Extended Cultures

Template:Mod3 Also known as the Extended Greek Mod-Extended Cultures, XGM-XC, or just XC.

Overview

Extended Cultures (XC) is a modification of Rome: Total War that aims to bring historical accuracy but also show how different factions could have evolved had history taken a different path, with an eye to fun and challenging gameplay. The mod is similar to vanilla (unmodified) RTW in look and feel, but expands the original by bringing new factions, many reworked and new units, and new buildings. In addition to this, a culture system that makes an unique use of Barbarian Invasion features and a large set of new character traits that extensively helps in role-playing will ensure an unique feeling of diversity for many factions.

Features

Designed to work with RTW 1.5, RTW:BI 1.6, or Alexander. It uses a mod folder so it does not make any changes to your data directory. Extended Cultures sports nine culture specific barracks: Roman, Hellenic, Persian, Arabic, Punic, Nomadic, Thracian, Iberian, and Celto-Germanic. The stable and archery range buildings are no longer primary use buildings and missile and cavalry units are recruited from the barracks. In addition to a factional barracks, each faction can build an auxiliary barracks to recruit local troops in many regions. Another pillar of XC gameplay is the culture system. Developed from BI's religions, every region has a native culture, which may be at odds with your culture, and each faction can build colonies to convert that region to their own culture.

Factions

Most of the vanilla factions are preserved, though the Romans have been integrated into a single faction. There are 16 playable factions and four non-playable. New playable factions include Saba and Bactria.

Roman Factions

• Roman Republic/Empire
• Roman Rebels (Non-playable) (This faction becomes the Senate in the Carthaginian Senate campaign.)

Hellenic (Greek) Factions

• Greek Cities
• Macedon
• The Seleucid Empire
• The Ptolemaic Empire
• Bactria
• Independent Greek Cities (Non-Playable)

Eastern Factions

• Carthage
• Pontus
• Armenia
• Parthia
• Saba
• Eastern Kingdoms (Non-Playable)

Barbarian Factions

• Thrace
• Gauls
• Germans
• Iberians
• Scythia
• Celts (Non-Playable)

Team

CaesarVincens is the man behind the mod and team leader. Zarax works as historian and on experimental features. Suppanut is XC's master of traits and ancillaries. Maraxus has recently joined as a modeler and skinner.

Due mention also to DimeBagHo and to all the people who worked on and contributed to XGM, the mod that formed the base of Extended Cultures.

History

Extended Cultures began as an offshoot of the Post-Marian Project for DimeBagHo's XGM, a project that aims to bring new units to XGM along with further use of the Marian Reforms. One idea that was kicked around was upgrading Barbarian building trees post-reforms to allow new buildings, including huge cities. CaesarVincens made some simple changes and released the first version of what would later be named Extended Barbarians, in homage of Dime's mod's name. Around the same time, Zarax suggested expanding the culture system present in XGM. CaesarVincens liked the idea, and made a mock up of it. Combining Extended Barbarians with this new cultural extension, CaesarVincens released the first edition of Extended Cultures on May 4, 2008. Since then, the mod has grown greatly and on January 9, 2009, the Extended Greek Mod-Extended Cultures was released as a full, self-installing mod. Following the release of Extended Cultures 3, Zarax joined full-time providing support, developing the Carthaginian Senate and emerging factions. While Suppanut expanded his work on ethnic traits to better suit the new faction and culture system. XC4 is under development at the moment, providing the base for future improvements.

The current version of Extended Cultures is 3.3.5.

External Links

• Extended Cultures forum at TWC
• Official Extended Cultures website