Wrath of the Norsemen mod for Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms

EDIT of 2022-04-10 - New Overview-videos for both new mod releases detailing the features of said mods and their changes:

Wrath of the Norsemen: The Baltic V.3.5 (Main Mod):

Wrath of the Norsemen: The Baltic - Factions United Sub-Mod:

EDIT of 2022-04-02 - Vanilla Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms Music-package uploaded for let's Players who want to play this mod on Youtube without the video being blocked in certain countries.

"This is a package of the vanilla music in use by older versions of this mod. Just place the content of the downloaded folder inside of the WotN_RF/data/sounds-folder (the submod) or the WotN/data/sounds-folder (the Main Mod) - before doing this you can move the custom mod-files already there to a backup-folder if you wish to keep the mods custom music as otherwise you'd be replacing the custom music of the mod.

Youtube has a tendency to block the mod if played with the custom music, and force the player to mute all the sound - using the vanilla music instead this won't be an issue for let's players of this mod.

These files will work with both the main release and the sub-mod."

Installation:

Wrath of the Norsemen: The Baltic Release Version 3.5:

Installation: (Steam)

1. You need to go into the folder named "Medieval II Total War" and then copy the file named "medieval2.exe" - then rename the copied file to kingdoms.exe. This is needed or the mod won't launch with Steam.

2. You might need to patch the medieval2.exe and the kingdoms.exe with a program named "4gb patch" found at this link (this is needed for demanding mods like Hyrule, Warcraft and Divide and Conquer but might not be needed with this mod):

Moddb.com

3. It's a program, extract it anywhere on your computer, then run it as an administrator - then browse to both .exe-files inside of the "Medieval II Total War"-folder and select one of them and click on "patch" - then repeat the process with the other one.

4. You need to have just one folder named "WotnBaltic" as in "Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\WotnBaltic - and then You'll start it by double-cllicking the "WotNbeta".bat-file.

5. With the CD instead it would be "D:\Games\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\mods\WotnBaltic - and you'll still start it by double-clicking on the "WotNbeta".bat-file.

With the "Factions United"-sub-mod instead the folder of the mod needs to be named "WotN_RF" and the file you click on when starting the mod is named simply "WotN".bat.

Edit (important): WotN Version 3.5 is a stand-alone mod, the same is true for the "Factions United"-sub-mod - you only need one of them to play that one, they shouldn't be placed on-top of one another. No files should be replaced as they are separate mods - the reason it's called a sub-mod is because it is based off of the other one.

The main mod can also be launched using the "M2TWEOP GUI".exe which will allow you to use some additional features while playing the mod - this file is not required to enjoy the mod anymore but would add the additional features of the tool such as the ability to zoom-out on the battlefield extremely, mark all the units in colors constantly, hands you additional features - see earlier articles for info regarding this tool.

Wrath of the Norsemen: The Baltic V 3.5 & the "Factions United"-sub-mod has been released! In the main mod there will be new stratmap-models for the Norse/Rus', the unit "Lidsmenn" has been fixed in battle, missing rebel unit-cards has been added, diplomacy has been improved at the start, winning conditions more accurate to history and the campaign-AI has been replaced with a much more aggressive one on the map - the submod allows you to start with all the territory of a faction at the start!

I've updated the original Wrath of the Norsmen modification from 3.4 to 3.5 - the update adds quite a few fixes, an enhanced AI and new strat-map models to the main mod!

1.

- Lidsmenn-bug fixed, the unit will now hold their spears correctly in melee and won't have a bugged javelin instead.

I've fixed the long-standing bug causing the Lidsmenn to not hold their spears properly in melee, so the unit is a combined javelin/spearmen unit - and it's using javelins that are pointing towards the enemy before they're thrown unlike in many other mods.

The issue was such that the spears and javelins where both rigged to the "Weapon_01" joint, causing the spears to be glitched in melee while the javelins looked fine, by changing this to the right_hand-joint the spear became alright instead but the javelin would point the wrong way..

I then finally managed to fix the issue by moving the spear-vertices to the right-hand while not moving the other vertices for the javelin. I had forgotten how to do this but managed to somehow do it in the end. So now the unit is fixed.

2. - A much more aggressive campaign-AI from Stainless Steel implemented - so the AI won't do nothing for a long period of time anymore and instead will attack everyone it borders.

3. Added missing rebel unit-cards - the mod has been updated with fixes to rebel-unit cards that were missing.

4. Starting diplomacy and victory conditions updated - improved the victory conditions and the diplomacy at the start.

5. New strat-models for the Norse & the Rus' made for and implemented to the mod - a new berserker-heretic for the Rebels without a weapon, a new berserker-assassin for all the Norse factions and the Rus, a new Shieldmaiden-spy based on the edited Call of Warhammer Shield Maidens, a new Vikingr-soldier stratmodel for all the Norse and the Rus using different skins for the armor and the shield - the Rus' share skins with Svitjod - and two of the Norse factions (Moerrafylki & Rygjalandi) do share shield-texture with each other, a new Kertilsveinar-general for all the Norse and the Rus' - the shields have unique textures for most factions, Moerrafylki and Rygjalandi share textures and Svitjod and the Rus' share.

6. M2TWEOP-tool Version 2.0 made optional - easier to start-up then the old version of the tool, the mod will now be easier to use and start-up as the WotN.bat-file is now back and could be used instead of the M2TWEOP-tool to play the game.

7. The berserker mental state removed as it required the tool, the Berserkirs and the Ulfhednars are using their old models with more shield-variations and using a 1-handed axe and shield in battle instead of a 2-handed axe with the shield on the back.

Wrath of the Norsemen: The Baltic - FACTIONS UNITED-sub-mod:

The sub-mod "FACTIONS UNITED" is including every change above in addition to some unique features such as:

1. Every faction in the mod starts with all their historical regions/settlements at the start of the game - in the original mod most faction would start with 1-3 regions and then most of the map stretching Scandinavia, the Baltic, parts of Western Europe and the Russian Steppes would be held by rebels. You would start small, your economy would be minimal and you would compete with the other nations in conquering the map from the rebels before the real war between the factions could even start. The map has the maximum 199 regions and the majority of it would be controlled by the rebels. In order to earn money you'd need to play very aggressively and sack, raid and pillage every settlement that you'd conquer to earn money. If you instead decided to turtle in your cities you would go bankrupt within a few turns.

Regnum Francorum-sub-mod dated February 2018 by Aphain, which the "Factions United"-sub-mod is based on:

It did include these changes compared to the main mod:

"Features:
- completely overhauled building tree (for all factions)
- new buildings
- special buildings in your capital (only settlement which can construct stone walls)
- removed unused factions
- cleaned up most files
- important characters will spawn
- new events
- new ancillaries
- new traits
- new ships
- new/updated texts
- redone family tree
- new settlement and region names for Frisian and Saxon Regions
- new character names
- fixed some bugs and a lot of spelling/grammar mistakes
Planned Features:
- correction of all spelling/grammar mistakes
- more cleaning up of the mod files
- more events
- reform into East-Francia after 843
- more unique traits, ancillaries and buildings
- region based recruiting system
- more historical characters
- new units?"

The new Factions United sub-mod includes the original mod and the Regnum Francorum sub-mod as its base, then it changes the starting positions on the map and hands all the rebel areas to different factions based on history. So the rebels are extinct in this sub-mod and instead you'd play with all of Danmörk, all of Svitjod, all of Vestfold etc at the start - allowing the Total War to start immediately between the factions in the game as there are no rebel regions anymore.

2. All the rebel-garrisons on the map are now a part of each of the factions - so for example every rebel garrison in Svitjod now will be player-controlled if the player is playing the game as Svitjod - this has been done for every faction on the campaign-map - you'd be controlling all of their armies and their entire country/tribe. Compared to version 1.5 where the rebels were placeholders for unconquered tribes in this sub-mod all the independent smaller tribes have united - Geats, Gutes, Svear, Danes - the Norse are still divided between four different factions on the map but there are no rouge-areas anymore - the starting garrisons are therefore more numerous and you are in charge of the united faction in this sub-mod.

3. The starting economy in the sub-mod has been adjusted to fit the new setting - so each faction will have more money at the start of the game to compensate having conquered all their regions and assimilated all the rebel garrisons into their armies. This is done to prevent bankruptcy and the economy is barely above the level required to not go bankrupt at the start of the campaign - if you lose areas you will get richer and if you conquer more areas and recruit more troops the economy might require specific buildings in order to not take a dip leading to bankruptcy. You can still earn money by sacking areas but I also believe that you can do the same thing by building the right buildings in higher level settlements then village.

4. New "Lagertha" strat-model for Svitjod in the "Factions United"-submod - I've remade the Lagertha-model from The Last Kingdom: Wrath of the Norsemen and added the remade much improved version to Wrath of the Norsemen: The Baltic - Factions United sub-mod as a strat-map model on the map for the Svitjod faction.

So the mythological Shield Maiden Lagertha where at one point a Norwegian Queen and would probably have fit well in the Vestfold-faction based on this, but she was also the wife of Ragnarr Lothbrok at one point - and Konungr Ragnarr is the leader of Svitjod in this mod so I added her to the same faction.

Ragnar started as the crown prince of Svitjod and this mod starts early in 785. The Viking-age started in 793 in England.

5. The battle-model of Lagertha has been updated - Unfortunately the battle-model is looking ugly compared to the strat-map model of Lagertha, and this is due to the normal-file causing it to look bad - I attempted to remake it but it didn't help..

So the difference with a strat-map model is that the models on the strategic map do not use files known as "normals", so the model looks much better on the map. I don't know how to make a battle-model look as good. In other mods the battle-models in for example Warcraft where already done by Bantu, in Hyrule by Undying Nephalim etc - strat-map models end up much better for some reason when I edit them.

This Lagertha has some weird looking areas but it will have to do for now. She looked a lot better in the MS3D-program then in the game - and she looked just as good on the map as in that program. But not in battle sadly.

By the way, some edited models in Warcraft and Hyrule looked great, where I edited them and moved gear around - but for some reason Lagertha didn't look as great in battle as for example the female commanders of Stromgarde (WarcraftTW) or the new Labrynnian Pistolmen (HyruleTW) that I did edit among other units - only some battle-models end up ugly when I edit them.

Background of the sub-mod:

"- Factions United is a sub-mod of Wrath of the Norsemen: The Baltic by the original developers 2007-2011, and me since 2016 to now, and its submod Regnum Francorum by Aphain in 2018 in which he based his submod on my work of 2017-2018 - its goal was to recreate my failed sub-mod of January 2016 which aimed to add all the historical territory of each faction to each faction at the start of the campaign, increase the economy to make-up for the new regions, add garrisons to each area and then also update the sub-mod with the recent updates of the main mod."

Edit of 2022-04-14 - I've started a new Let's Play of this mod as Svitjod - the Swedish Tribe.

Credits:

WotN: The Baltic Version 3.5 and "Factions United":

- Mr_Nygren

Older Versions:

"Regnum Francorum sub-mod": Aphain

- the "1648: Thirty Years of War" mod team for some building pictures

Credits:
- Mr_Nygren (head) and Juzy90 (ancillaries, traits) for the awesome WotN 3.1 - without it this submod would not be possible
- The old WotN team including Absinthia, Ulfhednin, Horsa and Leif Eriksson - for the base mod, units and scripts etc! Basically all the groundwork and the whole 1.5 beta version
- Danova et al. from "Last Kingdom" - for the Frankish captain and general strat models
- Rhaymo and DBM - for the creation of the custom settlements in use by all factions
- The "East of Rome" mod, Deutschland et al. - for the new slavic textures applied to the custom settlements by Rhaymo
- Darius et al. from "East of Rome: The Danube Limes" for assets from "The Danube Limes"
- the "1648: Thirty Years of War" mod team for some building picture

Wrath of the Norsemen: The Baltic 3.0-3.4:

- Mr_Nygren for most of the new stuff.

- New traits and ancillaries have been added today 2017-07/16 by Juzy90.

But there are certain people who deserve credit as without them this wouldn't have been possible:

- The old WotN-team including Absinthia, Ulfhednin, Horsa and Leif Eriksson - for the base-mod, units and scripts etc! Basically all the groundwork and the whole 1.5 beta version. - My 2.0 were just some fixes really and without the music-mod (which was my big contribution to WotN) it weren't much.

- I am currently the only active developer of WotN, and i have permission from other old team-members such as Absinthia and Horsa - to continue this project. - I am an official developer on TWC for WotN.

- Danova and The Last Kingdom - for the Frankish captain and general strat models.

- There was a sharing agreement between Danova, creator of The Last Kingdom - and Wrath of the Norsemen. - There are proof of this on TWC, we have permission to use material such as the Frankish captain and general strat-models.

- Rhaymo and DBM - for the creation of the custom settlements in use by all factions.

- Rhaymo allows the use of DBM assets in other mods - alas we have permission to use the custom settlements.

- The EoR-mod and Deutschland etc - for the new slavic textures applied to the custom settlements by Rhaymo - the Viking/Slav custom settlements have re-textures from EoR.

- I am also an official developer of EoR (East of Rome) and Deutschland himself approved of this - i've gotten Darius permission to use assets from"The Danube Limes" in WotN - and as the custom settlements are Rhaymo's and were free to use for everyone i'd say permission exists for the re-textures also.