Hello fellow AoE 2 enthusiasts!
TL:DR at the end
Disclaimer:
This mod consists of two mods, a Data Mod and an UI Mod, download both, wait till there are green ticks and restart the game, and voilà you can play the mod. When other people join their lobby tho, they will only get the Data Mod (it is still playable without the UI mod, but suboptimal). Anyway, to not be that guy, download both mods before joining or, if you host, kindly ask everyone to download the UI mod (AFTER they have finished downloading the Datamod through joining). It’s just 12 MB.
Better Land Warfare:
Better Land Warfare is a mod that adds 4 new generic Units to the game that are available for almost all civs as well as 5 new Technologies and a few general changes to consider their addition.
I started developing this mod last November and I am relieved to finally announce its release is today. One thing that I always disliked about Teamgames was, that it is pretty much only Archer and Cavalry. You don’t see Infantry, you rarely see Unique Units or Siege. Sure, there are sometimes Regional Units in these fights, but, especially in Feudal, it really is just Archer and Cavalry.
Additionally, I wouldn’t say the pro scene is particularly happy with the 1v1 scene either right now, primarily favouring Archer/Skirm, while defending your 3 TC boom with Mangonels, Bodkin Arrow (or monks if needed), due to the bad melee pathing.
So, I made this mod to hopefully shape up the meta.
Better Land Warfare (BLW) is out now as a Beta Version, and I made two explainer videos to go along with its release:
A short 3-minute summary that is perfect for a quick look, and a 10 minute long one that goes more indepth:
BLW Summary Video
or/and
BLW Full Information Video
It’s currently in Beta, because my end goal (if it is reached) will be a fully developed mod with own unit models, AI support, translations into multiple languages, professional Tech Icons as well as a few more units (if desired). Furthermore I will spend the next weeks/months finetuning balance based on feedback (since I don’t have stats 
) and working on future updates.
As you might notice with this mod, the unit names do not necessarily fit their unit graphics, especially their named weapons. This is because I can’t really do my own Unit Models as these require more sophisticated knowledge, and making my own graphics would be lots of works (Unit has 16 different angles) and I would need to acquire a completely new set of skills on top of already learning Python and Video/Picture Editing… So please excuse me for using Chronical Unit graphics (if you know someone that knows someone that lives with a dude that does unit graphics, feel free to reach out to me)
I have also written down all…. Really all information about my mod in this google docs:
Which will also be the most updated piece of information about this mod (I might make some videos on major updates of my mod tho) – It contains everything you need to know – but gladfully the chat filter won’t let me put that l ink in the mod pages…
Furthermore, I will update my mod everytime there is a new Patch for the base game as I have written Python Script that adds my mod on top of the base game automatically (*grits teeth* … if everything goes right lol)
For aspiring programmers or future modders, it is available on Github… somehow (GIT noob here):
Keep in mind, this is only for creating the mod, not playing the mod. The mod can be downloaded like any other ingame.
How to get started:
And that’s all, download the mods on the modpages here:
or, simpler, just search for “Better Land Warfare” ingame in the mod manager.
Hotkeys:
You can set the hotkeys of Better Land Warfare as soon as the game is loaded.
Simply play a Singleplayer game, watch a BLW rec/live game or pause during a multiplayer game to set hotkeys in the hotkey settings (Scroll down until you reach Better Land Warfare)
It shares hotkeys with the Shipyard of the Chronicals DLC (technically the most practic al implementation)
TL:DR
Today I release my mod that adds 4 new generic units (and their upgrades) to the game, as well as 5 new techs, while also staying close to the base game:
To download the mods and try them out by getting both mods in the Mod Manager. Type “Better Land” and download both mods until they are finished. Then restart your game and you are ready to play. See the hotkey section above the TL:DR to setup Hotkeys (it’s easy).
If you are curious, I will stream and play games with my mod (with friends, viewers, random etc.) to celebrate its release. Take a peek at the mod there and see if that is something you wanna give a try
Anyway, thank you for your attention! Looking forward to your questions, feedback etc.
Until next time. See ya ingame.