Samnites: my first civ

Hello
I have spent the last two weeks to learn how to edit graphics and XML in civ4/Warlords and decided to try for fun something by myself.
I still ignore how to edit the 3D models in Blender and need to improve the dds editing so it is a test but working project. Here are sone details:

Name:Samnite Empire
Short:Samnites
Adject:Samnite
starting techs: Agriculture, Hunting

Leaders:
Leader1: "meddix titicus" Gavio Ponzio Telesino (Charismatic, Protective)
Leader2: "meddix titicus" Gellio Egnazio (Aggressive, Charismatic)

UU:
UU1: Legio Linteata (replaces the spearman) elite caste of warriors
Cost:150
starts with guerrilla I
100% against mounted units
UU2: Exercita (replaces the swordsman) regular army
Cost:50
starts with guerrilla I

UB:
UB1: Samnite mint (replaces the forge) as many coins have been found in all the archaeological areas
Cost:150
+30%
+15%
UB2: Touto (replaces the courthouse) a sort of government place and from info seems there was a touto in many samnite cities
Cost:140
-60% maintenance
+2


CITIES:
Bovianum Vetus
Carifae
Caudium
Saepinum
Saticula
Abellinum
Telesia
Aequum Tuticum
Aeclanum
Beneventum
Venafrum
Callifae
Larinum
...continued...


Download ver. 3.0:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/./downloads.php?do=file&id=4795

Feel free to criticize or suggest.

PS: as it's my very first work, I don't know how you treat about credits, so I have to say the UB touto is based on the Fanum taken from the Amra Etruria pack.

Thats one hell of a first release! Very impressive! My only criticism would be that UU's are slightly over powered. When giving UU stats (especially free promotions) you must be careful what other stats you give it. As the promotion will be carried over to the next level of unit ie: Pikeman, or Maceman. Personally if you don't want to ditch the Guerrilla I promotion I would take away the extra movement point for the Legio Linteata, and the extra strength for the Exercita. They still will be potent UUs however they will be more inline with others in the game. Keep in mind also that Gellio Egnazio has the Aggressive and Charismatic traits, this will give these units the combat I promotion on training as well as a faster level up rate when compared with other units.

As for the UB's they maybe over powered but I'm hardly one to criticize as many of my UB's in my civs should be hit over the head seriously with the Nerf bat!

If you ever want custom unit graphics done I'm more than happy to help you out. Just send me a p.m with what you have in mind, some picture to give me an idea always help too. And I will whip them up for you no problems

Just got to say again, wow impressive! If you keep this up I'm going to be out of a job!

Cheers
Aranor

Edit: Just tried to download but cant for the life of me figure out what to do at the site you have hosting it. I'd rather not have to join just to gain access to your great work.

P.S you really should have this in the file DB

Hello Aranor,
really thanks for posting your point of view. It made me open the eyes on some things I understimated even after many testings.
You are right, after the UUs seem overpowered. Anyway I would like to keep the guerrilla I because samnites kicked a lot the Romans using their hard territory (the so called Caudine Forks), so i think i will cut the extra moviment and 1 or 2 strenght to the Exercita. I was also thinking of reversing the strength between the UUs because the Elite units should be stronger than the regular army.
About the UB, Maybe the mint is a little overpowered but for the Touto, I think it should be ok. I mean, from the texts I read samnites had a government displaced along the territory with many touto, so I guess their effect on the population was massive.

About the hosting site, it is a free one, you only have to put the 3 characters in the field on the top-right and wait some seconds to download.
If you think it deserve, I will upload the next version using the site database. Do I need special permission from the administrators?

BTW, thanks for offering your help with graphics, I installed all your civs and the aspect of the units is spectacular.

ElGrillo said:

Hello Aranor,
really thanks for posting your point of view. It made me open the eyes on some things I understimated even after many testings.
You are right, after the UUs seem overpowered. Anyway I would like to keep the guerrilla I because samnites kicked a lot the Romans using their hard territory (the so called Caudine Forks), so i think i will cut the extra moviment and 1 or 2 strenght to the Exercita. I was also thinking of reversing the strength between the UUs because the Elite units should be stronger than the regular army.
About the UB, Maybe the mint is a little overpowered but for the Touto, I think it should be ok. I mean, from the texts I read samnites had a government displaced along the territory with many touto, so I guess their effect on the population was massive.

About the hosting site, it is a free one, you only have to put the 3 characters in the field on the top-right and wait some seconds to download.
If you think it deserve, I will upload the next version using the site database. Do I need special permission from the administrators?

BTW, thanks for offering your help with graphics, I installed all your civs and the aspect of the units is spectacular.

Click to expand...

Your more than welcome! If I was creating civs of this quality from the get go I would be really pleased but unfortunately that isn't the case. Most of the civs that I released early on (Romania and Dorian Greece, the Getai too to some extent) went through several evolutions before being finally released, then they were released with, in some cases, several updates. Its all a learning curve, for all of us every civ or mod we create teaches us something new. We never know everything, just what we need to know.

As for the Exercita I would take 1 strength from it and increase the cost to 50 hammers, even then I'm not too sure. It would still compare with what I did in the Seleukid civ, but I think it might still be a tad over powered. Anyway the rest of the civ with the changes you proposed is great.

Sure your work is good enough for the DB as Woodelf said in another thread:

Looks very good. And yes, please upload all of your stuff into the database. I have plenty of "crap" there so don't think skills aren't good enough.

Click to expand...

And your work is FAR from crap, you don't need the Mods to approve your work if you add it to the Db and link it to where you have already uploaded it, much like what I have already done on Filefront. I would also put this in the announcement thread so more people can see your work.

Well the offer stands for the unit graphics. Even if you find something I have already created for something else in either my Barracks thread or in one of my civs, your more than welcome to use it. But if its something I haven't done and you want something special send me a p.m with your ideas and if I'm not too busy I can whack it out in a day, if I am busy 2 or 3 days.

Anyways enough from me. Great work again! I'm going to get to downloading this!

well, I uploaded in the database the second version. I tried to balance the UUs increasing a little the cost to be less cheaper.

Nice work and I'm glad I got quoted.

woodelf said:

Nice work and I'm glad I got quoted.

Click to expand...

LOL well its a great quote

Ohh and I have taken a look at Version 2. Did you lower the Exercita strength to 4?? And raise the Legio's strength to 7? Are you sure you haven't made a mistake? It seems to me your stats are back to front

thanks Woodelf

Araron, do you think it's a bad strenght sharing? My idea is to make the Legio stronger than the Exercita, but both can get the city rider promotions, so I thought it was exagerate to keep the Exercita with an higher strength considering the Guerrilla I + Traits benefits.
I'm not that great player but in this way I found the Exercita a good support unit for Legio without making big exploites. Anyway, I'm still considering to increase again the Legio's cost to really make them a selected caste as I noticed they can be able to protect a stack.

Still learning, so suggestions are welcome!

ElGrillo said:

thanks Woodelf

Araron, do you think it's a bad strenght sharing? My idea is to make the Legio stronger than the Exercita, but both can get the city rider promotions, so I thought it was exagerate to keep the Exercita with an higher strength considering the Guerrilla I + Traits benefits.
I'm not that great player but in this way I found the Exercita a good support unit for Legio without making big exploites. Anyway, I'm still considering to increase again the Legio's cost to really make them a selected caste as I noticed they can be able to protect a stack.

Still learning, so suggestions are welcome!

Click to expand...

Ok now you explain it to me it seems to work, but you need to remember that the Exercita will be at a major disadvantage against other swordsman. Where as the Legio will waste all units in its path, including other spearmen. Maybe change them around so that the Legio replaces the swordsman and the Exercita replace the spearman. making them perfectly balanced then.

Do you mean exchanging only the unitclass?
If so it should work. Maybe moving the bonus against mounted to the Exercita will give them an help. I'll see what to do.

ElGrillo said:

Do you mean exchanging only the unitclass?
If so it should work. Maybe moving the bonus against mounted to the Exercita will give them an help. I'll see what to do.

Click to expand...

Yes thats exactly what I mean. You dont need to change the mounted bonus to the Exercita, just leave them as is, but change the Unitclass. It will make them perfectly balanced.

updated to version 3, some graphical and unit parameters updates