Bold warriors required! Bitterfrost 4 playtest!

[curtsibling]

Hail to the Gods of War!

After a couple of months developement, my latest scenario is ready for brave souls to playtest!



Featuring new graphics by farline and myself, sounds by techumseh and a few fun new scenario ideas,
this episode of the Bitterfrost saga explores races and realms only hinted at in the previous versions...!

You'll find plenty to do, as you take control of a Kingdom, Duchy or Empire in the Zarklaw, a violent and
under-siege part of the Bitterfrost world. Think the viking era, only with undead monsters and magic.

Build your cities ever higher, marshal vast armies, send spies, traders and ships
all over the map to ensure that your faction gains the upper hand. You can also
explore ruined cities, have wonder races, rescue heroes, and take part in a civil war!

What's not to love?

Unlike previous versions, this scenario places you in command of a mature, burgeoning
kingdom, but one that could benefit from your firm leadership and human intuition!

A ruthless (nay sadistic) streak is an advantage!

Now...Behold as I activate my mystical staff of story exposition!

The action in Bitterfrost IV takes place at the same time as the events unfolding in the Jawbone.
Bitterfrost IV is set during the age of the Undead, where most of the world is under the rotting
rule of the evil Lich King, Rakhammer. Fortunately for the Zatarn, the fearsome Ancient Empire's
forces are engaged in the Jawbone. Nonetheless, the Undead force in the Zarklaw is mighty indeed.

The Zarklaw is a donut-shaped landmass in the North of the Bitterfrost world. It has steppes and forests,
with fertile lands that run along many mineral-rich rivers. Great mountains and hills hide a wealth of ores
and precious metals. Found in some rocky areas is Zeegun crystal, an element much prized by wizards and
worth many times more than gold or gems. Zatarn society is currently ruled by King Herik of the Vodaani,
although he actually only holds true sway over the Western regions.

The other third of the landmass is commanded by three rival Duchies under Herik's control. The Eastern
part of the map is taken up by the Kaneg, Vorak and Shuuk realms. The Undead have already invaded the far
North, South and West. If the Undead are not stopped soon, then they will gain enough power to perhaps
overthrow the Zarklaw altogether.

A time of change is upon the Zarklaw, the Zatarn Duchies are ruled by three powerful Dukes, all of whom
are determined to become the next King. And they may not merely wait for an invitation! The Kaneg, Vorak
and Shuuk realms are also waiting in the wings. These foreign races all seek to expand their mighty empires
and will not be shy about challenging the Zatarn for supremacy. A clash of cultures is almost a certainty.

The Zatarn are a proud people. They want a return to the power and glory of their legendary past.
Too long have these heroic folk been humble, living as peasants and slaves to unfair fate. It is
time for a new dynasty, and high time for exacting thunderous revenge on the hated Undead.

The Age of The Warrior is dawning, and with it, a promise of hope for the Bitterfrost world...

And this is where you come in!

(more to come)

[curtsibling]

Below are the various races you can choose to play.

THE ZATARN

The Zatarn Duchies are ruled by bold young warlords, all striving to become the new royalty.
Each Duke wishes to be a King, the absolute ruler of the Zarklaw. To begin the campaign for
the throne of Vodaanhalla, a Duke must first rebel against the current King, Herik.

THE KANEG

The Kaneg are arrogant, powerful and they know it. They have the technical edge over the other
factions, and have an irrational hatred for the Shuuk lizards and their allies. The Kaneg seek
total supremacy, but that can wait until the Eastern Murkland has been cleared of all reptiles.

THE VORAK

The Vorak seek to expand and grow, their potent army and strong people stand ready to fight
and struggle for a new and greater Vorak Empire. War may be essential to settle claims for
land and resources. The Vorak believe they have the right to take what they win in battle.

THE MURKLANDERS

The Shuuk are timid, unassuming lizards, not often understood or even tolerated by other races.
Khaarov colonists have joined with the Shuuk in the Murklands, in order to teach them civilisation.
With time and persistence, the Murklanders hope to gain respect and their place in the Zarklaw...

THE UNDEAD

The Undead are merely to destroy all mortals without mercy. They have a mission to conquer the Zarklaw,
and nothing will get in the way of that. No diplomacy, no spies, only battle and bloodshed wherever the
legions of doom are met. Some Undead commanders may take bribes instead of pillaging a city in rare cases.

(more to come)

[curtsibling]

Here are the files needed for play-testing!

The usual CIV2-ToT installation rules apply:

http://apolyton.net/upload/view/1932...frost4Scen.zip

http://apolyton.net/upload/view.php?...329_Sound1.zip

http://apolyton.net/upload/view.php?...329_Sound2.zip

http://apolyton.net/upload/view.php?...9_B4Sound3.zip

Enjoy, and use this thread to let me know what you think!
Reports on bugs, slugs and other undesirables are welcome!

[fairline]

You work fast C.

[curtsibling]

It's a labour of love, old chap!

[Harry Tuttle]

Less open space between civs. Good choice.

[civ2units]

I´ve downloaded it and played some turns. First of all, it looks like a very good scenario.

I will give you a detailed feedback when I played more turns...

[curtsibling]

looking forward to that, cheers!

[tanelorn]

Amazing! Bitterfrost scens are always so addictive!
Quite a thing to look at too.

Unfortunately for the murklanders though, they start with one out of three of their cities in revolt and/or famine in the recommended level. Is this intentional or are these lizards grumble-guts and cry-babies?
(The gut thing would explain how they manage to explode I guess)

[curtsibling]

Aha!

Thanks for the kind words, Tanelorn!

I'll mark that down for the series of fixes!

[techumseh]

A great looking scenario. Fabulous graphics. And the sounds aren't bad either.

There's no playtester's instruction or readme file, so I don't know what the objective is, or how to know if I've won. Is the idea to conquer the world?

[curtsibling]

Cheers, tech!
Your sounds and (a few terrain tiles) really raised the bar
on this scenario into that of true quality! I am indebted.



I will be releasing a full reference readme with the final
version, but for now here is a run down of the factions...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vodaan Zatarn - White
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruler: King Herik.
Capital: Vodaanhalla
Status: Royal House of the Zatarn people.

Objectives: Survive and crush any Zatarn rebels. Keep an eye on the Kaneg and Vorak too...

Herik's faction are most concerned about staying in power, and fending off all challenges by the Dukes.
Their biggest advantage is that they have a superior government form and the excellent Knamern Guard units.
The Vodaani also command the inland lake, and the ancient Zatarn capital city. The Vodaan Zatarn start off
with some rather powerful units and the famous Throne of Vodaan in Vodaanhalla.

Herik's disadvantages are that he is unpopular, and the three other Zatarn factions will almost certainly
rebel at some point. The Vodaani may end up with a trio of powerful and ambitious Dukes at his throat.
And to make matters worse, there are lethal Undead armies camped on all the Vodaan borderlands.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Herjaar Zatarn - Blue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruler: Duke Thaar
Capital: Herjaara
Status: Zatarn Duchy.

Objectives: Build up enough forces to topple King Herik and smash all rivals...

Duke Thaar's Western Duchy has an emphasis on attack, and the honourable warrior ethic. Herjaar Zatarn
are hardy folk and believe in training for warfare from a young age. This is reflected in their unique
Enherrer unit. The aggressive Herjaar also gain fast promotions to veteran via their War Hanse.
Like the other Dukes, Thaar wishes to topple King Herik, and he is well-placed for the task.

The main disadvantages for the Herjaar are the competition from the other Dukes, and the the Undead
armies that are launching onslaughts from the far West of Thaar's borders. But on the other hand,
the Herjaar have some excellent coast cities, which could become major trade ports with time.
Also, to the West lies the most fertile land on the map - If the Undead can be ejected...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stold Zatarn - Cyan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruler: Duke Heemdal
Capital: Stoldaar
Status: Zatarn Duchy.

Objectives: Build up enough forces to topple King Herik and smash all rivals...

Surly Duke Heemdal's Easternmost Duchy has an emphasis on defence. Their highly trained garrison troops
like the Neverender are quite hard to rout. Among the Stold warbands, the most celebrated is the Iron Army.
This formation's ranks are filled with sacred warriors. Many will not even march against these holy troops.
The Stold are impatient for power and can be the most aggressive of the Zatarn Duchies.

The Stold's biggest disadvantage is the fact that they have the tough Vorak to the North, and the cunning
Zefir Duke, Voki to the West. Sneak attacks from both could ensue regularly. But luckily, the excellent
Stold troops and Iron Army cult will serve to safeguard the realm, and to easily put an end to any wars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zefir Zatarn - Magenta
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruler: Duke Voki
Capital: Zefirhanse
Status: Zatarn Duchy.

Objectives: Build up enough forces to topple King Herik and smash all rivals...

Sly Duke Voki is a controversial figure who believes in striking with speed and heedless of consequences.
Along with his strong spy network, Voki sends his powerful Farunnar cavalry into battle when subterfuge
fails. The Zefir also have their magical Wavebreaker artefact, which propels them across the oceans at
great speed, reaching valuable trade ports before anyone else.

The Zefir have much cunning, and may well race ahead in lore, but Voki also might be hammered between
the armies of his rivals, Thaar and Heemadal. Both those Dukes prefer direct means of action, so beware.
Voki could benefit from keeping everyone happy, playing politics and waiting for his foes to beat each
other senseless. Then when the time is right, making his move with superior weapons and his spies...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaneg Empire - Yellow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruler: Emperor Zaklek
Capital: Kanagsvalt
Status: Empire of the Kaneg Folk.

Objectives: Eliminate the Shuuk lizards forever and then smash all other rivals...

The Kaneg enjoy the advantage of being a technologically advanced race of beings. On the other hand, they
squander the gifts of genius on crazed campaigns to capture and kill the Shuuk lizards. Why their hate for
the hapless Shuuk is so strong, is anyone’s guess. Many believe the one-sided animosity goes deeper than
mere racial scapegoats or propaganda. The Kaneg are well-armed to exact war, with unmatched intelligence.

The Kaneg may seem limited to begin with, but they have several solid advantages. Their already tough troops
will gain many terrifiying weapons later in the game, and what is more, all Kaneg traders will get a good bonus.
If the Kaneg follow their advanced tech path, the Shuuk and everyone else are in big trouble. What Kaneg players
should avoid is getting tied down in a slogging war with the troublesome Zatarn or Vorak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vorak Shoganate - Orange
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruler: Dayamo Takedo
Capital: Vorokyo
Status: Shoganate of the Vorak

Objectives: Expand the Empire’s territories. Eliminate all threats from the Kaneg and Zatarn…

The decadent Vorak are excellent warriors and finely tuned artists. Their skill at metalwork and armouring gives
them an edge when it comes to defence. Their distinctive warrior castes of Ashokaga and Setikaga are rightly feared.
The later units like Ninjiko are also respectable and will help the Vorak conquer the new lands they desire. Early
game resources will come from huge mine complex near the capital called Moonchika.

The Vorak are great fighters and well geared to expand, but lack an outer port city, and should build or capture one
with all haste. Also, the powerful and arrogant Kaneg are to the North, and the unsympathetic Stold Zatarn to the South.
The Vorak player should avoid war with both of these realms at the same time, as this could lead to disaster.
The Murklanders may prove to be a useful ally, if they can be nutured into co-operation…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Murkland Society - Green
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruler: Mayor Bribbles
Capital: Murktown
Status: Shuuk Protectorate and Khaarov Colony

Objectives: Ensure the survival of the Shuuk. Safeguard Khaarovian interests from the Kaneg…

The Shuuk people are somewhat new to this idea of civilisation, and these unsophisticated lizards can find it all a bit
confusing at times. Luckily, the Khaarov Bursir trading guild quickly determined to protect the hapless but cheap-labouring
lizards, and to guide them on the road to secure and profitable cultural improvement. The Shuuk don’t have much to begin with,
but they have many towns. The Murklanders have massive potential.

The biggest dangers at the start are the Kaneg, they are out to destroy the Shuuk, and will not give up easily. To have a credible
chance, the lizards must call in their Khaarov allies, and trade/scrounge/steal the techs that can allow the Murklanders to build
decent defenders and castles. With skillful play, powerful units and surging lizard population growth will follow, which can ensure
the Shuuk’s swampy realm becomes a real power.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Undead - Red
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruler: King Rakkhammer
Capital: Mega Therion
Status: Undead Invasion Force of the Dreadful Alliance

Objectives: Annihliate all mortals. Conquer the Zarklaw.

The Undead are the hated foes of all living beings in the Zarklaw and Jawbone. The nightmarish Lich King Rakkhammer has
recently arrived to command his lesser Liches and their armies. Unholy war has erupted all along the Zarklaw and conquered
areas of the Imerpium. Mighty walled cities that once were the pride of the long-dead Imperion are now haunted fortresses
for Vights, Lokarns and many other sinister fiends.

Among the most powerful of the Undead are the mounted Hussirs, Vighteners and lesser Undead Kings. Any of these units are fast
and deadly, and will make short work of unprepared units. As time progresses, the attacks by the undead will increase in threat.
The Undead may even cynically use the services of madmen and various deviant mercenaries. That is the way of war, so be prepared
for other enemies apart from the Undead!

[curtsibling]

For the Zatarn (Herjaar/Stold/Zefir) victory is when you have beaten your rivals and defeated the Vodaan, and crowned yourself
King by taking over Vodaanhalla. After that, you are free to switch to a monarchy government and march against the undead at will...

When playing any faction other than the Zatarn, you are free to call victory when you have reached the point where all your
cities are secure and you have marginalised all possible foes. Of course, anyone who takes over the Zarklaw is winner too.

[Harry Tuttle]

Spelling mistake in opening sequence (I think it's the opening):

"Every season, King Herik... This extortion will contin[u]e..."

Also, is there any way to hide the movements of the undead? They're turn takes up a bit of time.

[curtsibling]

Well-spotted, Harry! That blooper is now fixed.

Holding down the shift key while the AI moving speeds things up.



Unfortunately, the CIV2 engine insists on making barbs visible all the time.

[tanelorn]

I noticed that too. What about darkening different parts of the map from the start for each player? That would speed things up and enhance surprise/exploration.
As far as pop-ups, since most units are in the plural, you get some funny messages like "hero X make amphibious assault" or sth, when the unit is in the third person singular. I can think of some naming conventions to get around this, but its no big deal.
Are you sure the falconer's A/D stats are not the other way around? The other factions get a fast attacker with skirmisher tech, he is a fast defender. Nothing wrong with that, it is actually useful for a mobile defense force and getting newly captured areas secure fast, its just unusual.
Man, those undead look like the Karnathi from Eberron. Superb!

[curtsibling]

Cheers!

Fixed the amphibious message, if you see any more, let me know...

With the skirmish units, all their stats are variations on a4/d4.

The Nightwing is an extreme attacker, with a6/d2.
While the Falconer defends (the lizards need it!) with a3/5d.
The Vorak Ninjiko is an even performer with a4/d4...

I am interested to see how the Falconer fares in battle.

PS
I was considering covering the lower map with darkness, but
it would mean a major amount of work...I might still do it...

[curtsibling]

Some screenies of the action...!

The hero Drakun with his fearless Herjaar war party...


Examples of the honourable Vorak warrior castes...


The Khaarov militia protects a Shuuk trade junket...


A Kaneg Mershal commands his loyal city guard...

[Elensar]

Out of curiosity, why has Bitterfrost (from 2 on) morphed into mostly nonhumans?

Evolved, morphed, changed, shifted...

[curtsibling]

In the Bitterfrost world, the humans had a huge empire, called the Imperium.

Then it was destroyed, and only the humans called the Khaarov survived.

Other races grew to fill the power vacuum...

It's the usual 'fallen kingdom and aftermath' routine...

[Cyrion]

Originally posted by curtsibling
Some screenies of the action...!

Very, very nice Curt!

I won't have time to playtest it, sorry!

I'll concentrate my civ time for the coming weeks on finishig Lost Legions!

A Kaneg Mershal commands his loyal city guard...

Now those "cruisers" and "aeroplanes" are not only beautiful, they really puzzle me!

I now know which civ I'll take once I start playing it (and I'm less sure I'll not try it before LL is finished... )!

[curtsibling]

Thanks for popping by, old chap!

Glad you like it, and there will be tons of time for you to have a shot whenever you get a chance.

I look forward to Lost Legions too!

[Hans99]

At last


Praise him who has understanding...


I'll playtest it extensively over the next weekend, and will try to give detailed feedback, o hell, i wish i could sail there with my skeer Fleet and mop up this place, hehe...

[curtsibling]

Excellent!
Looking forward to that, Hans!

PS
The Skeer will be featuring in the next installment...And the Stavark...

A little holy war!

[Harry Tuttle]

Hey I just noticed that Kaneg airplane. Very stylish! I love the look of it.

[curtsibling]

Thanks!

In my playtests the Kaneg never got to develop the Gustov,
so I am not sure how this little fighter performs in game...

[typhoon]

The Zatarn seem to have evolved quite a bit from their incarnations in Bitterfrost 2...

[Elensar]

Apparently the Empire being destroyed includes most of the human colonies from the first two versions.

Ah well. Still lovely graphics and well done stuff. Keep us posted.

[curtsibling]

The Zatarn evolved along with the comic versions. I had initially imagined them as a primitive race,
but the Viking angle was far more interesting and gave them a far deeper character and dimension.

(on the storyline)
The first Ancient attack came from Bitterfrost itself, which put paid to the colonies. Then the mainland was
taken over. The races like Skeer and Stavark basically took up where the Crusaders and Coven left off...
Again, these races evolved along the with the comic concept. I was not wanting to go down the same path
as stuff like the Wheel of Time, which is a bit bland. My own fantasy tastes are more outlandish.

Humans as the minority is a fun concept challenge to work with!

PS
I plan to do an 'almighty battle' style scenario that will end the Ancient story arc this year.
After doing a 'Skeer Krusade' scenario featuring the white armoured zealots and the heathen Stavark!

[:) Smiley]

Those are some sweet looking ships and planes.