which is better: darth mod or vanilla version?

[e☆zy t@rget]

haven´t played for a while and reinstalled the game just now. i checked the workshop and the discussion about the darth mod is confusing me: on the one side some say it´s making the whole game experience better and others say the mod breaks the game because of diverse issues (i.e. gun sound instead of archers, crashes, freezes, hardware problems and so on). so is it worth trying this mod out or should i stay with vanilla, if i just want to have some fun (i played hard and very hard in vanilla)?

[PistolChimp]

I like vanilla better.

[e☆zy t@rget]

@ PistolChimp: maybe it would be helpful if you tell me why? have you tried them both?

[Hofstadter]

darthmod. the ai can be scary good. plus it gives the options of removing effects and tweaking things to fit your style more

[Paano]

I've only tested Darthmod for approximately 10 minutes, so I can't tell you a whole lot about the mod. But from what I've seen, the most major changes are the unit size which is increased by about 150% (Yari Ashigaru goes up from 150 to 375) and in battle units fight less static (e.g. they try to surround an enemy, attempting to push them back; rather than forming one line) Supposedly it also improves the AI but I haven't really played for long enough to experience this myself

[The_Yogi]

Overall stats overhaul? Try this:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=172466394

[OwedEvil]

Darthmod is easily better than Vanilla, though you should always try Vanilla before mods, (for at least 5 minutes anyways.)

"Main features:
In short you can call the mod “DMS” from now on. It focuses on gameplay improvements without changing too much the overall vanilla "flavour".

The speed, accelerations and physics of the units are taken to realistic levels so not only the battles feel more realistic but now you must plan your tactics more carefully because the units do not rush like "Fast Forward Benny Hill" to cover your mistakes.

Various changes to morale and battle mechanics create more lasting battles which are not only an enjoyable experience, due to the fantastic combat animations but also they are very challenging, because the AI benefits from carefully made modding techniques.

Projectiles are not homing to the targets but more realistically spread and can miss. Their lethality and accuracy are not as high as in vanilla in a few words.

Increased unit sizes for epic battles, if the user wants them.

Removed all the insane cheats for the CAI, which provided a "fake" challenge and kept a moderate handicap system that reflects better the actual difficulty level.

Diplomacy and campaign AI have been improved significantly to cover the gap of the reduced handicaps. For example the AI invades with large armies consisted of more samurai than archers (vanilla problem), uses ships better, allies are more trustworthy, realm divide effect is reduced so that the clans do not berserk against you, and so on.

Autocalculation of battles works better.

Fortifications have more garrison troops, so now the major AI clans can survive and become very powerful opponents, like the Oda clan.

The economy system is slightly improved to encourage the recruitment of larger armies for both the AI and human player.

Upgrade points for characters are increased from 2 to 3 for a better and quicker character creation.

Several annoying things, for the majority of players, are removed like the projectile trails (laser trails) and the Horo (Balloon). The removal of laser trails in combination with the reduced speeds brings a significant FPS increase.

Increased army and navy control radius in the campaign map for a more strategic positioning system. An army cannot so easily pass by another army and has to fight it, or several small armies can trap other armies.

Better naval battles because now ships turn and accelerate not like motorships but like wooden vessels full of soldiers and also there are many other factors affecting the naval battles including the more realistic projectiles.

Ships have much more movement points that makes AI to launch powerful naval invasions.

Clans have more diversity for their special units, so the AI makes the right choice and builds characteristic armies, for example the Takeda raise powerful cavalry, the Date a lot of No-Dachi, Shimazu their deadly Katana, etc."

[Ligon Flarius]

Originally posted by OwedEvil:

Darthmod is easily better than Vanilla, though you should always try Vanilla before mods, (for at least 5 minutes anyways.)

"Main features:
In short you can call the mod “DMS” from now on. It focuses on gameplay improvements without changing too much the overall vanilla "flavour".

The speed, accelerations and physics of the units are taken to realistic levels so not only the battles feel more realistic but now you must plan your tactics more carefully because the units do not rush like "Fast Forward Benny Hill" to cover your mistakes.

Various changes to morale and battle mechanics create more lasting battles which are not only an enjoyable experience, due to the fantastic combat animations but also they are very challenging, because the AI benefits from carefully made modding techniques.

Projectiles are not homing to the targets but more realistically spread and can miss. Their lethality and accuracy are not as high as in vanilla in a few words.

Increased unit sizes for epic battles, if the user wants them.

Removed all the insane cheats for the CAI, which provided a "fake" challenge and kept a moderate handicap system that reflects better the actual difficulty level.

Diplomacy and campaign AI have been improved significantly to cover the gap of the reduced handicaps. For example the AI invades with large armies consisted of more samurai than archers (vanilla problem), uses ships better, allies are more trustworthy, realm divide effect is reduced so that the clans do not berserk against you, and so on.

Autocalculation of battles works better.

Fortifications have more garrison troops, so now the major AI clans can survive and become very powerful opponents, like the Oda clan.

The economy system is slightly improved to encourage the recruitment of larger armies for both the AI and human player.

Upgrade points for characters are increased from 2 to 3 for a better and quicker character creation.

Several annoying things, for the majority of players, are removed like the projectile trails (laser trails) and the Horo (Balloon). The removal of laser trails in combination with the reduced speeds brings a significant FPS increase.

Increased army and navy control radius in the campaign map for a more strategic positioning system. An army cannot so easily pass by another army and has to fight it, or several small armies can trap other armies.

Better naval battles because now ships turn and accelerate not like motorships but like wooden vessels full of soldiers and also there are many other factors affecting the naval battles including the more realistic projectiles.

Ships have much more movement points that makes AI to launch powerful naval invasions.

Clans have more diversity for their special units, so the AI makes the right choice and builds characteristic armies, for example the Takeda raise powerful cavalry, the Date a lot of No-Dachi, Shimazu their deadly Katana, etc."

Two things I observed on DarthMod:

On Vanilla, the enemy army in the campaign damaged my farm and blacksmith and ended their turn without encircling my fort. on DarthMod they went straight for the fort. I suppose the Vanilla behaviour was better here. but this is one experience. I'd like your confirmation if you've played it a lot, if enemy armies don't damage your farms with the mod.

In Battle, the new behaviour of keeping some units in reserve may be good, I suppose, for bigger battles, but the AI also does it in small battles, which makes the game easier for you.

[OwedEvil]

Originally posted by Ligon Flarius:

Originally posted by OwedEvil:

--SNIPPED--

Two things I observed on DarthMod:

On Vanilla, the enemy army in the campaign damaged my farm and blacksmith and ended their turn without encircling my fort. on DarthMod they went straight for the fort. I suppose the Vanilla behaviour was better here. but this is one experience. I'd like your confirmation if you've played it a lot, if enemy armies don't damage your farms with the mod.

In Battle, the new behaviour of keeping some units in reserve may be good, I suppose, for bigger battles, but the AI also does it in small battles, which makes the game easier for you.

I have not played Shogun 2 in about 6 years, I cant even recall the basic units any more, sorry. Think Darthmod was the way to go, but may have changed my mind some and also enjoyed vanilla as well, if I recall correctly

[easytarget]

No contest, vanilla.

[e☆zy t@rget]

Nice, my name partner answers my necro from 2014...

[OwedEvil]

I cant believe easy target is still around the forum. I recall I used to troll one of you cuz yer a dikk. :}

[markeason]

Tried Darthmod once.

Didn't enjoy it.

Other tastes will vary.

[kesa822000]

I don't like all - in - one - mods.

I prefer TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF HOURS WADDING THROUGH THE MOD SHOP , picking over mods , looking for very specific things , slowly crafting my own eccentric , tailor - made , all - in - one - mod. :D

I CAN think of ONE reason to download Darthmod even if you never intend to use it ;

To cannibalize bits and pieces from it.

Darth and crew themselves spend hours wadding through separate mods looking for mods to incorporate into their Darthmod.

Darthmod typically has a dozen or more seperate mods incorporated into it.

Some guy made a unit mod for Papal States back in Empire TW.

There were some really great uniforms in that mod , including the famous Swiss Guard in their purple and gold.

But by the time I found the mod the creator had abandoned the mod , I didn't know how to contact the guy , and his download link had gone dead.

It so happened , though , that Darthmod had incorporated his Papal States unit mod .

So I downloaded Darthmod and then extracted the Papal States units from it. :)

[easytarget]

Originally posted by e☆zy t@rget:

Nice, my name partner answers my necro from 2014... :cozybethesda:

The necro just so we're clear was by Ligon Flarius.

As to the online name, my bet is I was first, started using it in 84 running a BBS in the dark ages before the internet was even a thing. ;)

[Ligon Flarius]

Originally posted by easytarget:

Originally posted by e☆zy t@rget:

Nice, my name partner answers my necro from 2014... :cozybethesda:

The necro just so we're clear was by Ligon Flarius.

As to the online name, my bet is I was first, started using it in 84 running a BBS in the dark ages before the internet was even a thing. ;)

Indeed and I take pride in it. The game itself has ben necroed if it's still being played today, and we should be happy for that, you necro-shaming shmunks.

As for the question, I now Know Vanilla is better than Darthmod for several reasons. Darthmod has so many campaing tweaks that are just changes for the sake of changes - tech tree, skill points, etc. all things I don't like.

The only thing that got better is the combat animations alone. The combat as a whole got worse because it's easier than vanilla too. and no one wants an easier combat