Greetings! Today we talk about the changes made to the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire in Roar of Conquest from Stainless Steel 6.4. Centuries has passed since the Age of Charlemagne, and no man has yet to unite western Europe to the extent he did. However, the two realms which stand as his divided heirs, France and the HRE, now stand on the cusp on uniting mainland Europe under one banner. Who will win? That is for you, the player, to decide. In the case of AI vs. AI, generally it is the French who win that conflict; the Germans are surrounded by unfriendly nations on all borders, and quite often are excommunicated by the Pope, making the campaign an uphill climb for both the AI and the player. Do not be fooled, though; the Germans are strong, and are more than capable of taking on multiple enemies even when controlled by the AI. Both the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire are strong, and in Roar of Conquest, it is truly a roll of the dice to determine who will unite Europe under one banner. Are you ready to reforge Charlemagne's legacy, and dare to go further than he did? Than without further ado, onto glory and conquest!
Universal Changes, (Affects All Listed Factions):
While the rosters of the French and Germans are rather diverse in the later campaign, in the early game they share quite a few units. Therefore, the changes listed here are more impactful for the early campaign, and reflect changes that were made to the vast majority of factions in the game. These changes help make the early-tier armies a bit stronger and more professional on the campaign map.
1) Foot Men at Arms are now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked. This change will be listed quite a bit in this article, so for a more detailed description of what this change means for this and all other units with this change, please refer to the latter portion of this article: Moddb.com
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. Pikes are now useful!
3) 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.
4) 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.
5) Pike Militia have better melee stats, with 4 attack up from 1 and 3 charge up from 2. They also have better defense, now 4 up from 0.
6) 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.
7) Spearmen are no 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.
8) Spearmen Sergeants 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.
9) Gendarmes now only take 4 turns to recruit down from 7. This change applies for all factions that can recruit them.
The Kingdom of France
Of all the factions, France has arguably the best selection of Knight units, both mounted and dismounted, out of all the factions in the game. On horseback, their knights are among the best; few factions can even field cavalry units that can compete with the French in terms of raw stats. Much of the changes to their roster focused on their recruitment, not so much their actual combat stat. As the player, be prepared to ride down your enemies in a thunderous tide of steel and horseflesh! Just try not to faint at the upkeep costs...
1) Arbalesters have improved melee attack, now 6 up from 5. This fantastic crossbow unit does come a bit late in the campaign at the Full Plate event, (1380-1400), so until then you will have rather average ranged units. Still, you have great cavalry to make up for it.
2) Scots Guard have improved missile attack, now 7 up from 5. This change was done as a general overhaul to all longbow units in the game, (yes, they are a longbow unit), to make them perform more like their historical counterparts. Like the Arbalesters, they come in at the Full Plate event, (1380-1400), but when they come in, they are well worth the wait.
3) Chivalric Foot Knights are now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked.
5) Lancers now only take 4 turns to recruit down from 7. The elite of the elite, your enemies will weep when these men charge the field. One of the best heavy cavalry in the game.
6) Noble Foot Knights are now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked.
7) Noble Knights are now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked.
8) Voulgier now only take 2 turns to recruit, making them more available and more common on the campaign map.
The Holy Roman Empire
As a faction, the Holy Roman Empire is a mighty creature; after the changes I made, German knights can now better compete with their French counterparts in battle. In addition, they field a much better core of professional soldiers than the French, both from castles and cities. With the right guidance, Imperial armies will march across not only Europe, but the world!
1) Feudal Knights have an increased melee attack, now 6 up from 4. This change helps so they can at least compete with their French counterpart at this tier.
2) Gothic Foot Knights now unlock on the campaign map at the Gothic Plate event, (1450's), rather than the Pike and Shot event (1530). They are also now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked. While a late comer in the campaign, these deadly warriors will make your enemies tremble when they take the field.
3) Gothic Knights now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked. A deadly unit, they can compete with the best heavy cavalry in the game, even the French Lancer!
4) Imperial Foot Knights have better melee attack, now 7 up from 6. They are also now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked.
5) Imperial Knights have better melee attack, now 6 up from 4. They are also now available for the entire campaign once they are unlocked.
6) Verlorene Haufe can now be recruited starting from the City Hall in Large Cities rather than the Mayor's Palace in Huge Cities. Upgrading to the Mayor's Palace simply increases their recruitment pool size. In addition, they now field a full-size battalion, (120 men up from 60 on ultra unit size), making these men a handy and more readily available strike infantry for the Germans.
7) Zwei Hander have better melee stats, with 10 attack up from 9 and 7 charge up from 6. They also now only take 2 turns to recruit down from 4. These changes mean that they now will form the backbone of the Imperial army once they unlock, (1300), and what a unit to be your backbone! These men will tear through all but the most elite infantry in the game, and even elites will be badly blooded after going toe-to-toe with them! These changes also makes fighting the Germans a bit more challenging in the mid campaign.
So there you go, the changes for both the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire in Roar of Conquest! Now more than ever, these two factions now stand ready to carry on the legacy of Charlemagne, conquering Europe and beyond! If you like what you hear and want to become the new Charlemagne yourself, the mod can be downloaded here: Moddb.com
