Don't think I've forgotten about updating this!
The mod has gone through a major overhaul in the past nearly-six-months since I posted the previous update. The time frame has been slashed, many civs who do not fin the time frame have been axed, the generic tech tree has been cut back as good as possible, so that now there are virtually no generic techs, some culture-specific techs, and the rest are group-specific techs. Further more, I've gone through a rigorous de-cluttering program, which has involved starting a new folder and .biq (although, all the old stuff is obviously kept for reference).
So, without due, here is the update I'm sure a couple of you have been waiting for...
Alpha Testing Time Frame
-I'm hoping to get the first alpha version out for testing by Christmas. It will be a public alpha test, and most unnecessary parts will remain unfinished, such as Leaderhead files (which are sort of half-in right now). The generic tech tree, the Greek-specific tech tree (both already finished), and the Peloponnesian League tech tree (not yet started) will all be finished, and then I'll update with each tree that I finish, so that anyone who wants can play test.
Major Mod Changes
The Map
As I kept going back between the two maps that I've been using (Keroro's map of the world, Varwnos' map of Greece), I decided that I'd use the part I deem most important for the later (South Greece), and attach it to the former, at a place which conveniently fits. The downside to this, is that large parts of Desert in Africa, the Sinai, and some of the Levant are distorted. However, this is the expense of a good-sized Southern Greece, so I think it is worth it
The Time Frame
Ok, so I've finally realized that doing a fully in-depth scenario focusing on around 2800 years of Ancient Greek history wasn't really plausible due to editor restrictions. So I've cut back on the time frame, big time. The scenario now lasts from
1000 BC (aprox. mid way through the Dark Ages), through to
323 BC (the year of Alexander’s death), with each turn representing one turn (so, it is to be a fairly long scenario). I’m trying to keep to this time frame as strictly as possible, although obviously sometimes this can just not be the case (for instance, when you have a lack of information on a particular subject, or something). Also, the scenario does not start strictly in 1000 BC, again, due to editor limitations. For example, Babylon has already defeated Assyria and claimed hegemony around the ancient Middle East. Likewise, Persia has already taken a hold of Media’s vast empire. For Persia, the scenario sort of begins a small time before the war against Lydia. There are also many cities placed that historically were not during this period.
The Civilizations
So, as I have said, the scenario has been cut, and many civs just could not make the cut, such as Mycenae, the Centaur, Troy, Doric, etc. Some new civs have, however, made it through. This is the new civ count:
-Sparta
-Etruria
-Macedonia
-Euboea
-Athens
-Corinth
-Thebes
-Elis
-Scythia
-Argos
-Epirus
-Persia
-Crete
-India
-Iberia
-Ionia
-Babylonia
-Lydia
-Dacia
-Thessaly
-Celts
-The Bosporan Kingdom
-Phoenicia
-Illyria
-Aetolia
-Messenia
-Thrace
-Egpyt
-Pontus
-Sheba
-Magna Graecia
Most civilizations not in Asia or Africa start off with a small amount of Settlers and flavoured Warriors, with the Greeks starting out in an almost battle-scarred looking place, complete with ruins and a couple of roads. They first have to learn the first era’s generic techs (which is about 5 or so, and by far the biggest amount of generic techs per era), and then they can happily go about learning their cultural- or tailored tech trees. The tech groupings are as follows:
-
Peloponnesian League Tree (will be biased towards a
Diplomatic victory condition): Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, Elis, Aetolia
-
Barbarian Tech Tree (will be biased towards a
Victory Point victory, through the enslavement of “loot): Etruria, Scythia, Dacia, the Celts, Illyria, Thrace
-
Hellenistic Tech Tree (will be biased towards either a
Domination or
Conquest victory condition): Macedonia, Epirus, Pontus
-
Colony Race Tech Tree (will be biased towards winning a “space”, or
Colony Race victory): Euboea, Crete, Caria/Ionia, Thessaly, the Bosporan Kingdom, Phoenicia, Magna Graecia
Athenian Tech Tree (will be biased towards winning a one-city
Cultural victory, and maybe a
Diplomatic victory, too): Athens (alone!)
Trade Tech Tree (will be biased towards a
Victory Point victory, through improvement-spawned “trade goods”, which must be taken to trade-locations): Argos, Iberia, Lydia, Messenia, Sheba
Tribute Tech Tree (will be biased towards a
Victory Point victory, through improvement-spawned “tribute”, or a
Domination victory): Persia, Babylonia, Egypt
Indian Tech Tree (will be biased towards a
Cultural victory throughout the whole empire)
Civilizations will also start in a group government, although the groups are not the same as the tech groupings. Some civilizations (Babylon, Persia, India and Egypt, specifically) have governments which are meant to hamper their development in the beginning of the game, both to provide the smaller civs a fighting chance, and also to make the game for these civs about changing government ASAP.
Resources
I’m still keeping regional unit lines, all be it, not as in depth as above. These unit lines will now consist of (unless I want a civ to have better/worse, and so long as it is not their “homeland”
: A worker (usually wheeled, unless Arabian), an early warrior, a late warrior, a sea unit, and a late “special” unit, which I feel represents the culture well, that doesn’t fit as a “generic” unit, such as an Indian elephant. There will be some crossover between the units, particularly in Africa and Arabia, as well as Greece, Scythia and Thrace, but I’ve ordered them into some kind of orderly fashion. Due to my allowing of Settlers in the scenario, the resources occupy every square which does not house another resource already, thus maximising the chance that a resource will be built upon. One advantage currently, seems that as I’ve allowed civilizations to build their “native” generic units, they seem to be building a
lot of galleys. And I mean a lot. The previews I’m about to post showing one or so galleys is nothing compared to the stacks of these generic things I’m seeing, regardless of AI build prefs. (which must be a bonus!) In fact, it’s kinda making me scared to start moving civs onto their own lines!
The location resources are: Arabians, North Africans, Egyptians, Steppe Barbarians, Ethiopians, Persians, Barbarians (in Europe), Indians, Africans, Italians, Greeks (also found in Asia Minor, and around the Black Sea), Mesopotamians (found throughout the Middle East). There are also some special resources: Bactrians, Phoenicians, Babylon and Alexandria (the first and last of these may be “replaced”, as the first can be a mix of Persians and Steppe Barbarians, and the last is too recent for the scenario).
Religion
The religious system in this scenario is pretty generic, with improvements such as the “Shrine to the God of War”. In the scenario, religion works like this: First, you must research “Mythology” and build a temple. Once a city has a temple and the correct resources, it can build a Deity-specific Shrine. Once three of a specific shrine have been built in the empire, a fully-fledged deity-specific temple can be built, which is a small wonder, and may (depending on the temple) require different resources. Religion-based GW’s will usually require one of these temples.
Now, here are some SS’s in a Sparta game:
Resource-rich Laconia at the very beginning of the game
The first rival civilizations galley of the game, after only 13 turns, just outside where Laurium
should be (pesky AI not settling where they start!)
An Egyptian Galley makes its presence known as far as Gythium, whilst a Theban Warrior and Settler trek through Laconia, looking for a new home
Athenian and Ionian galleys sitting idly by. Where I’d just moved from, you would have been able to see a Thracian galley blocking up the sea.
And another Ionian galley, as I make another move! As you can see, this is still very early in the game! Pretty much every corner I cross, I’m seeing another Galley, and oftentimes, Galleys come sailing around my shore, too.
Have you thought about using the resources.pcx file that came with the Rise of Rome conquest? That should have everything that you need to start, IIRC.
The rest of the world is seen thru Greek eyes (eg. geography), so why not religion?
