Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: russkly

@ AP514.

Thx for the tip.

What is it exactly you like about the KS mod(s), please?

I'd like to know why you like it, and then I might give it a spin.

Cheers,

R

The KS Mod's most current version (v1.11) can almost certainly be used with the stock scenarios because we've now included all the vanilla sprites into it, though because our artillery is much more effective than stock guns, some scenarios may be unbalanced.

None of us in the KS group play the stock scenarios - the mod is principally designed for MP either co-op vs AI or P v P, but I play it a lot in sandbox and in the campaign - using the KS OOBs you can now have Russians, Austrians, Spanish, Portuguese, Bavarians, 1806 Prussians, all kinds of new nationalities in the campaign.

No, there's no ACW marching music in the KS mod. We haven't used ACW marching music ever, at least since the last Couriers and MAPS ACW mod for Gettysburg. We have changed the marching music though, but specific to different countries and different troops, for example Highlanders will play some stirring bagpipe music when they march, British will use the British Grenadiers or the Liburretto when they double-time.

Did you install it correctly?

The toolbar is different because we didn't like the pop-up context menu. We play HITS mode so the pop-up was an unwelcome distraction as it appeared right where you wanted to see the terrain. The pop-up context toolbar is fine for helicopter view players but we don't play from that perspective. We also dislike the floating extra mini toolbar in the Grog mod. Its another inconvenient item you have to get out of the way each time. The KS toolbar uses three contextual "tabs" for infantry, cavalry and artillery units and a fourth for orders, but it isn't ideal. We had to work within the more restrictive and less user-friendly framework of MyGUI for this game which is a step backwards from the elegant simplicity of the interface used in Gettysburg.

Nevertheless the KS toolbar delivers many more options than either the stock toolbar or the Grog mod. If you disable context menus in the options screen and persevere with it, we think you'll get to like it.

We also think the combat is more realistic in the KS mod, with artillery able to dominate the field if placed and supported correctly, as it should. The morale system is also improved and we have used whole skirmish units and got rid of the spawning split-units of skirmishers which are useless and have no effect. Now most brigades will have the second listed unit as a skirmisher unit, representing the converged light companies of the brigade. we feel that one combined skirmisher unit working on behalf of the brigade commander is a more reasonable depiction of Napoleonic skirmisher tactics as well as fitting into the command-control levels of the game better than a host of separate sub-units. Our skirmishers have real punch and harassment effect as well; you can't ignore them and many times we've had really fun mini-battles between the skirmishers of both sides.