Extended Cultures
Template:Mod3 Also known as the Extended Greek Mod-Extended Cultures, XGM-XC, or just XC.
Contents
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.
A new feature of this mod is : Advanced Order Control
Advanced Order Control gives us a unique government system for XC. Working along with the culture system it allows each region to be shaped towards a full factional control, a protectorate-like system or in some cases a mixed administration.
The beauty of this feature is that you can't simply capture a region and leave it as that. The player will have to build up his culture in the captured region, and maybe even migrate settlers from his home land. Hence, building options may vary depending on the level of homeland culture in the city If the opposing faction's culture doesn't vary too much from the player's faction, the governmental infrastructure will not be destroyed and may retain it
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. Currently inactive.
- Zarax works as a historian and experiments with new features, balance and skinning.
- Suppanut is XC's master of traits and ancillaries as well as modeler and mapper.
- Maraxus is the primary modeler for Extended Cultures and is also one of the skinners. Currently inactive.
- Anakarsis is the main skinner of Extended Cultures.
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. We'd also like to thank the EB team and Redfox for lending us units from EB and DTW respectively.
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 has recently been released and the mod team is going to continue updating the mod even further.
Current Version
The latest official release of Extended Cultures is XC4 Delta.
