Civilopedia Entries Thread

[estrongblade]

Hi!

I believe that everyone who plays C 3 has a special interest in some aspect of the game that they view as their specialty. Whether its History, Sci-Fi or Fantasy, everyone knows something. How do you describe this something in your Civilopedia? I've a feeling that there are many custom entries that stay locked in an individual computer somewhere. I propose to change all that.

I am hoping that all of you writers out there who have come up with interesting Civilopedia entries will share them on this thread. It can be about anything - not just History. If you are going to have a well-rounded Mod, civilopedia entries are that finishing touch that can really juice it up for those that download and play it.

Remember, not everyone out there has a gift for writing and your civilopedia entry could be just what someone else is looking for to set their Mod up right. I'll kick this off with my alternate civilopedia entry for the Knight's Templar Wonder. You can copy it right out of here and paste it into your own game, if it pleases you. Here it is:

#BLDG_Knights_Templar
^
^
^The [Knights Templar] produces a $LINK<Crusader=PRTO_Crusader> every 5 turns.
^
^May trigger $LINK<Golden Age=GCON_Golden_Age> for Militaristic and Religious civilizations.
#DESC_BLDG_Knights_Templar
^
^The Knights Templar was a holy order devoted to defending the crusader states founded during the
First Crusade against Muslim reconquest. The king of Jerusalem allowed them to make their headquarters in
the main temple of Jerusalem, from which they took their name. In exchange for this hospitality they swore allegiance
to the throne of Jerusalem. They participated in several major battles and did well. Eventually their power grew so much that the Pope decided to place them under his direct control.
^
^Templar valor in the Holy Land brought many rewards in Europe. Knights who fought under the red cross and white field of the Templars often found themselves with new estates in their native countries. The Grandmasters shrewdly invested the order's wealth, using Muslim plunder to buy goods and sell them throughout the Mediterranean. As a result, the order became very wealthy.
^
^After the last Holy Land stronghold of the Templars fell in 1291, many felt them to be obsolete. King Philip IV of France accused the Templars of heresy and blasphemy in 1307 due to his greedy nature. He confiscated all Templar wealth in France. Other Kings followed suit, embarking on a program of repression whose goal was to secure the Templars' money for themselves. Hundreds of Templars were put under torture for "confessions" to heresy. The order died out completely in 1314 when the last of the Templar leadership was burned at the stake through Phillip's exploitation of church law.
^
^It is said that the Order's Grand Master, Jaques de Molay, cursed Phillip and the Bishop of Paris from his stake to "meet me before the Throne of God within the year" and that King Phillip's family line, the Capets, would end through "his issue", meaning his sons. Naturally, he was ignored. Both King Phillip AND the Bishop of Paris died within the year. The Capet line ended in 1328 when the last of Phillip's [four] sons died without issue. Pretty spooky, eh?


So there you have it. Civilopedia Entry #one on what I hope shall be a flourishing thread in times to come. Go ahead, dazzle us with what you've been using to describe your "pet subject". Graphics are great and I'm working diligently at learning how to do it but heh - writing comes very easily to me. Enjoy!

[Synsensa]

I don't really have a favourite one, but the one I do like pretty well is the Statue Of Zeus and the Berserk.

[Virote_Considon]

Here're a couple from my ancient Greek scenario.

Helot:
#PRTO_Helot
^
^
^{Building a Helot}: A city that builds a [helot] loses one citizen from its population.
^
^{Helot Jobs}: Helots can [improve] the countryside to make it more productive.
The efficiency of a helot (how quickly it works) depends upon its government type.
^
^{Joining a City}: A helot may also be used to increase the population of an existing city;
when the helot is active on a city, click the "Join City" button. The helot disappears and
the city's population gains one citizen.
^
^Note that helots may be captured and used by rival civilizations.
#DESC_PRTO_Helot
^
^
^The helots were the serfs and slaves in the society of ancient Sparta. placed roughly in between the importance of
non-fighters and women, they did not have any of the rights a free person would have.
^
^The Spartans were known to take hundreds of these POW's after battles, enslaving entire cities, or huge portions of the
population. Even the mighty Athenians succumbed to the might of Sparta, with many citizens becoming helots!

Statue:
#BLDG_Statue
^
^
^The [Statue] lowers corruption and the chance of succesful propaganda in the city that builds it. It also increases
culture.
^
^However, the citizens of the city know that the statue was only built to let them know who's in charge of their lives,
so this improvement gives 1 [un]happiness to the city that its in.
^
^The Statue requires the "oligarchy" government.
^
#DESC_BLDG_Statue
^
^
^When Thebes was under its Oligarchy, it was scared that it would loose its grip on the rest of Greece, and maybe even
Boeotia. Surrounded by the powerful states of Athens, Corinth and Orchomenia, it had to think of some way of stopping
its citizens rebelling. The solution? Statues. Many of them.
^
^Thebes was wealthy enough to provide these statues, too. However, the statues didn't make the citizens as content as
was hoped, because they reminded the everyday citizen that they were ruled by cruel Theban tyrants.

[Civinator]

Hi estrongblade,

in my eyes this thread is a good idea. And as a starting gift here is a civilopedia entry from the upcoming mod SOE (Storm Over Europe) about a -not so well known- wonder of SOE (the somewhat weired looking style looks correct in gameplay):

#BLDG_STZ_Complex
^{Effects:} a) Produces $LINK<veteran=GCON_Experience> ground units instead of regulars.
^{ } b) Heals ground units completely in one turn.
^{ } c) Allows upgrading ground units
^{ } d) Increases $LINK<shield production=GCON_Shields> in its city by 100%.
^{ } e) Decreases corruption/waste in all cities.
^{ } f) Resistant to $LINK<Propaganda=GCON_Conversion>.
^{Combat: } 0
^{Happiness:} 0
^{Production:} 4
^{Produces:} $LINK<T-34-76=PRTO_R019_T-34-76> every 5 turns.
^{Pollution:} Reduces $LINK<pollution=GCON_Pollution> from population and improvements.
^{Character:} $LINK<Militaristic, Industrial=GCON_Strengths>
^{Civs: } Russia ; can only been build in Stalingrad.
^{Strategy:} As Axies player, if you can´t occupy Stalingrad with ground forces, try at least to bomb the connection to one of the two needed resources.
#DESC_BLDG_STZ_Complex
^
^
^The T-34 began production at the Kharkov Steam Locomotive Factory No. 183 in December 1939. Later, in the summer of 1940, as orders began to grow for the new tank, a new production line opened at the "Krasnoye Sormovo" Factory No. 112. Finally, in 1941 a third line was added at the {Stalingradsky Tractor Factory} (STZ in Russian). While Factory No. 183 was withdrawn to Nizhniy Tagil in October 1941, the STZ stayed put and soon became the backbone of the defensive effort supporting the Stalingrad Front.
^
^The STZ Complex in Stalingrad produced tanks until the Germans closed in on the factory’s walls. Under fire by artillery bombardments and air strikes on the factory’s compounds, Workshop No.5 manufactured 68 new tanks, repaired 23 tanks, formed a special brigade of workers to help repair damaged Red Army tanks, and constantly gave replacement parts to the Red Army. In that time five high explosive bombs, 154 incendiary bombs and one shell hit the workshop. When the works were be halted and the workers must be evacuated on October 5, 1942, the STZ Complex managed to produce 3,670 T-34/76 tanks.

[Heretic_Cata]

Unfortunatley, some mods didn't add complete descriptions ...

[Plotinus]

Some did, though...

[Heretic_Cata]

And some will.

[estrongblade]

Hi!
These are Great! Keep 'em coming. Here's another one that I put in for Aaglo's Heavy Frigate (aka-The connie-Old Ironsides-USS Constitution - Thx, Aaglo!):


#PRTO_HeavyFrigate
^
^
^The [HeavyFrigate] is a ship that was specifically designed to take on vessels of equal, and sometimes, larger size. Using speed,
superior fire power and heavier construction techniques, the vessel was actually strong enough to take on lesser
[Ships-of-the-Line] under certain conditions.
^
^A coastal city needs both $LINK<iron=GOOD_Iron> and $LINK<saltpeter=GOOD_Saltpeter> in its
$LINK<Strategic Resource=GCON_ResourcesS> box to build Heavy Frigates.
#DESC_PRTO_HeavyFrigate
^
^
^The Heavy Frigate was first built by the fledgling American Navy in order to combat the Mediterrainian pirates.
Also refered to as 44 and 38-gunners, the designers, Joshua Humphries and Josiah Fox, were determined
to build ships that would prove to be an overmatch to foreign nation vessels of the same class. The 44-gunners were
purposely built to take on English 74-gun $LINK<Ships of the Line=PRTO_Ship_of_the_Line> under heavy sea swell
conditions, when the larger vessel would have to close their lower deck gunport hatches to keep from taking on water.
^
^
^The idea was sound, as the 44s and 38s proved themselves time and again throughout the many years following their
launch dates in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The use of Heavy Frigates quickly crossed national boundaries,
as friendly nations began taking the lines from the vessels and adopting them to their own use. The names of the first
six U.S. Navy vessels authorized by Congress were:
USS Constellation(38), USS Constitution(44), USS United States(44), USS Congress(38) and USS President(44). The sixth,
USS Chesapeake, was a 36-gunner. As such, she was considered to be a normal $LINK<Frigate=PRTO_Frigate>.


Naturally, this entry assumes that you have also added Kraken's Ship_of_the_Line (SoL). If you add the Heavy Frigate without the SoL, just remove the Link and replace it with [Ship of the Line]. This will put SoL into your text entry without the Link but still allow the description to remain the same. (the brackets put the name into italics).

I have others that I'll dole out as time progresses. I'm very interested in seeing what's out there! Keep 'em comin'. (I feel that I can't say that often enough)











You may notice that the ship moves at an unusual rate of speed and has high stats. I use my units in my scenarios at a different, customized pace. It suits my purpose and I find the movements to be compatable with the number of years per turn, rather than the gameplay allowances. It's personal...I don't usually talk about it...it upsets me...

[Lord Malbeth]

Here's some from my "World of Magic Scenario"...



#PRTO_Wizard
^
^
^[Wizards] are a powerful, but mystic folk.

#DESC_PRTO_Wizard
^
^
^A wizard is a practitioner of magic and is often described as a male version of a witch (Although a male can become a witch). In popular use during 16th century England, "wizard' was used to denote a helpful male folk magician, a cunning man as they were usually called.
^American Wizards are some of the oddest of all the wizard folk. They often get a bad reputation because of the Salem witches, but most are peace loving individuals.



#PRTO_Golem
^
^
^A [Golem] is the worker for most Wizard civilizations.
^
^{Building a Golem}: A city that builds a [golem] loses one citizen from its population.
^
^{Golem Jobs}: Golems can $LINK<improve=GCON_Worker_Jobs> the countryside to make it more productive.
The efficiency of a golem (how quickly it works) depends upon its $LINK<government=GCON_Governments> type.
^
^{Joining a City}: A golem may also be used to increase the population of an existing city;
when the golem is active on a city, click the "Join City" button. The golem disappears and
the city's population gains one citizen.

#DESC_PRTO_Golem
^
^
^In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated being which is crafted from inanimate material. In modern Hebrew the word golem denotes "fool", "silly", or even "stupid", "clue-less", and "dumb", and literally means "cocoon". The name appears to derive from the word gelem which means "raw material".




#PRTO_Familiar
^
^
^
^[Familiars] are fast but weak scouts. They can move quickly through forests, jungles, and wetlands. Although their speed and vicious nature allows them to inflict damage when ambushing enemies, their small size and tendency to sleep soundly makes them defenseless when attacked.

#DESC_PRTO_Familiar
^
^
^A familiar spirit, commonly called familiar is a spirit who obeys a witch, conjurer, or other users of the supernatural, and serves and helps that person. Although they may not be as intelligent as their masters, they are often as intelligent as the average human. Familiars often perform domestic duties and help in farming, but also aid the person in fighting (or creating) demons. If they look like ordinary animals, they can be used to spy on their masters' enemies . These spirits are also said to be able to inspire artists and writers. Some reclusive wizards rely on familiars as their closest friends.




#PRTO_Fell_Bat
^
^
^[Fell Bats] are the dark combination of Vampire Bats and Vampire Blood.
^
^Fell Bats can perform Bombing Raids.

#DESC_PRTO_Fell_Bat
^
^
^Also known as Vampire Bats, the blood drinking bats of Transylvania grow to monstrous proportions, some with wingspans of twelve feet or more. They are nightmarish predators of the dark, silent and deadly. They exist solely on the blood of the living, that of Men being their favourite. The scholars of the Old World speculate that perhaps an ancestor of these beasts drank the blood of a Vampire and thus joined the ranks of the Undead.




#PRTO_Willow
^
^
^[Willows] are the most intellegent of all trees. They can only be summoned by a $LINKTree Whisperer=PRTO_Treeherder>.

#DESC_PRTO_Willow
^
^
^Willows are believed to be the descendants of a Dark Tree Named Old Man Willow. The tale of his deeds has been lost to time, but most agree he once lived in England.
^
^Modern Willows are much less aggressive.




#PRTO_Mummy
^
^
^[Mummies] are dangerously effective undead units that can enslave defeated units into new mummies.

#DESC_PRTO_Mummy
^
^
^In Egypt, the dead were originally not mummified with the extensive process that happened during the Second Intermediate Period and onwards. The dead were originally buried in reed caskets in the sand. The searing hot sand caused the remains to dry quickly, preventing decomposition. Later, they started constructing wooden tombs, and the extensive process of mummification was developed to assure that the bodies would not decompose in the afterlife. The mummified individual was placed at his/her final resting place through a set of rituals and protocol.




#PRTO_Djinn
^
^
^The [Djinn] are demons, capable of taking the form of any animal of their liking.
^An Evil city needs $LINK<Nephilims=GOOD_Angelman> in $LINK<It's Local Region=GCON_ResourcesS> to hire a Djinn.

#DESC_PRTO_Djinn
^
^
^For the ancient Semites, Djinns were spirits of vanished ancient peoples who acted during the night and disappeared with the first light of dawn; they could make themselves invisible or change shape into animals at will; these spirits were commonly believed to be responsible for diseases and for the manias of some lunatics. Types of jinn include the ghouls, the sila, and the ifrit.
^The Arabs believed that the jinn were spirits of fire, although sometimes they associated them with succubi, demons in the forms of beautiful women.




#PRTO_HHorse
^
^
^The [Headless Horseman] is an ominous figure who can enslave his defeated foes into more horseman.

#DESC_PRTO_HHorse
^
^
^The legend featured is that of the Headless Horseman, the ghost of a Hessian trooper who lost his head to a cannon-ball during "some nameless battle" of the American Revolutionary War and who "rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head."




How's that.

[Quinzy]

Modern Willows are much less aggressive.

i absolutly love that!

[Ogedei_the_Mad]

I like Civlopedia since it's the only way you can actually tell a more interesting story with a mod. It's especially important for fantasy/scifi mods since they are set in totally different worlds and the only way to sufficiently describe these worlds are through unique Civlopedia entry; the only reason why the "Annals of Seven Kingdoms" mod is taking so long is because I'm modifying or writing each and every little Civlopedia entry!

Anyways, an exceprt from the "Annals of Seven Kingdoms" civlopedia:

Spoiler:

#KINGDOM_JIN
^The Jin are $LINK<agricultural and scientific=GCON_Strengths>.
^
^DESCRIPTION:
^ Due to its varied climates and varied regions, the Kingdom of Jin is an incredibly diverse land, populated by dwarves, gnomes, elves,
and humans alike. The north of the kingdom, populated by the humans and gnomes, is relatively cold and dry and fertilized by loess soil whereas the south,
populated by dwarves and elves, is warm and rainy. This variation of environment brought about a variation in the development of the different
cultures within the territories of the Jin kingdom, thus causing this land to have a wide variety of ethnicities and dramatically different
dialects and regionalects from place to place.
^ The peoples of this land are known for their industriousness. While the north had often been the political and cultural core of the kingdom,
the south is both the breadbasket and the industrial heart of the kingdom. The differences between the north and the south are striking as northern peoples
have much more in common culturally with each other, often sharing similarities in language and customs, whereas peoples in the south vary from region to region.
A language spoken in one southern prefecture may be dramatically different to one in the next! This is due to the frequent demographic changes resulting from
economics or politics that shift from period to period. A period of strong central unity may favor stronger coherence while a time of a weak central government
would render distant provinces fairly autonomous. Nonetheless, this unusual level of diversity has always been what made the Kingdom of Jin unique, enabling
the rulers of the kingdom to have a wide variety of talents - such as dwarven alchemists or elven sorcerers - at their disposal.
^ The Kingdom of Jin occupies a large amount of territory, but the territorial holdings of this land have shifted frequently through the
countless aeons. What was once Jin territory either became Shillan or Kazan or even Izumo territory or vice versa, resulting in having peculiarly mixed
border cultures. The four kingdoms of Jin, Shilla, Kazan, and Izumo periodically quarreled with one another with one kingdom gaining the upper hand at
one point only to decline later on. Sometimes the quarrels drag on for so long that neither side even remembers what sparked the dispute in the first place.
Depending on who sits upon the throne of the Kingdom of Jin and what type of ministers he or she has, the kingdom may take anything from a ferociously aggressive
expansionist stance to a peaceful and passive one. Attitudes towards the other three kingdoms have always been that of ambivalence. On the one hand,
there is a desire to establish relations, but on the other hand, there is often a looming fear of attack.
#DESC_KINGDOM_JIN
^
^
^GUANGMING (ascended in the year 1848):
^ Emperor Guangming of Jin is a highly unusual individual in that he is not even of mortal flesh although he appears like an average
eight-year-old boy. A mountain spirit, it is said that he was born from a volcanic eruption, but there is just as little known about him
than the Jade Emperor himself. Rumor has it that the previous emperor of Jin willingly gave up his throne when Guangming told him a story about a fish
turning into a bird.
^ Though emerging from a violent event, his personality is quite the opposite, being often cheery and somewhat
dull-witted. But if there is one aspect about him that is reminiscent of a volcano, it is his childlike spontaniety and occasional long lapses
of dullness, shifting between activity and idleness. He is learning-impaired, often seeming retarded, but despite this apparent retardation,
he bears no favoritism or ill-will to anyone, treating all people as equals. His active curiosity brought a great number of talented inventors,
alchemists, and scientists to his court. Guangming's "Palace of Wonders" is famous in the world for having all sorts of strange and interesting gadgets.
^ Guangming is a peaceful ruler, but he tends to avoid getting too involved in actual governance, usually spending his time in idleness or
childish pursuits. The government thus usually runs itself and, oddly enough, Guangming himself is recognized at home and abroad as a capable ruler.
Lovingly called "the little emperor," he enjoys a tremendous degree of popularity among his subjects.

[Plotinus]

Originally Posted by Lord Malbeth

...the blood drinking bats of Transylvania...

I hate to be pedantic, but I must point out that blood-drinking bats are American, not European... Otherwise, good entries!

Rambuchan was planning a really interesting pedia for his medieval fantasy mod - something along the lines of The Name of the Rose in the first person - but alas, work on that has somewhat stalled, I believe.

[estrongblade]

Well, folks, here's another couple of civped entries. I took the liberty of making one for Panzer Grenadiers, using an excellent Sdkfz 251 (thanks Aaglo!!) that I found in this forum. Here we go:

#PRTO_Panzer_Grenadier
^
^
^[Panzer Grenadiers] are an early, efficient form of $LINK<Mechanized Infantry=PRTO_Mech_Infantry> and upgrade
to that unit. Although the game version can not be transported by naval transport, it can carry up to two foot units into battle.
^
^A city must have $LINK<oil=GOOD_Oil> and $LINK<rubber=GOOD_Rubber> in its
$LINK<Strategic Resource=GCON_ResourcesS> box to build Panzer Grenadiers.
#DESC_PRTO_Panzer_Grenadier
^
^
^Before tanks were introduced, soldiers riding in cars were used against enemy forces. The first use of such tactics are
recorded to have been the work of Lt. George S. Patton during the action against Pancho Villa in 1916. Although the use of trucks as
transport for troops was not a new thing in Europe, the idea of using them to transport troops directly into battle was relatively unknown.
^
^Between WW1 and WW2, the writings of many notable military officers from many different Nations came up with independent thoughts
regarding tanks and what came to be known as Mechanized Infantry. A major effort was made to downplay the success of both arms in the US
all the way up to 1941, particularly by those who did not wish to see Cavalry supplanted. The Germans, however, showed the World their
effectiveness through the use of combining tanks and Mech Infantry (which they named [Panzer Grenadiers]) in all of their major campaigns.
The rest of the World quickly adapted to this example and Cavalry was soon relegated to the past, horses being replaced by armoured transports.

(end)

Too bad, so sad for the cavalry lovers, but I doubt that horses minded. Although I set the unit up to carry foot units into battle, if you do not want that option you can change it to load on to transport ships instead. Just delete the sentence that refers to it if you choose to do so. Here's one for an Me 262 that is not quite as technical as the one which came with the awesome unit by Ripptide (thanks Ripptide!!). I used some of what he put in and talked more about the jet's impact on aviation. I downloaded it from this forum:

#PRTO_Me262
^
^
^The [Me262] was the first operational turbojet powered aircraft. In addition to being jet powered, it brought forth many advancements in aircraft design. The Me262 was under development before WWII and was first deployed in 1944. The 262 may conduct all $LINK<air missions=GCON_Air_Missions>
except precision strikes.
^
^
^A city needs $LINK<oil=GOOD_Oil> and $LINK<aluminum=GOOD_aluminum> in its $LINK<Strategic Resource=GCON_ResourcesS> box
to build the Me262.
#DESC_PRTO_Me262
^
^
^Design work on the Me262 began in April, 1939. The jet was a revolutionary concept in aircraft development. A
combination of excellent engineering and downright luck resulted in a very harmonious design that stretched known aeronautical boundaries.
Several of the aircraft's features were still being used far beyond it's year long deployment at the end of WW2, particularly during the Korean
War (1950-1953).
^
^Two of the jets used on opposing sides in that conflict were the F-86 LeSabre (US) and the Mig-15 (USSR). They were independently designed by the Americans and the Russians using Me 262 advancements captured separately by the two powers after the Nazi collapse. The two jets were nearly identical in appearance and performance. The innovations that the Me 262 unleashed did not stop there. Its wing configuration is an example.
^
^The swept wing of the 262 was originally used to place the aircraft's center of gravity aft to compensate for heavier then expected engines. This fluke, more from error than desire, turned out to be just what was needed to increase performance all around. The straight winged jets of other Nations became obsolete before they could even be fully developed. Variants of the swept wing concept are still used today.
^
^There were three main versions of the Me262, two fighters and one fighter-bomber. Listed in order, these were the A1-a (refered to as the Schwalbe or Swallow) , the A-2a (Sturmvogel or Stormbird) and the B-1a fighter-bomber. All were single seat aircraft but a trainer version with two seats was also used according to Adolf Galland, commander of the first operational jet squadron. The fighter variants were armed with four 30mm cannons in the nose. Though never available in large quantity, all models of the Me 262 were effectively used by the Luftwaffe. It proved itself to be a potent weapon.

Well that's it for now. Next time I'll post a couple of early industrial units. C-ya!

[Lord Malbeth]

Originally Posted by Plotinus

I hate to be pedantic, but I must point out that blood-drinking bats are American, not European... Otherwise, good entries!

I just editted Aaglo's Fell Bat entry from WH related subjects to modern day superstitions.

[estrongblade]

Well, here it goes again. I tried some early industrial stuff this time, the first a steam transport attributed to Hunter. (Thx, Hunter!)

#PRTO_Steam_Transport
^
^
^The Steam Transport took over most ocean-going transport by the end of the 19th century. They came in a wide variety of styles and were frequently pressed into service to move Troops and Military Equipment.
^
^A coastal city needs $LINK<coal=GOOD_Coal> and $LINK<iron=GOOD_Iron> in its $LINK<Strategic Resource=GCON_ResourcesS> to build a Cargo Ship.
#DESC_PRTO_Steam_Transport
^
^Before Fuels such as diesel and gasoline took over, there was steam. The first application of steam power to a mode of transportation used a ship as the vehicle. Robert Fulton introduced the concept in 1807. Though people laughed at first, they stopped laughing as steam power became more refined with safer boilers and improved drive mechanisms.
^
^ River traffic adopted steam by the 1830s, when three or more storied flat bottomed ships began using a stern mounted paddle wheel that propelled the vessel adequately and efficiently, if a bit slow. These "Paddle-Wheelers" were used for river passenger service and entertainment into the 1900s.
^
^Meanwhile, steam power on the oceans became more and more reliable as the 19th century unfolded. The first application of steam to ship designs used large, side-mounted paddle wheels that were half covered with an outside housing as a propulsion mechanism. These usually had sails as a back up. Even though a tug-o-war between side mounted paddle wheelers and underwater "screw" propellers proved the latter to be far superior as early as 1830, this practice went on until after the American Civil War, when the use of steam in better, faster ship designs began taking over the movement of passengers and cargo from other types of ships, particularly sailing vessels. By the early 1900s, massive Ocean Liners and [Steam Transports] moved faster than any sailing ship afloat. Sailing ships continued to lose out more and more, being all but extinct by the 1930s. Not long after, steam power also became obsolete as better internal combustion engines began pushing the chug-chug of Steamships aside.

The next one talks about what I refer to as Musket Marines. I have yet to find a graphic that is close, although I am toying with one of those from Steph's excellent collection of 17th, 18th and early 19th century foot units (Thx, Steph!). I'll let you know through edit if and when I get it set up but for now I'm using an Infantry unit from the Napoleonics scenario that came with C3c.

#PRTO_MusketMarine
^
^
^[Musket Marines] are the earliest type of Marine, used by 18th and early 19th century sailing vessels to conduct sea to land operations. Using any of the
available transport ships, they can unload from a sea square into any coastal square, including enemy cities and enemy-occupied squares.
^
^A city must have $LINK<saltpeter=GOOD_Saltpeter> in its $LINK<Strategic Resource=GCON_ResourcesS> box to build Musket Marines.
#DESC_PRTO_MusketMarine
^
^
^The [Musket Marine] represents the earliest known Marine, organized by the British in 1755, although they were utilized unofficially before that year.
Initially used to help a Ship's Captain keep his crew in line, by the late 1800s they also conducted basic sea to land operations.
^
^$LINK<Ships of the Line=PRTO_Ship_of_the_Line> had large compliments of Musket Marines and frequently used them whenever required to conduct
missions ashore, such as destroying an enemy installation or taking a fort or settlement. This included "cutting out" expeditions designed to steal enemy vessels from neutral ports. The larger ships were not the only ones to carry Marines though, as
$LINK<Frigates=PRTO_Frigate> also carried them and used them in similar fashion. Though ill trained early in their adoption by the Admiralty, they improved in time and had a number of successes with the types of operations described.

Keep in mind that this description assumes that you have added Colonel Kraken's Ship of the Line. (Thx, Kraken!) If not, you can either delete the LINK or change it to read "Man-O-War". I allow SoLs to carry up to two foot units and Man-O-Wars, Frigates and Heavy Frigates to carry one. If you don't have the SoL, you can change the MoW to carry two through the C3c editor. It can certainly spice up early era combat while adding a bit of accuracy to the realities of late 17th to early 19th century Naval Warfare. For anyone who doubts the ability of Sailing Warships to dump ground units into combat on beaches, I invite you to read about Tenerife(sic?) and a host of other operations that were held during the centuries named. Tenerife (sic?) is where Lord Nelson lost his arm, BTW.

I'll be back later with some WW 2 armoured vehicle descriptions. Cya.

[Civinator]

Hi estrongblade,

there is a ship of the line unit and a small civilopedia entry for it in the C3C Napoleonic conquest.

[estrongblade]

Hi Civinator!

I'm aware of the Napoleonics scenario and have played it - a tad slow for me but I admit that I don't play the game so much for competition as for what I can do with it in modding.

I hope to introduce units of my own in the future after I get hold of a couple of graphics programs (Bryce, PSp 7 and Poser) and learn how to layer animation (that won't take long, right? ). I've a steady drawing hand and am looking hard at Georgian Navy vessels as my first project. I think I'd like to do an HMS Victory, USS Delaware or Sans Trinidad. There are also some WW 2 units I'd like to toy with, like the M-36 Jackson and a Pzkw 232 Puma.

I've redone the civilopedia you mentioned for the SoL. Here it is:

#PRTO_Ship_of_the_Line
^
^
^A [Ship of the Line] is a dangerous Napoleonic-era naval adversary, more powerful than a $LINK<Frigate=PRTO_Frigate>,
a $LINK<Heavy Frigate=PRTO_HeavyFrigate> or English $LINK<Man of War=PRTO_ManOWar>.
^
^A coastal city needs both $LINK<iron=GOOD_Iron> and $LINK<saltpeter=GOOD_Saltpeter> in its
$LINK<Strategic Resource=GCON_ResourcesS> box to build a Ship of the Line.
#DESC_PRTO_Ship_of_the_Line
^
^
^The Napoleonic Era was near the end of the "Age of Sail," a time when Sailing Ships ruled the waves and warships
refered to as Ships of the Line tore into one another with row upon row of heavy naval cannon. Many European powers
built and fought these behomeths, but they were more often used in Napoleon's time to blockade ports.
^
^The tactics used to fight sea battles with large numbers of these vessels involved a lot of coordination, the use of flag communication and
a whole lot of weather luck. Admiral Lord Nelson, one of the most famous of English mariners, was known to take tremendous risks that paid
off time and again when it came to directing large fleets of Sols. His sea life, however, involved a lot more sailing from place to place than actual battle.
^
^One time, in his efforts to catch one of Napoleon's fleets, Nelson sailed a 20+ fleet of Ships of the Line all the way to the West Indies from the Mediterrainian
Sea and back again in little over a month, a matter of 3000 miles each way.
^
^There were a number of significant sea battles during the time of the Georgian Navy (English - circa 1725 to circa 1840) between the
British, the French and the Spanish which employed Ships of the Line. Some of the more famous battles were those fought at the Nile,
Copenhagen and off Cape Trafalgar between 1797 and 1805. Many sea battles were fought using these massive vessels, carried out by
a number of Nations other than the three named.

I hope you like it. I've also changed my Man-O-War to reflect the era that I feel is more appropriate to the name. My MoWs have earlier era graphics (I use the Golden Hind) and the Civilopedia for that is here:

#PRTO_ManOWar
^
^
^The English [Man-O-War] is a powerful war ship that only the English may build.
^
^The English ManOWar can $LINK<Enslave=GCON_Enslavement>, and a successful enslavement creates a
$LINK<Caravel=PRTO_Caravel>.
^
^An English coastal city needs both $LINK<iron=GOOD_Iron> and $LINK<saltpeter=GOOD_Saltpeter> in its
$LINK<Strategic Resource=GCON_ResourcesS> box to build the Man-O-War.
#DESC_PRTO_ManOWar
^
^
^By the middle of the 16th century cannons arrayed along the sides of fighting ships had become the favored weapon array of naval warfare.
Heavy guns required a strong deck and a sturdy hull, which were at odds with the Caravel's requirements of lightness and the desire for both
lightness and length for Galleons. By the early 1500s, shipbuiders began attempts to meet this demand for the ability to carry numerous heavy
cannons to sea.
^
^One of the first large English Man-O-Wars was the Mary Rose. She sank on the day of her maiden voyage. This was due to incorrect loading
and not enough ballast to compensate. The disaster ocurred right in front of King Henry the VIII (father of Elizabeth), who was not amused. Upon
his death, Henry was followed by a son who died young and then his eldest daughter, Mary. After Mary died, Henry's other daughter, Elizabeth,
became Queen. During her reign, the English Navy began to rise and take on an identity.
^
^Man-O-Wars were used to fight the Spanish Armada in the 1580s, but those were weak vessels when compared to what came after Elizabeth's
death in 1603. The late galleon-like vessel that became the true Man-O-War class reached its culmination with the launching of England's Prince
Royal in 1610, nearly a hundred years after the Mary Rose disaster. The larger Sovereign of the Seas was launched in 1637. Mounting 100 guns on
three decks, the Sovereign of the Seas was the most formidable ship afloat in her time.

I hope you like them. As noted before, I've given a few benefits to my versions that are not applicable to the vanilla units. To add the original units without my modifications, just delete what does not apply and paste the entry into your text civilopedia file. To add the modifications, go to your civ 3c editor and hit the tags to add them to your game.

I thought about allowing SoLs to enslave, but, unlike MoWs and Frigates, there are few references of such a vessel actually taking prizes of a smaller nature without the help of lesser vessels. They were just too big and clumsy to catch lighter vessels. When an SoL fired at smaller ships that happened to get too close they usually sank after the first rake or broadside, especially if such connected at the kind of range they used. This was little more than black powder pistol range. Not much of a prize, huh?

As mentioned before, I'll be posting some of my WW 2 stuff later. Cya in the funny papers!

[recon1591]

Estrong,

U'll find these in the SOE mod when its done.

M-36 Jackson and a Pzkw 232 Puma.

[estrongblade]

One more quick post - I'd like to thank all of you who posted here. I feel that this thread can make things a lot easier for modders, so the more, the merrier!Keep 'em comin'!

[estrongblade]

Wow, recon, you snuck right in! I guess that's why they call you recon...

Cool about the Puma and Jackson. I can't wait to see the civilopedias! Post some! Cya!