Download the current version
Installation instructions
A word of caution
What this version does
TODO list
Philosophy
Old versions
How to provide feedback
About the version numbers
Credits
Visit my Kingdoms page.
You may want to check out the TAK FX mod at
Merciless Creations.
It complements T-mod quite nicely.
T1.2.0 - Intended for use with TA:K v3.0
If you are looking for an all-around fun and balanced way to play the game, the stable release is recommended. If you want to help test the mod or just want to mess around with the experimental changes, please feel free to download the development release. (more info about version numbers)
T1.2.0 is pretty much just a Kingdoms 3.0 compatibility release. It does not address balance issues introduced by the Iron Plague expansion nor the new units which have appeared since 2.0 (Grenadier, Mer Warrior, Dark Hand, Ballista, etc.).
T1.3.3 - Intended for use with TA:K v3.0
This is the latest and greatest, based on CUT. Please feel free to try it out and send me your feedback.
Running Kingdoms with the Cavedog verification disabled (which is what you are doing while using this or any other third party mod) has a couple of undesirable effects in multiplayer games. You will not be able to join multiplayer games that are hosted by players who are not using mods (although you may be able to see them in the Boneyards). When two or more players with mods start a game, however, there is no checking done to ensure that everyone's mods are the same.
It is always a good idea to make sure that everyone agrees which mods to play with before the game begins. Mods have no place in competitive ladder games anyway, so we shouldn't have too many cheating problems. However, use common sense and don't waste your time playing mod games against people you don't trust.
If you or your opponent has any third-party units installed, you must have all the same units. Otherwise the game will crash at the load screen.
Note: For detailed changes in the current development release, please see the README file that comes with the distribution. The following describes the changes in the most recent stable release.
in a nutshell
- Walls build faster and are reclaimable.
- Side gates for Aramon, Taros, and Veruna are included.
- Defensive structures are cheaper (25% off for Bastions, Strongholds and Mage Towers; 50% off for Death Totems and Floating Towers; 75% off for Watch Towers, Guard Towers, and Caged Demons).
- All first tier units except Zombies, Goblins, Catapults, and the builders do half damage to defensive structures.
- Many individual units (especially those which were generally considered to be useless or significantly overpowered) have been rebalanced in various ways.
- Beast Lords can build Beast Handlers.
- Rocs transport units much more effectively.
- The Rictus and all the deities are amphibious.
- Fourth Tier builders (Acolytes, Shamans, etc.) can be built faster and cheaper. They are also able to assist other builders and factories, just like monarchs.
- Divine Lodestones can be built faster and cheaper.
the details
- updated all units for 3.0 and Iron Plague compatibility.
- added 3rd party Side Gates courtesy of DL_Recca and Z-TA.
- Taros Fire Spout cloakcost reduced from 15 to 12.
- Taros Fire Spout cloakcostmoving reduced from 25 to 20.
- Taros Fire Spout weapon damage increased from 610 to 915 (50%).
- Aramon Acolyte made able to build-assist.
- Taros Dark Priest made able to build-assist.
- Veruna Priest of Lihr made able to build-assist.
- Zhon Shaman made able to build-assist.
- Ghoul buildtime reduced from 300 to 10.
- Aramon Archer buildcost reduced from 325 to 260 (20%).
- Aramon Archer buildtime reduced from 125 to 100 (20%).
- Aramon Assassin cloakcost reduced from 14 to 10.
- Aramon Assassin cloakcostmoving reduced from 21 to 15.
- Aramon Assassin weapon range increased from 175 to 306 (75%).
- gave Aramon Barbarian an AdjustAttack effect of 1.1, radius of 200.
- Aramon Swordsman maxdamage increased from 2500 to 3000 (20%).
- Taros Black Knight weapon damage increased from 189 to 254 (50%).
- Taros Fire Demon buildcost increased from 1189 to 1585 (33%).
- Taros Fire Demon buildtime increased from 204 to 272 (33%).
- Taros Ghost Ship buildtime increased from 179 to 239 (33%).
- Taros Iron Beak buildtime reduced from 352 to 235 (33%).
- Taros Iron Beak buildcost reduced from 1863 to 1242 (33%).
- Taros Kamikaze Rat explosion damage increased from 8000 to 16000 (100%).
- Taros Kamikaze Rat explosion radius increased from 203 to 305 (50%).
- Taros Kamikaze Rat monarch damage modifier reduced from 0.2 to 0.1 (50%).
- gave Taros Fire Mage the ability to traverse slight inclines.
- gave Taros Mind Mage the ability to traverse slight inclines.
- Veruna Berserker buildcost increased from 682 to 909 (33%).
- Veruna Berserker buildtime increased from 115 to 150 (33%).
- Veruna Crusader maxdamage increased from 4325 to 6488 (50%).
- Veruna Harpoon Ship radar removed.
- Veruna Man of War radar removed.
- Veruna Transport Ship radar removed.
- Veruna Trebuchet Ship radar removed.
- Veruna Skiff transportcapacity reduced from 4 to 1.
- Veruna Skiff transportsizecapacity reduced from 16 to 4.
- Veruna Harpoon Ship transportcapacity reduced from 16 to 4.
- Veruna Harpoon Ship transportsizecapacity reduced from 64 to 16.
- Veruna Man of War transportcapacity reduced from 20 to 8.
- Veruna Man of War transportsizecapacity reduced from 80 to 32.
- Veruna Skiff buildtime reduced from 225 to 169 (25%).
- Veruna Transport Ship buildcost reduced from 2333 to 778 (67%).
- Veruna Transport Ship buildtime reduced from 230 to 153 (33%).
- Veruna Harpoon Ship sightdistance reduced from 320 to 240 (25%).
- Veruna Harpoon Ship weapon range reduced from 710 to 533 (25%).
- Veruna Harpoon Ship weapon damage reduced from 1089 to 726 (33%).
- made Veruna Crusader immune to mind control and stoning.
- gave Zhon Basilisk the ability to traverse slight inclines.
- Zhon Basilisk maxdamage increased from 900 to 2700 (200%).
- Zhon Basilisk turnrate increased from 300 to 600 (100%).
- Zhon Basilisk turninplacerate increased from 400 to 800 (100%).
- Zhon Drake reload rate reduced from 4.5 to 3.375 (25%).
- Zhon Hunter reload rate increased from 2.9 to 3.867 (33%).
- Zhon Jungle Orc maxvelocity increased from 1.3 to 1.625 (25%).
- Zhon Jungle Orc maxdamage increased from 4612 to 5765 (25%).
- Zhon Roc transportdistance increased from 154 to 300.
- Zhon Roc brakerate decreased from 0.25 to 0.05.
- Zhon Roc maxdamage increased from 2100 to 4200 (100%).
- Zhon Roc maxvelocity decreased from 3.9 to 2.9.
- Zhon Roc turnrate increased from 200 to 800.
- Taros Rictus given ability to hover over water.
- restored Taros Spawn of Belial's ability to hover over water.
- restored Aramon Avatar of Anu's ability to hover over water.
- restored Veruna Angel of Lihr's ability to hover over water.
- Ghoul healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Taros Fire Demon healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Taros Ghost Ship healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Taros Iron Beak healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Taros Dark Priest healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Veruna Berserker healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Aramon Acolyte healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Veruna Priest of Lihr healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Zhon Shaman healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Aramon Divine Lodestone healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Taros Divine Lodestone healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Veruna Divine Lodestone healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Zhon Divine Lodestone healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Veruna Skiff healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Veruna Transport Ship healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- Veruna Harpoon Boat healtime modified in accordance with buildtime change.
- fixed Zhon Harpy damagecategory typo.
- Aramon Acolyte buildcost reduced from 5917 to 2958 (50%).
- Aramon Acolyte buildtime reduced from 1108 to 554 (50%).
- Taros Dark Priest buildcost reduced from 6552 to 3276 (50%).
- Taros Dark Priest buildtime reduced from 1282 to 641 (50%).
- Veruna Priest of Lihr buildcost reduced from 5292 to 2646 (50%).
- Veruna Priest of Lihr buildtime reduced from 911 to 456 (50%).
- Zhon Shaman buildcost reduced from 6899 to 3450 (50%).
- Zhon Shaman buildtime reduced from 905 to 453 (50%).
- Aramon Divine Lodestone buildcost reduced from 8564 to 2855 (67%).
- Aramon Divine Lodestone buildtime reduced from 1450 to 483 (67%).
- Taros Divine Lodestone buildcost reduced from 7399 to 2466 (67%).
- Taros Divine Lodestone buildtime reduced from 1055 to 352 (67%).
- Veruna Divine Lodestone buildcost reduced from 7655 to 2552 (67%).
- Veruna Divine Lodestone buildtime reduced from 1119 to 373 (67%).
- Zhon Divine Lodestone buildcost reduced from 6556 to 2185 (67%).
- Zhon Divine Lodestone buildtime reduced from 1101 to 367 (67%).
- Aramon Watch Tower buildcost reduced from 2751 to 688 (75%).
- Taros Caged Demon buildcost reduced from 2695 to 674 (75%).
- Veruna Guard Tower buildcost reduced from 2598 to 650 (75%).
- Aramon Stronghold buildcost reduced from 7258 to 5444 (25%).
- Veruna Bastion buildcost reduced from 7255 to 5441 (25%).
- Taros Mage Tower buildcost reduced from 7951 to 5963 (25%).
- Aramon Archer damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- Aramon Horseman damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- Taros Black Knight damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- Taros Ghost Ship damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- Veruna Crossbowman damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- Zhon Hunter damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- added Beast Handler to Zhon Beast Lord's build menu.
- increased Aramon Wall reclaim time to 10 seconds.
- increased Veruna Wall reclaim time to 10 seconds.
- increased Taros Wall reclaim time to 10 seconds.
- Aramon Swordsman damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- Taros Executioner damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- Veruna Warrior damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- Zhon Troll damage vs. forts reduced (50%).
- Veruna Floating Tower buildcost reduced from 3608 to 1804 (50%).
- Zhon Death Totem buildcost reduced from 5582 to 2791 (50%).
- made Aramon Wall reclaimable (clearable).
- made Veruna Wall reclaimable (clearable).
- made Taros Wall reclaimable (clearable).
- Aramon Wall buildtime reduced from 65 to 43 (33%).
- Veruna Wall buildtime reduced from 45 to 30 (33%).
- Taros Wall buildtime reduced from 95 to 63 (33%).
- Veruna Harpoon Boat buildtime increased from 156 to 234 (50%).
I'll try to keep this short:
This TA:Kingdoms enhancement is intended to improve the game's overall playability and level of fun for the majority of players at all levels of play. I'm not trying to rewrite the game. I want to keep changes from Cavedog's official releases down to a minimum. Changes are limited to those which can be easily made using 3rd party tools.
This project was started in response to Gigaflop's 8/26 post to the Cavedog Kingdoms Comments forum as well as other discussions. I am aware of at least two other "uberhack" projects that have been announced. This is how my project differs:
- I will only be making changes which add (in my opinion) an essential element to the game or take away a significant or obviously unintended flaw.
- I will attempt to make changes which help balance the game between the various races on the majority of commonly played maps.
- I will attempt to improve the usefulness of a few units which are rarely or never used.
- I will encourage as much feedback as possible and attempt to weigh higher the opinions of those players I know to be especially familiar with the game. (Note: if you want to be one of those people, simply play an intelligent role on the online forums and/or challenge me to a game sometime.)
- I will try to keep the number of changes from the official Cavedog releases down to a minimum.
- I will follow the Open Source methodology by releasing early, releasing often, and incorporating changes offered or suggested by the gaming community.
- I will attempt to base all decisions on extensive playtesting. (I'll need help!)
- I'm taking sort of a "What if I were Cavedog?" approach, suggesting these modifications for the official release.
(still here in case anyone wants to playtest various revisions)
Stable releases:
Development releases:
- T1.3.2 - for TA:K v3.0
- T1.3.1 - for TA:K v3.0
- T1.3.0 - for TA:K v3.0
- T1.1.4 - for TA:K v2.0
- T1.1.3 - for TA:K v2.0
- T1.1.2 - for TA:K v2.0
- T1.1.1 - for TA:K v2.0
- T1.1.0 - for TA:K v2.0
- T0.6.0 - for TA:K v2.0
- T0.5.1 - for TA:K v2.0
- T0.5.0 - for TA:K v2.0
- T0.4.0 - for TA:K v1.1
- T0.2.3 - for TA:K v1.1
- T0.2.2 - for TA:K v1.1
- T0.2.1 - for TA:K v1.1
- T0.2.0 - for TA:K v1.1
- T0.1.3 - for TA:K v1.1
- T0.1.2 - for TA:K v1.1
- T0.1.1 - for TA:K v1.1
- T0.1.0 - for TA:K v1.1
I follow both the Cavedog Comments Forum and the Annihilated.com TA:K Strategy and Tactics forum fairly closely. However, if you want to be certain that I won't miss your post, send me a copy by email as well.
Specific feedback I'm looking for
- Are the mods effective?
- Do they help achieve the goals listed in the Philosophy section?
- Are they overly effective?
- Are there any changes in the development series which are ready to either be dropped or moved into the stable series?
- Are the items on the TODO list worth doing?
- Anything to add to the list?
If you can send in suggestions, it is helpful. If you can send in your own updated version of the mods, pointing out the changes you've made and how they work, it is very helpful. If you can send in very specific feedback from playtesting, it is extremely helpful.
I'm following the Linux convention of using a three part version number. The first part signifies the major revision level (0 being beta, 1 being first release, etc.). The second part signifies the minor revision level where stable releases have an even number and development releases have an odd number. (e.g. 1.0.0 will be the first major stable release, followed by 1.1.0 for people who want to help testing. Meanwhile the 1.0.x series will continue to recieve any necessary bugfixes while the 1.1.x series eventually becomes the next stable release, 1.2.0.) The last number is the patch level. There will be a new patch level released quite often for the development versions. The "T" at the beginning is just to designate that it is a part of the T-mod series and to (hopefully) avoid conflicting with anyone else's version numbers.
While coordinated by a single person, the T-mod is very much a community effort. Nearly 100% of the ideas reflected in the mod have come from other members of the community who have offered their suggestions for discussion on the public forums.
Special Thanks:
- TTLB, a great gaming clan which has been quite active in the Kingdoms community and hosted this site for quite a while.
- DL_Recca and Z-TA for contributing the side gates.
- Joe D. for his HPI utilities and all the hard work he puts into supporting the 3rd party TA and TAK community.
- Gigaflop for inspiration and continued advocacy efforts.
- Jugularos for helping figure out how to make walls reclaimable.
- Roldan for suggesting the inclusion of the shortcut.
- Bish0p for helping figure out how the game responds to multiplayer mod-mismatches and such.
- Brave Sir Robin for advice and TA vs. TAK internals expertise.
- Corinne and Flatiron for the Dirigible bomb range suggestion.
- Postal for exceptionally level-headed suggestions.
- Everyone on the Annihilated and Cavedog forums for all the great suggestions and moral support.
- Cavedog for making a great game, continuing to support it, and even adopting some of the changes in previous versions of T-mod.
- Everyone who played on the T-mod ladder.