiest
Location: Charm City
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby Mr_Praetorian » Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:13 am

How 'bout some screen shots, fellas?
You! Your character's build displeases me! Come to the boards for nerfing!

Active Characters:


User avatar
Zanaikin
Tsunshun
Posts: 4433
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:37 am
Race: Tofu
Class: Strategist 5/Worldforger 3/SW Engineer 5
Location: Lost in my virtual universe
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby Zanaikin » Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:21 am

How do you take scrncaps in this game anyhow? since the prntscreen button just grabs a black screen and people say it's suppose to put a screencap into a folder somewhere but I haven't found it...

Otherwise there are so stuff I'd want to share. Was fighting a bridge battle defending Rivendel against an orc army x3 mine. The front line was completely destroyed (the elven swordsmen never routed, died to the last man, impressive as hell) and Elrond was separated from his 6 remaining bodyguards and surrounded by orcs. So much blood on him... had to send in an archer company into melee to get him back out. Eventually won the battle since they never reached my light archer units who just kept down pouring arrows down--- made a bridge full of dead orcs.

Currently have the orcs of the misty mountains down to just Moria (and 1 random town up north, dwarves can take care of that). Edoras fell against an invasion already, but Rohan's field armies are intact and I smashed into Isengard's surrounding towns with an almost full stack and are just chewing through the reinforcement columns they're sending my way... hopefully Eriador and the dwarves can take the other orcs up north so I can start assembling forces to help Rohan and Sylvan elves against Mordor. Gondor is holding against Harad pretty decently at the moment, and somehow the Dale is actually managing against Rhun which is surprising... must because Sauron's invasion call against Edoras drew off all of their armies. Poor Rohan.

Personally I like the higher upkeep. I'm no longer rolling in so much gold I don't know what to do with it xD


Scott which side are you playing as? supposedly a lot of the importance characters have special abilities...
|

()

"Hurrah, Warsaw's ours!" / "Hurrah, Field Marshal!" - Battle report & promotion notice between Alexander Suvorov & Catherine the Great

User avatar
Zanaikin
Tsunshun
Posts: 4433
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:37 am
Race: Tofu
Class: Strategist 5/Worldforger 3/SW Engineer 5
Location: Lost in my virtual universe
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby Zanaikin » Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:43 pm

|

()

"Hurrah, Warsaw's ours!" / "Hurrah, Field Marshal!" - Battle report & promotion notice between Alexander Suvorov & Catherine the Great

User avatar
littleangryman
The cake is a lie because I ate it.
Posts: 1608
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:58 pm
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby littleangryman » Fri Mar 11, 2011 9:44 am

Just finished a campaign as the Dwarves. Who, by the way, kick ass. This incidentally is how I found out about the whole Balrog business. Managed to beat him regardless, but he took a HELL of a lot of my troops with him. After that and Gundabad, I got the rest of the provinces I needed by coming to the Sylvan Elves' rescue when Mordor conquered half of Mirkwood. Took me straight to the Black Gate. :P

Anyway, yeah, poor Rohan. By the end of the campaign, Rohan was reduced to Fangorn. That's it. The whole rest of the map of Rohan was painted black. Edoras fell to a Mordor invasion force, and the rest was steamrollered by Isengard.

Also, those important abilities you speak of are mainly to be found (I think) under the "biography" trait, which is unique in both description and effects for each individual.
"Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently determined fool."-someone

"Man up or I'll beat you with my Peace Prize!" - Switzerland (Hetalia)

"ERROR!!!!!" -warforged barabrian

"Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly." - Captain Jack Sparrow

"And now... let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." -Albus Dumbledore

[CENTER]Image[/CENTER]

Iron Gods battle map: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing

User avatar
Zanaikin
Tsunshun
Posts: 4433
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:37 am
Race: Tofu
Class: Strategist 5/Worldforger 3/SW Engineer 5
Location: Lost in my virtual universe
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby Zanaikin » Sat Mar 12, 2011 3:51 pm

No, special abilities, supposedly introduced via characters in the Kingdoms expansion. Only a very few characters have them iirc. For example Elrond has 'Power of the Eldars" which fixes morale and grants combat bonuses.

Ugh, I had Rohan to back me up when we sieged Moria, and even then... 2 units of Rohan spears + 2 units of Eldar lancers + 6 units of Elven Light Archers... managed to only take down 1 out of the 10 balrogs in that unit. Managed to win only cause I sent 4 units around them and captured their town square >.< Rest of Rohan's forces got routed off the field by Moria's orcs and I barely held on long enough to win.
|

()

"Hurrah, Warsaw's ours!" / "Hurrah, Field Marshal!" - Battle report & promotion notice between Alexander Suvorov & Catherine the Great

User avatar
Mr_Praetorian
High Lord of Ham
Posts: 3473
Joined: Mon May 01, 2006 2:57 am
Race: Paragon Gelatinous Cube
Class: The Classiest
Location: Charm City
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby Mr_Praetorian » Sat Mar 12, 2011 4:10 pm

Wait... One of TEN Balrogs?!?!
You! Your character's build displeases me! Come to the boards for nerfing!

Active Characters:


User avatar
littleangryman
The cake is a lie because I ate it.
Posts: 1608
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:58 pm
Contact:

Re: Third Age/Fourth Age (Tolkinverse) Total War

Postby littleangryman » Sat Mar 12, 2011 7:50 pm

Ayup. They come in units of ten, and lay waste to all they see. Ents too, but if you're ready for them they're not TOO bad. You may lose only half your army. Par for the course in orcish warfare, right?
"Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently determined fool."-someone

"Man up or I'll beat you with my Peace Prize!" - Switzerland (Hetalia)

"ERROR!!!!!" -warforged barabrian

"Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly." - Captain Jack Sparrow

"And now... let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." -Albus Dumbledore

[CENTER]Image[/CENTER]

Iron Gods battle map: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing


[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1107: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Return to “General D&D”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests