Polod

[Leonnn]

Hello.

This is what I've been working on recently.
It adds a new nation - Polod, which is based (VERY) loosly on polish legends.
As of now there are two eras (EA, MA).
The sprites and desriptions need a little more work, also I'd like to add a few pretenders and some more spells - just didn't have enough time.

Pretenders:
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9567/thmbpretco9.jpg

Heroes:
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/7325/thmbheroesre7.jpg

Summons:
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/7660/thmbsummonsqj8.jpg

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/8388/thmbsummonsnewpr9.jpg

EA Recruits and Flag:
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7984/thmbunitseafh5.jpg

MA Recruits and Flag:
http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/6756/thmbunitsmadi8.jpg

/edit
Fixed a bad attachment - it was a version without spell for MA
/edit
Fixed MA - now archers showing, not molochs http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif
Added 2 spells, one for EA and one for MA
/edit
Added 2 pretenders and summons
- descriptions still need more work :/






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Question - what is the real cap on Names ?? In the manual it says its 159, but if I exceeded 150 the game crashed...
In the end I had to sacrifice Vegetables names to make mine work... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

[llamabeast]

Unfortunately I don't think I'll have a chance to download this at home for several days (going away), but the graphics look fantastic! Nice work!

[Endoperez]

I'd also be interested to hear about the name problem.


Are there any nametypes that are only used in some ages. Oceania should be free in LA, Pythium female in EA and MA, etc.

[Sombre]

Yeah there is a name cap.

151 and upwards don't work. Everything below does.

[Leonnn]

Uhuh.

Another question - is there a way to set names to heroes other than creating new nametypes ?

[BandarLover]

Very cool looking mod. If I get some free time I'll try it, but that being said, I must confess to being rather ignorant of Polish (or Polish-inspired) Myth. So at first glance I can't help but wonder: Why is that guy riding a giant rooster? Why do they summon a giant rooster? What is that skinny white summon-thingy below and to the right of the giant rooster? And why doesn't their flag have a rooster on it?

I'm all for flavor text and would love to hear what exactly inspired this mod and perhaps get some answers to my horribly irreverent questions. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Looking forward to trying this out soon!

[Leonnn]

First off - fixed a bad attachment, now MA also has new spells.

Second - That man riding a rooster is Jan Twardowski, who was a "mage"(well, to be exact, "czarnoksieznik" translates into warlock...) at the polish king's court. There are many legends about him, but most state that he gained his powers in magic by signing with a devil, who he later tricked. Some of the legends state that he is now on the moon (!!) and some of these state that he got there riding a big rooster http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif, others say that the devil tried to get his soul by force, but dropped him on the moon when Twardowski started praying. Also, one of the legend's versions state that the devil made for him a whip made of sand, and so this is the weapon my hero uses http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

About the rooster - polish legends state that this is the form of a basilisk, but seeing as there already is a basilisk in the game, I just twisted/invented something new http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

That skinny thing is a Buka - according to polish folklore it is the devil that was tasked with overseeing witches, so that they don't do anything too evil. It is supposed to have the apearence of a big bony devil. I twisted it a little.

[Zeldor]

Well, being from Poland I can surely help with that mod later. But why name like that?

And I think Polish mythology would rather fit MA and LA, at least EA would be rather some common slavian nation.

[BandarLover]

Awesome! Thanks for the enlightenment Leonn! I thought the giant rooster might have been a basilisk, but, like I said, I don't know anything really about Polish mythology so it could have been they just really like roosters! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Sombre]

Leonnn said:
Uhuh.

Another question - is there a way to set names to heroes other than creating new nametypes ?



Nope.

[Leonnn]

Zeldor:

Poland -> (tweaking) -> Polod

the same as:

Belorus -> (tweaking) -> Bogarus

Thats where the name came from.

[Luckmann]

Zeldor said:
Well, being from Poland I can surely help with that mod later. But why name like that?

And I think Polish mythology would rather fit MA and LA, at least EA would be rather some common slavian nation.

Obviously, there's no LA. By LA, the nation had been invaded. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Edit: Before I forget in my quest to be witty; Very nice mod. Thanks! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Endoperez]

Leonnn said:
Belorus -> (tweaking) -> Bogarus

Thats where the name came from.



Bogarus is supposedly LA version of still non-existent Vanarus, which probably has Vanir.

Still, not a bad name.

[Leonnn]

Well, come on - Bogarus definitively comes from Belarus - units such as Voivode (Wojewoda) or Veliki Knyaz (Wielki Kniaz) or Druzhina (Druzyna) confirm that. Also, some of the national summons (for example Likho -> Licho, Leshiy -> Lesny) - and I'm not exactly a specialist on Belarus folklore.



I added some pretenders and summons, also changed Stryga to the more appropriate Strzyga http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[llamabeast]

I believe Bog means god in Russian, so Bogarus is something like "God of Rus", Rus meaning Russia.

Polod sounds fine to me though.

[Endoperez]

Leonnn said:
Well, come on - Bogarus definitively comes from Belarus - units such as Voivode (Wojewoda) or Veliki Knyaz (Wielki Kniaz) or Druzhina (Druzyna) confirm that. Also, some of the national summons (for example Likho -> Licho, Leshiy -> Lesny) - and I'm not exactly a specialist on Belarus folklore.



I don't know anything about Belarus folklore. I just said that there's also a Vanarus name. Now that Llamabeast said it, I think I've read that "God of Rus" meaning for Bogarus before.

[Edratman]

I do not know Russian, but Bog would be god in Polish. There is much similarity btween Russian and Polish, but I cannot confirm the Russian translation. But I have faith in our devs, so I assume Llamabeast is corect.

[Leonnn]

Polish an russian folklore is very similar, as both are slavian nations (well, not exactly - there are A LOT more devilish entities in polish folklore http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif ). Also the languages are very similar, so the explanation may be true, as Bog really means God, but i still think that the name came from Belarus http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Zeldor]

Polish slavian nations would be have surely a lot of D magic, also some nice N,E,W.

I still think there must be some hidden beatiful name in the mythology that could fit the nation better http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif I am back home now so I can get into that topic and look at the mod.

[Zeldor]

Or well, maybe some blood too...

Here is one article that can be really useful, unfortunately in Polish only [I should maybe translate if for KO so he gets inspired http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif]

here (http://www.magan.superhost.pl/magan/pdf/wierzenia_slowianskie.pdf)

[Endoperez]

Zeldor said:
I still think there must be some hidden beatiful name in the mythology that could fit the nation better http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif



Oh, this is so true. I have the same problem with my take on Finnish myths.

[Sombre]

I will be playing this nation in a mod nations game soon. I shall give feedback.

[Aezeal]

ow on naming heroes, I have a name for a hero but the game puts a name (generated) infront of it. How do I avoid this? If I make a unit unique will that not happen anymore?

Can you create new lists of names btw?

I'm not so into all things with names actually but would like to know.

[Edi]

As far as the number of nametypes goes, the modding manual (the new one) says there are 150 nametypes, of which 127 and 128 are reserved for player use. Everything else is used for something else. If you replace a nametype, then the things that have names from that type will use the replacement names. All the nametypes are listed in tables 12 and 13.

[Sombre]

Overall I am very impressed by this nation. It flew under my radar for a while, but it has a lot of good ideas, a strong cultural feel to it and of course, plenty of content. It's like a sister nation to Bogarus in many ways and a cousin to Ulm. As such it fits in the dom3 world extremely well.

However the descriptions could do with beefing up and bit and balance wise it's pretty off in a lot of ways.

Since I'm going to be playing a game with it this weekend that will hopefully be quite balanced, I'm going to make an alternate version of the mod which will be fairly heavily tweaked in terms of stats and play with that. If I have your permission I will then put the alternate version up on these boards and if you agree with any of the changes, you can take them as feedback ;]

I also might tweak a couple of things graphically. Very minor though, because overall the graphics are fine and fit dom3 well, while having a 'gritty' sort of feel to them. It's just the look of the special axe for instance that I might change.

The biggest change I will make is in making Pols more 'human', having str 11 hp 11 and berserk rather than str 13. This will be more pronounced in the MA version, as I suppose their lineage has been diluted a little more.

[Zeldor]

Sombre:

I don't think berserk would fit that nation. Better to make them well-built men, not change whole concept.

[Sombre]

They already /all/ have berserk. I'm not changing that.

[JaghataiKhan]

I will investigate this mod tomorrow, especially after stopping laughing from seeing the incredible chicken rider.(I read the legend about the wizard and i strongly approve it, some folks can weave insane tales!)

pphhh....the...mighty...CHICKEN KNIGHT!

bwahahahahahaha