Crimean war (1854-1855) mod

[Ivkolya]

First message is already too old, and some day I'll change it properly. For now - I added all screenshots in the first message

Hi all, I'm making a mod about Crimean war.
Why this war? I think it is perfect for gameplay of most popular and my favorite modes of NW (i mean siege, battle and commander battle) - here are combined large battles in fields (like Alma or Balaclava) and siege (famous siege of Sevastopol). This war was one of the first to be documented extensively in written reports and photographs, so we have a lot of materials about this war.
I am a reenactor and took part in many reenactments about this war  in Crimea since 2005, so I have big interest in Crimean war and have some knoledge about it.

I have not decided yet, how many factions will be in mod:
Var. 1: two factions - Russian Empire and Allies (France, Britain and Turkey - so you can not play battle as example France vs. Britain, for this you have NW) with extra section for winter uniform and uniform of Alma battle (after that battle there were changes in uniform) and so we can achieve sameness in the uniform
Var. 2: four factions - Russians and Allies in winter and summer uniform
Var. 3: one faction for each nation.
I prefer first variant, but we'll see.

As for the difference in weapons - I think russians will be more skillfull in melee and maybe will have more HP. Besides, in russian army also were good rifles, but not so many. Also, difference in weapons between russian troops and french troops was also not so big,  french troops also had not so many rifles as british troops had (and if british and french troops will be in same faction - it will even the odds .

Also I want to make some changes in artillery - es example make artillery crew with 3 bots (1 loads, 1 reloads and 1 shoots), make historical-correct artillery train with 6 horses in it and make cannons be able to move with hands on foot, but I know about module system almoust nothing, so now I don't know how to make it all 

Currently I have some problems with my videocard, so right now i can't work on mod, but it is perfect time to read more about Crimean war and Siege of Sevastopol. And also it is a good time to tell me suggestions and ideas for mod. Also I will apreciate any help, because there is a lot of work and one person will do it very long.

Also - maybe you know guys who worked on this mod https://www.fsegames.eu/forum/index.php?topic=3193.0 and maybe they can give me what they have already done to make the work easier?


Some screenshots (will post new ones on forum and add them here):

Uniforms

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Российская Империя

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Other rank's helmet, Vladimir Infantry Regiment

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Officer's helmet, Moskow Dragoon Regiment

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Infantry

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Officer of Vladimir Infantry Regiment

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Borodino Infantry Regiment

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Susdal Infantry Regiment

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Sevsk Infantry Regiment

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4th Rifle Battalion

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Plastun of Black Sea Cossacks

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30th Naval Detachment

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Cavalry

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Kiev Hussars

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Ural Cossack

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Moskow Dragoon

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Le Second Empire Français

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Shako of 7th Line Regiment

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Infantry

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2nd regiment of grenadiers of foot of the Imperial Guard

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1st regiment of voligeurs of the Imperial Guard

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1st regiment of Foreign Legion

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1er bataillon de chasseurs à pied

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1er régiment de ligne (compagnie des fusiliers)

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7e régiment de ligne (compagnie des grenadiers)

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18e régiment de ligne (compagnie des voltigeurs)

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22nd light infantry regiment

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28th line infantry regiment, company of fusiliers (wearing "crimeenne")

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35th line infantry regiment, company of voltigeurs

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42nd line infantry regiment, company of voligeurs (wearing "crimeenne")

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57th line infantry regiment, company of grenadiers (wearing "crimeenne")

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74th line infantry regiment, company of grenadiers

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Artillerie à pied

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French Chasseurs d'Afrique

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British Empire

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Infantry

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1st (Grenadier) Regiment of Foot Guards

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Coldstream Guards

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Scots Fusilier Guards

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18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot

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19th (Yorkshire) Regiment of Foot ("The Green Howards")

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23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welch Fusiliers)

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28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot

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33rd (The Duke of Wellington’s) Regiment of Foot

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41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot

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42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot (Black Watch)

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49th (the Princess Charlotte of Wales or the Hartfordshire) Regiment of Foot

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57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot ("The Die Hards")

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68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot at Inkerman

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93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot (The Thin Red Line)

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95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot

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Rifle Brigade

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Cavalry

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2nd (Royal North British) Regiment of Dragoons (The Royal Scots Grey)

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5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards

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6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons

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4th (Queen's Own) Light Dragoons

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11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own)

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17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own)

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Ottoman Empire

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Cavalry

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Bashi-Bazooks

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In game:

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Buildings:

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Tower of the Winds, Sevastopol

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Tower of Malakhoff

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Modmakers team:
Ivkolya
Conway
Mechanic00

If someone wants to help (especially with scripts, we have a lot of ideas) - we'll be glad to see you in team:)

[Audiate]

I had a fair amount of work that I never posted to the old Crimean project thread, but I lost it all a while back, I wish I had some stuff to give you.

But I would recommend including the following:

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Factions/Units:

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-British Empire
 -17th Leicestershire
 -Swiss Legion
 -93rd Sutherland Highlanders
 -Coldstream (w/ Greatcoats)
 -46th South Devonshire
 -The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
-French Empire
 -18e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne
 -3e Regiment de Zouaves
 -2e Regiment de Etrangers
 -1er Grenadiers-a-Pied de la Garde
 -Tirailleurs Algeriens ou Turcos or Bersaglieri
-Russian Empire
Can't remember the revised list, but here's what Eugen (who helped change it a lot) came up with
 -Generic militia unit, partisans would be stupid to include
 -29y Chernigovskiy Pehotniy Polk
 -32y Kremenchugskiy Pehotniy Polk
 -30y Poltavskiy Pehotniy Polk
 -48y Odesskiy Pehotniy Polk
 -Greek Legion
-Ottoman Empire
 -We never settled down on any units for the Ottomans, there's a variety to include and research on the units is tough
-Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont
 -Good luck on picking units, this is why we were considering having Bersaglieri as a French unit, and not including this faction

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Talk to the NaS guys, they may have a ship model that's appropriate for the era. Naval battles will be really cool if you can pull them off.

A big issue we had were the reloading animations. If you can manage to figure something out so that the Russian's old school muskets and the rest-of-the-world's new rifles don't look like they function exactly the same, you'd have a big chunk done. It's going to be a lot of the shooting that balances the game, since we gave Russians pretty big melee stats but gave everyone else essentially nothing, which would force Russians to charge a lot and everyone else to run a lot, which in theory breaks up the shooting. That said, make sure Russia has one unit with some decent weaponry, just don't give them amazing stats in melee, and still nerf their shooting skills compared to those of the other factions. This way 1v1 engagements between regiments in a battle can be more balanced.

The cannons you're talking about probably just can't happen, realistically. Most of the changes you could make to it would probably be restricted to just visual stuff.

Get a really good mapper.

And some general advice: focus a lot on improving your modeling and texturing skills. A lot of people nowadays value the graphics side of these mods, since NW isn't necessarily the prettiest of games.

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Best of luck!

[Ivkolya]

Thanks for answer!

[Audiate]

Well that's certainly progress! I like the helmet model so far, could use some defining on the badge, but definitely good.

I'm sure even the best, like Docm, would agree that no modeler/texturer should be afraid to redo certain things. Unhappy with the result? Keep working on it! Fantastic so far, keep it up, and good luck.

[Ivkolya]

Thank you for adwises, Sir Audiate, I'll try to do my best, but I never did something like modding or texturing before, so I must learn a lot.

Talk to the NaS guys, they may have a ship model that's appropriate for the era. Naval battles will be really cool if you can pull them off.

There will be no naval battles. Russians sinked their ships to not allow llied fleet to go into Sevastopol harbour.

A big issue we had were the reloading animations. If you can manage to figure something out so that the Russian's old school muskets and the rest-of-the-world's new rifles don't look like they function exactly the same, you'd have a big chunk done.

I plane to make a lot of historical-correct animations, did not try yet, but I think I'll learn how to make it.

It's going to be a lot of the shooting that balances the game, since we gave Russians pretty big melee stats but gave everyone else essentially nothing, which would force Russians to charge a lot and everyone else to run a lot, which in theory breaks up the shooting. That said, make sure Russia has one unit with some decent weaponry, just don't give them amazing stats in melee, and still nerf their shooting skills compared to those of the other factions. This way 1v1 engagements between regiments in a battle can be more balanced.

It was in real war, the russians couldn't shoot far enough so they rushed in melee charges. Vladimirskiy Infantry Regiment charged british troops at Alma several times, so they lost many people because of far british fire, but pushed british troops back all the times.
I will not give russians like +1000 to melee attack, they will be like grenadiers or guard infantry in NW. Or I will give them nothing - russians loosed all the field  battles because of old weapons, but in siege they will be behind walls of bastions, so they will be covered from enemy bullets. Anyway, we'll see it all at testing, first of all - to make all the uniforms.

And all Crimean war was about artillery, it will be important part of game. In mod L'Aigle they made bot-controlled artillery crew, but Docm30 didn't answered me about to share a part of source code about artillery crew.

And some general advice: focus a lot on improving your modeling and texturing skills. A lot of people nowadays value the graphics side of these mods, since NW isn't necessarily the prettiest of games.

Thank you for adwise, if I'll improve my texturing skill - I'll made better textures, I wanted to make 2048x2048 textures, but my computer is too old and can not handle it.

Factions/Units:

Thank you, I think I made already my own list of units, and some of yours are there Later, when I'll finish the list, I'll write al the units.

Best of luck!

Thank you!

[Ivkolya]

Well that's certainly progress! I like the helmet model so far, could use some defining on the badge, but definitely good.

I'm sure even the best, like Docm, would agree that no modeler/texturer should be afraid to redo certain things. Unhappy with the result? Keep working on it! Fantastic so far, keep it up, and good luck.

Thanks, I'm not a bit a painter, but I learn I remaked badge already, but don't have screenshots, here badge is from photo of real helmet

[usnavy30]

It seems all us modders are preoccupied to our own projects but I remember the Crimean War being desired for a long time. Nice to see people are willing to learn and do modding Good luck with the mod!

[Ivkolya]

Thanks!

[PolarBeats]

This seems very interesting. I am on sold, cant wait to see it. Good luck man

[Audiate]

No naval battles? Naval engagements in the Pacific were pretty important, the allied forces sent ships far up to the eastern coast of Russia to siege them there.

I learned that unfortunately some things can't be translated perfectly from historical context to enjoyable game mechanics. However, I also know that the code Docm used in L'Aigle will likely not work for multiplayer, and is bound to singleplayer only.

[Ivkolya]

This seems very interesting. I am on sold, cant wait to see it. Good luck man

It seems, you will wait for long, but I hope I'll finish this mod.

No naval battles? Naval engagements in the Pacific were pretty important, the allied forces sent ships far up to the eastern coast of Russia to siege them there.

It's true, but I make mod exactly about war part in Crimea, because if I'll make the whole Eastern War (1853-1856), so I must make also events in Caucasus and fighting on Donau and also Pacific campaign. But I want make it historical-correct, I have many detailed plans and description of Sevastopol fortifications and allied fortifications near Sevastopol, and making it is already pretty difficult. And also I dream of make singleplayer for this mod, and globalmap can be only Sevastopol and nearest territory, with bastions and trenches as fortresses in Native. And making naval battles is senseless after Viking Conquest or Caribbean! or NaS.

[William]

Nice to see someone take interest in this mod and try and make their own, it sure was the hot topic back then.

[Audiate]

Still, the boat props would be good for waterside siege maps.

[dooomninja]

nice idea it will be great to see how this comes along

in response to your question about factions, it would probably be prudent to stick to 2 factions, to start with at least. also asymmetric teams are very difficult to balance, so as a suggestion you may want to have, say 3 infantry types, one melee centric, one focused on range and one in the middle.

[Ivkolya]

Nice to see someone take interest in this mod and try and make their own, it sure was the hot topic back then.

I hope, this topic will be hot also

Still, the boat props would be good for waterside siege maps.

Yes, I agree, but first of all  I must make all uniforms and weapons and than will make maps, I noted your interest for naval maps.

n response to your question about factions, it would probably be prudent to stick to 2 factions, to start with at least. also asymmetric teams are very difficult to balance, so as a suggestion you may want to have, say 3 infantry types, one melee centric, one focused on range and one in the middle.

I planned so, later will write list of units and their weapons and characteristics