Greetings! Today I will be going over the changes made to the Shah of Khwarazm and the Cuman Khanate in Roar of Conquest from Stainless Steel 6.4. These factions were just recently changed in version 2.1 of my mod, so they are newcomers to my overhaul of SS 6.4. Like many factions previously, one of the main issues these two factions faced was in unit restriction due to area of recruitment, or AOE; with the changes I have made, this problem is no longer present. The other major problem was the Mongol invasion, which previously steamrolled Kharza and Cumans into the ground within the first 40 turns of the campaign. With the modifications I made to the invasion scripts, both the Cuman Khanate and the Shah of Khwarazm do well for themselves even as the AI, and the player will no longer be overwhelmed by 20 full stacks Mongol armies of veteran warriors in the first 30 turns of the campaign, (and that is not an exaggeration)! Other than that, I made some tweaks to unit stats to help balance these factions against the rest of the world, as well as add some units to the rosters to flesh them out. So without further ado, let's get into the specifics!
The Shah of Khwarazm
An excellent faction with a unique and flavorful roster, the main flaw with these guys was starting out the campaign as the first people hit by the Mongol invasion, which made playing as them far less appealing for most players. With the invasion script changed and the roster polished up, the Kharza now offer a interesting campaign that, once you have thwarted the Mongols, puts the world before you as your oyster. Now, go forth and conquer in the name of glory and Allah!
1) Afghan Javelinmen are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Garrison Quarters can recruit them. In addition, they had their melee attack increased to 4 and their total defense increased to 13.
2) Armored Horse Archers have had their missile attack increased to 5 to better reflect their status as elite horse archers.
3) Armored Spearmen have had their total defense increased to 17, making them the best spear infantry in the Kharza roster.
4) Daylami Light Infantry are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Garrison Quarters can recruit them. Their melee attack has been increased to 4 and their total defense has been increased to 13, making them a very useful light infantry.
5) Kwarezmian Noblemen have had their charge increased to 8 and their total defense increased to 20, making them one of the toughest cavalry units of the early campaign.
6) Persian Archers are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Archery Range can recruit them. Their melee attack has been increased to 4, their charge increased to 2, and their total defense increased to 14, making them both a good archer and medium infantry unit.
7) Persian Horse Archers are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Sultan's Stables can recruit them. Their melee attack has been increased to 7, their missile attack increased to 6, and their total defense increased to 14, making them the hardest-hitting horse archer in the Kharza roster.
8) Persian Spearmen are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Drill Square can recruit them. Their total defense has been increased to 14, making them a sturdy early-game spearmen.
9) Royal Guard have had their turns to recruit them reduced to 2. These heavily armored shock infantry wreak a terrible toll on their enemies, making them a welcome sight in Kharza armies.
10) Royal Guard Cavalry have had their melee attack increased to 8 and their total defense increased to 25, reinforcing their status as formidable heavy cavalry.
11) Saracen Archers are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Practice Range can recruit them. Their total defense has been increased to 8, making them a little more sturdy as an early-tier archer unit.
12) Hashashim have had their unit size increased, (from 60 to 120 men on ultra unit size), and now only take 3 turns to recruit instead of 6. A deadly unit only available from the Assassins Guild.
13) Turkoman Cavalry are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Stables can recruit them. A useful light horse archer to harass the enemy.
14) Elephants are a new unit to the roster, available from the Caliph's Stables after the New Era event, (year 1300). While still a rare and expensive unit, Elephants more than make their money back when used properly on the battlefield.
The Cuman Khanate
More so than other factions, the Cuman Khanate was hamstrung by unit availability restricted by AOE, making expansion for them very difficult. While their roster was not bad, it was also one of the smallest of any faction in the game. With the AOE problem dealt with, the roster buffed, and a couple new additions to the roster, the Cumans should now provide an interesting and entertaining campaign for the player to enjoy.
1) Bekh Druzhina have had their melee attack increased to 9, their missile attack increased to 6, and their total defense increased to 15. These changes were made to make them truly fill their role as the horse archer nobles of the Cuman roster.
2) Cuman Horse Militia have had their missile attack increased to 3 and their total defense increased to 8, making them a useful, cheap horse archer.
3) Dismounted Bekh Druzhina have had their total defense increased to 17.
4) Dismounted Khagan Druzhina have had their melee attack increased to 5 and their total defense increased to 17, making them a very strong spear unit.
5) Kasogi have had their melee attack increased to 3 and their total defense increased to 10, making them a more useful militia infantry.
6) Kasogi Senior Militia have had their melee attack increased to 3 and their total defense increased to 14, making them a useful spear unit.
7) Khagan Druzhina have had their total defense increased to 16, making them a sturdy cavalry unit.
8) Mounted Yasi have had their melee attack increased to 4 and their total defense increased to 11, making them a useful horse archer.
9) Pechenegs are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map that has the Stables building can recruit them. Their total defense has been increased to 6, making them a useful light horse archer.
10) Steppe Alans are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Practice Range can recruit them. Their melee attack has been increased to 3, ensuring these archers are not completely useless in melee combat.
11) Tartar Foot Lancers are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Garrison Quarters can recruit them. Their melee attack has been increased to 4 and their total defense increased to 14, making them a useful spear unit.
12) Tartar Lancers are no longer restricted by AOE; any castle on the map with the Sheik's Stables can recruit them. These men are a good light cavalry that can cause quite a bit of damage to the enemy.
13) Cuman Heavy Infantry is a new unit, both to the mod and the Cuman roster; these men serve a strong medium infantry with armor-piercing attacks, giving the Cuman infantry line a punching power it lacked before. Available from castles with the Drill Square.
14) Cuman Heavy Archer is a new unit, both to the mod and the Cuman roster; these men serve as a flexible unit that can also serve as a good archer and a medium infantry in equal capacity. Available from castles with the Archery Range.
So there you have it, the changes for the Shah of Khwarazm and the Cuman Khanate from Stainless Steel 6.4 to Roar of Conquest! If you like what you see and would like to try out the mod for yourself, you can download it here: Moddb.com Now, go forth and conquer!
