Adds a new Civilization: Brasil.
Leader: Presidente Lula da Silva - Charismatic and Expansive
Unique Unit: Infantaria da Selva (Infantry)
Unique Building: Estádio (Colosseum)
Reasoning behind my choices:
Traits - Well, Charismatic is a given. It fits the guy perfectly, being one of the most popular presidents in the history of Brasil. The other trait was a hard choice. I ended up with Expansive mainly because of some realizations Lula's government: the PAC (Programa de Aceleração de Crescimento - meaning something like "Development Acceleration Program", the discovery of the "Pré-Sal"(huge oil reserves located in deep water, that - if confirmed - will launch Brasil as one of the top Oil producers in the world), and some important social programs (like SUS and Bolsa Família). In my view, these points are at least taking the country some steps forward, which somewhat fits expansive (in a modern way) in my point of view. Those who are brazilians (or very well informed about the country) will know what I'm talking about, and hopefully see some sense in my choice.
Unit - Ok, Brasil was never a military potence. There's no such a thing as a moment in history when Brasil had "more powerful units" then every other nation in the world. So I had to go for some kind of especialized advantage. And by this approach, it is indeed pretty realistic to point to brazilian's rainforest ("Selva") especialized infantry. While they haven't actually never been involved in a real war (and I hope they'll never need to - get away from our forests your american bastards! - kidding!), they have extensive training to operate in that kind of enviromnent, having acess and knowledge of the immense Amazonian rainforest. So, I've given the UU the first two Woodsman promotions for free. I think it keeps the UU well balanced, not being overly powerful, while still making it pretty usefull. By taking Woodsman III out of the barracks, this unit can really shine, gaining 2 first strikes, minor healing ability and becoming a total nightmare when operating in forest/jungle tiles. - On a side note: I may release a second version of this mod featuring as UU the "Supertucano", a brazilian jet fighter that is resilient and extremely cheap to produce, while not being fit to rival the "heavyweight" jets of other nations, like MIGs of F-16's (I think the mechanics would fit nice in Civ4... something like a reduced operational range and strengh, but a much lower hammer cost).
Building - This one was hard. Can't think of something unique that is significant enough to feature as Brasil's building. I went for the "Estádio", a soccer (in fact it's called football, but let's not mess with the american's unsophisticated minds - kidding againg!) stadium. Brasil is well know for it's prowess in the sport, and exports loads of players every year to major teams in other countries. It's certainly key to uphold the countries culture. The Maracanã stadium, for example, is well know in the whole world. So we have a Colosseum replacement that let's you run a free artist especialist (your own soccer superstar!) and adds one more slot so you can turn one of your citizens in another artist. Eventually, all these especialists should give you a great artist: your Pelé, Zico, Romário, Ronaldo... Again, it's seens well balanced to me: compare it to the French Salon (a superior building, even if it comes later in the game).
Leader: Presidente Lula da Silva - Charismatic and Expansive
Unique Unit: Infantaria da Selva (Infantry)
Unique Building: Estádio (Colosseum)
Reasoning behind my choices:
Traits - Well, Charismatic is a given. It fits the guy perfectly, being one of the most popular presidents in the history of Brasil. The other trait was a hard choice. I ended up with Expansive mainly because of some realizations Lula's government: the PAC (Programa de Aceleração de Crescimento - meaning something like "Development Acceleration Program", the discovery of the "Pré-Sal"(huge oil reserves located in deep water, that - if confirmed - will launch Brasil as one of the top Oil producers in the world), and some important social programs (like SUS and Bolsa Família). In my view, these points are at least taking the country some steps forward, which somewhat fits expansive (in a modern way) in my point of view. Those who are brazilians (or very well informed about the country) will know what I'm talking about, and hopefully see some sense in my choice.
Unit - Ok, Brasil was never a military potence. There's no such a thing as a moment in history when Brasil had "more powerful units" then every other nation in the world. So I had to go for some kind of especialized advantage. And by this approach, it is indeed pretty realistic to point to brazilian's rainforest ("Selva") especialized infantry. While they haven't actually never been involved in a real war (and I hope they'll never need to - get away from our forests your american bastards! - kidding!), they have extensive training to operate in that kind of enviromnent, having acess and knowledge of the immense Amazonian rainforest. So, I've given the UU the first two Woodsman promotions for free. I think it keeps the UU well balanced, not being overly powerful, while still making it pretty usefull. By taking Woodsman III out of the barracks, this unit can really shine, gaining 2 first strikes, minor healing ability and becoming a total nightmare when operating in forest/jungle tiles. - On a side note: I may release a second version of this mod featuring as UU the "Supertucano", a brazilian jet fighter that is resilient and extremely cheap to produce, while not being fit to rival the "heavyweight" jets of other nations, like MIGs of F-16's (I think the mechanics would fit nice in Civ4... something like a reduced operational range and strengh, but a much lower hammer cost).
Building - This one was hard. Can't think of something unique that is significant enough to feature as Brasil's building. I went for the "Estádio", a soccer (in fact it's called football, but let's not mess with the american's unsophisticated minds - kidding againg!) stadium. Brasil is well know for it's prowess in the sport, and exports loads of players every year to major teams in other countries. It's certainly key to uphold the countries culture. The Maracanã stadium, for example, is well know in the whole world. So we have a Colosseum replacement that let's you run a free artist especialist (your own soccer superstar!) and adds one more slot so you can turn one of your citizens in another artist. Eventually, all these especialists should give you a great artist: your Pelé, Zico, Romário, Ronaldo... Again, it's seens well balanced to me: compare it to the French Salon (a superior building, even if it comes later in the game).