Mercenary

[Scion]

This is not an announcement. This is a thread to post progress and plans about a might-happen mod. I came up with this after playing Schattenländer and browsing the boards for screenshots.

The idea is a mod that takes place around 1500 in southern Germany, the alps (Switzerland) and northern Italy. The main idea is that you will be to be the leader of a group of mercenaries and participate in battles to gain glory and wealth.

The exact time frame is not set. One alternatives are: Burgundian Wars, The Great Italian Wars, or right after the Burgundian Wars when
the Swiss Confederation had marked themself as a strong force in Europe.

I will start very simple and try to work towards an alpha release as soon as possible. Reason this is not an announcement is that I am not sure if I will pursue this yet. Ah, I have made some german costumes.


What I mostly ask for is historical information and suggestions for a historical plot. People willing to form a team with me on this is very welcome as well 

Some random ideas/plans
- You reqruit people to your party by talking to them at inns and taverns, brothels etc. Not in party screen as in native.
- At least two categories of elite mercenaries you can get into your party: Landsknecht, Swiss pikemen. My main effort in making meshes goes into these two troops, and then I`m mostly finished for that part before an alpha version.
- Much work should be laid in forming NPCs and cities.
- Battles should be more than a vanilla battle. This is not so easy, it can can for example be done by a series of battles in some smart way using menus.

[Raz]

Awesome, I was thinking of such a mod as well! Feel free to use my landsknecht armour and German great sword:



Nice armours you already have, very good job!

edit: You can count me in for more models if you need them.

[Pellidon]

cool, a renaissance mod would be pretty awesome, i've always thought it'd be cool to hav one. how about fencing for training? or did they not do fencing in 1500, not sure.

[Raz]

Some more stuff I made that could be usefull to you:

[Mad_Hamish]

I've been fencing for about 1 year now so if you need any fencing information just ask.

[Brigadier Hussey]

Good idea and good models (both of you)

[Scion]

Awesome Raz! I woud like those sexy armor and weapons very much  You are of course free to participate in the mod any way you want.

As far as I have understood  : this is the time when guns are becoming more common on the battlefield, and a kind of hybrid armies with both old school swords, pikes and halberds, and plate armor and guns. While the landsknechts use a very conservative fighting style, the spanish way of handling things with guns has been imported into the region. As you can imagine, I would like help on the historical stuff though. While it interrest me to a great extent, I have never been much of a reader.

Since Maw figured how to dynamically use background pictures, I plan to have renders of green Nature landscapes; the alps, Bavaria and so on.

If anybody have good ideas about how to design cool fencing training, please post them. It would be cool to be able to train your men. At the beginning I also would like to have a "master" who trains the player; a man you are destined to face again in battle later in the plot.

[Winter]

If anybody have good ideas about how to design cool fencing training, please post them. It would be cool to be able to train your men. At the beginning I also would like to have a "master" who trains the player; a man you are destined to face again in battle later in the plot.

As always, Craftmod is at your disposal. It has a camp-based weapon master who trains you for money.

All the weapons training code is located in module_dialogs in a conversation with trp_old_man.

Porously,
Winter

[Scion]

Thanks Winter, sounds exactly like what I need. After I have converted native to Mercenary it would be awesome (and it sounds easy) to include. Still taking it cool, don`t know what to make of this yet.

[Hellequin]

I can also think of some ways to do a more visceral training sequence, by the way.  For example, a fencing scene: you temporarily give the player 10 Weapon Mastery and 10 Power Strike and a rapier that does lots of blunt damage, but not enough to kill in one hit, and you regenerate the HP of both participants as fast as the module system can trigger.  Your proficiency will go up pretty darn fast, and it'll be fun while you're doing it.

That would be kind of fun to code, actually.  Happy to do that for you if you get far enough to want that.  Would be a very neat thing to put into some cities in Schattenlander, too...

[Scion]

I can also think of some ways to do a more visceral training sequence, by the way.  For example, a fencing scene: you temporarily give the player 10 Weapon Mastery and 10 Power Strike and a rapier that does lots of blunt damage, but not enough to kill in one hit, and you regenerate the HP of both participants as fast as the module system can trigger.  Your proficiency will go up pretty darn fast, and it'll be fun while you're doing it.

That would be kind of fun to code, actually.  Happy to do that for you if you get far enough to want that.  Would be a very neat thing to put into some cities in Schattenlander, too...

That would be freakin awesome! Train your NPCs and yourself when you`re at it. Okay, sign me up and I`ll get back to you in some weeks on that when it is fencing time 

Some basic german fashion here. Posing done with sword from Luigi`s Collection (TM).

Might have went over the fence with the green guy... or is it just the green color hm..

[Hellequin]

Y'know, I'd had in mind to do that with the PC and the weapons master, but doing it with your NPCs is a good thought... and, come to that, something that's penned in but commented out in my dialogue code with your own party members.  Must remember to revisit this kind of thing...

- Hellequin

[Scion]

Ouch, I misunderstood. I`m not so aware of limitations in the module system if that is the case. The kind of fencing you are describing would be cool no matter what, and I would be most grateful.

[Fisheye]

Raz, I am having a heart attack at the sheer beauty of those models.

[Mad_Hamish]

My thoughts about fencing in mods:

Foil, Saber and Epee are all possible for training, though foil would be useless in a lethal fight.

Training for an Epee would be easiest to implement since everywhere is a target area. Saber would just require very strong boots and gloves. Foil would require the same as saber but also an impenetrable helmet.

How about lethal fencing? Duels? Challenging enemies to duels instead of free-for-all melees?

Duels usually started with each combatant firing a pistol at the other, then charging and using daggers if they become disarmed or get too close for swords to be effective. Here is an account of a duel similar to above:

"Witnessed by R. Deerhurst. Two duelists, identified only as "His Grace, the Duke of B " and "Lord B ", after an exchange of exceptionally cordial letters of challenge met in the early morning to conduct their affair with pistols and swords. The combat began with a pistol ball inflicting a slight wound to the Duke's thumb. A second firing was exchanged in which Lord B was then wounded slightly. Each then immediately drew his sword and rushed upon the other with reckless ferocity. After an exchange of only one or two thrusts, the two became locked corps a corps. Struggling to free themselves by "repeated wrenches," they finally separated enough to allow the Duke to deliver a thrust which entered the inside of Lord B 's sword arm and exited the outside of the arm at the elbow. Incredible as it may seem, his Lordship was still able to manage his sword and eventually drove home a thrust just above Duke B 's right nipple. Transfixed on his Lordship's blade, the Duke nevertheless continued, attempting repeatedly to direct a thrust at his Lordship's throat. With his weapon fixed in His Grace's chest, Lord B now had no means of defense other than his free arm and hand. Attempting to grasp the hostile blade, he lost two fingers and mutilated the remainder. Finally, the mortally wounded Duke penetrated the bloody parries of Lord B's hand with a thrust just below Lord B 's heart."

Here is another similar:

"Fought in 1613 between the Earl of Dorset and Lord Edward Bruce.1 According to the Earl's account, he received a rapier-thrust in the right nipple which passed "level through my body, and almost to my back." Seemingly unaffected, the Earl remained engaged in the combat for some time. The duel continued with Dorset going on to lose a finger while attempting to disarm his adversary manually. Locked in close quarters, the two struggling combatants ultimately ran out of breath. According to Dorset's account, they paused briefly to recover, and while catching their wind, considered proposals to release each other's blades. Failing to reach an agreement on exactly how this might be done, the seriously wounded Dorset finally managed to free his blade from his opponent's grasp and ultimately ran Lord Bruce through with two separate thrusts. Although Dorset had received what appears to have been a grievous wound that, in those days, ought to have been mortal, he remained active long enough to dispatch his adversary."

Here is an example of dagger usage:

"The duel between Lagarde and Bazanez. After the later received a rapier blow which bounced off his head, Bazanez is said to have received an unspecified number of thrusts which, according to the account, "entered" the body. Despite having lost a good deal of blood, he nevertheless managed to wrestle Lagarde to the ground, whereupon he proceeded to inflict some fourteen stab wounds with his dagger to an area extending from his opponent's neck to his navel. Lagarde meanwhile, entertained himself by biting off a portion of Bazanez's chin and, using the pommel of his weapon, ended the affair by fracturing Bazanez's skull."

If someone doesn't make this into a mod I might be forced to learn python and modeling!

On a side note: Nice models Raz!!