Callipygian Complete Overhaul [CCOO Released!]
CCO is my accidental attempt to turn Gladius from an arcadey min-max tankfest into a game that captures the industrial and attritional character of a planet-scale war fought in the 41st Millennium. This overhaul seeks to manifest the distinct lore features of each faction both aesthetically and mechanically, bring core units back into the game as the backbone of any well-oiled war machine, and make the map matter.
- All unit sizes have been massively increased in line with their factions’ character, with chaff units now often fielding upwards of a hundred troops. Orks and Tyranids field swarming hordes punctuated by hulking leviathans, while the Space Marines and Eldar deploy compact but highly elite formations to contest the field. Health has also been scaled by 50% more, one-shots are a rarity and enemies are more likely to retreat.
- Gladius’ diverse biomes now have a heavier impact on combat, failure to consider terrain will have drastic consequences. Units hold steady and rejuvenate easily in lush greenlands, while veterans are quickly bred in volcanic hellscapes that soften even the toughest armour. Colder climes disfavour melee infantry and armour-piercing weapons, while warmer ones diminish the efficiency of ranged units and see quicker morale loss. Terrain aesthetics have also been scaled with the units and made more distinct. (And beware rivers above all else!)
- SHINZ0U’s amazing snap-fire mod has been integrated and substantially reworked, units in overwatch will now be able to fire in one-tile range at further approaching enemies with massively reduced efficiency. Snipers, and fortifications retain their range, and alongside vehicles suffer a lesser accuracy penalty. Infantry in cities/outposts increase their range and can also snap-shot further. Sieges are monumental efforts, and a direct assault against massed enemy forces won’t come cheap. Gladius, as ever, cuts both ways.
- Cities and outposts too now provide even better protection, vision, and overwatch for units, allowing for more strategically meaningful border forts and heroic last stands.
- Just when you thought Neutrals were enough of a pain up the back passage, lore-friendliness reminds us that hell is very much Tuesday and defeat is a flagstone to victory. Taking the best of Kabookie’s Neutral Pack as well as some of my own frankenstein creations. What roamers, subfactions, and minibosses await? An infestation of carnivorous plants, a seemingly ruined Webway gate pulsing with pressure, a malfunctioning factory pumping out disintegrating abominations, a lone Sister-Knight whose crusade neither ends nor discriminates, an Enslaver of tremendous power seeking to reign over Gladius as a god, abandoned T’au vanguard forces, a gargantuan baby (that’s right), and a mirror into Gladius’ doomed fate. Catachan Devils, Kroothounds, Ambulls, and Prometheans all replenish their own numbers, requiring a proper campaign of extermination to deal with their infestation. And a little treat for the T’au: reclaiming your wayward T’au brethren and even the grand prize of claiming a Kroothound lair to amass your own doggo army
- Scouts, transports, and snipers have all been reworked. Scouts now have additional base vision and their scan ability extends further, making them invaluable even in the midst of a field engagement. Flyer transports have had their capacity reduced, but to compensate ground transports have been made faster and will serve as the bedrock for any efficient logistical network. Snipers are now useful to cover off flanks and borders with their enhanced overwatch.
- Morale now carries greater penalties, all factions have a stronger start, and unit costs increase, scaling by tier.
- All capital buildings now provide core unit production in a revamp of dexgattaca’s old Core HQ Production mod, loyalty malus to building new cities has been halved, and population limits/growth have been slightly increased – all to ensure you can keep the ironclad meat flowing.
This mod accentuates many of the features of various factions, here’s a rundown:
- Space Marines: While they may not be equipped to keep up production on par with other factions, Space Marine forces are doubtless the most mobile, rapidly repositioning to eke out every advantage they can.
- Imperial Guard: They’ve got it all: heavy armour, scouts, transports, artillery, snipers, and an endless stream of (discouraged) men for the meat grinder.
- Necrons: Entirely immune to climate effects, heavily armoured, and constantly regenerating – a force immune to the predations of nature.
- Orks: The green tide enjoys the benefits of LOTSA DAKKA and ‘ARD CHOPPIN as a horde faction that can keep its distance, there is no hostile environment where the Orks cannot thrive.
- Chaos: Chaos Space Marines enjoy much the same mobility and tactical advantages that their loyalist counterparts do, all while supplemented by legions of mechanical monstrosities engineered by the unholy powers for maximum lethality.
- Tyranids: Innumerable hordes, running, leaping, flying straight into the fray. They can irreversibly devour the land itself, erasing the very climate of the planet. (cities, heroes, malanthropes, and the doom give wider synapse range, and morale is less crippling to Tyranid infantry)
- T’au: With superior overwatch, the ability to turn any T’au infantry formation into a crack squad of snipers, and an abundance of allies to reclaim from the wilderness, in cooperation and harmony (as well as drone spam) the T’au are peers to any of the elder races.
- Eldar: Able to move after firing, the Eldar are fleet and perfectly adapted to luring their foes into ambushes while closely following enemy movements with their countless scouts.
- Mechanicus: Unparalleled in industrial efficiency, the Mechanicus is an ironclad engine of war with irrepressible momentum.
- Sisters of Battle: Unshakeable, the Sororitas are a carefully oiled xenocide machine, each unit doing its crucial part to keep the gears of war grinding ahead. Nuance, scouting, and fighting from a distance are paltry in the face of raw, unfettered faith.
200% or 300% research costs makes for the snazziest experience in my humble opinion!
Mod should be first in load order to avoid overrides (this is necessary for the collection to work)!
Major balance revisions are being put together by Just.Don’t.Do.It in CCOO, which should help raise viability of neglected units and rework janky mechanics like blast damage. I very much encourage you to try it out: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3142081392
I’m still looking into compatibility, but suffice it to say any mods that make major changes, especially to faction rules or units (incl rescales & music!) will cause clashes. Aesthetic mods should be fine, as well as ones which change buildings/construction/city mechanics.
Wonderful third party compatability patch for Chapters of the Imperium, Heretics Astartes & Children of Asuryan: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2990619032
A huge thank you to SHINZ0U, Kabookie, dexgattaca, and Reece for their work in improving Gladius, which I relied on!
Revisions:
Old revisions of this mod are available below. Click the link to download.
