I Love FFH2...as we can all tell from my bulk posts.
I would love to see some things that add to the feel of the Mod. Im sure this is for a later addtion or phase, but some ideas are floating and it's best if they land here.
I want to be smaller. I am a control freak, as most civ'ers are, but I want to feel more In the world. I do want to build units, expand the empire, grow cities, and control the aspects of civ that we do. But if one stops to think about it, Everything that happens in Civ is something that A civilzation has done. Even if we include the barbarians.
Id like to feel as though the world were bigger. Not the map, but the scope.
There ought to be things going on in the world that NO civ has any impact on, and that add a bit of randomness (fortune or misfortune) to the mix.
I personally think that my people should be dealt with. Kindly or severely, but a city that has VERY unhappy people ought to either produce barbarian units or turn my units in that city into barbarian units (a costly thought if my units provided happiness, thereby exaserbating the problem.)
Perhaps tectonic shifts might occur. A "rift" (Or a black colored river visual) could form (as a river would) randomly on the map somewhere. Thereby becoming IMPASSIBLE between one side and the other.
Volcanic Explosions would be cool. A peak might turn into (or have a "hole" feature placed on it) a volcano, and the surrounding landscape would suffer.
Famine would be nice to see. Occasionally X Cities (somewhat close together) could suffer from famine, and produce Little to no food from grassland and plains squares. Or other things that decrease food consumption. Food shortages and surpluses are the cornerstone of many fantasy stories, because they alter the normal opperations of mideval worlds. It'd also be good to have a Money-to-food converstion option available like research, wealth and culture. The richer nations could hold off starvation for a while.
STORM would function like famine except it would only affect coastal cities, and instead of little/no food it would be 0 production on water squares, or "bump" the workers off for a while - no boats for a few turns.
I like the idea of More Barbarian units wandering around midgame, and perhaps you've already thought up the idea of More Unique Units like Orthus, but he needs a posse to ride with.
Good things could be things like "Bountiful harvest" The Opposite of famine.
Cities with celebrations of "we love the leader" could provide the opportunty for volunteer forces lest neighbors invade - not the strongest fighters, but volunteers are volunteers.
There should be LOTS...heart be still - of tiles and improvements that would provide the CHANCE of different things occuring.
-Graveyards producing Undead (for other civs or barbarians.)
-Eagles nests producing large eagles (Maybe randomly spawn eagle units that would sit on peaks but have the "valourous quality" in favor of whom ever land they are in.)
It would also be cool that if each time you got a goodie hut, instead of just auto-receival. You had a choice. Not of "what do you want" but more of "what do you tell them". A little text box could come up with a Moral, Intellectual or Military-Might nature. It would provide small amount of information (clue) about the little culture you just found, and you'd pick from the options of "how" to greet them. I think 3 would be good. Your entry could be 1 of MANY variables on how they react. The better they react, the better gift you get. If they dont like you, then perhaps barbarians, or damage to the investigating unit, or disease, or bad promotion, the units death...etc.
The units that exploration/scout units, whome get the "better goodie hut option" could make the text box provide MORE information, thereby getting a better clue as to how to guess. The "first contact box given" for goodie huts could contain information that would reveal if they're partial to alignment, partial or opposed to percentage of research (how much they care about knowledge), or partial to military prowess or not. Each encounter would be unique. The status of your empire, coupled with who investigated the goodie hut, coupled with your decision would deside the outcome.
It would also be great, if goodie huts could appear on the map like barbarian cities. (Nomadic tribes you missed on your first time through)
Anyway. I'd like the impression that I'm sitting on my Iron Throne perilessly, and that I am no God (unless i have God King) and must deal with unimaginable consequences, and unforseeables events. I want the world to be less civ-made and more WORLD-made. It should be a ride.
I wouldn't expect this stuff till the Shadow or Ice phase, but still...it'd be cool.
-QES