Hello followers,
As already announced, we continue to redesign the previous units so we keep on par with the new mod focus and standards we set for it. Last on the list for the base units are the Medium Armor units. If you know the previous design of the unit, you will notice how little it resembles the original idea. What I decided in the end was, an almost total redesign of the unit, because no matter how many times I made changes to it, it still felt a little bit off. So here is the process I went through.
At first, we got creative with the idea that there should be more than just 1 type of armor in the mod and so Mirkwood is the first faction to see this come to fruition. Of course, we took this to the next level and customized all 3 types of armor so they reflect more than just the "armor" stat. However, a middle-role soldier was not something that is presented in any way in the movies, out of the box at least.
The Wardens
The Archers
The Warriors
What we played with is the idea that all base soldier have different armor for different purposes or roles they might have in the military. For example, a soldier when going to kill spiders in the dark forest, will be geared as a Mirkwood Hunter, while the same soldier, when going to war with the dwarves, will use his Heavy infantry armor. Both gears serve their purpose well, but what will he wear if he guards Thanduil's Halls? You would expect something more ceremonial, yet not less effective. And so the Medium Armor is born.
We started thinking the role of a medium soldier would be of a "lesser" Palace Guard. While we view Palace Guards as an elite force that guards Thranduil (which will also be reflected in the mod) we expect that the normal soldiers can have guard duties in the palaces as well. So, inevitability, the base of the design was inspired from the Palace Guards. After that we want this unit to have a connection to Legolas, because he ,in many ways, represents the "medium" armor hero, so we added certain elements that could be seen at Legolas in the movies. Third, we added some elements from the Heavy Armor as well so the design feels like a "natural ascension from light towards heavy". And finally, to feel more ceremonial, we added many other leaf motifs to the standard armor. The keen eyes will see them!
More images of them in battle
That is all for now. What will you see in the next weeks will be a redesign of the elites units, the Lieutenants and the Palace Guards, which will conclude the units redesign! We are also thinking to do a a special article with the upcoming Mod of the year event, so stay tuned!
I'm still thinking, when most of the mod stuff is nearing completion, to release some special articles about "The Art" of the Mirkwood faction. Until then, enjoy these articles.
I hope you enjoy this sneak-peek into our new faction. This is all for now but more news about Mirkwood will come in the coming weeks. You can share your thoughts in our discord channel you can find the link on the main moddb page or at the bottom of this article. Also, we share there bonus stuff in the #sneak-peek channel for the very curious ones.
Sincerely,
NewErr and the Wars of the Firstborn team
Looks flawless to me.
Building anticipation one post at a time. And man, what quality!