Bts

[davbenbak]

I am happily awaiting the day when TAM will be modified for BTS. I thought I'd start a thread so that suggestions and progress to that end could be posted.

[Shqype]

If no one else does it, I'll probably devote my time to transforming TAM into BTS compatibility.

[Laurino]

As soon as it gets on the shelves, BTS work will start. Me and Graywarden are already planning many things, and all sugestions are welcomed! Anybody who would like to contribute in the next TAM, please send me a PM.

Many new features could be added to the core of the mod. I'll post our current ideas as soon as we see what we want to do.

[davbenbak]

As soon as BTS gets on the shelves, I'll have a copy and my suggestions will be soon to follow.

[Quantumf8]

Originally Posted by Laurino

As soon as it gets on the shelves, BTS work will start. Me and Graywarden are already planning many things, and all sugestions are welcomed! Anybody who would like to contribute in the next TAM, please send me a PM.

Many new features could be added to the core of the mod. I'll post our current ideas as soon as we see what we want to do.

>.>... not to sound pessimistic... but there are a lot of people still waiting for the warlords conversion

[onedreamer]

Warlords doesn't really add anything to TAM. The only thing I would import from warlords are graphics. The unique building you can do without warlords. Vassalage is not for TAM and the Great Military Leader is just a piece of cake for ppl who complained about Civ4 being less warmonger-friendly than Civ3.

[Laurino]

Indeed, there's no more Warlords version planned, all the graphics needed from it are in the next 1.98 version.

[Sword Dancer]

Originally Posted by onedreamer

Warlords doesn't really add anything to TAM.

The ability to connect cities and trade networks with rivers is a HUGE addition....

[onedreamer]

Originally Posted by Sword Dancer

The ability to connect cities and trade networks with rivers is a HUGE addition....

Are you joking ? This is in from Civilization 3.

[Sword Dancer]

No, no joke. Civ IV (vanilla) requires either ocean or roads for trade. Warlords added the feature, (IIRC) mostly based on player input.

[Gyathaar]

Originally Posted by Sword Dancer

No, no joke. Civ IV (vanilla) requires either ocean or roads for trade. Warlords added the feature, (IIRC) mostly based on player input.

It was in vanilla too..

[thomas.berubeg]

admittidly, my first time playing was today, but i can quickly think of some events that could well be included.

For example, the eruption of thera, plagues, locusts, or, if you want to get biblical, moses's attacks on egypt (which are problably loosley based on a damn unhlucky year for egypt)

sincerely,
thomas

[Spearthrower]

I have a lot of ideas but one that I think is essential to capturing an ancient world feel and that would greatly enhance strategies and depth to the game would be for the environment to have more effect on manoeuvrability.

For example:

Chariots should not be allowed to enter forest, or hills without roads.
Archers should have a significant minus to forest defense.
Some troops (thinking particularly of Germans here) should be able to walk across mountains - Imagine the threat to Rome posed by them!

The sea needs to be more challenging - most boats throughout this time hugged the coasts.... for a reason! With boats too shallow, the sea caused many to sink in storms and the like.... could the old Civ 3 % chance for boats to sink if ending their turn in a sea tile....(ok it was in ocean in Civ 3, but you get the idea)

In this way, further specialisation/customisation of the civs can be implemented. The Egyptians will be strong on the plains and grasslands, but will lose their edge if they fight the Hittites. The Germans will ultimately pose a threat to Rome when they muster enough Mountain Raiders. The Phoenicians will have boats immune to sea losses, or at least greatly reduced... etc etc etc.

To supplement this idea, I also considered another special building for each race that would produce a civ specific unit every x number of turns, with this being the only way to acquire these units.


One further thing to throw into my mass of unstructured ideas was the concept of a unique historical goal for each civ (ok, a lot of work would be required admittedly!! ). This goal would be an incentive to emulate the actual historical achievements of the civ you are playing and while it wouldn't win you the game, it would net you a lot of score and assorted benefits.

I also think more barbarian tribes and/or unplayable minor civs with preplaced cities would add a lot at the beginning of the game as you attempt to assimilate them into your culture.

Sorry for the random mess of ideas, I am normally much more structured when writing, but my chicken salad was stealing my attention!

[Seidrik_The_Gray]

Ideas...as a loooong time player of TAM and Civ, I would love to see:
1) Forts/Outposts/Seaports
- Forts (Masonry, Mathematics, and Bronze Working)
- Could allow ships to pass through them.
- Would have the visibility range of a city's fat cross.
- Would offer defenders with a temporary first strike bonus in addition to the defensive bonus from being in a fort.
- Grant a 50% bonus to defense of friendly units in the fort.
- Generate one trade route with 50% bonus to trade generated.
- +10% Healing to friendly units inside or adjacent to the fort.
- Generate 1.5 culture per turn.
- Have all of the abilities of an outpost not otherwise listed here.
- Be limited to 2 per city.
- Cost 1 gold in maintenance per turn.
- Ouposts (Masonry, and Woodworking)
- No visibility bonus beyond that of a normal unit in the same plot.
- Allows exploitation of resources in the same plot or in plots immediately adjacent to the outpost.
- 25% defense bonus to defenders.
- Generates one trade route.
- +5% Healing for friendly units inside or adjacent to the outpost.
- Generate .5 Culture per turn.
- Cost .5 gold in maintenance per turn.
- Be limited to 3 per city.
- Seaports (Requires Woodworking, Masonry, Engineering, and Iron Working as well as access to Timber, Stone, and Iron):
- Must be built within cultural range of host city (designated at construction).
- Allows the host city to build naval units (which a landlocked city would otherwise never be able to do).
- Also allows host city to fulfill other coastal location requirements for improvements, such as harbors and drydocks. (which a landlocked city would otherwise never be able to do). Note: Having a Harbor and a Seaport will not give you two trade routes, but just the one from the Harbor improvement.
- Obviously allow naval units to move through their plots.
- No defensive bonuses.
- Grants one additional trade route to the host city.
- Sea units would be able to pass from a sea plot to the seaport and then into the city at the cost of one movement point per move (akin to normal movement).
- Limted to two seaports per city. (allowing for a kind of canal operation)
2) Scripted events beyond that which may already be in BtS, such as holy wars, forced wars, forced alliances, and ***civilization specific quests*** (such as building the Pyramids (Egypt), Conquering the Macedonians (Romans), Conquering the Celts (Romans), Capturing the Lydian Capital (I rename it to Troy, but is a quest for the Macedonians), Building the Temple of Artemis (Lydian), etc...These would give significant rewards to the Civ if they could successfully complete the quest and would throw in some great flavor and challenge associated with actual historical events.

[onedreamer]

Originally Posted by Sword Dancer

No, no joke. Civ IV (vanilla) requires either ocean or roads for trade. Warlords added the feature, (IIRC) mostly based on player input.

again, this is in from Civilization 3. It's been there for some years now, didn't you notice ?

[Sword Dancer]

obviously not... :P

[davbenbak]

OK BTS is now out (even in the US) so I thought I'd bump this thread.

[Laurino]

Originally Posted by davbenbak

OK BTS is now out (even in the US) so I thought I'd bump this thread.

And the team has already started to brainstorm about it If anyone got any ideas, be sure to speak out!!

[JHVH-1]

Originally Posted by onedreamer

Warlords doesn't really add anything to TAM. The only thing I would import from warlords are graphics. The unique building you can do without warlords. Vassalage is not for TAM and the Great Military Leader is just a piece of cake for ppl who complained about Civ4 being less warmonger-friendly than Civ3.

While I think a warlords version can be safely skipped, I feel both vassals and great generals have a strong place in TAM. Perhaps hero units could be made with a great general. If you think they make combat too easy, you could make them only make civ-specific hero units, instead of being able to add them to any unit.

As for BTS ideas, I'd like corporations to be present in some form as guilds, or maybe even as cults. A lot of ancient cities had their own patron god, as did certain guilds, and these frequently conflicted with other cities with different patron gods. I just had another thought: you could add philosophic movements like Stoicism or Epicureanism as corporation-like events. Something that's somewhat like religions in effect and expansion, but doesn't directly compete with them.

Random events that could be added to TAM are numerous. Stuff like wandering prophets appearing in your cities, who you can accept, reject, or kill. Or maybe you're given the choice of hosting the Pythian games, or having contests for the best play like Athens had. Hmm, maybe you could add things like the Olympic games as wonders.

Thoughts?

[Sword Dancer]

Vassalage *is* for TAM -- it was one of the primary reasons that Rome managed to expand into Anatolia and North Africa so quickly. Good examples were the Kingdoms of Numidia and Bythnia / Pontus. These client Kings left their kingdoms to Rome when their lines died out.