Greetings! Today we will be talking about the changes made to the Kingdom of Poland and the Kingdom of Hungary in Roar of Conquest from Stainless Steel 6.4. To put it quite bluntly, these factions were an absolute mess. The biggest problem these factions faced, both for the AI and the player, was their area of recruitment restrictions. All the decent troop selections the Poles and Hungarians had were greatly restricted even in their own home provinces, leaving the only troop option available every to them everywhere as Spear Militia. Both the Poles and Hungarians get only Spear Militia as their highest-tier troop from cities, and with the professional troops from castles being so sparse, it was common to see full-stack armies of Spear Militia and little else in the first 100 or so turns into the campaign. This lack of troop quality meant that Poland and Hungary would always be trounced by their neighbors; even when controlled by the player, these factions would struggle just to survive the early campaign, let alone thrive. Well no more! After the changes I made in Roar of Conquest, the Poles and Hungarians can now field large armies of better-quality troops, and on the campaign map Poland and Hungary both do rather well for themselves even in the hands of the AI. In fact, they frequently become proper empires in their own right, as they should be. The gateway to the East for Christendom shall now hold strong against all heathens and heretics; now, onto glory!
Universal Changes, (Affects All Listed Factions):
As far as factions go, Poland and Hungary are rather unique from each other in regards to their rosters; as such, most of the changes you will notice here are not too drastic, especially for the early campaign. Nevertheless, these changes are worth noting, and reflect changes made across many factions that share these units.
1) Pavise Spear Militia have greater melee attack, now 2 up from 1. Be aware that neither Poland or Hungary get access to them until the year 1300 in the campaign.
2) Late Pikemen have better melee stats, with 5 attack up from 2 and 4 charge up from 3. Their defense is also better, with a total of 15 up from 10.
3) Pikemen have better melee stats, with a 5 attack up from 2 and 4 charge up from 3. Their defense is also now 8 up from 3.
4) Foot Men at Arms are now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked. For a more detailed description of what this change means, please refer to the latter portion of this article: Moddb.com
5) Light Men at Arms are no longer restricted by area of recruitment, or AOE; any castle you can build the appropriate Barracks building will now recruit them anywhere on the map. While a general change, it certainly helped Poland and Hungary more than other factions.
6) Men at Arms are no longer restricted by area of recruitment, or AOE; any castle you can build the appropriate Stables building will now recruit them anywhere on the map.
The Kingdom of Hungary
While a faction that once struggled in the early campaign, Hungary never truly suffered from a bad or under-performing roster. Instead, their problem was that they could not get their good troops out onto the campaign enough to make a good army. After my tweaks, Hungary is now a formidable force, whether controlled by the AI or the player. Will you be content with holding the line for Christendom in the East, or will you go forth and conquer in the name of God and glory?
1) Banderium Knights are now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked.
2) Bosnian Archers are no longer restricted by area of recruitment, or AOE; any castle you can build the appropriate Archery building will now recruit them anywhere on the map. This is a huge boon for Hungary, giving them a descent archer unit to rely on no matter where they choose to conquer.
3) Dismounted Banderium Knights are now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked.
4) Pavise Spearmen have better defense, with a total of 16 up from 14. This increase in defense makes them a more stalwart backbone for the Hungarian army, especially in the early campaign.
5) Royal Banderium are now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked. Another contender for being one of the most powerful heavy cavalry units in the game, they are certainly worth the wait for when they unlock, (year 1400).
6) Battlefield Assassins, the unit which brings with it the biggest change for Hungary's roster. While Hungary always had access to this unit, they could only recruit the Assassins from an Assassins Guild building, making them incredibly rare. Now, they field a full-size battalion upon recruitment, (120 men up from 60 on ultra unit size), and now only take 3 turns to recruit instead of 6. However, the biggest change I made was that they can now be recruited from the Drill Square building onwards in castles. These hard-hitting medium infantry are now a common site in Hungarian armies, and bring a much-needed boon to aid the Hungarians in the early campaign.
The Kingdom of Poland
Even more so than Hungary, Poland struggled to field decent troops in the early campaign, often resorting to spamming full-stacks of Spear Militia with a couple of siege units. Needless to say, these armies posed no threat to their enemies, and they were frequently crushed by their neighbors. But now, they are weak no more! With changes to troop availability and a couple other tweaks, Poland now fields strong armies and will often form their own empire in the East. Let the Russians and the Germans feel fear, for Poland now thunders across the land, seeking fame and conquest against all who oppose them!
1) Prussian Axemen: possibly the greatest change to the roster, Poland can now recruit these men starting from the Drill Square onward in castles. Previously unavailable to Poland, Prussian Axemen are also not restricted by area of recruitment, or AOE; any castle you can build the appropriate Barracks building will recruit them anywhere on the map. in addition, Prussian Axemen have better melee stats, with 4 attack up from 2 and 3 charge up from 1. They also have better defense, with a total of 15 up from 13. All in all, a good medium infantry which helps boost Polish armies, especially in the early campaign.
2) Eastern Spearmen have better melee attack, now 3 up from 2. In addition, they are no longer restricted by area of recruitment, or AOE; any castle you can build the appropriate Barracks building will now recruit them anywhere on the map. This change was a great boon for Poland, who did not have a reliable spear unit that it could consistently recruit to bolster their forces, especially in the early campaign.
3) Strzelcy have better melee attack, now 3 up from 2. They also have better defense, now 6 up from 4. Most important of all, they are no longer restricted by area of recruitment, or AOE; any castle you can build the appropriate Stables building will now recruit them anywhere on the map. Strzelcy are useful early-game crossbow cavalry, especially useful for killing enemy heavy cavalry.
4) Lithuanian Archers are no longer restricted by area of recruitment, or AOE; any castle you can build the appropriate Archery building will now recruit them anywhere on the map. Like the Bosnian Archers for Hungary, this change gives Poland a reliable archer unit to boost their forces across the campaign map.
5) Dismounted Piast Nobles have better defense, with a total of 16 up from 14.
6) Heavy Hussars now only take 4 turns to recruit down from 7. An excellent cavalry unit, they are a very late-game unit, (year 1580-1600), but well worth recruiting once you have access to them.
7) Polish Guard now only take 3 turns to recruit down from 7. Another contender for the game's best heavy cavalry, they are well worth the cost once you get access to them (year 1400).
8) Polish Knights have better melee attack, now 7 up from 5. They are also now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked.
9) Polish Foot Knights have better defense, with a total of 21 up from 20. They are also now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked.
So there you have it, the changes made for Poland and Hungary in Roar of Conquest! Now these proud kingdoms stand truly prepared to defend the eastern borders of Christendom from the world beyond. If you would like to defend this border, and even seek to expand it for yourself in the name of God and glory, you can download the mod here: Moddb.com
