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balduin

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Everything posted by balduin

  1. balduin
    Byzen is actually a standalone game which does not support Linux. However, I expected that Byzen would have gun units, because it plays around the year 1811. However, they did not implement guns or cannons. The units in Byzen throw javelins instead.
  2. balduin
    @Sundiata Nice, that you moved successfully back to Belgium. About the marketplace. Since you kind of agree with me, but you have some issues could you provide an updated description how the marketplace could have looked like. I would like to place the description in the specification. You could also write the description directly into the specification.tex file. Additionally, a picture or two would be nice too. Regarding the Nubian archers and feathers. I like the idea, that the units get feathers based on experience. However, 0 A.D. does not have an experience system. The alternative in 0 A.D. could be to have three technology archer training level. Every time, we research a new training level all Nubian archer get one more feather. Getting a feather means an increase in damage, accuracy and fire rate. What can the player develop / train in the temple (of Amun)? Till now the player would be able to train: priests and “warriors of Amun”, a champion unit. Additionally, the metal production technology bonus could be developed in the temple.
  3. balduin
    @niektb It would be nice to have a Terra Magna forum. You should keep the Rise of the East forum, maybe rename it to "Han China". It is maybe a good idea to have a Terra Magna forum with sub forums for every civilization "Han China", "Zapotecs", "Kushites". By the way what is the fourth civilization?
  4. balduin
    @Sundiata I do not agree with the look of the marketplace. I think the marketplace would have been a place or a street surrounded tend like stores which are full with goods. I found some images of modern Sudanese markets: I believe those markets must have looked very similar 2000 years ago cities like Meroe. My idea would be to have a place surrounded by fabric covered market stalls and goods all over the place. The market could be a little colorful, because of fruits. And maybe some meroitic ceramic pots should be staying around. The entrance of the market could be flanked by two statues of Arensnuphis. What is your opinion on that?
  5. balduin
    @feneur First of all the Kushites are an African culture, for some people this is important. Second, the Kushites had good archers and cavalry. Third, there art style is different. For more information about strengh and weaknesses of the kushites have a look at "Strength and Weaknesses" in our specification : https://github.com/Jeeppler/kushites_mod/raw/master/docs/build/specification.pdf @wowgetoffyourcellphone @LordGood I would like to discuss the integration in a separate thread (topic). It would be the best to discuss that in the "Terra Magna" mod forum/section. Are the topics for the "Terra Magna" mod still in the Rise of the East forum or do you have your own sub forum for that mod? Regarding Delenda Est integration and other stuff. The priorities are: 1. Kushite Mod compatible to vanilla game 2. Compatibility with the Terra Magna mod 3. Integration with the Terra Magna mod 4. Possible integration with Delenda Est. @LordGood Coming back to the topic of reviewing the Barrack, Storehouse and Farmstead. Did you do any changes or improvements on those buildings? We would be really eager to see them and discuss them again. If there are done I can mark them as modeled and include the pictures in the specification. This way we can move forward with the development of the Kushites mod :-) @wowgetoffyourcellphone In the JSON file you posted you mentioned the following sound files: "The_Blue_Nile.ogg" "Kandake's_Dance.ogg" "The_Tombs_of_Our_Fathers.ogg" "Our_Sacred_Mountain.ogg" do those files exists or are those files just placeholders? Where can I find the files? Where can I find the JSON file? @Sundiata I agree it would be very important to have proper names for all those buildings. Asking the University of Khartoum for help is an awesome idea. It would be really nice to include them into the list of contributors. Maybe they are also able to help us to answer some of the questions about the Kingdom of Kush or help us out with images. :-) @Sundiata What kind of hieroglyphs? Egyptian or Meroitic? With other words, is there a translation available?
  6. balduin
    @wowgetoffyourcellphone Thanks for the explanation. We will try to add the following Delenda Est features: Cult Statues Mercenaries @Sundiata The lions look quite unique. What do they have in front of them? A plate? Is there something written on them? @Lion.Kanzen The Kushites/Sudan used/use an art style which has certain similarities to Mexican, Central and South American art. However, this is not always the case, often times they have their own unique style. @niektb About your comment to my question about the Terra Magna integration: I think it is a good idea to merge the Kushites on long run together with Han China and the Zapotec's in one single Terra Magna mod. However, right now the best is to to work on the specification, which means to ask questions and do research to answer those questions. Interpretation is good, but it should always be based on facts and evidence. In my opinion the Kushites will be an interesting civilization to play, if and only if we are able to find those the unique characteristics which set's them apart from other civilizations surrounding them. This process will take time. Furthermore, I believe that writing a good specification will make the implementation faster and more efficient. In addition it is better for the team constellation we have for the Kushites Mod. @Sundiata does some excellent research. I hope that we can make a first playable Kushites Mod version for a 0 A.D. version between alpha 25 to 27.
  7. balduin
    @wowgetoffyourcellphone I assume DE is short for Delenda Est. I would be really happy if you could explain what exactly you mean by DE features. You already started to mention it, so do me the favor and explain what exactly you mean. Going off-topic is better than not explaining it.
  8. balduin
    @niektb @LordGood @wowgetoffyourcellphone Do I understand it correct: The Rise of the East and the Zapotec Mod will be merged into a new mod called Terra Magna? You think developing/merging the Kingdom of Kush in the Terra Magna mod would be a good idea? @feneur If it easy to move posts later into a forum, that works for me. @Sundiata @LordGood I like the idea of having a courtyard with archery range. Maybe some other training equipment and weapons.
  9. balduin
    @wowgetoffyourcellphone The following two titles are acceptable: Kingdom of Kush The Kushites "Code": "kushites", "Culture":[ "meroitic" ], "Region":[ "africa" ], "Name": "Kushites", or "Kingdom of Kush" "Emblem": "session/portraits/emblems/emblem_kushites.png", "History": "The Kingdom of Kush was one of the most powerful African empires in classical antiquity. Located in present-day Sudan, it lay on the intersection of trade routes connecting the interior of the continent with the Mediterannean world. Builders of pyramids and temples, cities and fortified strongholds, the Kushites built a trade empire, backed by strong armies, lead by powerful kings and queens. In popular culture, they are most known for their excellent archers, the Nubian Bowmen. This Mod focuses on the time frame between 590 B.C. and 330 A.D. During this period, the Kushite capital shifted from Napata to the more southern Meroe. Facing Persian invasions, military engagements with Ptolemaic Egypt and a 5 year war with Rome, this period features many interesting events. Due to incessant raids from desert tribes, increasing aggression from the warlike Noba, and two Axumite invasions, the power of Meroe eventually waned, and by 350AD the last king was burried in its royal cemetaries. The Kingdom of Kush offers an exciting and often forgotten chapter in history.", I copied the "History" section from: https://github.com/Jeeppler/kushites_mod/blob/master/README.md. The text was written by @Sundiata and maybe needs some polishing. Just to be clear the Kingdom of Kush has it's own identity and that should be reflected in the history section.
  10. balduin
    @feneur the buildings are the easiest part, because we have a lot of archaeological evidence. I am pretty sure we need more topics for units. At least about naval units and infantry/cavalry units. However, I prefer to start topics which are specific to a building or units. Instead of having one big topic about all buildings or units. Right now I would like to start a topics about the fishing boat / boats, the market place, archery, cavalry and basic units. Furthermore, over the time it will be necessary to talk about programming, technology, bugs and announcements. In short I would be surprised if we have less than 10 topics in a Kushites Mod subforum till the end of this year.
  11. balduin
    @LordGood Thanks for letting us know what you would like to implement next: The rest of the village phase (phase 1) buildings are: Civic Center (you already mentioned, that you want to do it next) Corral Dock Sentry Tower Low Wall + Gate Outpost Civic Center Have a look at the governors palace as mentioned before and documented in the specification.pdf. Corral Be creative, we have no idea how it could have looked like. The kushites can breed goats, sheep and Sanga cattle. There are already models for goats and sheep, but there is no model for a Sanga cattle. Sanga cattle are extremely important for the Kushites. It would be really nice to have a model. Have a look at the "Corral -> Sanga Cattle" section in specification for inspiration. Dock The dock should have a quay (stone) and storage building. Please do not create any landing stage (jetty). The Blue Nile brings more water during the rainy season in Ethiopia, which means a landing stage in the water would be easily destroyed. Sentry Tower It would be nice to have a smaller mud brick version of the defense tower you already created. Low Wall + Gate In my opinion they should look like: "Fig. 32 Cerimonial walls in Musawwarat es Sufra". I am not sure how the gate should look like. However, the Kushites preferred narrow entrances instead of big gates. Outpost Mud brick / clay tower similar to the Sentry Tower, maybe a little bit taller.
  12. balduin
    @LordGood You should be able to just download the PDF and open it with a local PDF-Viewer. This way you will be able to jump to a specific section and search in the document. The PDF contains a lot of images and links, which is still a problem for PDF.js. As far as buildings and units go, we should probably have a separate topic for each of them, to discuss the 3-D models in more detail. However, the general problem with the units is, that it is very hard to find sources. We have a lot more sources for buildings. The Kingdom of Kush was a really interesting civilization, but we should not make the same mistakes others did and just assume everything. Interpretation is good, but it is important to base our assumptions and interpretations on archaeological and historical evidence. @LordGood Please inform us ( @Sundiata and me) when you want to model a building, then we can point you in the right direction or stop you before you invest many hours in a model. That lowers the frustration for all of us. - For example, the temple and the wonder would be good buildings to work on next. --- About the buildings. Generally speaking I like them, but I have a few things which I feel uncomfortable with. Farmstead The ramp is too steep. In addition the ramp should be longer and maybe made from mud brick instead of stone. The best would be if you can move the ramp door down to the stone level. This way the silo would look a little bit bigger. In addition, I think you should, use mud brick for the foundation of the building instead of stone. Additionally, the ramp can be wider than the door. I furthermore, think the Kushites used pottery for transportation purposes and not wooden barrels. Have a look at this amphora for inspiration: For more inspiration of Kushite pottery have a look at: - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/nubia/mpottery.html - page 7: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/nubia/mpottery.html Storehouse: The storehouse has to many doors, two doors are enough. Please remove the barrels or better replace them with mud bricks. The color of the stones are a little bit too white, they should have a sand or brown color. Furthermore, I would maybe remove the window shutters. Civic Center The civic center looks like a military building. Let's wait for @Sundiata comment on the Civic Center. @niektb Would it be possible to have a Kushite Mod subform in the game modification section to be able to discuss 3-D models, buildings and units in separate topics (threads)?
  13. balduin
    @Sundiata We could, for example, use "Fig. 32 Cerimonial walls in Musawwarat es Sufra" as model for a "Low Wall". What do you think?
  14. balduin
    @Sundiata We do not have any pictures or description for the following buildings for the village phase: Storehouse Corral -> the building where you can train goats, sheeps and sanga cattle Barracks -> the building to train soldiers Sentry Tower -> normally a wooden tower, but I was thinking about a brick / clay tower Low Wall -> normally a wooden wall, I was thinking we could use a brick / clay wall instead Outpost -> no, idea on how this could have looked like Dock @LordGood All buildings/units which @Sundiata or myself researched are described in our specification (https://github.com/Jeeppler/kushites_mod/blob/master/docs/build/specification.pdf). Not everything is added yet, but I try to keep it updated. You can always have a look at the specification for an inspiration of what to model next. @LordGood Could you render images for the tower front/back and the house variations front/back? So, I can add them to the specification and mark them as "modeled". @LordGood Do you want to be added as a contributor to the "Kushites Mod" GitHub Repository?
  15. balduin
    @Lion.Kanzen So, basically you use the same size/height for all units. They look different for each civilization. This way you can reuse animations for units. Is this correct?
  16. balduin
    @Lion.Kanzen My/our goal is to help artists, modelers and developers by providing documentation for buildings, units and the look and feel of the Kushites. That is the whole purpose of the specification document: https://github.com/Jeeppler/kushites_mod/blob/master/docs/build/specification.pdf. However, I have no idea how you model units. I don't know how you model them and if you need to know the body measures? So, please give me some insight. Remember, I am a developer (programmer).
  17. balduin
    @Lion.Kanzen I am not sure, does body measures matter when you design unit models? If they don't matter we don't need to research them.
  18. balduin
    @Sundiata Thanks for the clarification about their skin color. How, would you describe the body measures/characteristics of Kushite/Sudanese people? Do they tend to be slim, tall etc.?
  19. balduin
    @LordGood Have a look at fig: 12b "A beautiful example of a temple to Apedemak" and figures 15a-e about the textures. Those buildings are either white or sand brown. If you have a look at figures 31-41 they show a very simple stone architecture. They did not use wood for most of their buildings, most likely because wood burns and is rare savanna/desert regions. Please: remove the wood sticks and the smaller window over the door use a sand brown / white brick texture for the lower half the door should be in the tower (similar to the Zapotec Tower, figure 12b, figure 15e or figure 36 "narrow entrance gate") @Sundiata What is your opinion?
  20. balduin
    @Sundiata Right now, one of the most interesting question is: how should the worker woman look like and how should the male units look like? You posted Fig. 101 "A perfect model of a Meroitic gentleman" a brown skinded human model, but many drawings and Fig. 9 "In a pit, close to Kerma, the broken statues of a number of Napatan Kings" show human with dark black skin. Modern Sudanese tend to have anything between brown and dark black skin. What do you think, how should they look like?
  21. balduin
    To @Juli51 or any other artist It would be really nice to have a sketch/drawing of the civic center and blacksmith. Have a look at the Kushites Mod specification (https://github.com/Jeeppler/kushites_mod/blob/master/docs/build/specification.pdf) or this forum for inspiration.
  22. balduin
    Are there any plans to implement elite units for the mod? The mod looks really good and it is a lot of fun to play it, but the missing elite units are a handicap. Are their any plans to implement elite units? The other thing which is missing is a wonder.
  23. balduin
    Liu Bang is a swordsmen and he should not just run away and attack enemies if he is in "Defensive" mode, at least this is my understanding.
  24. balduin
    The hero Liu Bang attacks enemies even if he is in "Defensive" mode. Even though the enemies are still at larger distance (to far away for archers). Is this a feature or a bug?
  25. balduin
    @AtomicGaming Thanks for trying that out. In this case somebody has to make Ponies Ascendant compatible with A21. @fcxSanya Thanks for the explanation. But, I use the Arch Linux package for 0 A.D., which gets constant updates. The current version of the game is A21-3 which means the package maintainer(s) updated the package since the release of A21 several times. Therefor, I am not really willing to downgrade from A21 to A20.
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