An Ancient India Scenario

Arrgh. My head is spinning. I will happily keep myself well removed from the art of sausage making.

Blue:

"Need: Passes through impassable mountains such as the Himalayas Solution: Use the LM Hills slot with changed graphics. All mountain terrains will be flagged impassable.
Mangroves and mudflats are quite different ecologies and distinct appearances." Agreed.

"Need: In real world terms the questions to be answered are things like the desirability of representing the Rann of Kutch and/or the Sundarbans as terrains that are different from any other deltas and estuaries." Based on your comments, I would say that they do.

"Need: Representing the presence of coral reefs in the island chains. Solution: depends on whether the reefs need to impede or block naval units. Also whether or not land units should be able to move onto them. If the latter then should they be settleable? With those questions answered the solution can be anything from a visually interesting decoration that makes no difference in game terms to use of a lm terrain that requires careful consideration of several other slots." My take is that they block movement and cannot be settled.

"Need: Thorn scrub to be distinguished from desert. Solution: could be LM Desert if the majority of effects will be the same." Okay. I have no thoughts on possible effects.

"The waterfall graphic I mentioned is just a variation within the Mountains pcx and has no game effect in any way distinct from the mountains." Okay.

"The Rann is an area of seasonal salt flats/marsh nearly unique in the world. Most likely worthy of both distinct graphics & game effects." I agree. It seems that it would be impassable terrain.

"The Sundarbans are a complex mix of mud flats, mangroves and inhabitable islands. If mud flats, mangroves and salt marshes need to take up three terrain slots then other questions arise - such as what effects can be shared with other terrain slots and which need to be distinct. Only then can the types be assigned." If you feel that this is a desirable terrain type, I will defer to you on how to bring it about.

"Irrawaddy Delta." Senior moment on my part; I meant to say Ganges/Bramahputra Delta. After further thinking, I don't think we need to do anything special with it.

I hope I answered all your questions.

Executive Summary:

• Do discuss broad gameplay choices that affect the map as a whole. Things like making mountains completely impassable or jungles restricted to foot traffic.
• Do discuss changes that need to be made to the map both for accuracy & gameplay
• Do discuss what special ecoregions it would be nice to have on the map.
• Do not try to decide what game terrain types and graphics files to assign to those special terrains. The question will come up later, at a more appropriate time.

___________________

Head spinning? Mine gets going in different directions really really fast just like yours. Often we're thinking the same thing - at least along the same lines - but with different vocabulary. And mostly coming to similar conclusions.

This why I suggested limiting map discussions to a particular level of detail. And try to make my questions as specific as possible. It's a mistake to feel like I'm keeping secrets or unfairly restricting discussion. I'm not. Just that I have a fair sense of the order decisions need to be made in. And want to put off discussion of things that need to wait for later decisions.

At this stage I'm only asking what unique real world environments we need to represent that vary so much from the norm they deserve special recognition. The way the Sahara might need erg dunes in addition to regular desert or an Antarctic scenario need nunataks and seracs as distinct terrains. Deciding these kinds of things is completely distinct from deciding how to represent them in the game. For now, if "tundra" or "forests" are mentioned we're talking about real world environments, not game files. For present purposes the only time we're talking about terrain in terms of game files is when directly discussing the map wip or if specific mention needs to be made. An example of the latter is a reminder that we're already using lm hills for the passes (there are other possible solutions) so we need to think carefully before deciding we need multiple other kinds of hills.

Back to India:

The Sundarbans are the Ganges/Brahmaputra delta. It will be done with a mix of terrains so that some parts are impassable, some are passable but uninhabitable, and there are also spots where villages can be settled but won't be easy to grow past a certain point. The various terrain graphics are likely to be shared with other places on the map. All deltas tend to have marshes of some kind. Which specific terrain slots get used depend on what other special terrains are needed elsewhere.

Coral reefs may or may not be possible as visually distinct terrain - again depending on how long the list of special terrains gets.

Candidates for special terrain as of now:

• Coral Reefs
• Rann (salt flats)
• Mangroves (as distinct from swamp or marshes)
• Thorn Scrub
• Mountain Passes
• Bamboo

If that's all we end up with there is more than enough room within the limits of the game. It's just a matter of me spending some time filling in blanks on the chart. Once there is a fairly firm list then I can start to figure out the next level of detail and ask appropriate questions.

Blue: I think we've reached agreement on the list of candidates for special terrain. I will keep in mind that as other aspects of the game develop they may be subject to change.

Ram: Thanks for you additional thoughts on resources. I will amend the list. The list is merely preliminary and will probably change as we develop the tech advances and improvements.

All: I will do some thinking as regards terrain vs game play. Feel free to jump in.

Map & Gameplay

7ronin said:

Blue: I think we've reached agreement on the list of candidates for special terrain. I will keep in mind that as other aspects of the game develop they may be subject to change.

Click to expand...

My first take is that - with the possible exception of bamboo - all the other special terrains in some way hamper the civs. Things like restricting movement, being unsettleable, or reducing productivity. This is fine since it reflects realities.It also helps some of the game play goals. OTOH it may be worth considering how to compensate here and there with a balancing positive. For example Pearls, Fish, etc. might be placed near a Coral Reef.

The LM terrains won't be added in the next pass of painting the map. Can't add them until the balance of work shifts to the editor anyway. So there's plenty of time for Rambuchan or others to make comments and suggestions. I'm thinking of inviting Keroro - maker of an Alexander the Great scenario - to take a look at the NW part of the map.

7ronin said:

All: I will do some thinking as regards terrain vs game play. Feel free to jump in.

Click to expand...

My goal is to have an initially useful biq available shortly after the new year begins. Something that is ready for city placement, trial resource locations, etc. Should help make further decisions on where there are gaps in what is needed for balanced play.

In the past I've tested maps by importing the rules from another scenario I'm quite familiar with and playing on the new map to check it out. In my case TAM is the usual choice. It can be set up so that the start locations are still randomized. That way I can repeatedly play my favorite civ against known opponents & get a rough sense of the general playability of various regions. Let's me enjoy my regular game sessions and accomplish some creative goals at the same time.

Resources

Rambuchan said:

There may be too much happiness too easily?

Click to expand...

We haven't even started to discuss war weariness & other sources of unhappiness.

Rambuchan said:

Pearls (it'd be more like the fish bonus and how do you get a sea tile resource into your trade network?)

Click to expand...

Keep in mind that just as there can be two elephant resources there can be two pearls. In a pm the idea was brought up of making coral reefs a land terrain with limited usability. Allow nothing to be done with that terrain but build a road. A reef directly adjacent to a larger island or the mainland becomes a potential location for tradeable resources. With a road that goes nowhere.

Rambuchan said:

I'd also be in favour of getting some human luxuries in there. Especially 'poets' or 'Tamil poets' to bring out all those Sangam features.
...
ideal of course would be to have something like the list as is being in the strategics category though. I'm pretty hot on these religious resources being strategic and region specific. Can you tell?
...
Neem Tree, Peepal Tree or Banyan Tree.

Click to expand...

I'm not in favor of static human resources other than Sudra villages. At the same time I completely agree that the human element needs to be strategically important within gameplay as a whole. Most of the poetry, monumental buildings, etc. of all the various culture groups are in some way connected either to events & figures from the epics or to people like Shakyamuni & Mahavira.

Improvements can provide similar benefits to luxuries. Zero era techs provide a cultural limit for improvements (including wonders) as well as any "religious" units. Combining culturally restricted techs with a strategic resource adds a regional limit to built improvements. The same resource provides possibilities for different units & improvements based on culture. Researched techs open possibilities for improvements, units and specialist types that are still culturally restricted. Keep them further localized by using the "within city limits" flag. Even if the resource is tradable there is still the cultural limit. The planting of the Bodhi trees in Sri Lanka and Sravasti are examples of the latter. If needed, further restrictions can be placed on improvements by adding the "required government" flag.

The culture groups, the tech tree and resource(s) combine to restrict particulars while adding variety. This type of solution maintains both cultural and geographic restrictions while letting the regional limits expand as a civ increases its hegemony. All with a single strategic resource and one zero era tech. Imho, a more elegant solution that closer matches historic patterns.

Blue: Most of the capital cities still exist today under modern names. Does your method of map making allow us to place cities exactly (more or less given the map dynamics) or will it be a process of educated guesswork? Do any of the desert area have oases?

All: At last count we have something like 22 or 23 civs. When we place the starting civs on the map for the first time we may find, given the size of the map, that the civs aren't close enough to each other to encourage the kind of civ interaction we want. Not to worry, if that should happen I have a few aces in the hole that can be added.

Civ List (post #46) updated

Units (initial thoughts):
This is a very, very rough list to get thinking started on the topic. No consideration has been given yet to unique units, unit evolution, or the availability of suitable already created units. I've also probably missed a few suggestions which have been made throughout the thread.

Macedonian/Satraps:
Satrap Spearman
Hoplite
Companion Cavalry
Satrap Archer
Macedonian Worker
Macedonian Colonist
Macedonian City Garrison
Phallangatai
Persian Horse Archer

Indian Civs:
A. Land Units:

Spearman – Armored Spearman – Royal Guard

Swordsman – Armored Swordsman – Wootz Swordsman

Archer – Armored Archer – Fire Archer

Crossbowman – Saghini*

Horseman –- Armored Cavalry

Horse Archer – Armored Horse Archer

Skirmisher – Slinger – Chakra

Urumi Warrior

Ankatharani Warrioress

Wooden Club Man – Iron Club Man

City Guard

Catapult – Fire Catapult

City Catapult

Battering Ram

Fire Pots

War Elephant – Armored War Elephant – City Breaker Elephant

Pata Armed Elephant

Ballista Armed Elephant

Elephant Ratha

Chariot -- Biga --Ratha

B. Naval Units:

Dhow -- Merchant Ship – Large Merchant Ship

Warship – Heavy Warship

Pirate Ship

C. Others:

Indian Worker
Indian Settler
Elephant Worker
Buddhist Monk -- Bodhisattva
Jain Monk
Hindu Ascetic
Yogi
Elephant Army with Parasol
Spy

*There are various takes on the Saghini. One is that it was a stationary multiple crossbow positioned on city walls. Others that it was a very large multi-spiked iron bar which was thrown off city walls onto attackers.

"City Breaker Elephant"

Where'd you come across that name?

Blue Monkey said:

"City Breaker Elephant"

Where'd you come across that name?

Click to expand...

Somewhere in a discussion of Indian warfare, and I can't remember where exactly, I read that specially trained elephants used to destroy enemy fortifications and to force city gates, were described as "city breakers."

I have two books on the way which discuss the history of war elephants.

Civilization Attributes v1.0 Strawman

Note: "Culture Group" refers to similarities between certain civs for game play purposes and not necessarily to identical city gfx assignment.

Himalayan Culture Group
1. Kirat - Religious - Industrious - Flavor 1
2. Shakya – Religious – Agricultural - Scientific - Flavor 1
3. Malla – Religious - Agricultural - Flavor 1

Gangetic Culture Group
4. Magadha/Maurya – Expansionist – Militaristic – Religious - Industrious - Flavor 2
5. Gangaridai [Vanga] – Seafaring – Commercial - Agricultural - Flavor 2
6. Nanda – Religious – Agricultural - Flavor 2
7. Kalinga – Militaristic – Seafaring - Scientific - Flavor 2

Northwest Culture Group
8. Pauravas – Militaristic- Industrious - Flavor 3
9. Gandhara – Commercial – Industrious - Scientific - Flavor 3

Central and West Culture Group
10. Vidarbha – Agricultural - Religious - Flavor 4
11. Avanti – Agricultural - Industrious - Flavor 4
12. Saurashtra – Seafaring – Commercial - Flavor 4

Southern (Dravida) Culture Group
13. Cholas – Seafaring – Commercial - Industrious - Flavor 5
14. Pandyas –Seafaring – Commercial - Expansionist - Flavor 5
15. Chera –Seafaring – Commercial - Religious - Flavor 5
16. Anuradhapura – Seafaring – Commercial - Agricultural - Flavor 5

Macedonian Culture Group
17. Macedonia – Militaristic - Expansionist - Industrious

Greco-Persian Satrapy Culture Group
18. Balika – Militaristic - Commercial - Flavor 6
19. Kamboja – Militaristic - Religious - Flavor 6
20. Arachosia – Militaristic - Flavor 6

North East Culture Group
21. Naraka –Agricultural - Commercial

Tibetan Group As requested by Blue Monkey
22. ? -/ -/ - Flavor 7
23. ? -/ -/ - Flavor 7
24. ? -/ -/ - Flavor 7

Trade Group
25. Hadrumat (formerly Arabia) - Commercial - Seafaring
26. China - Commercial
27. Egypt - Commercial
28. Kedu (formerly Spice Islands) - Commercial - Seafaring

Advancements (strawman):

Three eras (suggested titles):
Age of Chandragupta
Age of Bindusara
Age of Ashoka

Religious Branch:
Pilgrimage
Relics

Literary (Poetry) Branch:
Buddhist Scripture
Sangam Era Poetry
Poet Convention

Manufacturing Branch:
Engineering
Metallurgy
Woodworking

Agricultural Branch:
Advanced Irrigation

Seafaring Branch:
Map Making
Navigation
Ship Building
Exploration

Trade Branch:
Overseas Trade
Commercialism (formerly Corporation)
Tax Law
Coinage

Statecraft Branch:
Statecrft (Manus Code/Arthashastra)
Imperialism
State Marriage
Civil Service

Military Branch:
Art of War
Standing Army
Tactics
Thermal Weapons
Armor
Siege Tactics

Cultural Branch:
Philosophy
Epic Poetry

No Era Advances:
7 or 8 flavors

Wonders Strawman (v3):

Great Wonders

Parinirvana (preplaced at Kusinara)
Requires Nepal
Undetermined effects

Birthplace of the Buddha (preplaced at Lumbini)
Requires Nepal
City growth causes +2 citizens instead of 1

Bodh Gaya
Must be near a river
Requires Buddhist Missions
Increases happiness in all cities +3
Produces a Buddhist Missionary every ten turns
Allows Bo Tree resource

Deer Park
Must be near a river
Requires Buddhist Precepts
Doubles the effects of Stupas
Produces a ? every ?

Great Stupa of Sanchi
Requires Buddhism
Puts a Stupa in every city

Brihadeeswarar Mandir
Requires Hinduism
Places a Mandir in every city

Ellora Caves
Requires Jainism
Doubles the effects of Jain Mandirs

Gomateshwara Statue (Jain wonder)
Requires ?
Produces a Jain ? every ten turns

University of Takashila
Requires Education
Doubles research output

Undetermined Wonder
Requires undetermined
Grants two free Advances

Small Wonders:

Bureau of Trade
Requires Regulated Commerce
+1 trade in each tile

Undetermined Wonder
Requires ?
Doubles effects of Mandirs

Courts of Law
Requires Judicial Procedure
Reduces corruption in nearby cities
Increases resistance to propaganda

Wootz Foundry
Requires Metallurgy
Halves unit upgrade costs

Council of War
Requires ?
Increases chance of Leader Appearance

Maha Shrivati
Requires Festivals
Increases happiness in all cities +2

The Board of Censors
Requires Espionage
Allows Spy Missions
Automatically produces a spy every ten turns

Military Office
Requires ?
Armies can be built without a Leader

Medical Intendency
Requires ?
Allows healing in Enemy Territory

Royal Armory
Requires Tactics
Allows Larger Armies

Tax Policy
Requires Tax Reform
Adds 5% to the Treasury

Welfare State
Requires Social Reform
Reduces War Weariness in All Cities

Arthashatra
Requires Statecraft
Undetermined effects

Aimperumakapppiya
Requires ?
Undetermined effects

Manu Smriti
Requires ?
Undetermined effects

The Sangam
Requires Tamil Poetry
Undetermined effects

The Macedonian Camp (Preplaced)
Requires Macedonia
Produces undetermined Macedonian unit

The Admiralty Office
Requires ?
Plus 2 ship movement

7ronin said:

Himalayan Culture Group
...
Gangetic Culture Group
...
Northwest Culture Group
...
Central and West Culture Group
...
Southern (Dravida) Culture Group
...
Macedonian Culture Group
...
Greco-Persian Satrapy Culture Group
...
North East Culture Group
...
Tibetan Group
...
Trade Group
...

Click to expand...

I understand that those 10 groupings are just for the working process. OTOH, it's time to start the discussion about the 5 cultural groups allowed by the game. Getting a sense of what those will be helps work out the traits & other balancing factors. It will also clarify some of the questions to be answered about techs, unit lines, etc.

Here are some initial thoughts on this:

• With 30 civs there should be 5-6 in most of the groups
• IMHO there is no difference between a Himalayan & Tibetan group. What civs belong there is a separate question. One civ to represent Tibet itself would be sufficient. My instinct is that atm there is a gap in the central / Western valleys. I'd have to look up the name, but there is an appropriate kingdom that was the center of the Bon (pre-Buddhist) religion. It was located more to the Western part of the Plateau, iirc. So it could do for the Tibetan civ.
• It's not clear why the Yavanas are split into Macedonians & the Satrapies. From the Indian pov they would be lumped together culturally.
• It would help to make some of the other decisions if you made a little map with the civ names in place. locations can be very approximate - just to get a sense of possible groupings.

The "advancements" list is a little confusing. By "advancement" do you mean techs? The following assumes that is what is meant:

• Arthasastra is a particular text. Having it as a tech would be like having Il Principe as a Renaissance Italian tech. It would make more sense as a wonder. The same goes for the Manusmrti. Probably should use the more general term "Dharmasastra" - could be translated as jurisprudence or statecraft in the sense of codified texts.
• "Corporation"? I'm not sure if there were corporations in India at that time.
• Nothing about the epics? IIRC this about the time that they began to be organized into a more coherent set of verses.
• "Buddhist" doesn't make clear what you have in mind that is "literary". Organization and oral transmission of the sutras? Writing down of the Buddahvacana?
• There is nothing at all for Vedic, Vaishnavite or Shaivite Hinduism. Sastra Recitation at least ought to be in the literary branch.
• Significant advances in astronomy, mathematics, physics, linguistics & other sciences occurred during the era.
• Performing arts & martial arts - both of several types - should be somewhere in the tech tree.

I can research any of these as needed. Whether it's to find the peculiarly Indian techs or just appropriate Indian names.

EDIT: cross-posted with your improvements list. Since that list is so long would you mind separating wonders into their own list.

Instead of corporations, maybe merchant guilds/clans?

Bue:

Culure Groups: I will get busy and assign the five "cultures." This is more a visual discriminator than any thing else (city appearance, etc). The poorly understood and seldom used flavors have more influence on game mechanics.

Tibet: One Tibetan civ instead of three it is. Please help by picking a name and figuring out the other parameters (leader, capital and so forth). I will investigate the "black hole" civ.

Improvements/wonders: I lumped improvements and wonders together because they use the same page in the editor. I can do two pages. Keep in mind that some entries may in the first go round be assigned to the "wrong" list. Think of a wonder as a very specialized improvement.

Techs: "Advancements" is what the editor calls "techs." Both this list and the improvements/wonders list are just recaps of what has been mentioned throughout the thread. I admit to being in the dark about some of them. Neither is a finished list. From this point on it would be helpful for everyone to make more defined suggestions.

Epics: I questioned whether these were appropriate. No one said anything. I will add them in. Do you want a wonder for both the "M" and the "R" or is just one okay?

Corporation: The Indians supposedly invented it. I will check on the time period. In any case, the ancient Indians were very advanced in terms of commercial finance and management.

Arthasastra: Agreed. It's a wonder.

Buddhist: Will have to ask Ram.

Please research the following and suggest appropriate techs, wonders, and improvements (as time permits):

There is nothing at all for Vedic, Vaishnavite or Shaivite Hinduism. Sastra Recitation at least ought to be in the literary branch.

Significant advances in astronomy, mathematics, physics, linguistics & other sciences occurred during the era.

Performing arts & martial arts - both of several types - should be somewhere in the tech tree.

Scenario Notes: The scenario begins in 330 B.C.E. In the west, Alexander the Great has completed his consolidation of the Persian Empire and has now ventured further east to compel the submission of Balika, Arachosia, and Kamboja, all former provinces of the Persians. Macedonia starts the scenario with two pre-placed cities, an army, and at war with the three provinces.

The largely "empty" area in the west, is occupied by the Nanda Empire. The Nanda Empire is large, three or four pre-placed cities, but is militarily weak and already beset by the internal contradictions which lead to it's final collapse around 320 B.C.E. Paurava and Magadha, nominally parts of the Nanda Empire, are already asserting their independence as shown by their status as separate civs. The scenario begins with Nanda at war with Magadha. Paurava and Magadha each start the scenario with an army.

Approximate starting positions are as shown in the attachment. Forgive my poor graphic program skills. The "Central Tribes" was a large group of "Barbarians" occupying the extensive tropical rain forest area which lay between Avanti, Nanda, Magadha, and Kalinga. They are not a civ.

Progress Report:I am revising the Civ, Resources, Improvements, Wonders, and Tech, and Culture/Flavor lists.

Tech Question: IIRC, one of the new game editors allows for the creation of more than 31 Civs. Has anyone come up with any tweaks, etc., which allow for more than five "cultures?" It seems a shame that we are limited to five city graphics.

7ronin said:

Bue:
Culure Groups: I will get busy and assign the five "cultures."

Please help by picking a name and figuring out the other parameters (leader, capital and so forth). I will investigate the "black hole" civ.

Keep in mind that some entries may in the first go round be assigned to the "wrong" list. Think of a wonder as a very specialized improvement.

Epics: I questioned whether these were appropriate. No one said anything. I will add them in. Do you want a wonder for both the "M" and the "R" or is just one okay?

Click to expand...

The culture groups determine things like city styles and - to some degree (iirc) - shared units. A few other things as well. Diplomacy (?). They are also a useful way to think about how to use zero era techs to limit wonders, rtc.

Unfortunately the 5 group limit is hard-coded. The only work around I have heard of is just a kludge - basically to allow more city styles. By restricting some civs to certain eras & some to others the cities can look different. you end up with a 2 era scenario with every civ able to advance to one era. Not the best solution.

The notes on the map you posted are helpful. If you like I'd be happy to take a crack at placing the civs into culture groups. I just didn't want to step on anyone's toes.

I agree that the preliminary tech/wonder lists should be very flexible. Separating them will help in two ways. with shorter lists it is easier to make sense of what belongs where & reassign them. Seeing what wonders need matching techs and what techs need wonders or other improvements helps with the overall structure.

Even before making a full tech tree seeing tech "lines" like your suggestive categories is a big help. A line moving from orality to literacy for example could include things like Vedic Ceremonies (allows Fire Altar improvement), Recitation (Epics could be wonders*), Sanskrit, Legal Codes (Manu as wonder), Translation (diplomatic missions?), etc. Putting the categories into lines (shufflable of course) can help identify gaps. Units & improvements can suggest techs. Connecting techs can suggest where to place known units/improvements or where ones need to be filled in. The same goes for getting a sense of when resources should appear.

I'll certainly post info on Tibet. I've already got it - just not off the top of my head. The same goes for researching financial techs. It's a matter of working with the books I've got and sifting through many bookmarked sites. Tech and improvement names as well. I need to take the time to recall & post links to where these things were detailed in the AD threads & in the discussion on the Indian civs for YodaPower's East Asia mod as well.

* by using culture groups/zero era techs there can be different wonders for different areas. Small wonders shared by a group but not universally. GWs can be limited this way also, iirc. so that only one Tamil civ could make their epic & one Gangetic make theirs.

i really do not get it with the wrod "hardcoded" - why are the civilisation people not offering the moderators the chance to modify the game - it is for the continuity of the fanclub....what da hack??
people ar trying hard to modify the game and make it more enjoyable, and they simply turn the back..

Jerry'sGoldfish said:

i really do not get it with the wrod "hardcoded" - why are the civilisation people not offering the moderators the chance to modify the game - it is for the continuity of the fanclub....what da hack??
people ar trying hard to modify the game and make it more enjoyable, and they simply turn the back..

Click to expand...

Jerry, A game company is a business. They create a product, a game, for which they hope to make some money for their owners and investors. Every product, whether it is a game or an automobile, is created with the bottom line in mind. Let's say you want to sell a car for x dollars. To do that you have to make concessions and tradeoffs. At x price the car will be four cylinders instead of six. It will have a mid grade stero system instead of a high grade, cloth seats instead of leather, and so forth.

The same thing happens in game design. The designers have to work within a budget. Each part of the design gets a slice of the total pie. So many hours for art work. So many hours for programing, testing and so forth. If the designers want to create ten instead of five city graphics then either the end price of the game rises, or the designers have to trim something out of the game elsewhere. So you see, the designers weren't trying to deny players modders anything; they were trying to provide as much as they could with the resources they were allowed. You see the glass half empty; I see it half full.

Civ III is now eight years old. I don't think at the time anyone realized how far people would be able to take the modding. You also have to remember that ownership of the game and it's code has changed several times. Instead of modifying Civ III any further (it did go through three editions), Firaxis Games has chosen to bring out newer editions of Civilization (Civ's IV and V and their variations) which have broadened opportunities for modders to create new scenarios.

I have no doubt that many of the people who have worked on Civ III would like nothing more than to make additional options available to the Civ III community. Unfortunately, doing that costs money. It's not free.