January development update news

Greetings all! It’s been a while since we have last updated you on the mod, so here is a small post to show you what our level design, 2D and research teams have been working on these past few weeks. We hope to give you similar updates in the future, but in the meantime enjoy!

Planned major factions
While we are still trying to figure out what certain faction to include in Shokuhō. Our historical research team has gathered the following 'Major Faction' list we at least want to include in the mod.

Nanbu Faction
Located in the extreme and cold north of Honshu, the Nanbu clan was famous for its fortified ranches built throughout their territories, which produced fine warhorses. After expelling the Anto faction, the clan also began to pursue into sea trade in the region. The Nanbu horse was probably one of the best japanese horse breeds at that time and in the past it was highly desired due to his beauty, aptitude and obedience. Moreover, The Nanbu clan was very well known for its aggressive expansionism during the era of Harumasa and conquered most of the far north Honshu.

The vast lands of the Nanbu can be summarized by this saying: “The Nanbu land is until the crescent moon becomes full.” Meaning that traversing through all the Nanbu territory lasted until the crescent moon was full.

Uesugi Faction
Originally the Yamauchi-Uesugi family held the title of Kanto Kanrei, a very prestigious position that assumed control of the lands in the Kanto region under the Shogunate. As the Sengoku period went on, the family became threatened and fled to Echigo under the protection of their vassal Nagao Kagetora, who was then adopted to succeed the Uesugi and his titles, the latter would soon be known as the iconic Uesugi Kenshin.

Although various theories surround the figure of Kenshin, what is known about him is that he acquired the reputation of an impressive warmonger who commanded a powerful army who also financed various wars and invasions on the neighboring territories, including the Kanto region of the Hojo, For this, he was called the “God of War”. Aside from wars, he also was known to have greatly financed both commerce and production in his lands which became prosperous, Kenshin still was known for its piety, often forgiving betrayals and rebellions from vassals, aside from being an enjoyer of poetry and romances, being also known to never have married or kept concubines, so his sons were adopted from other families.

Takeda Faction
Primarily located in the mountainous and infertile region of Kai province, the clan was engaged in perpetual conflict since early in the times of Nobutora, as they kept expanding its domains and defeating rival families, at the cost of high taxes and manpower. Takeda Shingen is perhaps the best well known figure of the faction, having expelled his detested father he took control of the clan and conducted reforms to improve the efficiency and productivity of his lands throughout his territorial expansions.

The Takeda faction were famous for their strong army and cavalry and were known for having one of the best armies of Japan at this time, one especially well known cavalry regiment was the Akazonae or “Red Arms” as they all wore red armor; they often were the first to charge into the enemy formations causing disorganization and fear among their ranks, the scarlet armor color is said to have added an even more increased psychological effect on this. Shingen was personally a very well respected figure, known for his sharp judgment and visionary mind on both military and civil affairs, he would soon be able to encounter capable rivals to test his talents.

One of the clan’s battle banner was Furinkazan, which could be translated as below: “As swift as wind, as gentle as the forest, as fierce as fire, as immovable as the mountain.”

Tokugawa Faction
Tokugawa was a cautious player, he waited until the next good move could have been done and prioritized an analytical and foresight attitude. Ieyasu himself was known as a stoic man who rejected life based on the basic human desires and prioritized things on a more practical and even opportunistic view. After the battle of Okehazama, when the Imagawa army suffered a huge defeat; the Tokugawa betrayed them by taking their domains at Totomi province and they would soon ally with the Oda. The clan also had Ninja retainers serving it and after the destruction of the Kai Takeda it would even recruit the enemy generals, rather than wasting their talents.

Oda Faction
In the past, the Oda was just a minor and fragmented clan under the shugo of Owari province. The famous figure of Nobunaga, who successfully elevated the clan to great levels, was described as an unconventional and harsh figure which got him the nickname of “The Fool of Owari”. However he was later regarded as a respected, refined and feared warlord. Furthermore, Nobunaga had an innovative mind and conducted reforms in various fields, from trade to war and greatly enhanced his clan’s relations with the West and its technology, notably the Portuguese. In 1560, the Oda launched a surprise attack with a much inferior force against the Imagawa army in the battle of Okehazama and this famous event would mark the beginning of Oda’s supremacy.

His personal seal was Tenka Fubu, and while the most common translation is “Rule the world by military force” it actually means “Rule the world under the empire”. Thus, its connotation was not necessarily militaristic, but more alike a political viewpoint. Oda Nobunaga’s objective was to establish a world under a central and coherent government.

Mori Faction
The clan started it’s ascendance under Mori Motonari, who was just a small lord between the great Amako and Ouchi clans. The Mori gradually started to increase its power as they allied with the Ouchi and would fight against the Amako and other minor clans, but when the Ouchi got into internal struggles the clan later decided to rebel against the Ouchi and both the Amako and Ouchi clans would later be destroyed by the Mori. The Mori were also known for the naval expertise of their vassals, most notably Kobayakawa, who later got the cooperation of the Noshima-Murakami pirates to fight under Mori. Motonari personally was still known as a diligent, quick-minded person and would be recognized as a great tactician.

Otomo Faction
Known for their close relationship with the Portuguese, this clan soon established a deeper alliance with the foreigners under the rule of Otomo Sorin. They were one of the most powerful Christian factions in the Sengoku period, which neither spared shrines nor temples of Shinto-Buddhist traditions during their conquests. Aside from creating commerce and cultural exchanges with the Portuguese, they also received military aid in battles such as the siege of Moji in 1561. They also controlled various provinces and were one of the most prominent clans in the land and often struggled with the great Ouchi, Mori and later the Shimazu factions.

Shimazu Faction
The clan was well-known for its fierce warriors, and bravery . They stayed as one of the most memorable factions due to their aggressive expansion, misleading tactics and devout courage among their warriors, which led them to winning battles even at great numerical disadvantage. One of their famous tactics was known as “Tsurinobuse” or “Fishing Field”, in which basically a small army unit feigns defeat to lure the enemy to a hidden army, and although this may seem simple, it required high discipline and coordination to make it work.

They also were one of the first clans to widely adopt firearms among his lines since the Portuguese arrival, although they later denied the Portuguese catequese work on its territory.

Ikko-Ikki
They started out as a rebellious movement of followers of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism who opposed the samurai rule and became feared by various Daimyos.

Although the religious cathedral of the Jodo Shinshu was under Hongan-ji temple, they were initially not associated with it; but as the movement grew, it became one of the primary bases for them. The chief of Hongan-ji acted as the religious figure of the sect, similarly to the Pope in medieval Europe. It is known to have been dependent on the participation and support of a wide range of subjects, from common peasants to local lords and mercenaries, even from other Buddhism sects.

The Jodo Shinshu sect in itself was known as a wide-spread and easily understood method to achieve enlightenment according to the belief; which mostly allowed it to spread widely among the various layers of the population.

Campaign map update
Kyushi:

Shikoku:


Lake Biwa:


Hokkaido:


Mount Fuji:


Japan vs. Calradia
The Green circle is the size of Calradia


Storyline & Quests
The approach we have decided to take in regards to the storyline is a relaxed one - while there will be overarching major quests concerning clans, the player will have the freedom to do what they like. There will be big and small quests throughout the campaign, whenever in a village, a town or on the road. Similarly, you will find many companions and characters in inns and special places. Some may be from the area, and some may be from abroad; foreign merchants stranded in Japan, wandering ronin, merchants mixed up in feuds, travelling warrior monks and more.

Loading screens
Our 2D-art team has been working hard as well. The following images are some of our custom Bannerlord loading screens:








Want to join the Shokuhō team?
Currently we are in need of developers for the Programming, Level Design, 2D and 3D teams; specifically, programmers, level designers, 2D digital concept artists and 3D generalists, artists or modellers. Please note that all applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and the "requirements" are strongly desired but not absolutely set in stone! Our applications might be momentarily be closed due to maintenance, but feel free to join our Discord as they will open soon!

General requirements:
- Commitment to the project and tasks assigned to them.
- Experience with Discord, Trello, Google Drive, etc...
- Communication is key; keep your fellow devs up to date with whatever is relevant.
- Motivation and enthusiasm for the project.

2D requirements:
- Is knowledgeable in the field of art (which includes shapes, lighting, shading, proper composition, character posing, anatomy, depth, values, etc.) and is capable of applying them to their work.
- Character and/or environmental concepting.
- the ability to "adapt" and apply their skills into a different air style environment to the best of their ability.
- Mostly digital, has at least a tablet and a program to sketch and compose. (Photoshop, Coral Painter and so on)
- Capable of working with historical references provided by the other departments.

3D requirements:
- A somewhat established workflow or pipeline, capability of problem solving during a phase within the workflow.
- Has knowledge in limb topology and knows how to apply them. (mostly for character related meshes)
- Retopology for character related meshes, items and props.
- Capable of UV Unwrapping and texturing models.
- Has some knowledge within the field of arts as well. (proper anatomy, shapes, lighting, composition, rendering. etc)

If you are interested, you will need to join the Discord below and fill in the application form found in the #dev-applications channel. For non 2D and 3D artists, we will be opening up applications for the rest of the team over the next few weeks (subject to change).

Link to our Discord: discord.gg/E54ny34
Link to our Youtube channel: Shokuhō Youtube channel
Link to our Taleworlds Forum page: Shokuhō Taleworlds forum