The Battle for Middle-Earth 2 Samurai's Ultimate Mod v1.1

Version 1.1 makes the mod compatible with the 1.03 patch, fixes the cost of the Dwarven Barracks Upgrade 1, and weakens walls (but not buildings) while also decreasing their cost, to be more in line with the 1.03 patch values.

Samurai's Ultimate Mod v 1.1

Changes for 1.1:

Now compatible with the 1.03 patch for BFME2. Note that while the patch's other changes, such as AI and additional maps, will be active, any balance changes made to the ini.big file will not show up.

• Fixed the upgrade cost of the Dwarven Barracks (it had been using the Build Cost of 400 instead of the proper upgrade cost of 500.

• Thanks to a note from a player, I found that the wall arrow tower and wall trebuchet were changing their armor type when upgraded, from “wall†to “structureâ€. For several reasons, it was easier to adjust the armor and cost of the walls than it was to reclassify these buildings as “wallsâ€. What this means is that walls are now significantly less armored (and thus easier to destroy) than in version 1.0, so I took a cue from the 1.03 patch and reduced the cost of walls to compensate.

• The Corsair firebombs are a bit faster firing and hit more often than before.

Version 1.0:

This mod is a complete rebalancing of the game. Nearly every unit and building has undergone some changes. There is not enough time or space to list everything, but some of the more significant changes include:

1) It greatly strengthens all walls and buildings by increasing their armor approximately x5 vs. most weapons (a bit more against bows) and approximately x4 vs. siege weapons. This gives you time to get to a farm that is under attack and defend it, if the attacking group is not too large. Note that due to various changes in damage and armor, buildings are slightly weaker than they were in Samurai’s Wall Mod v1.0, but still far stronger than in the original game. If you want to destroy buildings, siege weapons are by far the best at it, followed by fire or magic (including melee heroes and upgraded archers). Swordsmen are best among regular units, then cavalry or pikemen, and finally non-upgraded archers, in that order.

2) It slightly (+10%) increases the non-upgraded armor of most units. I felt that the armor upgrade was just too big an improvement, making it practically a necessity, especially against upgraded weapons. This is not going to make a huge difference, but it might help a bit.

3) It incorporates the Elven Guard mod by Steve Shepherd (AKA Gholin). In his readme, he said people could use his mod if they gave him credit, and I enjoyed it so much, I’ve done so here. His original readme is included in this zipfolder as well, so you can see what he contributed.

4) I’ve included Troll Buddy’s Monster and Banner Regen mod, with his kind permission. His original Readme is included in the zipfolder. 2nd level units with a Banner carrier will regenerate health when they are not in combat, as will all monsters (Trolls, Giants, Mumakil, etc). The rate of regeneration is slower than it would be if they were next to a healing well or hearth, meaning those are still useful.

5) The bonus damage for most upgraded weapons is now 10 + ½ the base damage (for infantry and cavalry) or +60% for siege weapons, rather than between +100% to +150% of the base damage (it varied from unit to unit). For weaker units, this will typically almost double their damage, while it may be as little as 65% or 70% for more powerful units. This makes the forged blades and fire arrow/Silverthorn arrow upgrades somewhat less dominating than they were.

6) The health, damage, and cost of many units were adjusted, always with an eye toward balance and creating or preserving the unit’s niche. For example, Orks and Goblin swordsmen were made tougher and more expensive, Mirkwood Archers were toned down a bit and made available after the 1st Barracks upgrade, and many heroes have had their stats adjusted. I feel every race is now closely matched and viable, though certainly not identical.

Installation:
Go to your Battle for Middle Earth 2 folder.

Find your ini file and either move it to another place (up one level to your Electronic Arts folder is good) or rename it.

Move the new Monster and Banner Regen file included in this zipfolder to the Battle for Middle Earth 2 folder.

Play the game!

In order to return to an unaltered game, just swap the files again.

Please send any questions or comments to tommiskey@hotmail.com. This mod has been tested only in single player skirmish mode by me, and I make no guarantees as to if or how well it works in other modes. The change in buildings’ longevity is great and may not be to everyone’s liking. Try at your own risk, but BE SURE TO SAVE YOUR UNALTERED INI FILE SO YOU CAN SWAP BACK AGAIN! Otherwise you’ll need to reinstall the game to go back to an unaltered version.

Enjoy!

Samurai

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