Overall, I think it is a fascinating idea. I think it would be very interesting, especially, to optionally have Wild West as an expansion to Colonization (perhaps AoD II) that you can play after winning the WoI (or one of the other victory conditions in AoD II).
One of the biggest missing factors at this point, to me, is an actual map of the West ... say, I guess, from the Mississippi westward. I've been trying to find a program to generate large maps based on bitmap graphic files, but those I have found I can't seem to run (I can't figure out how to get Python to run >_<) or can't even download (found one on a paid download subscription off fileplanet and I ain't got no munny). It might also be fun if someone could make a mapscript that could make a West-like map, but somewhat randomized, retaining general elements like the vast plains, long Rockies, southwestern desert, Gulf Coast (like along Texas) for trade with Europe but different enough to make it unique and unpredictable.
The resource icons are, of course, obsolete ... cotton and bananas are now cattle and cows but still showing the same icons?
I'm not quite at ease with the parenting to, say, the United States ... is it really desireable to make a War of Independence necessary or even realistic from western territories like Oregon against the United States possible? A different Civil War, fought from west to east instead of south to north? Seems a bit awkward and hackneyed to me. Maybe a parenting civ could be less confrontational, more supportive, etc. I really don't see ring-kiss endless tax increases and demands for tribute as realistic ... not from the U.S.
I hope you guys surprise us about the Civil War, but ... if you don't ... I think an interesting idea would be for it to be a parent-civ event that forces you to choose between the Union and the Confederate Rebels, or possibly a more difficult choice of being neutral. If you choose the Union, you lose the ability to use slave labor (if slavery makes it into Wild West Mod), but you could really make a killing making stuff for the Union, especially the resources of the South they are now cut off from (cash crop stuff, cotton, tobacco, food, etc.). If you choose the Confederate rebels, they really need iron ore, tools, guns, horses, silver, gold, etc. Depending on how much material you ship to your parent civ (union or confederate), you should be able to influence the outcome of the war ... but of course the enemy would send in troops to try and cut off your supplying your parent civ. You would also be locked into a war if your sibling civ on the map chooses the opposite side you did. I guess this could be a replacement for the WoI and along with the American Civil War, Texas' war for independence from Mexico could be figured in similarly.
It'd be nice to find a way to work into the mod some of the things the Wild West was famous for ... the massive bison hunts (which decimates them and causes strife for the Native Americans), the gold rush, train robberies (what good are putting trains in the game if you can't rob them?
... maybe you could have privateer-on-land-ish Mounted Bandits you can build to rob trains), Riverboats (could be like locomotives that run on rivers) as well.
Another wishlist item would be a "Frontiersman" upgrade for a Scouts that allows them to carry, say a 50-space of cargo for trading with Native settlements.
I think bridgebuilding should also be worked in ... you shouldn't be able to easily ford a river without bridgebuilding. Without bridges, some rivers were very difficult to cross. Canyons especially should be a landscape obstacle if you guys felt up to adding new terrain types. Maybe the Mexican states (Texas, California) could somehow have an adobe specialty, as a building or maybe a researchable technology, that lets them build buildings with very little wood (great for the desert).
Hope some of these thoughts at least spur some ideas for the future. Westward Ho!
One of the biggest missing factors at this point, to me, is an actual map of the West ... say, I guess, from the Mississippi westward. I've been trying to find a program to generate large maps based on bitmap graphic files, but those I have found I can't seem to run (I can't figure out how to get Python to run >_<) or can't even download (found one on a paid download subscription off fileplanet and I ain't got no munny). It might also be fun if someone could make a mapscript that could make a West-like map, but somewhat randomized, retaining general elements like the vast plains, long Rockies, southwestern desert, Gulf Coast (like along Texas) for trade with Europe but different enough to make it unique and unpredictable.
The resource icons are, of course, obsolete ... cotton and bananas are now cattle and cows but still showing the same icons?
I'm not quite at ease with the parenting to, say, the United States ... is it really desireable to make a War of Independence necessary or even realistic from western territories like Oregon against the United States possible? A different Civil War, fought from west to east instead of south to north? Seems a bit awkward and hackneyed to me. Maybe a parenting civ could be less confrontational, more supportive, etc. I really don't see ring-kiss endless tax increases and demands for tribute as realistic ... not from the U.S.
I hope you guys surprise us about the Civil War, but ... if you don't ... I think an interesting idea would be for it to be a parent-civ event that forces you to choose between the Union and the Confederate Rebels, or possibly a more difficult choice of being neutral. If you choose the Union, you lose the ability to use slave labor (if slavery makes it into Wild West Mod), but you could really make a killing making stuff for the Union, especially the resources of the South they are now cut off from (cash crop stuff, cotton, tobacco, food, etc.). If you choose the Confederate rebels, they really need iron ore, tools, guns, horses, silver, gold, etc. Depending on how much material you ship to your parent civ (union or confederate), you should be able to influence the outcome of the war ... but of course the enemy would send in troops to try and cut off your supplying your parent civ. You would also be locked into a war if your sibling civ on the map chooses the opposite side you did. I guess this could be a replacement for the WoI and along with the American Civil War, Texas' war for independence from Mexico could be figured in similarly.
It'd be nice to find a way to work into the mod some of the things the Wild West was famous for ... the massive bison hunts (which decimates them and causes strife for the Native Americans), the gold rush, train robberies (what good are putting trains in the game if you can't rob them?
... maybe you could have privateer-on-land-ish Mounted Bandits you can build to rob trains), Riverboats (could be like locomotives that run on rivers) as well.Another wishlist item would be a "Frontiersman" upgrade for a Scouts that allows them to carry, say a 50-space of cargo for trading with Native settlements.
I think bridgebuilding should also be worked in ... you shouldn't be able to easily ford a river without bridgebuilding. Without bridges, some rivers were very difficult to cross. Canyons especially should be a landscape obstacle if you guys felt up to adding new terrain types. Maybe the Mexican states (Texas, California) could somehow have an adobe specialty, as a building or maybe a researchable technology, that lets them build buildings with very little wood (great for the desert).
Hope some of these thoughts at least spur some ideas for the future. Westward Ho!
