Schweinewitz wrote:Which terrain types will be in the game?
The quick answer is all the usual types.
Functionally terrain tiles are rated according to the amount of disorder they cause to various formations, movement rates of various troops through them (if they are passable at all), the amount of cover they give, whether units can be concealed in them. Examples are Woods, Rough terrain, Marsh, Difficult Slopes, small streams, large streams, deep streams, rivers etc. etc. From a modding point of view these ratings can all be altered in the terrain.txt file and new terrain types can be added if desired.
In addition various objects have terrain effects, act as obstacles and have defensive value: such as hedges, low walls, high walls, light (field) fortifications, medium (field) fortifications, and heavy (stone) fortifications.
Also height differentials convey close combat bonuses.
Will there be different terrain graphics (and correspondent values) for the various seasons?
Not at present, but there will be different terrain tile and object sets for Germany, England and Italy.
Can completely new maps be designed with the editor (like in FOG)?
Yes
How many nations/factions (and which ones exactly) are scheduled for the first release of the series?
In the Thirty Years war campaign, factions include Bohemians, Holy Roman Empire/Catholic League, German Protestants, Danish, Swedish, Spanish, French.
The army lists for stand-alone games include one or more lists for each of these at different stages of the war.
Other peripheral factions may also be added, but I cannot confirm this at this stage.
Do the units have historical correct names (regiment names) or just generic ones ('Veteran Pike and Shot"); can they be named/renamed in the editor?
Generic. You can rename them in the squads file and in the text files that are displayed in the UI, but the new name will apply to all units of the same type. So essentially you can only have a different name for each regiment by adding them as separate units to the unit definitions spreadsheet - which you certainly can do.
Can you give us a list of the 20 troop-types?
Actually there are 21, although some of the more exotic types are not used in the initially available campaigns.
Heavy Foot: Foot troops who fight in close formation. These include most pikemen and billmen.
Determined Foot: Heavy foot noted for their exceptional speed of advance, such as Swiss pikemen.
Medium Foot: Foot troops fighting in looser formation than heavy foot and hence better suited than heavy foot to fighting in rough terrain. They are often principally reliant on missile weapons. When not mixed with pikes – see below - they are very vulnerable to a mounted charge if caught in open ground. Medium foot cannot have pike capability.
Mixed Foot: Units with some Heavy Foot and some Medium Foot. Most pike and shot.
Light Foot: Foot troops who fight in a dispersed formation with missile weapons. They are best at harassing enemy from a distance and working in difficult terrain.
Commanded Shot: These are small units of detached shot who have been assigned to assist their side’s mounted troops against enemy mounted troops. They are treated as light foot except that they become “Protected” (which boosts their resistance to enemy cavalry) if they have unbroken friendly non-light mounted troops in an adjacent map square (not including the three squares to the commanded shot’s “rear”).
Warriors: Tribal or other close combat foot not part of the European or Chinese tactical systems, They are often fiercer but less disciplined than European or Chinese troops. They are very vulnerable to a mounted charge in open ground.
Mob: Untrained rabble, usually of low morale, fighting as a disorganised mass. They may be equipped with only peasant weapons or may have been hastily equipped with proper weaponry but not trained to use it effectively.
Gendarmes: Usually drawn from a gentry skilled in horsemanship, these are armoured cavalry who rely on a fierce charge at the gallop with lance. They usually fight in less depth than other mounted troops, and can get carried away in the pursuit of defeated enemy.
Cavaliers: Usually drawn from a gentry skilled in horsemanship, these are cavalry who rely on a fierce charge sometimes at the gallop. They usually fight in less depth than other mounted troops, and can get carried away in the pursuit of defeated enemy. Examples: Royalist horse of the English Civil Wars.
Determined Horse: Disciplined cavalry in shallow close order formations who mostly charge at the trot in a controlled manner. Examples: Swedish 30 Years War cavalry and Cromwell’s Ironsides.
Horse: Cavalry who ride in close deep formations and charge at the trot. They include German men-at-arms and reiters trained to use the caracole.
Light Horse: Lightly equipped horsemen specialising in skirmishing, usually with missile weapons.
Cavalry: Most other non-light mounted troops fall into this category. Examples: Hungarian Szeklers, Polish pancerni, Ottoman sipahis,
Camelry: Camel-mounted troops. They are treated as Cavalry, but they have less difficulty with movement over sand. Camelry disorder horses.
Dragoons: Infantry mounted on cheap horses who usually dismount to fight on foot in support of cavalry wings in battle.
Elephants: Indian elephants, whose strength is breaking into solid lines of enemy troops. Elephants disorder horses.
Light Artillery Small cannon such as organ guns, falconets or galloper guns and drakes and also eastern rocket artillery.
Medium Artillery: Demi-culverins, quarter-cannon, sakers and falcons.
Heavy Artillery: Heavy guns such as full cannon, demi-cannon and culverins or bombards.
Ships: Warships
