Welcome to the TWC Wiki! You are not logged in. Please log in to the Wiki to vote in polls, change skin preferences, or edit pages. See HERE for details of how to LOG IN.

Difference between revisions of "The Fourth Age: Total War"

From TWC Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
(Team)
 
(79 intermediate revisions by 16 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Cleanup}}  
+
<div style="text-align: center;">[[File:FATW_logo.png]]</div>
 +
{{Mod Information Table
 +
|Platform=[[Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion]]
 +
|Mod Type=Overhaul
 +
|Era=Fourth Age of Middle-earth
 +
|Mod Leader=webba84
 +
|Release Status=v3.3
 +
|Forum=[http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=89 Here]
 +
|Campaign Map=[[Image:radar_map2_fatw.jpg]]
 +
}}
 +
== Introduction ==
 +
''The Fourth Age: Total War - The Dominion of Men'' is a full-conversion & fully modfoldered modification for ''Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion'' inspired solely by the written works of J.R.R. Tolkien and known for its stability, innovation, balance, attention to detail, high replayability, and its faithfulness to the spirit and lore of Middle-earth as Tolkien envisioned it.
  
{{mod|mod=The Fourth Age: Total War|modscreenshot=Tns_splash.jpg|platform=[[Barbarian Invasion|Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion 1.6]]|era=Middle-earth, 4th Age|leader=[[MasterOfNone]], [[-apocalypsis-]]}}
+
The modification's campaign begins during the fourth century of the Fourth Age and is based around the theme set out by Tolkien in his work, ''The New Shadow'' as found in ''The Peoples of Middle-earth''. The campaign map covers the area illustrated in the official maps of Middle-earth in ''The Lord of the Rings'' novel.
  
The Fourth Age: Total War is a full-conversion modification for [[Barbarian Invasion|BI 1.6]]. With an aim to staying true to the works and spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, whilst also aspiring to original creative excellence, the Fourth Age: Total War is set to be a must-have for anyone who loves the setting and peoples of Tolkien's mythic world.
+
== Gameplay ==
 +
The player can play as any one of 17 playable factions across a map of around 170 provinces organised into 23 different regions, each accessible province being home to either a standard settlement, a city of renown, or a permanent fort. Cultures include Dúnedain, Northmen, Barbarian, Haradrian, Elven and Dwarven, with the factions comprising the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, the Kingdom of Adûnabâr, the City-kingdom of Tharbad, the Kingdom of Dale, the Kingdom of Rohan, the Kingdom of Dorwinion, the Beorning Chiefdom, the Kingdom of Rhovanion, the Chiefdom of Rhûn, the Chiefdom of Norh Rhûn, the Chiefdom of Khand, the Chiefdom of Dunland, the Empire of Harad, the Principality of Harondor, and the Principality of Far Harad. A detailed trait system also divides family members into Subcultures and then down into various Tribes or Houses, all of which have an effect on the campaign. The mod also boasts Lordship Titles for governors and a highly sophisticated and organised trait system. Another unique element of ''The Dominion of Men'' is the presence of Landmark Features across the map that act as an in-game encyclopaedia of geographical features.
  
Set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, approximately 200 years after the events of the War of the Ring (the trilogy), it is based solely on the books and other official writings and not upon the movies.
+
== Development ==
 +
''The Fourth Age: Total War'' was initially released as a series of cumulative modules: ''Corsair Invasion'', ''Forth Eorlingas'', and ''The New Shadow''. ''The Dominion of Men'' is the final culminating base iteration, taking in all the map and factions of the milieu, and is the longest actively modded Middle-earth mod on the Total War engine, having its origins back in August of 2004. The modification developed with a view to creating something that did not yet exist - a PC strategy game that was faithful to Tolkien's world.
  
== Features ==
+
[[File:fatw traits.jpg|thumb|right|Kingdom of Dale family member, showing traits and lordship title. Note how the traits are clearly organised and also show a character's descent, house/tribe, alignment and season of life. Traits have a large influence on the game. (click on image icon below image if thumbnail not working)]]
  
* '''City Development & Diversification'''
+
[[File:fatw gondor.jpg|thumb|right|Men-at-arms of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor march across the Medieval II: Total War-like environments created for the mod. (click on image icon below image if thumbnail not working)]]
  
Large cities can now be developed along a path of your choosing, ultimately providing greater diversification for your faction. For example, if you are playing as Rhûn (aka the Easterlings) you might choose to develop a Thrall Stockade in order to have that settlement rely upon cheap slave labour for the construction of buildings, or you may opt to bolster your economy by developing a Cattle Trader, or perhaps you may wish to develop a Wain Workshop to allow your Settlers to use Wains so that they can move greater distances and thus increase population growth and spread.
+
''The Fourth Age Development Team'' made extensive use of the works and writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, ''The History of Middle-earth'' series by Christopher Tolkien, and Karen Wynn Fonstad's ''The Atlas of Tolkien's Middle-earth''.
  
 +
The developers also created other mods for the same engine, including ''Viking Invasion II'', ''Norman Invasion'', and ''Gods & Fighting Men'', as well as being pioneers in modding research, tutorials and tools.
  
* '''Wonder-capture'''
+
''The Fourth Age: Total War'' is one of the most popular and iconic modifications on the Rome engine, having garnered hundreds of thousands of downloads in its lifetime. It continues to be enthusiastically supported by fans today. The modification won the award for Favourite Fantasy Mod for the Rome engine on TWCenter.net in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010.
  
When you take a region with a Wonder you will not immediately gain all its effects. You will need to seize the Wonder, then secure it and then exploit it. Each of these phases will bring more of the Wonder's benefits to your faction. Wonders offer some faction-wide bonuses but such effects will vary by faction.
+
[[File:fourthagetotalwar_box.jpg|left]]
  
 +
== Add-ons ==
 +
''Cities of Middle-earth'' is an ongoing cumulative add-on that adds to the number of unique settlements on the battlemap as well as generally enhancing the modification based on player feedback.
  
* '''Marvels'''
+
== History & Founding of FATW ==
  
In addition to Wonders there are also Marvels such as The White Tree of Gondor. These Marvels act much like Wonders except that they exist in or by a settlement rather than distant from it and as such they are considered captured when the settlement itself is taken. Guard these Marvels well as they can bring great blessings to your faction!
+
Originally written on the now defunct Stratcommandcenter.com by [[fatsheep]]:
  
 +
''"Rome: Total War was to be released shortly and there was a shortage of things to discuss on the message boards. We had already discussed and discussed all the screen shots, interviews, and other info Creative Assembly had released about their upcoming release. I was skimming through the topics on the boards when I came upon a thread about an idea. An idea that would turn from one discussion into one of the largest modifications in the Total War community. Being a fan of the books and Peter Jackson's movies I instantly took to the idea of modifying Rome into a Lord-of-the-Rings-style game. No other strategy game I have played has done J.R.R. Tolkien's writings justice.''
  
* '''Unique Cities'''
+
''With Rome, the massive scale of battles, the cities, the sieges, and tactics were already in place. We had the means to create something amazing. However, we knew that this would not be achieved without many hours of work. I shot some messages back and forth with the creator of the thread, Realm Lord, and decided that I should look around for others who shared our interest in making a LOTR modification for Rome. I didn't have to go far. I came to the SCC forums and immediately after posting a topic about our idea, Amirsan decided to host our mod. I had the luck of running into many talented modders. Spongebob created some of the first work ever done on the mod, including a variety of Orcs, Elves, and an awesome Mûmak. Another modder, Gutang, did some of our first work with the campaign map, a Ring-wraith unit, Riders of Rohan, and some very original Elves. TigerVX did an amazing job on the Easterling faction as well. WhiteWolf, who acted as the Art Director for some time, breathed new life into the project's graphics work. We lacked organization at the time and although we were getting loads work done, as a team we weren't going to be able to complete a total conversion mod the way we were going.''
  
Minas Tirith, Thranduil's Halls and other well-known cities of Middle-earth populate the landscape of the campaign map, each graphically designed and modelled to be unique and accurate.
+
''Our project was growing fast and filled with talented modders but we lacked the knowledge of Tolkien's works to make it a success. Then OncleJibi, a guy who possesses an amazing knowledge of Middle-earth, came into our mod. OncleJibi realized that the a game about the events that happened during the War of the Ring would not fit Total War's engine. The Ring could not be represented using the TW engine and we would have problems with overpowered factions such as Mordor and Isengard. We needed a setting with looser alliances, a free-for-all between all the countries of Middle-earth. From this idea came Fourth Age: Total War, a setting where no one country would be too much of a dominating factor. Mordor had been crushed, Isengard dismantled, and the strength of men had increased. However, new enemies would come in from the North, the East, and the South to make things interesting. In the Fourth Age, since Tolkien had written little about what transpired after the destruction of the Ring (the end of the Third Age), we were free to use some creativity.''
  
 
+
''Fortunately I've had the luck of running into many dedicated and gifted individuals that have helped greatly in not only keeping the project alive but turning it into something successful. We still have much work ahead, the cast has changed and will likely continue to in the future. However, as long as there is still interest in Tolkien's amazing world of Middle-earth and the great Total War series then there will be more success in this project's future."''
* '''Landmark Features'''
 
 
 
Various features of Middle-earth that we all know and love are represented on the map - and some will even afford your faction with beneficial effects. These include the Beacon-tower Hills of Gondor, the Carrock, the Sea-ward Tower of Dol Amroth and other less prominent features such as castle ruins and barrows.
 
 
 
 
 
* '''MEZoRS'''
 
 
 
The Middle-earth Zone of Recruitment System has been designed like no other. As you would expect with any good ZoR system, units are not immediately able to be recruited as soon as you capture a foreign region but certain local levies drawn from the conquered population may be; you will need to build your own recruitment buildings in order to start training and recruiting your own troops. MEZoRS discriminates between the Mannish, Elven, Orkish and Dwarven races. It establishes up to three types of region per faction (homelands, fiefdoms and outlands) taking into account old loyalties as well as old hatreds. It allows for the deepening of loyalty among local levies but also restricts the building of certain troops that might be available in your faction's homelands.
 
 
 
 
 
* '''Assimilation Units'''
 
 
 
If you take a chief city of another faction, or (where they exist) the chief city of a subculture of a faction, you may in process of time be able to recruit a unit assimilated from the conquered faction. For example, if Dale was to capture Edoras it would have Riders of the Mark available for recruitment once it had built up to the appropriate level of stables.
 
 
 
 
 
* '''Settlers & Population Dispersion'''
 
 
 
Peasants have been renamed to Settlers, downgraded in ability and cost, upgraded in unit size and given zero-time recruitment. Their chief purpose will be to move your population about between settlements. They should be guarded by your armies when on the move, for although they will be able to engage battle they are very likely to run away, unless they seriously outnumber a foe. They should no longer be considered military units. They will also be recruited in a more realistic manner according to the geographic spread of the population.
 
 
 
 
 
* '''Factional Fertility'''
 
 
 
A relatively simple yet slick system has been implemented to base population growth more directly upon race/faction rather than region alone. In Middle-earth, the Elves and the Dwarves had few children, whereas the Orcs multiplied like the proverbial rabbits (except not so cute!). This system allows us to represent such factors in the game regardless of which regions those races occupy.
 
 
 
 
 
* '''Seven Cultures'''
 
 
 
The cultures represented visibly in the Mod will be the Dúnedanic, Northmen, Barbarian, Haradrian, Elven and Dwarven cultures, some of which will have subcultures. We have incorporated the extra culture slot to provide you with an enhancement and complement to these cultures.
 
 
 
==Factions==
 
 
 
As of the [http://www.stratcommandcenter.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=15105&view=findpost&p=160389 Press release of the 22nd February 2006], the FATW team has aimed at making 10 factions:
 
 
 
 
 
*'''The Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor'''
 
http://www.thefourthage.org/adminedit/data/upimages/rk_button.gif
 
 
 
The Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor was reforged by King Elessar Envinyatar Telcontar after the Fall of Barad-dûr. The Men of the Reunited Kingdom have highly-trained, well-equipped infantry and a large variety of special units, though their cavalry is very limited.
 
 
 
*'''The Kingdom of Adûnabâr
 
 
 
*'''The Kingdom of Rohan'''
 
http://www.thefourthage.org/adminedit/data/upimages/rohan_button.gif
 
 
 
Rohan was originally a Gondorian province called Calenardhon but after Eorl, the first King of the Mark, assisted Cirion of Gondor in battle he was awarded the plains north of the White Mountains. The Rohirrim are famous for Middle-earth's best cavalry, but they lack in infantry units.
 
 
 
*'''The Empire of Harad'''
 
http://www.thefourthage.org/adminedit/data/upimages/harad_button.gif
 
 
 
The Haradrim are many in number, and have long lusted after the lands of Gondor. Their units are balanced, they have a strong fleet thanks to the feared Corsairs, and on the battlefield their Mûmakil cause great terror to their enemies.
 
 
 
*'''The Chiefdom of Rhûn'''
 
http://www.thefourthage.org/adminedit/data/upimages/rhun_button.gif
 
 
 
The Easterlings are the only faction capable of hording. Only the Haradrim and the Orcs can field larger armies than them, and they have a good mix of troops, with strong infantry such as the bloodlusting berserkers and the wains their chieftains ride - a fearsome sight.
 
 
 
*'''The Chiefdom of Dunland'''
 
http://www.thefourthage.org/adminedit/data/upimages/dunland_button.gif
 
 
 
The Dunlendings have been the enemies of Rohan since the Mark's foundation, but their hatred was renewed under Saruman's influence and they took up arms and attacked the Rohirrim during the War of the Ring. The Dunlendings are Barbarians with little cavalry and few bowmen, but their infantry consists of good pikemen, strong hillmen and efficient skirmishers.
 
 
 
*'''The Kingdom of Dale'''*
 
The Kingdom of Dale lies betwen the Celduin and Carnen with its heartland on the edge and north of the Long Lake. It is famed for its trade in toys among other things. Despite this, it boasts fearsome warriors - in particular its Dragon-slaying archers who carry great bows of yew. Tall and proud, the Men of Dale use longswords and wear fine mail, although they lack cavalry.
 
 
 
*'''The Kingdom of the Elves'''*
 
The Elves are the Eldar, the Firstborn, created by Ilúvatar when the world was young. Excepting wounds from battle, they are immortal, though most now have departed Middle-earth across the Sea. Those who are left, though few in numbers, are master warriors, and have the best archers available.
 
 
 
*'''The Kingdom of the Dwarves'''*
 
The Dwarves are a tough race. Unlike the Men and Elves they were created not by Ilúvatar but by Aulë the Smith; many Dwarves take his trade as their own. They have no cavalry, but heavy axemen and strong infantry of other kinds. They also have a large variety of siege weapons and employ mercenaries to good effect where needed with their gold.
 
 
 
*'''The Orkish Horde'''*
 
Little is known of the origin of the Orcs. Some say that Morgoth captured Elves and made them Orcs, others say that they were corrupted Men. The Orcs are very large in number, but most lack skill in combat. They have little cavalry (only the unpredictable Wargs) but good fighters in the Uruk-hai (strong half-breed Orcs unaffected by the sun).
 
 
 
* Faction not yet available in campaign.
 
  
 
== Team ==
 
== Team ==
  
The development team consists of these persons (in alphabetical order):
+
The development team consists of these members (in alphabetical order):
  
*'''[[-apocalypsis-]]''' - Team leader and Faction Design Manager
+
*'''[[Aradan]]''' - Coding manager, (former build manager, researcher, balancer, and Lead developer). ''Retired''.
*'''[[Aradan]]''' - Team leader, Coding Manager, Build Manager, Researcher and Balancer
+
*'''[[CountMRVHS]]''' - Writer.
*'''[[Arakorn-eir]]''' - Audio Manager and co-webmaster
+
*'''[[Éorl]]''' - 3D modeller, environments mapper. ''Retired''.
*'''[[Balbor]]''' - Team leader and graphics manager
+
*'''[[MasterOfNone]]''' - Advisor (former Lead developer, coding manager, mapper, writer, researcher). ''Retired''.
*'''[[Jones King]]'''(a.k.a. Cronus) - Co-webmaster, 2d-artist and composer
+
*'''[[webba84]]'''- Lead developer, 3D modeller, build manager.
*'''[[Spraehbuer]]''' - 2d-artist, skinner and the man behind the interface
 
*'''[[Tittils]]''' - Map Manager
 
  
Some old members that has been on the team:
+
Some past team members of note:
  
*[[Palantir]] - Team leader, Coding Manager and former assistant Faction Design Manager. Also known as [[MasterOfNone]] at [[TWC]] and [[Dol Guldur]] at the [[Org]]
+
*[[-apocalypsis-]] - Lead developer, Faction Design Manager and web host
 +
*[[Arakorn-eir]] - Audio Manager and co-webmaster
 +
*[[Jones King]] (a.k.a. Cronus) - Co-webmaster, 2d-artist and composer
 +
*[[Balbor]] - Team leader and graphics manager
 +
*[[Spraehbuer]] - 2d-artist, skinner and the man behind the interface
 +
*[[Tittils]] - Map Manager
 
*[[Professor420]] - Former Art Director
 
*[[Professor420]] - Former Art Director
 
*[[Tb0ne]] - Former Art Director
 
*[[Tb0ne]] - Former Art Director
*[[Lusted]]
+
*[[Lusted]] - Unit modeller
 
*[[fatsheep]] - Founder
 
*[[fatsheep]] - Founder
 
*[[Astaldo]] - Designer and Writer
 
*[[Astaldo]] - Designer and Writer
 
*[[Xerex]] - Coder, Balancer
 
*[[Xerex]] - Coder, Balancer
 +
*[[cedric37]] - 2d artist
 +
*[[Jarlaxe]] - Modeller, skinner
  
==History & the founding of FATW==
+
== More Information ==
 
 
''Originally written [http://www.stratcommandcenter.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=15105&view=findpost&p=160389 here] by [[fatsheep]].''
 
 
 
Rome: Total War was to be released shortly and there was a shortage of things to discuss on the message boards. We had already discussed and discussed all the screen shots, interviews, and other info Creative Assembly had released about their upcoming release. I was skimming through the topics on the boards when I came upon a thread about an idea. An idea that would turn from one discussion into one of the largest modifications in the Total War community. Being a fan of the books and Peter Jackson's movies I instantly took to the idea of modifying Rome into a Lord-of-the-Rings-style game. No other strategy game I have played has done J.R.R. Tolkien's writings justice.
 
 
 
With Rome, the massive scale of battles, the cities, the sieges, and tactics were already in place. We had the means to create something amazing. However, we knew that this would not be achieved without many hours of work. I shot some messages back and forth with the creator of the thread, Realm Lord, and decided that I should look around for others who shared our interest in making a LOTR modification for Rome. I didn't have to go far. I came to the SCC forums and immediately after posting a topic about our idea, Amirsan decided to host our mod. I had the luck of running into many talented modders. Spongebob created some of the first work ever done on the mod, including a variety of Orcs, Elves, and an awesome Mûmak. Another modder, Gutang, did some of our first work with the campaign map, a Ring-wraith unit, Riders of Rohan, and some very original Elves. TigerVX did an amazing job on the Easterling faction as well. WhiteWolf, who acted as the Art Director for some time, breathed new life into the project's graphics work. We lacked organization at the time and although we were getting loads work done, as a team we weren't going to be able to complete a total conversion mod the way we were going.
 
 
 
Our project was growing fast and filled with talented modders but we lacked the knowledge of Tolkien's works to make it a success. Then OncleJibi, a guy who possesses an amazing knowledge of Middle-earth, came into our mod. OncleJibi realized that the a game about the events that happened during the War of the Ring would not fit Total War's engine. The Ring could not be represented using the TW engine and we would have problems with overpowered factions such as Mordor and Isengard. We needed a setting with looser alliances, a free-for-all between all the countries of Middle-earth. From this idea came Fourth Age: Total War, a setting where no one country would be too much of a dominating factor. Mordor had been crushed, Isengard dismantled, and the strength of men had increased. However, new enemies would come in from the North, the East, and the South to make things interesting. In the Fourth Age, since Tolkien had written little about what transpired after the destruction of the Ring (the end of the Third Age), we were free to use some creativity.
 
 
 
Fortunately I've had the luck of running into many dedicated and gifted individuals that have helped greatly in not only keeping the project alive but turning it into something successful. We still have much work ahead, the cast has changed and will likely continue to in the future. However, as long as there is still interest in Tolkien's amazing world of Middle-earth and the great Total War series then there will be more success in this project's future.
 
 
 
== Releases ==
 
 
 
Here are the releases by the FATW team.
 
 
 
===The New Shadow===
 
 
 
http://www.twcenter.net/w/images/3/36/4a_tns_box.jpg
 
 
 
The New Shadow’ is a provincial campaign taking place on a map that is roughly half that of the full map of Middle-earth. Players can choose between six factions: The Reunited Kingdom, The Kingdom of Rohan, The Empire of Harad, The Chiefdom of Rhûn, The Kingdom of Adûnabâr, and The Chiefdom of Dunland. In addition there are three new factions playable in custom battles: The Kingdom of the Elves, The Kingdom of the Dwarves, and The Kingdom of Dale. You will be treated to a whole host of new features including a new alignment, over 50 new units (more Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, & Trolls), a complete overhaul of the unit & faction balance systems, new animations, new traits and ancillaries, new music, and more.
 
 
 
'''Current version:''' [http://www.thefourthage.org/downloads/fatw_tns_2_0_basic_full_b.exe TNS 2.0 b] with [http://www.thefourthage.org/downloads/The_New_Shadow_Musicpack.exe TNS Music Pack].
 
 
 
===Forth Eorlingas===
 
 
 
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/5535/fortheorlingas4smallkp6.jpg
 
 
 
[http://www.thefourthage.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=2755#2755 The Fourth Age: Total War - Forth Eorlingas] with [http://www.thefourthage.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=6745#6745 Patch 1.9].
 
 
 
The Forth Eorlingas-expansion pack adds two new factions to the old Corsair Invasion mini-campaign; The Kingdom of Rohan and The Chiefdom of Dunland. The other playable factions are The Reunited Kingdom (of Gondor and Arnor), The Empire of Harad, and The Chiefdom of Rhûn. It has an expanded map, now including roughly half of western Middle-earth, with five wonders; The Stone of Erech, The Ruins of Osgiliath, Edhellond, The Treegarth of Orthanc, and The Argonath, 3 unique cities Minas Tirith, Helm’s Deep, and Edoras, and three Marvels (wonder-like structures): The Sea-ward Tower (Tirith Aear), The White Tree of Gondor, and The Gardens of Ithilien.
 
 
 
===Corsair Invasion===
 
  
http://www.thefourthage.org/adminedit/data/upimages/ci-box.jpg
+
The team have a full wiki site where you can find out a lot more about the details of the mod (see our Official homepage link below).
 
 
The Corsair Invasion is the first release with a campaign map by the Fourth Age: Total War. It includes three factions; The Reunited Kingdom, The Chiefdom of Rhûn, and the Empire of Harad, and two factions for custom battles; The Kingdom of Rohan and the Chiefdom of Dunland. The map consists of the lands of Gondor and Northern Harad, with some of the territories eastern of Mordor, where the hordes of the Easterlings are.
 
 
 
[http://www.thefourthage.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1281#1281 Corsair Invasion 1.0] and [http://www.thefourthage.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1928#1928 patch 1.2].
 
 
 
 
 
===Demo: Battle of the Crossings of Poros===
 
 
 
 
 
The first release was finally released, a year delayed, but with a historical battle; the Battle of the Crossings of Poros. It also has four playable factions in Custom battles; Dunland, Gondor, Harad and Rohan.
 
 
 
*[http://www.stratcommandcenter.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=14927&view=findpost&p=156784 Version 1.1]
 
  
 
== External Links ==
 
== External Links ==
*[http://www.thefourthage.org/ Official homepage]
+
*[http://thefourthage.wikidot.com Official homepage]
 
 
*[http://www.thefourthage.org/forums/ Official forums]
 
*[http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=89 TWC forums]
 
*[http://www.chamber-of-records.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=137 COR forums]
 
*[http://www.stratcommandcenter.com/forums/index.php?showforum=31 SCC forums]
 
  
 +
*[http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-fourth-age-total-war Official host]
 +
*[http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=89 Official forums]
  
[[Category:RTW Mods]]
+
[[Category:RTW_Mods_(Released)]]
[[Category:BI_Mods_%28Released%29]]
 
[[Category:TWC Hosted Modifications]]
 
 
[[Category:Featured]]
 
[[Category:Featured]]
[[Category:RTW Mods]]
+
[[Category:The Fourth Age: Total War]]

Latest revision as of 01:47, 19 February 2021

FATW logo.png
The Fourth Age: Total War
Platform Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion
Mod Type Overhaul
EraFourth Age of Middle-earth
Mod Leader webba84
Release Status v3.3
Forum / Thread Here
Campaign Map:
Radar map2 fatw.jpg

Introduction

The Fourth Age: Total War - The Dominion of Men is a full-conversion & fully modfoldered modification for Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion inspired solely by the written works of J.R.R. Tolkien and known for its stability, innovation, balance, attention to detail, high replayability, and its faithfulness to the spirit and lore of Middle-earth as Tolkien envisioned it.

The modification's campaign begins during the fourth century of the Fourth Age and is based around the theme set out by Tolkien in his work, The New Shadow as found in The Peoples of Middle-earth. The campaign map covers the area illustrated in the official maps of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings novel.

Gameplay

The player can play as any one of 17 playable factions across a map of around 170 provinces organised into 23 different regions, each accessible province being home to either a standard settlement, a city of renown, or a permanent fort. Cultures include Dúnedain, Northmen, Barbarian, Haradrian, Elven and Dwarven, with the factions comprising the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, the Kingdom of Adûnabâr, the City-kingdom of Tharbad, the Kingdom of Dale, the Kingdom of Rohan, the Kingdom of Dorwinion, the Beorning Chiefdom, the Kingdom of Rhovanion, the Chiefdom of Rhûn, the Chiefdom of Norh Rhûn, the Chiefdom of Khand, the Chiefdom of Dunland, the Empire of Harad, the Principality of Harondor, and the Principality of Far Harad. A detailed trait system also divides family members into Subcultures and then down into various Tribes or Houses, all of which have an effect on the campaign. The mod also boasts Lordship Titles for governors and a highly sophisticated and organised trait system. Another unique element of The Dominion of Men is the presence of Landmark Features across the map that act as an in-game encyclopaedia of geographical features.

Development

The Fourth Age: Total War was initially released as a series of cumulative modules: Corsair Invasion, Forth Eorlingas, and The New Shadow. The Dominion of Men is the final culminating base iteration, taking in all the map and factions of the milieu, and is the longest actively modded Middle-earth mod on the Total War engine, having its origins back in August of 2004. The modification developed with a view to creating something that did not yet exist - a PC strategy game that was faithful to Tolkien's world.

Kingdom of Dale family member, showing traits and lordship title. Note how the traits are clearly organised and also show a character's descent, house/tribe, alignment and season of life. Traits have a large influence on the game. (click on image icon below image if thumbnail not working)
Men-at-arms of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor march across the Medieval II: Total War-like environments created for the mod. (click on image icon below image if thumbnail not working)

The Fourth Age Development Team made extensive use of the works and writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-earth series by Christopher Tolkien, and Karen Wynn Fonstad's The Atlas of Tolkien's Middle-earth.

The developers also created other mods for the same engine, including Viking Invasion II, Norman Invasion, and Gods & Fighting Men, as well as being pioneers in modding research, tutorials and tools.

The Fourth Age: Total War is one of the most popular and iconic modifications on the Rome engine, having garnered hundreds of thousands of downloads in its lifetime. It continues to be enthusiastically supported by fans today. The modification won the award for Favourite Fantasy Mod for the Rome engine on TWCenter.net in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010.

Fourthagetotalwar box.jpg

Add-ons

Cities of Middle-earth is an ongoing cumulative add-on that adds to the number of unique settlements on the battlemap as well as generally enhancing the modification based on player feedback.

History & Founding of FATW

Originally written on the now defunct Stratcommandcenter.com by fatsheep:

"Rome: Total War was to be released shortly and there was a shortage of things to discuss on the message boards. We had already discussed and discussed all the screen shots, interviews, and other info Creative Assembly had released about their upcoming release. I was skimming through the topics on the boards when I came upon a thread about an idea. An idea that would turn from one discussion into one of the largest modifications in the Total War community. Being a fan of the books and Peter Jackson's movies I instantly took to the idea of modifying Rome into a Lord-of-the-Rings-style game. No other strategy game I have played has done J.R.R. Tolkien's writings justice.

With Rome, the massive scale of battles, the cities, the sieges, and tactics were already in place. We had the means to create something amazing. However, we knew that this would not be achieved without many hours of work. I shot some messages back and forth with the creator of the thread, Realm Lord, and decided that I should look around for others who shared our interest in making a LOTR modification for Rome. I didn't have to go far. I came to the SCC forums and immediately after posting a topic about our idea, Amirsan decided to host our mod. I had the luck of running into many talented modders. Spongebob created some of the first work ever done on the mod, including a variety of Orcs, Elves, and an awesome Mûmak. Another modder, Gutang, did some of our first work with the campaign map, a Ring-wraith unit, Riders of Rohan, and some very original Elves. TigerVX did an amazing job on the Easterling faction as well. WhiteWolf, who acted as the Art Director for some time, breathed new life into the project's graphics work. We lacked organization at the time and although we were getting loads work done, as a team we weren't going to be able to complete a total conversion mod the way we were going.

Our project was growing fast and filled with talented modders but we lacked the knowledge of Tolkien's works to make it a success. Then OncleJibi, a guy who possesses an amazing knowledge of Middle-earth, came into our mod. OncleJibi realized that the a game about the events that happened during the War of the Ring would not fit Total War's engine. The Ring could not be represented using the TW engine and we would have problems with overpowered factions such as Mordor and Isengard. We needed a setting with looser alliances, a free-for-all between all the countries of Middle-earth. From this idea came Fourth Age: Total War, a setting where no one country would be too much of a dominating factor. Mordor had been crushed, Isengard dismantled, and the strength of men had increased. However, new enemies would come in from the North, the East, and the South to make things interesting. In the Fourth Age, since Tolkien had written little about what transpired after the destruction of the Ring (the end of the Third Age), we were free to use some creativity.

Fortunately I've had the luck of running into many dedicated and gifted individuals that have helped greatly in not only keeping the project alive but turning it into something successful. We still have much work ahead, the cast has changed and will likely continue to in the future. However, as long as there is still interest in Tolkien's amazing world of Middle-earth and the great Total War series then there will be more success in this project's future."

Team

The development team consists of these members (in alphabetical order):

  • Aradan - Coding manager, (former build manager, researcher, balancer, and Lead developer). Retired.
  • CountMRVHS - Writer.
  • Éorl - 3D modeller, environments mapper. Retired.
  • MasterOfNone - Advisor (former Lead developer, coding manager, mapper, writer, researcher). Retired.
  • webba84- Lead developer, 3D modeller, build manager.

Some past team members of note:

More Information

The team have a full wiki site where you can find out a lot more about the details of the mod (see our Official homepage link below).

External Links