[Beyond the Sword] Necro Cristi

0.33 now available!

EDIT (10/5/10):Get 0.33 here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/V4avhtLT/NecroCristi33.html


This is a complete do-over, removing stability issues, adding cool new maps and python events for zombies, but it is in the early stages still. 0.33 is a new version not a patch, so prior versions should be deleted first. See latest posts for more info.

EDIT (13/4/10): Below is a list of the python/sdk features I need to implement. Some are simple, some complex. Some I know how to do, some already have modcomps, some I don't even know where to begin! If you are in a position to offer coding help, please start with these features. Italicised are already implemented.






With 0.2 hoperfully appearing in the next few days I thought it was probably about time to jazz up the first posts in the thread to be more current and informative.

What is this mod?

It began with a dream. A dream of Communists versus Zombies, with a script jointly written by Anthony Burgess and HP Lovecraft and a soundtrack by Iggy Pop - in short everything I think is cool. Sadly I may never get to make that film so I tried to turn my idea into a mod instead.

Necro Cristi is a mod set after an apocalyptic event has come close to wiping out the human race. The Dead have risen and mankind exists only in small isolated pockets, fighting for its very survival. Against this backdrop the player takes control of one of eight distinct factions and aims to rebuild civilization in their own image.
Necro Cristi is strongly influenced by: Zombie flicks (obviously), science fiction of both a utopian and dystopian flavour, but especially HG Wells and George Orwell, Sid Meir's Alpha Centauri, and Mad Max. I have spent a lot of time creating a fictional world complete with backstory, complex characters, and secondary literature. Flavour is everything.

What are some current gameplay features?

Eight factions, each with two leaders, and unique art, units, buildings, music, and dialogue. Reclaim humanities former imperial glory with the Zanzibar Dynasty, or prowl the highways and listen to New Wave Music with Eve's Forgotten Children.

Completely redone tech tree. All new quotes, pedia entries, icons, etc. immerse you in a bleak dystopian future.

Five new religions.

Lots of new units.

New buildings and wonders.

New civics system.

Lots of apocalyptic sounds, graphics, etc.


What will be added in the future?

Hopefully a lot.
Zombies are in and as of 0.2 replenishing their ranks with every kill they make, however there is a lot more I want to do with this side of the game, for instance implementing an infection model for units and settlements, and allowing some form of communication with the undead.
I have recently started learning python which will obviously open up new areas for the mod, and will in the future be doing things with quests and events. Ongoing things like adding new graphics and improving stability are also planned.

Screenshots:

New religions
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/molari/ver2_02.jpg

A Zanzibar Friedenskampfer takes on the undead!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/molari/ver2_03.jpg

New civics
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/molari/ver2_04.jpg

New units have new art and text
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/molari/ver2_05.jpg

New tech tree
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/molari/ver2_06.jpg

New city art (and more units)
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/molari/screenshot_015.jpg

New leaders
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/molari/screenshot4.jpg

New factions
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/molari/ver2_07.jpg

See the next post if you think you might like to contribute!

I will use this post to keep a log of what assistance the mod currently needs. Wherever possible I am attempting to overcome obstacles myself (learning how to edit the gamefonts.tga is half the fun, right?) but there will inevitably come times where I am simply out of my depth or that things would run a hell of a lot quicker with the input of someone who knows what they're doing.

Playtesters and balancers

These will always be required, and even better, no modding skill is needed! I have not focussed on balance yet as things are changing so much between releases, but if a faction is particularly strong/weak, or a unit too cheap/expensive, or anything like that let me know.

Bughunters

Please remember this is a mod still in its formative years - vast swathes are incomplete at present. That said if you are experiencing major disruptions - CTDs, freezes, etc. please post about them in as much detail as you can and, if possible, include a savegame.

General thematic input

Is there something quintessential to the undead/apocalyptic genre that I'm missing (apart from motorcycles - they are on my to-do list!) - a favourite person/quote/building that deserves a little cameo appearance maybe?

More specific modding requirements - please comment or PM if you can assisist

I need to model infection via python. The basic setup is this: All undead units should have a % chance of infecting any living units they damage during combat - giving them the infected promotion. Any infected units have a % chance each turn of turning into a barbarian zombie unit. A series of immunisation promotions will provide a 50/75/100% chance of resisting the initial infection. There will also be certain buildings which can remove the infected promotion. Unhealthy cities will also give a % chance of losing a population point and spawning undead each turn.

A certain civic choice needs to give the player peace with the barbarians

A certain civic choice needs to give +food from forests/jungles. Now at the moment with xml civics can change the yield of improvements and the health/happiness provided by features (jungle/forest) but not yields from features.

I need a good mapscript for creating North American/dustbowl/desert style maps complete with ruins, bits of roads, etc.

Something similar to the FFH barbarian world mod i.e. games start with barbarian cities already established

Graphics artists - especially those able to model undead, civilians, and anything post-apocalyptic

Sounds - if you are a budding musician of the experimental/ambient/noise/industrial persuasion and would consent to having your work featured, get in touch.

Sounds fun, I'll bite. I will try to keep an open mind that this is still just the rough frame of what is to come.

Looks interesting, will try asap

You should put the d/l on or near the bottom of the first page that way they will have to read all about the MOD first?? Just my opinion, and your addedto the BtS MODs list, thx for contributing!!

Hi,

it´s not easy for me to download from sendspace.
So I uploaded the Mod to Rapidshare.

http://rapidshare.com/files/48165487/NecroCristi_012.zip

Hehe i'll download it inmediately. I'm sure this will become a huge and massive-downloaded Mod.

I'm going to try out your mod, I will also give out a few suggestions that you might want to take a look at. I will give your more suggestions and want to see this mod reach up the rank to become very famous just like Fall From Heaven in this Necro-Zombie-Undead stuff.

-Add in a soundtrack to make this game more fitting.
-Make Customized Religious buildings instead of the original looks, this make it look more gothic and "Resident Evil" lookish
-It's highly recommended that you fix up the bugs and txt errors as fast as you can and release multiple small patches to improve the game one at a time, like taking baby steps.
-Get more crew members in the team, the better we get more crew members the faster this game will become good.
-Customized the terrain, make it look gothical, or undeadish, or whatever that could fit into the game, a customized terrain make the mod look better in the long run, just like in Fall from Heaven when demons got in, the terrain look hellish.

Hello,

I dl'd your mod, installed it & started a game. I only got a few turns into it before dinner but planned to come back to it. What I did find was that there seemed to be alot of advanced units & buildings available to me right out the gate. Also all civics with the exception of "Zombie Relations" (?) were available from turn one. Wierd I thought.

Ate dinner - came back, started a van BTS game & found that in that one I had marines available to me as well as explorers, 5 workers & all of my civics. Did something happed when I installed your MOD? I'm not sure how to undo it so I'm having to reinstall BTS. Most likely I installed the MOD incorrectly - however a read me with installation instructions would be very helpful.

I plan on returning to this Mod as it looks to have unbelievable potential - if someone could let me know the proper way to install I'll try again sooner rather than later.

PS - the game CTD when ALL religions were founded at once.

Thanks,
Seamus

Oh wow, only thing that could top this is a Fallout MOD

You know what files you should use for some of the soundtrack is the fallout1-2 soundtracks they would be perfect. Let me see if i can find a site to show you

http://www.en.game-ost.ru/soundtracks_download2.php?id=19&id_link=48

will link you to a zip file with the soundtracks for some of the game There is arroyo
modoc
new reno
redding
san franciso
vault city
and world map

checkt these out perfect for any post apocalyptic game

Found the fallout1 soundtrack as well http://www.en.game-ost.ru/soundtracks_download2.php?id=18&id_link=47

Metallic monks
Desert wind
traders life
vault of the future
Industrial junk
Morbund world
Vats of goo
City of the dead
SEcond Chance
Underground troubles
City of Lost Angels
Followers of credo
Radiation storm
acolytes of the new god
Flame of the ancient world
Khans of new California

Check these out I think they will fit perfectly.

As for the zombies I have some thoughts. Pre-existing cities covered in nuclear fallout that spawn a zombie unit every 10 turns or so. As time goes on more zombies will come from these old cities of the past. Capturing an an ancient city can lead to discovering new weapons/technology and even possibly a nuclear weapon.

If this is the world following Nuclear fallout then it should be appropriate that the world should look like a dead one. Very little lush and fertile land mostly covered in desert and badlands radiation still plagues the land and if your cities become too unhealthy undead uprisings will begin to occur. Ill post later with some more thoughts.

Since your a Fallout fan, Kranden. Did you know the makers of The Elder Scrolls are making Fallout 3?

yea I hope its good. Elder scrolls was not a bad game but can they make fallout3 work. That is the question =)

Thanks for the soundtrack suggestions. I certainly want to have a bigger soundtrack in the future, but am wary of increasing the download size too much at the moment, at least until the mod is a little further in development.

Re. terrain graphics. At the moment I'm testing on 'great plains' map type, as I had in mind a North American type landmass when designing the mod. Later on I hope to refine this, either with new terrain or a map generation script based around desert, plains, and mountains.

seamus75 - the mod shouldn't be behaving in that way at all. Civics have prerequisite technologies as do most buildings/units and religions. Not being a technical wizz the only thing I can think of is that it was either a bad download or that the mod wasn't in the correct place - Beyond the Sword/Mods is the directory it should be in. Has anyone else had this problem?

Keep comments coming!

Grrr This sounded so neat, But When I load the Mod, When I go to Produce a Survivor I crash, Before I even Save the Game lol

I've already tried it. There were no crashes or major problems while i was playing so the mod works fine, knowing that is a first version. I encourage you to continue the work, it can be just great when you finish it, you know with gothic, dark and undeath stuff. I saw civics, they seem fine to me. But maybe some technologies don't fit or could be created some more. Religions would need to be improved as well, units and buildings.

By the way, i've got the spanish version of Civ. When i loaded the mod, i took a look to the civilopedia,al texts where in spanish... but then i realised that what happened is that original texts were not replaced by the ones of the modd. So i took a civ entry at the civilopedia and had instead the USA text of vanilla Civ.

Looks awesome !!!!!!!!

Right I would focus on remolding and Skinning more than soundtrack at the moment but its always good to put it aside for later and add it in.

Yeah, I like to see some new type of terrain in this game to fit the game into a chaotic, decay-like graphics cause this game is about a undead zombie invasion from the sound of it.

Ok I have narrowed down The CTD, I only crash when I try to research farming, Apparently because I tried the mod again and I ignored the farming tech And got a little farther, But the min I Started to research farming BANG Ctd