SPQR: March of the Eagles

[bondjamesbond]

Here I have recreated, as best as I could, the battle formation of Hamilkar's army against the mercenary rebels that I found on the net.

And you did it! Now I'll try to win with mercenaries again. The main thing is to avoid elephants.

If you imagine the sheer terror that must have surged through the veins of warriors when a cavalry charge thundered toward the front lines, one can only wonder what went through their minds when a hundred war elephants came storming straight at them.
At that point, fear probably reached entirely new philosophical depths — and who knows… maybe that was the exact moment when someone seriously considered inventing the diaper.(Pampers)

[Tobi72]

In an article I read that, in an upcoming battle against an army of mercenary rebels, Hamilcar did not even bother to give much thought to a battle plan. Being numerically superior, he simply sent his war elephants forward — and they quite literally trampled the enemy down, while those who tried to flee were cut down by his flanking cavalry. But later on, others — such as the Romans — began to think about how to counter and withstand the charge of war elephants.

bnvc.png (437.41 KiB) Viewed 430 times

[Tobi72]

My replay. I also lost against Hamilkar in the first game.

Kein-Pardon_-Runde-20.rar

(40.01 KiB) Downloaded 9 times

[Imeror]

Hello!


Since Tobi don't intend to add a soundtrack to March of the Eagles (unless I didn't understood his plan), I decided to put together a 30 minutes long "unofficial" one to accompany the player during his journey through the ancient Mediterranean world.

Here is the link toward the folder that contains the soundtrack : https://www.mediafire.com/file/7l3ycjux ... k.rar/file

How to install :
1) disactivate the mod with JSGME ;
2) Put the downloaded "music" folder into the main mod "audio" folder ;
3) Load again March of the Eagles.

And don't forget to read the (very short, don't worry) "credit" text file !



I tried the mod yesterday (I know, I'm late) and I'm already hooked.
I think I'll start another thread soon to post future add-ons (like this soundtrack or custom campaigns) for March of the Eagles, like what I'm doing for Modern Conflicts. I need to check what factions and units are in the files to see what I could do

Another good mod for the community

[Tobi72]

Hi Imeror, thank you so much. You understood me correctly; I make music suggestions, but I don't make the music available for download myself. I'm really looking forward to new content from you for the Rome mod. The unit list and the list of currently available factions aren't very extensive yet, but they're growing steadily. Currently, the Romans (Republic), Roman Rebels, Numidia, Carthage, the Iberians, Carthaginian mercenary rebels, and the Greeks on the Iberian Peninsula are represented. The next update will include the Celts, the Etruscans, and... well, we'll see. I'm also continuing to work on the tiles for cities and villages, the menu graphics, cleaning up and improving the equipment file, animations, new sounds for new units, and so on. With each update, I try to add a campaign and improve the mod.

Feedback, suggestions and constructive criticism are welcome.

[bondjamesbond]

My replay. I also lost against Hamilkar in the first game.Kein-Pardon_-Runde-20.rar

Tomorrow I will try this mission again, possibly even with new music kindly provided by our French friend who, instead of supporting Serbia, is playing here, as it turns out.

[Imeror]

Tomorrow I will try this mission again, possibly even with new music kindly provided by our French friend who, instead of supporting Serbia, is playing here, as it turns out.

I know, I know... there was a big wave of new mods in november-december, I wanted to try them first
The good news is that the second 2nd scenario of the next chapter is now ready ; the bad news is that I decided to add a 4th mission to the chapter instead of 3 initially planned I have the objective to release it before february.

Currently, the Romans (Republic), Roman Rebels, Numidia, Carthage, the Iberians, Carthaginian mercenary rebels, and the Greeks on the Iberian Peninsula are represented. The next update will include the Celts, the Etruscans, and... well, we'll see.

That's already a lot to start with.
I had the idea to do a Pyrrhus campaign... maybe a what-if campaign. The Romans suffer decisive defeats at Heraclee and Asculum, and Pyrrhus become the king of a very powerful kingdom that threaten both Rome and Carthage.
That could be a fun concept, but I need to try the mod more and continue my WWIII campaigns first.


About feedback : I'm still at 6th scenario of the roman tutorial campaign, so there are still hole in what I saw.
The game design is obviously far different from vanilla Panzer Corps. It fits more a battle-scale than a strategic-scale (and that's good). High movement for infantry, low ranged attack values and close combat inflicting similar casualties to both side ; all of that mean that close contact units need to do most of the work and thus have to replenish often. To win battles, we consequently need to keep reserves to make rotations, that allow troops on the first line to rest and refit while the 2nd line advance. It was really well crafted and represent well the way the Romans fought. The ability to keep fresh troops was key in many battles. I was surprised that you managed to represent it so well.
It is for example one of the first game I know where Hastati made sense to be first in the frontline. They absorb the first damages and inflict some to the opponents, then they can use their high movement to retreat behind allied lines to replenish while principes advance to finish damaged ennemy units.

The only battle I was not totally convinced in the tutorial for now is the naval battle... but naval battles in the antiquity were pure chaos anyway, so it's thematic Send your boats on their boats, and hope the others sink first
The corvus historically allowed something different (transform naval battle into ground battle), but I have no idea how to represent it in any interesting way in your mod.

[bondjamesbond]

Tomorrow I will try this mission again, possibly even with new music kindly provided by our French friend who, instead of supporting Serbia, is playing here, as it turns out.

I know, I know... there was a big wave of new mods in november-december, I wanted to try them first
The good news is that the second 2nd scenario of the next chapter is now ready ; the bad news is that I decided to add a 4th mission to the chapter instead of 3 initially planned I have the objective to release it before february.


There are already new orders here!!!
viewtopic.php?p=1067314#p1067314
While everyone is waiting for new missions, he's playing here )))

[bondjamesbond]

Well, that's it, my mercenaries defeated and destroyed all the enemies, including the elephants, by the 15th turn. Please note the screenshots and replay.

[Tobi72]

That's already a lot to start with.
I had the idea to do a Pyrrhus campaign... maybe a what-if campaign. The Romans suffer decisive defeats at Heraclee and Asculum, and Pyrrhus become the king of a very powerful kingdom that threaten both Rome and Carthage.
That could be a fun concept, but I need to try the mod more and continue my WWIII campaigns first.
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That’s a great idea, and I’m really glad you’re interested in creating a Pyrrhus campaign.
At the moment, I’d kindly ask for a bit of patience, as the necessary units are not yet fully implemented.
For Epirus, key units like the phalanx, Thessalian cavalry and hypaspists are still missing, and I may add one or two more exotic elements once the roster feels complete.
These units are already planned and will be introduced with an upcoming update.
The Epirus faction itself is also scheduled, but this will likely happen toward the end of February.
Once that groundwork is in place, a Pyrrhus campaign will fit the mod very naturally.
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About feedback : I'm still at 6th scenario of the roman tutorial campaign, so there are still hole in what I saw.
The game design is obviously far different from vanilla Panzer Corps. It fits more a battle-scale than a strategic-scale (and that's good). High movement for infantry, low ranged attack values and close combat inflicting similar casualties to both side ; all of that mean that close contact units need to do most of the work and thus have to replenish often. To win battles, we consequently need to keep reserves to make rotations, that allow troops on the first line to rest and refit while the 2nd line advance. It was really well crafted and represent well the way the Romans fought. The ability to keep fresh troops was key in many battles. I was surprised that you managed to represent it so well.
It is for example one of the first game I know where Hastati made sense to be first in the frontline. They absorb the first damages and inflict some to the opponents, then they can use their high movement to retreat behind allied lines to replenish while principes advance to finish damaged ennemy units.

The only battle I was not totally convinced in the tutorial for now is the naval battle... but naval battles in the antiquity were pure chaos anyway, so it's thematic Send your boats on their boats, and hope the others sink first
The corvus historically allowed something different (transform naval battle into ground battle), but I have no idea how to represent it in any interesting way in your mod.
[/quote]
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I agree with you that ancient naval battles were often chaotic, and that this feeling is very much intentional.
The naval system in the mod is deliberately kept abstract, as the clear focus lies on land warfare.
While the corvus was historically very important, it is difficult to represent in a convincing and enjoyable way from a gameplay perspective and would add significant complexity and balance issues.
Instead, Rome’s early weakness at sea and its focus on achieving victories on land are meant to reflect this historical reality indirectly.
Naval engagements are therefore intentionally short, brutal and uncertain, rather than tactically refined.
If a truly elegant and coherent solution presents itself in the future, I am generally open to it.

[Tobi72]

The corvus was a Roman naval boarding device used primarily during the First Punic War.
It consisted of a long, pivoting wooden gangway mounted at the bow of a warship, equipped with a heavy iron spike at its end.
When an enemy ship came alongside, the gangway was dropped onto its deck, and the spike embedded itself in the planks, locking both vessels together.
This allowed Roman soldiers to board the opposing ship and turn a naval engagement into close-quarters infantry combat.
The corvus compensated for Rome’s early lack of naval experience by exploiting the strength of its infantry, but it also made ships heavier and less stable, especially in rough seas.
For this reason, the device was eventually abandoned as Roman seamanship improved.

rfd.png (4.16 KiB) Viewed 293 times

[Tobi72]

I initially gave the quinquereme with the corvus to Carthage because Carthage historically developed and operated this ship type earlier and with far greater naval experience.
In the early stages of the war, Rome’s heavy ships were still experimental, and several Roman vessels were captured by the Carthaginians, for example during the fighting around Lipara.
Because of this overlap and close technological similarity, I decided to design a single base model for the quinquereme.
Later on, the Roman version will be differentiated through sails, flags and timing, rather than through an entirely separate model.
This approach keeps the visuals consistent while still reflecting the historical development of both navies.

Quinquereme.png (92.14 KiB) Viewed 286 times

[bondjamesbond]

I particularly enjoyed the naval battles, especially when the pirates land on the shore. It is quite similar to the ancient counterpart of the modern marine corps.


I hope there will be missions for them too, because robbing and capturing slaves is their destiny )))


You can also make ships with catapults and flamethrowers )))

[Tobi72]

Those who are used to being able to fire at another ship from several hexes away may be somewhat disappointed by the antiquated ship-to-ship combat system.Later on, more specialized naval units such as artillery or catapult ships may be added to the roster.
These would represent the technological developments of the later period and provide some additional variety.
However, the overall focus of the mod will remain firmly on land warfare.
Naval battles are intended as an occasional change of pace rather than a central gameplay pillar.
They are meant to support campaigns and scenarios, not to replace the importance of land operations.
In that sense, the navy remains a secondary but atmospheric element of the overall experience.

[Imeror]

I particularly enjoyed the naval battles, especially when the pirates land on the shore. It is quite similar to the ancient counterpart of the modern marine corps.

Indeed, I don't find naval battle particularly interesting, but the landing scenario in the tutorial (the only landing I played for now) was very fun.

However, I agree that this "too simple" naval warfare system is enough. Romans were not good sailors, and their naval tactics were very basics. It's thematic and just a sideshow to the land scenarios anyway.
In Modern Conflicts, I advocated for an expanded naval gameplay each time I had the opportunity ; but there is not this need in March of the Eagles
As long as triremes can escort my transports full of heavy legionnaries to enemy shores, I'm happy

[Imeror]

Tobi, I have one question.

I'm checking the scenario editor to see what unit I could use in future custom campaigns, and I see "empty" units :



Here : Legion and Testudo don't have any icon, for example.

Have I badly installed the mod or are these units that have stats in the equipment file but awaiting to have a propre icons in future updates ?

[Tobi72]

Tobi, I have one question.

I'm checking the scenario editor to see what unit I could use in future custom campaigns, and I see "empty" units :



Here : Legion and Testudo don't have any icon, for example.

Have I badly installed the mod or are these units that have stats in the equipment file but awaiting to have a propre icons in future updates ?

No, I haven't added these icons yet because I'm going to revise them. They are units from a later period. Carthaginian units will also be added. One of my goals for the future is to clean up the device file and organise it better.I no longer liked the appearance of these devices, so I removed them for the time being.

[PeteMitchell]

How do you plan to approach the many centuries

[Tobi72]

How do you plan to approach the many centuries

My approach is not to represent the entirety of Roman history in one continuous timeline. Instead, the Rome mod is designed as a framework that allows for multiple self-contained campaigns, each focusing on a specific era, conflict, or historical context.

The project deliberately ends before the division into Western and Eastern Rome. Late Antiquity, the Ostrogoths, or Byzantium are not part of the intended scope.

One example is the main Rome campaign: it begins with the First Punic War and the struggle for Sicily and is then expanded step by step. Each expansion represents a major historical phase or turning point, rather than every single year in between.

The campaign will progress up to the period shortly before the division of the Roman Empire. Everything beyond that belongs, in my view, to a different historical era.

In addition, there will of course be campaigns or scenarios in which other factions play a role in earlier periods, such as the upcoming Brennus campaign.

[Imeror]

One example is the main Rome campaign: it begins with the First Punic War and the struggle for Sicily and is then expanded step by step. Each expansion represents a major historical phase or turning point, rather than every single year in between.

That's a very good thing that I came back on this topic to read this post since ...



... I also decided to start a 10 scenarios long campaign about the 1st year of the 1st punic war like 30 minutes ago
(that's Messana and Regium )

My first thought is logically to cancel mine (after all, I'm just at the start of the first map), but at the same time, I start to think it could be interesting to tell the same events but with our own campaigns
But I'm also thinking that Uzbek will try to find me to force me to continue to work on my serbian campaign if I continue to delay it...