Greetings Europa Barbarorum fans!
15th March 2006
The Europa Barbarorum team, through your assistance, has discovered issues which cause CTDs both introduced in 0.7.3 and, primarily, existing since 0.7.2. Thus we are now hard at work on 0.7.4, which promises to be very stable. We feel that as many have claimed 0.7.3 is an improvement in stability over 0.7.2, 0.7.4 will be even moreso over 0.7.3. Thank you for your assistance in helping us find the source of these errors!
As we expect 0.7.4 to be at least several days away, we have posted temporary fixes for the most glaring CTD errors in our public areas (you will find links at the end of this message). 0.7.4 will not have a lot of new content, but we feel that with the impact of our bug fixes being so great, it made sense for us to distance this version with the currently released one. Since we are making good progress on the conversion to 1.5, it is most likely that our next full version release (i.e. not a patch) will be on that platform.
With the release of the 0.7.3 patch we were not able to include any new units, due to how RTW handles packed items (we will not see the new units and unit texture/model fixes until our next full version release), so we have decided to showcase some of the creations of our wonderful modellers and skinners. It's a shame they've been toiling away deep in the catacombs of the EB headquarters, and all their hard work hasn't made it's way to you yet, but we are here to remedy that today! And we also plan on releasing more of these in the near future.
Today we will preview for you three units by three different EB members, whom we would like to thank here! Aymar de Bois Mauri, Shogo, and skeletor. So enough with the introductions, let's get to the preview!
Noricae Gaecorii - Regional Rebel Skin (Aymar de Bois Mauri)
Noricene Gaecorii (Guy-kur-ee-eye; Spear Troop) are a product of Celtic, Italic, and Hellenistic influences present in Noricum. They are essentially a Celtic warband, but their oval shield is reinforced. These men are semi-professional soldiers, not levies, despite their simple armaments. They are from the mountains, and, as such, are more resilient to the natural elements than most, and are quite hardy. Their throwing spears aren't of the greatest quality, but they can soften an enemy before they charge.
Historically, Noricum was the product of a Celtic culture absorbing many Hellenic and Italic influences. They were very much Celtic, but the clear Hellenic and Italic influences evidenced themselves in the use of various phalanx tactics they used, and linothorax armor, as well as other developments. These warriors were 'basic' soldiers, but comparatively well trained compared to other Celtic warbands. They would be well trained and somewhat disciplined, and capable of softening foes before the actual soldiers engaged them, or engaging lighter enemies by themselves.
Makedonian Pelekephoroi Agrianikoi - Agrianian Assault Infantry (skeletor)
The Pelekephoroi Agrianikoi are among the best and quickest infantry available to the Makedonian Kingdom. Most of the Illyrikoi tribe known as the Agrianikoi by the men of Helles now live in northern Makedonia, where they are actively recruited by the Makedonian military. The Agrianikoi are famed for their acrobatics and climbing ability, and are well known as an exceedingly fierce tribe. Though they wear little in the way of armor, wearing only a small round bronze breastplate that doubles as a bowl and leather greaves that protect their legs from the jagged rocks, they are exceeding tough. They carry daggers and axes, both modified for use as climbing tools; the daggers being particularly long and specially shaped to make them both climbing spikes and excellent melee weapons. The Agrianikoi actually have a fairly advanced system of martial art based around these unique weapons, and it serves them well on the field of battle. They carry thureoi and wear attic helmets, and round out their equipment with a cache of javelins. Agrianikoi are famous javelineers, able to throw their javelins with legendary force. They are best used as assault infantry, as their javelins, speed, and axes can be provide a perfect counter to heavier troops. They are fanatic soldiers who often lose themselves into a battle frenzy and are able to tackle enemies with far more armor.
Historically, The Agrianikoi were an Illyrikoi tribe that was highly influenced by the Thrakioi. They've been recruited by the Makedonians in large numbers for many years, and are now indebted to the Makedonian king for protecting them against the huge invasion of the Galatai the Agrianikoi were used by Alexandros in almost every major battle of his conquest, often to great effect. They were fanatically loyal and were called upon as his best assault troops, able to throw their ropes and grappling hooks and use their spiked boots and specialized equipment to scale even sheer surfaces. They fought fanatically and continued this tradition under Makedonian leadership.
Assilim Meshurianim - Southern Arabian Heavy Infantry - (Shogo)
This tough, heavily armored infantry is the cream of Southern Arabian nobility, and despite the land’s reputation for the production of aromatics these are not perfume wearing effeminates who can be easily brushed aside. Armored in good quality chain and armed with thin but sturdy swords, as well as tough leather shields, these men can be relied on to hold their own against all but the best heavy infantry.
Historically, the wealthy elite of the great cities of Southern Arabia went to war clad in heavy armor, and provided the backbone of the Khamis (national troops) that a city called upon in time of war. Thier sturdy chain armor was made of either bronze or iron, with bronze being more common as both copper and scorching sun were common in Arabia. The poets of later day Arabia were at their most elegant when describing the qualities of a fine suit of mail, often saying that such a coat will ripple like a pool blown by wind and glitter like lightning. The thin and supple sword and tough camel hide shield, while not nearly so highly praised in poetry, are equally formidable parts of their arsenal.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this news update!
Please note that unless stated otherwise, ALL pictures, names, and descriptions shown in our previews are works in progress. We continue to improve on all parts of EB, and we will continue to do so long after our initial release.
Since some areas where these news items are posted cannot handle wide images, we appreciate your restraint from quoting full-size images.
As always, if you have questions or comments, the best place to post them is here, where the EB team is most active:
Europa Barbarorum ORG forum
Europa Barbarorum TWC forum
We give special thanks to [url=http://www.imageshack.us]Imageshack[/url] that provides us with a simple, foolproof, and free way to show you all these pictures each week.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
The Europa Barbarorum team.
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