But those were in the early days of the mod -- that's not the case anymore. Vanilla is still fun to play, but if given the choice I'd rather play the Mod now.
Essentially, the Mod is now better in every single way, with realism being the highest factor. True, there's some work left to do but I wanted to point out what I feel are the benefits of the Mod and why it is superior to Vanilla.
1) Infantry selection. The new price list for infantry allows plenty of line, and makes for exciting battles, while at the same time making for strategic decisions in army purchase. The availability of ultra-elite, elite, veteran, regular line, conscript line and militia offers a wide range of choices, not solely for the major factions but the minor ones as well.
Do you go with a cadre of elite line? You can get large amounts, but cavalry and infantry will suffer. This is more pronounced than in vanilla, yet not too much in the sense that one unit of Old Guard can't win a battle on its own (seen this happen in vanilla all too much)
2) Cavalry — By slowing down the formation of square ever so slightly and decreasing the devastating effect of artillery has made cavalry a force to be reckoned with, as they were historically. However, the calculations on the mod also mean a unit of cavalry won't necessarily defeat line. And massed cavalry can break a square -- both of these are realistic and necessary additions. The balance between cavalry, and increased selection as well, is indeed nice. And cavalry are fairly priced for what you receive
3) Artillery — The source of much tweaking, I feel that artillery has seen the biggest improvement on the mod. Again, there's a lot of selection here, the Grand Battery could be cheaper (since right now nobody uses it) but it is still an interesting option. The recent balance achieved between powerful and weak cannon shot is well-struck, as are changes to canister which keep its devastating power, but not so much that games are completely unbalanced.
4) Maps - The excellent work by Fullin and Desaix and others to create the maps deserves credit. Each one is unique and presents its own challenges, and also offers many locations for defence and attack. There are still a few bugs to be worked out (such as un-crossable fords) but overall the mapwork is excellent.
5) Morale and fatigue rates - Definitely more realistic and I know a lot of work has gone into fixing the numbers and ensuring they are well and realistically balanced. I also appreciate the fact that exhausted troops will sometimes rout on their own -- as annoying as this might seem, tired troops would be less likely to remain in battle. Hence realism.
6) Sounds -- while this might sound like a minor detail, the sound of musketry and cannon fire is much more realistic both in sight and sound (and the removal of that characteristic white line in NTW vanilla and replacement with actual musket balls is quite enjoyable). But these aren't the only factors. From the bugle marking a cavalry charge to pipers and drummers in infantry units, to the shouts of commanders in battle. It's all appreciated and makes the game that much better.
I'm sure there are others, but this is all I can think of at this time!
Combine this with great camaraderie among those who play the mod and excellent strategic battles and the need (and interest) for anyone to play on Vanilla vanishes completely.
The only problem is finding players who have the latest updates of the mod in order to play! Here's hoping the finished version comes out soon, so more people can track it down and start playing.
Kudos and congratulations to everyone who worked on the mod and all of us here who playtested it. It's been a fantastic, although sometimes frustrating, experience, but I think we're either already there, or almost there!
