Good day

Today i would like to present you the mode named Call to Arms for Empire Total War. At first, i was developing this mode just for myself and didn't plan to post it, but after it grew to significant size, i thought that it would be a bit selfish to enjoy it alone, while some gamers get bored playing vanila Empire. In fact, the mode doesn't add anything new to the game, but only fixes some issues that were, in my oppinion, present in vanila. So, i don't want to talk much and shortly going to describe you some major changes.

• Change of combat mechanic. Do you remember how hard it was to put something against of devastating fire of linear infantry in vanila Empire? Now it's not like that anymore. Now bayonet is as deadly weapon as a bullet, cavalry became more numerious, and artillery can launch a canister shots for significant distances. It's hard to explain everything in words, so you better try it and sense the changes yourself.

• Year is now not two turns, but twelve. It always looked unrealistic to me, when enemy army was freely walking through your lands for a half an year, while you only can stay aside and keep watching this disaster. Now one turn is equal to one month and you have enough of time for strategic maneuvers.

• More historical units. Let's be honest, regarding variety of units, developers of Empire skived in some places. For example, Persia, Mughal Empire and Mysore had absolutely same units, while in reality they were quite different countries with different military traditions! I had to go through many, many pages of Wikipedia regarding military history of each country, present in Empire (excluding emergents, they are in plans for now). So, i tried to reforge the units from historical point of view, and how successfull i was in it, i leave for your judgement.

• Economic development. Do you remember how much money and time was required to develop a province in Rome or Medieval Total War? Don't you think that in Empire economic development goes somehow insensibly? You have to develop more extensively than intensively. The mod fixes this issue and now development would cost you more time and money, but benefits are greater as well.

Mod is built on the basis of Startpos Mod (http://www.internetwars.ru/ETWmods/Startpos-Mod/Startpos-Mod.htm). I give a big credit to the author and i hope he would not mind a such usage of his work. Also, Call to Arms mod is inspired by such mods as Empire Realism and A Proper Empire, thanks to authors for everything they do.

Now regarding installation.

1. Move call_to_arms.pack to data folder.
2. Currently no english localisation is available!. Russian localisation can be added by moving call_to_arms_ru.pack file to data folder. If you don't see the text yet, it might be that you have patch_ru.pack file in data folder. You need to delete it or move somewhere.
3. Move startpos.esf and scripting.lua to data/campaigns/main.
4. In the search field write %appdata% and open the folder. Then go to The Creative Assembly/Empire/scripts. If you have there file named user.empire_script.txt, write following lines into it:

mod call_to_arms.pack;
mod call_to_arms_ru.pack; *-if you need russian localisation*

If you don't have this file - create it, write the code and save as Unicode.

P. S. I have a bunch of ideas which i would like to realise in next versions, but due to my lack of modding skills i cannot approach them. If someone can help me with advise i would very appreciate it.

• Supply roads. Armies require provisions, ammunition and reinforcements, so they are depended from infastructure of the region. In vanila Empire this aspect is missed complitely. Is it possible to make that army suffers little casualties when placed far away from roads or ports, and can be supplied only on them?

• A difficile AI. AI is surprisingly stubborn and looks like does not value neither territory, neither money, neither people. Even when placed into hopeless conditions he hardly goes to any concessions to winner. Is it possible to make AI somehow more "pliable"?

• Coalitions. On hard and very hard campaign difficulties, neighbouring counties are oftenly get allied against of player, as if he would be Hitler or Napoleon. Is it possible to make that either AI would behave more reservedly, or either to be as agressive to other counties as to player?

So, that actually it is. I leave you to try out the mod. If you find some bugs or balance issues, or if you have some worthwile suggestions regarding the mode, please, don't hesistate to write it here, or to my email - a.yerkesh@gmail.com. Have a nice game!