Two things

[ingolifs]

Two things, one regarding the accesibility of the game to new players, and the other about troop upgrades.

For the rookie, lombardia is a daunting place. There's so much happening at once, and so much that can happen to a player, that the player will not be able to come even close to fathoming it all. Even for veterans of mount&blade, this mod will hold several surprises at the start.

Lombard leagues needs a good starting quest. The river pirates one just won't cut it. The player has just started playing one of the best mods there is (once LL's finished, that is), and his heart will be filled with wanderlust. He's not going to spend the first week fighting random river pirate parties hanging around venice, he's going to be exploring the countryside, the cities, the castles and all the other locations. Why? Because it is all new. Fighting river pirates is not new. You fought river pirates in native, and you fought river pirates (or the closest equivalent thing) in many of the other mods. It's been done before. Plus the quest itself sucks. (i mean 5 denars for every party? basically worthless).

What the mod needs, is some quest that gives a brief glimpse at the map, and gives you information on what to expect from the mod; the things you are able to do, and their repercussions in the game world.
Storymod was good in this regard; Winter replaced the river pirate quest with a merchant quest that required the player to go across the map to a new place called Dalicia. This served to introduce the new nation to the mod, and people tended to undertake the quest because it was new and interesting.

I suggest something similar for this mod. Instead of a poorly-paying quest that requires you hang around venice, a quest that requires you to go to Ivrea and back on some errand may be much better. Preferably, one which involves some other NPC, (perhaps acting as a hero) to guide you through it, while talking about what's going on and stuff. The quest should involve some combat, i think, because combat tends to be fun, but it shouldn't be too hard, considering the likely state of his skills and equipment.

Perhaps it's an escort mission, involving a priest and some pilgrims heading towards bobbio abbey, or a merchant heading towards Ivrea on some errand. Problem is, it's hard trying to figure out something that could plausibly involve a low level player, that doesn't involve subjugating him, putting him in someone else's army, or otherwise treating him like dirt.

The one thing the player seems to have from the start is intellingence - He seems to ask intelligent questions, and he knows a thing or two. Perhaps he's needed as an unbiased outsider to quell a dispute between two parties. I'm sure Grendel can come up with something.

Also, i feel that after this quest, the player should be able to freely explore the gameworld without getting himself too tied up in the quests which he recieves. So perhaps some sort of level limit on most of the quest-givers may be in order. It doesn't seem right that an archbishop can give you a quest straight from the word go. It would be better if there was a level limit in this case, say level 5, that meant the player would be protected from the harder (and more interesting) quests, until he is at least able to do them.

In most other mods, there are 7 or so towns, with one questgiver per town (two if you count the merchant). Players are used to going from town to town collecting up quests, and fulfilling them systematically. They do this, because the quests are few, and they are quite straightforward. In LL, however, there are tonnes of towns, each one has 3 quest givers (4 if you count the merchant), and the quests tend to be a fair bit more complicated, (especially the bishop ones, which usually require a bit of dedication to get done.)
And this isn't counting all the other quests you can pick up in places, including Grendel's ones.

So, i think the bishop, bailiff and cound should only give out quests to the player, once the player has joined that league. And joining a league should require more from you than just a vow. Something like 2000 denars, to prove that you're trustworthy. 2000 denars isn't that much to a veteran player, but it's beyond what someone at level 3 will be able to fork out. You don't want the game world to open up too suddenly for the player.



Second thing.
I can see some improvements in the area of troops, and troop upgrades and such. At present, they are too similar to what you see in vanilla. I can understand this if it's to aid porting it to the new version when it comes around, but it would be nice if they could be changed for a later version. As stated in the other thread, there should be two levels of troop for each faction, and one group cannot be upgraded into the other. A lower class peasants to infantry group, and an upperclass squire to knight group.

The reasons i have for suggesting this are twofold. First off, it has always bugged me that a peasant could attain knighthood simply from having a few fights. Not only that, but he can attain knighthood from a leader who isn't even close to becoming a knight. It simply doesn't represent the stratified society of lombardia. Secondly, this is more from a gameplay perspective. Once you get to freeman status, you'll be a knight yourself. Which makes it plausible that you can make others knights. It's a reward feature for getting that far into the game. You no longer have to make do with rifraff, and the city trusts you with its better units. While the lower level troops can still be hired from the tavernkeeper, you'll be able to get the higher level troops from other sources, such as the barracks and the contrada captain.

Here's an example of what i mean. Below are two upgrade trees for the units, with a description of each class


Peasant: as he is currently, level 4, linen tunic, pitchfork,etc.
Militia: level 9, some leather armour, okay weapons, some crossbows
Skirmisher: level 13, light bow or crossbow, leather armour
Crossbowman: level 18, heavy crossbow
Retainer: level 14, melee weapons, shield, leather armour, chance of having sumpter horse
Infantry: level 19, either has 1hweapon and shield or polearm, cheap chain mail or scale mail armour
Light cavalry: level 19, has saddle/steppe horse, leather armour, 1h weapon + shield

Squire: level 6, has chance of sumpter/saddle horse, with leather armour and sword+shield
Serjeant: level 20, has chain mail, high quality sword + shield
Champion: level 28, has 2 handed sword or axe, high quality chain mail hauberk
Man-at-arms: level 20, has courser, chain mail, sword + shield
Knight: Level 27, has Hunter or warhorse, lance, sword + shield, chain mail hauberk/lamellar armour
Heavy knight: Level 31, has warhorse, bastard sword + shield, coat of plates, all the best equipment

That was just an example of what i mean. I think the mercenaries you see (ligurians, normans, etc) could be given a bit of an expanded upgrade tree, of two or three tiers.


Oh, and i lie. there's one more thing. The mercenaries you hire have a contract right? they go home after a set time. Because it might be inconvenient to the player if he loses his mercenaries right before a big fight, i'd suggest having the ability to pay them extra for one more day, or a warning one day before they leave you party that the contract is about to expire.

[grendel]

Hallo Ingolifs,
you said: "Perhaps it's an escort mission, involving a priest and some pilgrims heading towards bobbio abbey, or a merchant heading towards Ivrea on some errand. Problem is, it's hard trying to figure out something that could plausibly involve a low level player, that doesn't involve subjugating him, putting him in someone else's army, or otherwise treating him like dirt.

The one thing the player seems to have from the start is intellingence - He seems to ask intelligent questions, and he knows a thing or two. Perhaps he's needed as an unbiased outsider to quell a dispute between two parties. I'm sure Grendel can come up with something."

I agree very much that a new lowlevel start/world introduction quest is needed, and I certainly could come up with something, I am thinking about four possibilities. I could write one quest that end with the player chosing between guelf/ghib factions-and earning enough denars to enlist in it. One that end with chosing between papal and imperial and one that introduces the holy brothers.
My fourth idea is probably very difficult for Khalid to script, that is one large quest that introduces all the factions(guelf, ghib, papal, imperial and the brothers).
I think the three first possibilities should have three endings: one that leaves the player neutral towards the faction in question(and free to chose sides later), one that makes the player a member of the faction and one that make the player the enemy of the faction.
Sadly I am so busy right now that it will probably be a week or before I can find time to write the suggestions. But I would very much like to do them.

[ingolifs]

Personally, i don't think the quest should be too grand. We want to leave the choosing of factions till later, till they've had the chance to explore the game a bit..

As a rough template i'd suggest meeting up with a priest in Venice tavern, he notices your intelligence, and offers you to come along with him and a band of pilgrims. They become part of your party. He is heading towards Bobbio abbey, and suggest you head straight there, and try to avoid getting tangled up in any fights. Along the way, he tells you a bit about lombardia, how the whole system works, the fairs, tax and tithe trains, being able tobecome podesta of a city, etc. Because you'll be riding along with him, the dialogue should be quite concise, with many of the details omitted. (which are otherwise supplied when you talk to any other particular person, such as the consul)
You arrive at bobbio abbey, and the pilgrims leave the party. But the priest isn't stopping there, he's been called to mediate a dispute in Ivrea. (perhaps this guy is more important than a priest, say a bishop or even cardinal or something). He took you along because you seemed a smart enough chap, and your arguing skills might come in handy. The dispute is between the clargy and the peasantry, or something. (perhaps due to an agitator passing through recently). He is called on to mediate this dispute between classes, and somewhere along the line, you have to step in and help. Perhaps this quest can end in one of two ways, with a peaceful resolution, or people drawing swords and going into a big melee. If it's the latter, you're expected to help fight with one of two sides.
This quest would take the player across the map, introduce him to the pilgrimage thing, and introduce briefly to the player a bunch of other concepts in the game, introduces him to a class struggle (initiated by religious conflict), and finally gives him the opportunity to get his sword a bit dirty without giving him too much danger in the first instance.

[Khalid ibn Walid]

Ingolfis,

Two very good points. Let me scratch down briefly my thoughts on them:

(1) A new initial quest would be much welcome. But there are a few reservations I have.

First off, I kinda like river pirates because they fit quite well historically. Piracy in the Venetian waterways was a perennial problem and they did launch repeated clean-up campaigns. So I'd like to keep the little bums and have a Venetian quest related to them. That doesn't mean another initial quest can't be devised, but I'd like to keep that one too.

Second off, whatever other initial quest is devised, it shouldn't be too difficult, a notch below the merchant quests perhaps, so he can build up skills. The problem with sending the player too far off at the start is that the further he is sent, the likelier he becomes prey for Norman or Saracen parties.

Third off, Grendel's quests come in various degrees of difficulty, but they are so unique that I'd like to keep them special, popping up intermittently in random places. I don't think they lend themselves to wash-rinse-repeat in the initial phase to quickly build up skills. The initial quest will have to have a bit of that property.

Fourth, I am not too keen on overly-guided tours for the simple reason that wandering into the unknown and discovering what's what on your own is half the fun. I think my NPCs already reveal too much as it is. I'd like the player to go out there and be surprised by the Holy Brothers and wonder and find out on his own what they're doing there. Or stumbling over hidden pretenders. Or discover how the cities rule themselves. I want him to hear biased accounts of what's going on from the different parties - the consuls present the communes one way, the burgher captains another, papal agents present the quarrels one way, imperial agents another.

In short, since there is no linear story to develop over time, the best I can do to keep it interesting is to leave it to the player to gradually piece the "tale" together for himself from the various pieces as he comes across them, rather than hand him over to a guide who will explain what's what (Cacciaguida notwithstanding).

That doesn't preclude a new initial quest, but I'd like that to be kept in mind when brainstorming for one.

On a more constructive front, and reading Grendel's reply, one suggestion that strongly comes to mind is to have Constable Falier forcibly impress the player into the Venetian service for a spell. Part of it will be river pirate bashing, but that will be punctuated by a few other missions on behalf of the Venetian Signoria that will take the player further afield. Even very afield (one long-run desire is to have him join Venetian galleys abroad, down to raid the Dalmatian coast, say, but I'd rather wait to see if armagan makes sea battling any simpler first.)

So there is a set of Venetian quests, all of them rather simple for a beginner, rather than just one. And only upon release from Venetian service (escape?), can he defect to another faction.

Note that implies making the Venetians a new, distinct faction. I was half-planning that anyway. The disadvantage of this scheme is it removes flexibility for a few days, the advantage is that by being "locked in" to the Venetian faction at the beginning, the player won't stray into conflicts and quests over his head, e.g. the companionship of an armed Venetian party on simple initial journeys may prevent him from becoming Saracen fodder too quickly.

I'll address the second point later.

[Khalid ibn Walid]

Just saw your previous post ingolfis. The priest travels sound like a good alternative.

But, as mentioned previously, I am naturally resistent to spill the "whole story" all at once and inclined to leave it for the player to stitch the pieces together from various sources (particularly since I don't know what the "whole story" is yet ).

[ingolifs]

You certainly are a traditionalist, aren't you? You like your ties to native...

Anyway.

Fourth, I am not too keen on overly-guided tours for the simple reason that wandering into the unknown and discovering what's what on your own is half the fun.

True, but it can also be half the frustration. We want the player to discover the lion's share of the game on his own, but he needs at least some direction first. If this mod were a movie, the first quest would be a preview. Carrying the movie analogy further, if we had no preview, noone would know what the movie was about. If the preview were too long and detailed, there wouldn't be much point in going to see the movie.

to have Constable Falier forcibly impress the player into the Venetian service for a spell.

The disadvantage of this scheme is it removes flexibility for a few days,

yeah, that's not going to work very well. We should provide an incentive to complete some preliminary quest, but we shouldn't force one to do it. Starting up a new game, the player shouldn't have to wade through 25 parties of dead river pirates till they actually get to play the game properly.

I think we should still keep the river pirates (maybe rename them to something more pertinent, like marshland pirates or something?), but the quest to kill them isn't necessary.

[Khalid ibn Walid]

ingolifs said:

You certainly are a traditionalist, aren't you? You like your ties to native...

Heh, heh. A bit. It does ease portability too.

True, but it can also be half the frustration. We want the player to discover the lion's share of the game on his own, but he needs at least some direction first. If this mod were a movie, the first quest would be a preview. Carrying the movie analogy further, if we had no preview, noone would know what the movie was about. If the preview were too long and detailed, there wouldn't be much point in going to see the movie.

You don't think Cacciaguida reveals enough? (IMO, he reveals a bit too much actually). Perhaps it is a matter of tastes here.

In terms of explanations, I prefer a piecemeal route. I am guessing the usual route of discovery for the player:

First just poking around VENICE, he'll find out:

(1) Cacciaguida (background history, the rise of the communes, Guelf-Ghibelline parties, correlation with Papal-Imperial conflict, talks of the status of city nobles & marquises (might delegate that to someone else) &, most importantly, a hint that the player can "rise")

(2) Patriarch of Venice (reveals Venice's distinctive status)

(3) Venetian nobles (reveals condottieri)

Then in the first COMMUNE he hits, he'll find out:

(1) Consul (explains freeman, citizen, city offices, communal independence, city council, role of consuls)

(2) Bailiff (explains royal property, taxes, staples, mints, fairs)

(3) Bishop (explains churches, schools, poor relief, pilgrims, donations, tithes, see-suffragan relations, fervor, agitators)

Then he hits an ABBEY and he'll find out:

(1) Abbey Brother (explains pilgrim escorts)

(2) Abbey Sister (explains heretics & heathens, partiality to puritans)

(3) Abbot (explains abbeys, order of the holy brotherhood, monastic rules, mendicant friars)

Then hits a FAIR (about which he already knows enough from the Bailiff), and finds out:

(1) Tournament Master (explains lists & palios)
(2) Foreign Merchant (explains foreign goods)
(3) Fair Bum (reveals Greek smugglers)
(4) Fair Wench (reveals Grendel's quests)

When he hits TRENT, he'll find out:

(1) Explanation of Papal/Imperial conflict from the Imperial angle.
(2) Explanation of how come a German King becomes Emperor and ends up ruling over Italy (hint at flexible vicariates & pretenders)
(3) Reveals list of Imperial dukes,

When he hits TRENT, he'll find out:

(1) Explanation of Papal/Imperial conflict from the Papal angle.
(2) Explanation of Church hierarchy, flexible sees, & Pope's role.
(3) Reveals list of Papal dukes,

Elsewhere, he'll meet PRETENDERS and their back story:

(1) Hugolina of Tuscany at Canossa
(2) Berengar of Friuli at Castle Garada
(3) Arduin of Ivrea (via Boso) at Ivrea (not yet done)
(4) Conrad of Franconia at Isola Comacina (not yet done)

Then as the game progresses, more layers will be revealed, e.g.

(1) Burgher captains explain the seamy side of the commune - inner city rivalries, noble cliques (towers/piazzas), the power of the Consuls, revolutionary fervor and the yearning for a 'Captain of the People'.
(2) Consuls add more info, explaining how commune formed by conjuration of citizens.
(3) Nobles explain check and balances, the fear of tyranny, reveal their connections with other powers, exile.
(4) Bishops reveal fear of the growing puritan movement ('Pataria'), introduce excommunication, pilgrimage, penitence.
(5) Chancellors reveal obligations like mayfields, court days, heriban.

Marnid & Borcha of course also offer their economic/political enlightenment when needed. Even the bandits add to the story, e.g. explaining the "wild west" status of Piedmont and the Tuscan marshes, merchants explain how the economy of Lombardia is laid out, etc.

And that's just off the top of my head. It's a lot.

I can't possibly have one person give a rundown of this entire story or scheme - not only because it is quite large, but also because it is not finalized yet. Moreover, it would sound a wee bit too contrived for a single person (say, that travelling priest) to ruminate over so many unrelated things in the course of a journey. What excuse would he have to chat about tax trains, puritan uprisings, Venetian independence, mayfield heribans, the black market for church items, and inner-city quarrels in one breath?

You see my point? I have distributed the telling of the "story" among many people already. It is up to the player to piece it together on his lonesome, to gradually figure out for himself what's really going on in this strange land. There is a slight thrill of surprising discovery and multiple facets to one story I'd like to maintain ("What? These kindly Consuls are hated by the people?", "What? I took a solemn oath, now I am being cajoled to break it?", "What? The Abbots and Bishops don't get along?"). The reason I picked Lombardia to set this mod in is precisely because it was a complicated, multi-layered place, where nothing was quite straightforward.

Again, not having a story "developing" over time, piecemeal revelations is all the mod can offer by way of entertainment to break the monotony. I am not sure how a general overview (beyond what Cacciaguida already gives) would enhance that.

[P.S. - I hope I don't sound defensive. I accept your point, but I am unconvinced as to what it would add - or more precisely, I fear it might diminish or take away one of the entertaining aspects of the mod : the bewilderment and gradual discovery as to what the heck is going on exactly. ]

yeah, that's not going to work very well. We should provide an incentive to complete some preliminary quest, but we shouldn't force one to do it. Starting up a new game, the player shouldn't have to wade through 25 parties of dead river pirates till they actually get to play the game properly.

What if we gave him an "escape" option, that he can activate at any time? Experienced players would opt out early, beginners can stick with a Venetian portfolio of simple quests, until they are confident enough to head out?

[ingolifs]

hehe, wow yeah, i see your point.

[phaedo]

Upon reading the ideas for a beginning quest, an idea involving both class struggle and a small term of Venetian servitude came into my head.

Venice, for the greater part of her history, was not on good terms with the Patriarch of Aquileia. This arose from several disputes, including the right of the Venetian government to levy taxes from churchmen, the spiritual hierarchy of the Rialtine bishop as compared to the Aquileian patriarch - at times the Patriarchs, who were appointed by the Emperor and usually thus hostile to Venetian interests, took up their swords and attacked the small Venetian holdings on the mainland. Venice usually enjoyed the support of the Papacy, and as such never really considered the ambitions of the Patriarch to be much more than a nuisance.

Well, suppose upon meeting the Patriarch of Venice, the player is informed of the current disagreement between the government of il Serenissima Republica Venitiae , and is invited to accompany the delegation sent to Aquileia to discuss matters with the Aquileian Patriarch, and emissaries of both the Emperor and the Pope.

Upon arrival in Aquileia, the player can be introduced to the civil conflicts via means of the support of the people for each side. Commoners and burghers typically supported the Pope in such conflicts, noblemen usually sided with the Emperor.

Well, suppose (I imagine that all this supposition is getting old, but bear with me) that the negotiations break down (as they often did), and that a riot breaks out. Well you, as the only soldier of fortune among the Venetian delegates, are called upon to choose a side in the street battle that breaks out among the supporters of Empire and Papacy.

This choice, and the results of the battle that follow, can determine several things. If you choose Papacy, you gain points with the commoners, burghers and the Guelf League. If you side with the Emperor and the Patriarch, you are given corresponding points with nobles and the Ghibelline League.

If you are victorious, Venice immediately disavows you and sends you out into the world to make your own way (Venice usually tried to stay aloof from Imperal/Papal conflicts). If you are knocked out (defeated), then Venice ransoms you and you are called upon to pay your debt to Venice by a term of service to her. This is perhaps where the river pirate quest could come into play.

So those are my thoughts on the matter, take them as you will.

Edit - Oh! And one thing that would be spectacularly cool is, if the naval battles get revamped, for your Venetian squadron to come across a small fleet of Genoese galleys and engage them. That would also give some scope for naval battles and would give players something no other mod except Yoshiboy's Pirates! mod has done.

[ingolifs]

A few questions I have.

First off, i've gotten my hands on the unofficial editor, and have played around with it. Editing troops is quite easy. I was thinking of trying out my suggestion for myself, editing the troops, and editing the parties to include them. My question is, do the troops and party templates files have effects elsewhere? would changing something in either (without deleting, say, a Count, or a mission party, just editing the standard troops) file hav the potential to screw up the rest of the game?

Second question: Is it possible in this build to become a freeman->citizen->podesta the long way (getting elected because you did all those quests, and not because you just went into the consul's test dialogue)

third question: does donating to a church currently do anything besides make you lose items and money?

4th question: is there (or will there be) some sort of retribution for borrowing money and not paying it back. I'm up to my eyeball in debt, but the bankers don't seem to mind.

5th question: will you be able to become podesta of milan or pavia?

final question: poking around the scene files, i came across a scene called 'valhalla.sco'. Are you at liberty to say what that's about?

[Khalid ibn Walid]

ingolifs said:

A few questions I have.

First off, i've gotten my hands on the unofficial editor, and have played around with it. Editing troops is quite easy. I was thinking of trying out my suggestion for myself, editing the troops, and editing the parties to include them. My question is, do the troops and party templates files have effects elsewhere? would changing something in either (without deleting, say, a Count, or a mission party, just editing the standard troops) file hav the potential to screw up the rest of the game?

Off the top of my head, I don't think there's too much danger. Meddling with arms & armor won't mess things up nor will playing around with the trees.

But there are some things that can be troublesome. Avoid meddling with any heroes. And be aware that certain events will cycle through the troop lists by "groups" of troops (ghibellines, guelfs, etc.) So try to keep any additional troops "compact" within their relevant group. Avoid changing the first of any "group" (e.g. ghibelline peasant, guelf peasant, etc.) as the they are defined in the constants for the cycling parameters.

Second question: Is it possible in this build to become a freeman->citizen->podesta the long way (getting elected because you did all those quests, and not because you just went into the consul's test dialogue)

It will be. But not at present as the mathematics aren't finished yet.

third question: does donating to a church currently do anything besides make you lose items and money?

Yes. They alter your status vis internal classes, slow down the depreciation of the institutions you donate to and improve your standing with the city council. I should probably make a thread describing the calculations of all the different things.

4th question: is there (or will there be) some sort of retribution for borrowing money and not paying it back. I'm up to my eyeball in debt, but the bankers don't seem to mind.

The number of "defaults" (i.e. recycling loans) increase the interest rate. It also affects your credit rating. That means that if you mishandled debt in the past, you will be prevented from borrowing again for a long time. However this punishment doesn't kick in until you actually pay the loan back. So in essence, bankers will continue lending to you as long as they believe you will pay back your loan back at some point. But once you pay it, they'll take shut you off the nipple completely for a while.

It may sound stupid for a bank to throw good money after bad, but this is actually realistic lending behavior.

I suppose I should introduce some way to choke you off earlier. But there shouldn't be "violent" repercussions to fair debt, as these are foreign bankers with no "legal" rights in the country. With tax arrears, however, there will be forcible liquidiation of your assets after 5 defaults (not modelled yet).

5th question: will you be able to become podesta of milan or pavia?

No, and I am not sure when it will be possible. Milan and Pavia have a complicated linchpin role to play in the leagues. I'd have to redo lots of code to make it possible.

final question: poking around the scene files, i came across a scene called 'valhalla.sco'. Are you at liberty to say what that's about?

Ah, a lingering old thing. That was a place I used to temporarily "hold" NPC heroes that I wasn't using before I figured out I didn't have to worry about extinguishing & recreating them. I should delete that.

[ingolifs]

Oh, and did they have plate armour and horses with plate barding (chargers) and longbows at the time? I think those items might be a little anachronistic.

Avoid changing the first of any "group" (e.g. ghibelline peasant, guelf peasant, etc.) as the they are defined in the constants for the cycling parameters.

so since the ghibellines come right after the guelfs on the troop list, does that mean the total number of guelf/ghibelline troops have to remain the same? Or would i be able to get away with replacing some unused troops (Ymira, jabbara, etc) with extra guelf/ghibellines?

Finally, how easy is it to edit what the taverns and barracks stock as mercenaries?

[Khalid ibn Walid]

ingolifs said:

Oh, and did they have plate armour and horses with plate barding (chargers) and longbows at the time? I think those items might be a little anachronistic.

Yeah, a bit anachronistic. But decided I could live with it for the moment.

so since the ghibellines come right after the guelfs on the troop list, does that mean the total number of guelf/ghibelline troops have to remain the same? Or would i be able to get away with replacing some unused troops (Ymira, jabbara, etc) with extra guelf/ghibellines?

You should be able to add as many as you wish, no problem, but just make sure guelf_extra_troop_1, guelf_extra_troop_2, etc. are after guelf knight and (the important point) before the ghibelline peasant.

Don't delete any heroes. I forget whether they were used to define constants somewhere.

Finally, how easy is it to edit what the taverns and barracks stock as mercenaries?

The merc parties are listed in the parties file (milan_mercs, padua_mercs, etc.). Just change the basic composition there. Then in the triggers file (this could be a headache to locate) find the general refresh mercs entry and enter the relevant troops. I am not sure how easy this is to do with the unofficial editor.

[ingolifs]

Okay, i've finished playing around with the troops, and this is what i've come up with:

The guelfs and ghibelline troop trees are now separated into two, as i suggested before. a lower peasant ->infantry/crossbowman tree and an upper squire ->heavy knight tree.
Also, the equipment differences between the two factions is almost gone. I think it's better this way, because it doesn't make sense for the guelfs to have better troops than the ghibellines.

Now, this stuff is in pure code, so i don't know how much mucking around you'll need to do before it is useable. You'll probably have to re-make some of the party templates and delete unused troops and such. Also, the faction alignments for each troop will most likely be wrong too. I'm sorry i couldn't give it to you in a more useable state, but i'm lucky to get this far without the unoficcial editor experiencing some bizarre crash.

The guelfs

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 130 0 131 0 155 0 129 0 100 0 99 0 99 0 73 0 115 0 128 0 194 0 89 0 8 0 69 0 70 0 71 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 4
72 73 66 65 66 60 0
33554706 1048576 0
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_militia Guelf_militia Guelf_militias 1158269529167495168 0 0 8
 41 0 125 0 126 0 158 0 198 0 175 0 173 0 97 0 102 0 54 0 117 0 124 0 136 0 144 0 205 0 38 0 98 0 100 0 102 0 157 0 70 0 74 0 75 0 79 0 53 0 179 0 45 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 9
86 85 77 87 86 91 0
33554706 1048576 0
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_retainer Guelf_retainer Guelf_retainers 1301821767289929728 0 0 8
 126 0 175 0 53 0 97 0 103 0 102 0 118 0 119 0 123 0 125 0 136 0 145 0 146 0 158 0 160 0 162 0 75 0 79 0 80 0 83 0 6 0 177 0 179 0 181 0 45 0 52 0 31 0 32 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 6 4 4 14
92 93 98 97 93 98 0
33554706 537919488 65536
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_infantry Guelf_infantry Guelf_infantry 49283072 0 0 8
 164 0 126 0 136 0 176 0 177 0 179 0 83 0 85 0 53 0 105 0 110 0 107 0 118 0 119 0 126 0 145 0 158 0 160 0 163 0 165 0 166 0 84 0 56 0 46 0 47 0 183 0 148 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 6 4 4 19
119 119 121 116 111 100 0
33554706 808452096 135168
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_light_cavalry Guelf_light_cavalry Guelf_light_cavalry 19923968 0 0 8
 32 0 33 0 0 0 118 0 125 0 126 0 136 0 145 0 147 0 160 0 173 0 176 0 177 0 185 0 100 0 102 0 103 0 104 0 105 0 8 0 66 0 74 0 75 0 79 0 80 0 55 0 57 0 45 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 6 4 4 19
122 122 126 132 132 135 0
1375731986 826277910 69635
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_skirmisher Guelf_skirmisher Guelf_skirmishers 1441151880828813312 0 0 8
 41 0 198 0 117 0 173 0 53 0 97 0 103 0 102 0 38 0 205 0 206 0 115 0 123 0 132 0 172 0 173 0 174 0 106 0 74 0 75 0 79 0 45 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 14
90 94 87 88 100 92 0
838861074 3145728 65552
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_crossbowman Guelf_crossbowman Guelf_crossbowmen 82837504 0 0 8
 41 0 126 0 175 0 53 0 103 0 102 0 117 0 125 0 132 0 136 0 147 0 206 0 207 0 207 0 208 0 182 0 184 0 179 0 105 0 106 0 108 0 79 0 80 0 57 0 45 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 6 4 4 16
104 108 115 110 102 117 0
33554706 271581184 69634
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_esquire Guelf_squire Guelf_squires 1729382256921805824 0 0 8
 34 0 133 0 134 0 174 0 102 0 76 0 80 0 50 0 51 0 52 0 45 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 6 7 7 10
99 92 87 89 83 90 0
838861106 288358435 69683
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_serjeant Guelf_serjeant Guelf_sergeants 1657324662921626624 0 0 8
 177 0 177 0 83 0 85 0 105 0 110 0 107 0 133 0 134 0 135 0 137 0 185 0 186 0 189 0 108 0 57 0 58 0 46 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 7 6 8 8 22
124 126 104 110 116 102 0
570425666 1362100498 139265
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_champion Guelf_champion Guelf_champions 15729664 0 0 8
 142 0 87 0 112 0 111 0 85 0 86 0 140 0 141 0 152 0 150 0 58 0 59 0 48 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 9 8 9 9 28
151 167 135 130 141 147 0
1107296594 842006531 208901
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_man_at_arms Guelf_man_at_arms Guelf_men_at_arms 1801439851014259712 0 0 8
 177 0 177 0 83 0 85 0 105 0 110 0 107 0 133 0 135 0 137 0 185 0 186 0 189 0 58 0 46 0 649 0 84 0 35 0 36 0 35 0 160 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 7 6 8 8 22
124 126 104 110 116 102 0
570425666 1364197652 200705
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_knight Guelf_knight Guelf_knights 1873497445018633216 0 0 8
 112 0 111 0 85 0 86 0 140 0 141 0 150 0 58 0 59 0 48 0 135 0 137 0 650 0 651 0 177 0 186 0 188 0 189 0 161 0 36 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 9 8 9 9 27
151 167 135 130 141 147 0
1375732050 1365245957 208901
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_guelf_heavy_knight Guelf_heavy_knight Guelf_heavy_knights 32506880 0 0 8
 112 0 140 0 141 0 150 0 59 0 48 0 135 0 650 0 651 0 177 0 186 0 188 0 189 0 161 0 37 0 649 0 127 0 142 0 149 0 113 0 87 0 161 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 13 9 9 9 31
175 183 192 130 141 147 0
1375732066 1366294534 339973
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887

The ghibellines


trp_ghibelline_peasant Ghibelline_peasant Ghibelline_peasants 2017612633064079360 0 0 9
 130 0 131 0 155 0 129 0 100 0 99 0 99 0 73 0 115 0 128 0 194 0 8 0 69 0 70 0 71 0 98 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 4
72 73 66 65 66 60 0
33554706 1048576 0
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_militia Ghibelline_militia Ghibelline_militias 2098677426357796864 0 0 9
 41 0 125 0 126 0 158 0 198 0 175 0 173 0 97 0 102 0 54 0 117 0 124 0 136 0 144 0 205 0 38 0 98 0 100 0 102 0 157 0 70 0 74 0 75 0 79 0 53 0 179 0 45 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 9
86 85 77 87 86 91 0
33554706 1048576 0
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_retainer Ghibelline_retainer Ghibelline_retainers 2242229664480231424 0 0 9
 126 0 175 0 53 0 97 0 103 0 102 0 118 0 119 0 123 0 125 0 136 0 145 0 146 0 158 0 160 0 162 0 75 0 79 0 80 0 83 0 6 0 179 0 45 0 52 0 31 0 32 0 180 0 178 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 6 4 4 14
92 93 98 97 93 98 0
33554706 537919488 65536
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_infantry Ghibelline_infantry Ghibelline_infantry 49283072 0 0 9
 164 0 126 0 136 0 176 0 179 0 85 0 53 0 105 0 110 0 107 0 118 0 119 0 126 0 145 0 158 0 160 0 163 0 165 0 166 0 84 0 56 0 46 0 47 0 183 0 148 0 82 0 178 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 6 4 4 19
119 119 121 116 111 100 0
33554706 808452096 135168
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_light_cavalry Ghibelline_light_cavalry Ghibelline_light_cavalry 19923968 0 0 9
 32 0 33 0 0 0 118 0 125 0 126 0 136 0 145 0 147 0 160 0 173 0 176 0 185 0 100 0 102 0 103 0 104 0 105 0 8 0 66 0 74 0 75 0 79 0 80 0 55 0 57 0 45 0 178 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 6 4 4 19
122 122 126 132 132 135 0
1375731986 826277910 69635
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_skirmisher Ghibelline_skirmisher Ghibelline_skirmisher 2377900603321876480 0 0 9
 41 0 198 0 117 0 173 0 53 0 97 0 103 0 102 0 38 0 205 0 206 0 115 0 123 0 132 0 172 0 173 0 174 0 106 0 74 0 75 0 79 0 45 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 14
90 94 87 88 100 92 0
838861074 3145728 65552
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_crossbowman Ghibelline_crossbowman Ghibelline_crossbowmen 82837504 0 0 9
 41 0 126 0 175 0 53 0 103 0 102 0 0 0 117 0 125 0 132 0 136 0 147 0 206 0 207 0 208 0 105 0 106 0 108 0 79 0 80 0 57 0 45 0 179 0 180 0 183 0 184 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 6 4 4 16
104 108 115 110 102 117 0
33554706 271581184 69634
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_esquire Ghibelline_squire Ghibelline_squires 2675982603599741952 0 0 9
 34 0 133 0 134 0 174 0 80 0 50 0 51 0 52 0 45 0 105 0 78 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 6 7 7 10
99 92 87 89 83 90 0
838861106 288358435 69683
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_serjeant Ghibelline_sergeant Ghibelline_sergeants 2594073385414689792 0 0 9
 85 0 105 0 110 0 107 0 133 0 134 0 135 0 137 0 185 0 186 0 189 0 108 0 57 0 58 0 46 0 178 0 82 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 7 6 8 8 22
124 126 104 110 116 102 0
570425666 1362100498 139265
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_champion Ghibelline_champion Ghibelline_champions 15729664 0 0 9
 142 0 87 0 112 0 111 0 85 0 86 0 140 0 141 0 152 0 150 0 58 0 59 0 48 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 9 8 9 9 28
151 167 135 130 141 147 0
1107296594 842006531 208901
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_man_at_arms Ghibelline_man_at_arms Ghibelline_men_at_arms 2738188573507322880 0 0 9
 85 0 105 0 110 0 107 0 133 0 135 0 137 0 185 0 186 0 189 0 58 0 46 0 649 0 84 0 35 0 36 0 35 0 160 0 178 0 82 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 7 6 8 8 22
124 126 104 110 116 102 0
570425666 1364197652 200705
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_knight Ghibelline_knight Ghibelline_knight 2810246167511696384 0 0 9
 112 0 111 0 85 0 86 0 140 0 141 0 150 0 58 0 59 0 48 0 135 0 137 0 650 0 651 0 177 0 186 0 188 0 189 0 161 0 36 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 9 8 9 9 27
151 167 135 130 141 147 0
1375732050 1365245957 208901
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_ghibelline_heavy_knight Ghibelline_heavy_knight Ghibelline_heavy_knights 32506880 0 0 9
 140 0 141 0 150 0 59 0 48 0 135 0 650 0 651 0 177 0 186 0 188 0 189 0 161 0 37 0 649 0 127 0 142 0 149 0 113 0 87 0 161 0 112 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 13 9 9 9 31
175 183 192 130 141 147 0
1375732066 1366294534 339973
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887

Mercenaries:
I've touched up the ligurian crossbowmen, making them more deadly, added venetian crossbowmen, who are similar to their ligurian counterpart, touched up the croatian mercs (making them look better than some shaggy bandit), renamed and improved the manhunters (you now have venetian manhunters and venetian slavers), edited the farmers and townsmen so that they can upgrade either to guelf militia or ghibelline militia), and added stradioti (light cavalry) at phaedo's behest (reading up on them though, they may be a bit anachronistic for the time period)


trp_venetian_crossbowman Venetian_crossbowman trp_venetian_crossbowman 82837504 0 0 9
 54 0 103 0 125 0 136 0 145 0 41 0 208 0 45 0 94 0 97 0 103 0 56 0 84 0 81 0 146 0 147 0 148 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 5 4 4 18
151 132 137 131 152 135 0
0 286261248 196659
 8484 1099645849737 12870 267976833957887
trp_ligurian_crossbowman Ligurian_crossbowman Ligurian_crossbowmen 74448896 0 0 9
 139 0 54 0 108 0 103 0 114 0 125 0 136 0 143 0 145 0 41 0 208 0 209 0 45 0 94 0 97 0 103 0 56 0 80 0 84 0 182 0 183 0 184 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 6 5 4 4 18
151 132 137 131 152 135 0
0 286261248 196659
 8484 1099645849737 12870 267976833957887
trp_stradioti Stradiot Stradioti 32506880 0 0 14
 34 0 117 0 139 0 232 0 4 0 160 0 162 0 166 0 94 0 86 0 50 0 51 0 45 0 47 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 8 4 4 24
188 132 195 111 108 151 0
33554706 864026624 74243
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_croatian_footman Croatian_footman Croatian_footmen 4179340454240714752 0 0 9
 164 0 137 0 175 0 174 0 54 0 103 0 95 0 84 0 81 0 158 0 160 0 136 0 46 0 48 0 45 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 15
113 114 113 116 102 106 0
0 538968064 131072
 8484 1099645849737 12870 267976833957887
trp_croatian_guard Croatian_guard Croatian_guards 57672704 0 0 9
 165 0 176 0 85 0 57 0 109 0 108 0 46 0 95 0 163 0 165 0 166 0 167 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 7 5 4 4 25
280 273 276 192 218 236 0
0 570425344 212992
 8484 1099645849737 12870 267976833957887
trp_manhunter Venetian_manhunter Venetian_manhunters 4539628424391557120 0 0 14
 119 0 117 0 98 0 66 0 73 0 63 0 175 0 54 0 50 0 31 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 10
52 52 62 53 57 52 0
33554706 1048576 0
 17 106103010787392 17479 267417414528511
trp_slave_driver Venetian_slaver Venetian_slavers 45088768 0 0 14
 119 0 117 0 175 0 54 0 50 0 32 0 33 0 117 0 118 0 232 0 173 0 185 0 47 0 81 0 100 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 18
111 101 93 91 92 94 0
301991186 287309825 65536
 17 106103010787392 17479 267417414528511
trp_farmer farmer farmers 1088745209918914560 0 0 8
 130 0 131 0 155 0 129 0 117 0 187 0 100 0 99 0 99 0 72 0 73 0 54 0 50 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 4
75 65 60 60 64 61 0
33554706 1048576 0
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887
trp_townsman townsman townsmen 1088745209919963136 0 0 8
 130 0 131 0 117 0 171 0 133 0 187 0 100 0 72 0 73 0 75 0 54 0 50 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
 5 5 4 4 4
68 73 71 68 73 72 0
33554706 1048576 0
 1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887

Some other notes: In general, these troops are tougher than their previous forms, but not quite as tough as the foreign troops currently in lombard leagues. A heavy knight now has a level of 31 for instance, and will now cost over 100 denars a week each to keep.

These changes will necessitate some alterations to the hireables from taverns, towers and barracks. (actually the taverns can stay as they currently are). Towers should probably stock troops of retainer/skirmisher level, plus some squires, while the barracks should hold troops of a higher infantry/crossbowman level, while also having some men at arms and serjeants available.

I'd like to suggest some changes to the hireables at neutral taverns. Keep the farmer/townsman contingent, but add an extra troop type that is unique to that location.
For instance, Ivrea could stock some ligurian crossbowmen, Trent holds some German squires, Ravenna has norman raiders, Rovigo stocks tuscan bandits, Venice contains manhunters and croatian footmen, while Locanda della quadrivio might have a little bit of all of them.

If you do get all this done, could you send me a test version? I don't actually know how balanced these changes will be, and i'd like to find out.

[Khalid ibn Walid]

Eek!

It'll take me a while to figure out this code and implement the changes.

Can you give me a simple rundown of what's what?

e.g. how does this:

trp_guelf_knight Guelf_knight Guelf_knights 1873497445018633216 0 0 8
112 0 111 0 85 0 86 0 140 0 141 0 150 0 58 0 59 0 48 0 135 0 137 0 650 0 651 0 177 0 186 0 188 0 189 0 161 0 36 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0
9 8 9 9 27
151 167 135 130 141 147 0
1375732050 1365245957 208901
1 1099645849737 4659 267976833957887

translate into something like this:

 ["guelf_knight","guelf_knight","guelf_knights",tf_mounted|tf_guarantee_boots|tf_guarantee_armor|tf_guarantee_gloves|tf_guarantee_helmet|tf_guarantee_horse,0,0,fac_guelfs,
  [itm_great_lance,itm_great_lance,itm_great_sword,itm_morningstar,itm_sword,itm_guelf_kite_shield,itm_war_shield,itm_guelf_kite_shield, itm_guelf_kite_shield,itm_heraldric_shield,itm_heater_shield,itm_coat_of_plates,itm_plate_armor,itm_mail_chausses,itm_iron_greaves,itm_guard_helmet,itm_great_helmet,itm_bascinet,itm_hunter,itm_charger,itm_charger,itm_warhorse,itm_leather_gloves],
 def_attrib|level(25),wp(130),knows_common|knows_riding_5|knows_shield_3|knows_ironflesh_3,guelf_face1, guelf_face2],


Or, to make life even simpler, if you can just tell me the info I need directly for each:

e.g.

x knight:

- any non-obvious special guarantees
- equipment
- Level
- wp
- power strike
- ironflesh
- athletics
- shield
- riding
- power draw
- power throw
- horse archery