[Module]The Myu Collective

EugeneStyles

Prince
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May 21, 2007
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** Edited 4/2/11 **

Myu version 0.21 has been released (4/2/11). A few minor changes, but specifically updated to be compatible with 1.31. See changelog for more details.

To install: Download the Myu-v0.21-Setup.zip file, extract it anywhere, and run the extracted setup file. It should automatically find your RifE directory, but you'll want to make sure it installs to: pathToRifE\Assets\Modules\NormalModules\Myu. The install will also run woc_install, which merges audio file information in order to include custom music, and will overwrite your flavour start info with the included flavour start file. You can deselect either of those things in the installer if you want. If you cannot or do not want to run the setup file, download the Myu-AlternateInstall-v0.20.zip file, extract to your pathToRifE\Assets\Modules\ folder, and follow the instructions in the included readme.txt file.

The Myu are a race of psionic dwarves who spent the Age of Ice deep in the underdark, battling all manner of aberrations. After their fall into greed during the Age of Magic, there are some among them eager for redemption, and some eager to enact vengeance.

Link to design thread: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=376134
Many things have changed from what's listed there. I won't be posting a full changelog from that, but I will be posting a list of exactly what is included for this Civ.

Changelog
4/02/11 - v. 0.21
  • Fixed for compatibility with 1.31.
  • Takes advantage of modular flavour start instead of overwriting it. If you installed Myu 0.20 over RiFE 1.31, then you probably overwrote the file at "Rise From Erebus\Assets\python\entrypoints\CvFlavourInterface.py". Which is a bad thing. I'll attach a copy of the correct CvFlavourInterface.py file here so you can fix it. Note this is only if you installed Myu 0.20 after RiFE 1.31, which I doubt many people did. View attachment 286539
  • Palace gives +2 Health.
  • Removed the Free Promotion from the Arcane line - instead they get Mind I/II/III. This is probably functionally equivalent to no change at all, since playing Myu arcane units without Mind was pretty suboptimal, but it adds flavour and makes them just a tiny bit weaker due to less flexibility.
  • Added the Dominator promotion, which requires the new Focus Thoughts promotion. It can be taken multiple times - each one increases your Domination limit by 1.
  • Added Focus Thoughts promotion. It does nothing at all, but requires Psionic and Mind III, and gives access to Dominator.
  • Fixed a bug that was introduced in 0.20, which totally messed up Dominate. It was keeping units from being considered minions of the Dominator, and actually would allow you to dominate an infinite number of minions. This would happen whether you were playing Myu or someone else, as long as you had Myu installed.
  • Fixed a couple of other incompatibilities with 1.31, wherever I noticed them.
  • Fixed a bug with Shadow Trap notification message.
  • Fixed a bug with Crystal Weapons' "gain research from combat" notification message.

Spoiler Prior Changelogs :

  • (10/23/10 - 0.20)
    • Now comes with an install program. This is needed in order to have custom audio.
    • Psionic promotion - allows Air I for Archery units.
    • Added Shadow Chamber building.
    • Crystal Works - bonus commerce from Gold and Mithril increased to 10% from 5%.
    • Added Nevos - Minor leader with Ingenuity and Death Seeker.
    • Added Death Seeker Trait and Death Seeker Promotion.
    • Changes to Shadow Jaunt spell - the Penumbral Form can explore rival territory. If it summons the master unit, the master is invisible and cannot move until the end of the next turn. Summoning the master into rival territory will declare war.
    • Changed the Domination spell (for everyone) - Dominated units no longer get free promotions from your civ or traits.
    • Added Deflect Arrows and Mind Barrier spells.
    • Arcane units no longer get free Mind promotions. They're strong enough already.
    • Shooting Stones gain PROMOTION_ELEMENTAL, which makes them immune to fear, and not alive.
    • Master Zho (hero) - no longer gets Channeling III, Hero, or free XP. He also cannot command units other than those he has dominated.
    • Added Kineticist (Archer UU, similar to Slinger)
    • Added Warp Beast
    • Added Phasewalker (Beastmaster UU)
    • Added Grey Sentry - The same as a Scout, but starts with Shadow I. Requires Shadow Chamber (only buildable by Nevos).
    • Scout - can upgrade to a Grey Sentry. Costs 3 Gold for Nevos (with Ingenuity).
    • Grey Seer - reduced cost to 100:hammers:
    • Myu start with one Grey Sentry instead of the normal Scout. Only Nevos can build more.
    • Added a music track for the Myu (this is why there is an install file instead of just a zip... music does not work modularly - the install file merges the music defines in.)
    • Added a bunch more art.
    • (9/16/10 - 0.12)
      • Fixed the Psionic 2 and Psionic 3 promotions (invisible, auto-promotions that allow tier 3 and tier 4 psionic units to gain Channeling 2 and 3). That is, prior to 0.12, your tier 3 and 4 units would not properly gain Channeling 2 and 3, except for the Mage, Archmage, Ranger, and Champion unique units.
      • Also changed the flavour info which is included in a separate file because it's not modular.
    • (9/11/10 - 0.11)
      • Fixed a python exception that occurs when the AI controls the Myu (in the requirements for their worldspell)
    • v. 0.10 - Initial release


  • Spoiler What's missing / Future Plans :

    Art content is getting better, but still needs some work. I have art for most of the unique units, although in many cases it's just a reuse of art from somewhere else in the game. Telepaths (Axeman UU) are monks that have been shortened a little and with a few changes to the skin. Grey Seers (Ranger UU) are a reskin of the Dwarven Shadow, etc... The thing I most need is for people to tell me which units/buildings/etc. are most in need of new art so I can concentrate my efforts there moving forward. Some stuff I'm happy with, like the Crystal Works (I forget what building it came from but it seems to fit), other stuff less so, like the button for Fortune Teller (edit: has now been changed). If people can actually provide art for me to use, that would be even better!
    Pedia entires - Both strategy and lore need to be filled in.
    Help text - Mind I allows Telekinesis with Force I and Psionic. Earth II allows Mutable Landscape with Mind II and Psionic. Etc... This stuff isn't reflected by the help text when selecting promotions, and it needs to be. Some help text (frex. explaining Mutable Landscape and Shadow Trap) is in, but I need much more.

    Planned for version 0.5:
    -Evil leader will be added. Adding Psionic/Divine spells which will be very powerful but with some potential backlash. This represents a twisted perversion of the Gods' will. This is going to be a lot of work. Most likely, one of the spells will summon a brand new summonable civ - to give you some idea of the scale involved.


    Spoiler Lore :

    (Updated - much different from the original lore posted in the design thread. Much of this is thanks to Swinkscalibur, though I had trouble with the ending, both in his lore and in my original lore... I hope this ending works better, though it may still change.)

    The dwarves have long struggled with greed, a cardinal sin under Kilmorph. The Khazad have always loved gold, but during the Godswar, there was one sect, the Myu, who lived as ascetics and were considered one of the most loyal clans. At this time, Esus and Mammon devised a plan to corrupt the Myu and turn them against Kilmorph, hoping to win their souls. They sent an Endormillon to invade the dreams of Zeriadh, leader of the Myu, bringing her a message supposedly from Kilmorph herself. The Myu were to dig to the depths of the Underdark and find the gates to Her vault, there to be welcomed and blessed eternally. Showing her devotion, Zeriadh organized a grand digging project, the scope of which spanned several generations of long-lived dwarves. The underdark is a hostile and unforgiving place at its depths, and the Myu underwent many hardships, living as underground nomads, fighting mind-flayers, grell, umber hulks, and all manner of psionic abominations. Until one day near the end of the Age of Magic when they stumbled onto a great vein of Mind mana. Through Esus' deception, it appeared to them as a Golden Crystal, surely the thing which Kilmorph had set them to quest for.

    Zeriadh was one of the only Myu who felt some misgivings about this Golden Crystal, and she set herself in seclusion to pray to Kilmorph. After 40 days of fasting, Zeriadh discovered the nature of the deception, and also had a vision of a world covered in Ice, frozen and unwelcoming. She realized that if she were to reveal to the rest of the Myu that they had been duped, and lead them back to the surface, that the Age of Ice (which she knew was either soon to come or perhaps already started) would cause them all to despair and possibly turn against Kilmorph. So, for the time being, she allowed her people to believe that they were experiencing the blessings of Kilmorph, and they settled down to build a new society.

    Under the influence of the Mind node, the Myu began to mutate, learning psionic powers, eventually forming a collective able to manipulate the world around them with pure thought. This power appealed to them, at first as a means to battle the dark horrors that still inhabited the earth around them. But for some of the Myu, the power was an end to itself. No amount was enough - each discovery led only to more research on the limits of psionic powers. Zeriadh watched in horror of these mentalists at first, but as time went by, she grew to become one of them. Psionic magic gave them safety, helped them to harvest food, animating the very earth around them to do the hard work of digging, building, and excavating. She hungrily delved deeper into the depths of her own mind, chasing the promise of absolute power, which she expected would lead them to a utopian life. Her people followed her lead. Temples were raised to Mammon. The Angel of Greed was worshipped above all others, but eventually, in the Golden City, a temple was raised to the divinity of the Myu. There, the priests felt that they were like gods unto themselves. They could use psionics to directly convert the power of the divine into physical form and use it to fulfill their own will. Learning of this wickedness, Kilmorph had had enough. The priests were allowed to perform their rituals, but the statues they had meant to bring to life turned against them. Lugus' light, which they had intended to reveal their enemies, blinded them instead. Aeron's fury was directed not outward, but at the temple itself. Thousands were wiped out, an entire city destroyed.

    And seeing this, Zeriadh was ashamed. She realized it had been her own greed that had led her people astray and caused many of them to die. Never again would she be blinded like she had been for these last millennia. She knew that for such great evil and such great blindness, she would pay with great suffering... and welcomed it. Zeriadh sent herself into voluntary exile, away from her people, and bade them to reflect on their wickedness and repent in their own way. She intended to entreat Dagda for guidance - she was too ashamed to pray to Kilmorph. But her people would not let her go off alone. The entire Myu Collective went with her, determined to leave the underdark behind and return to the surface.

    Upon re-emerging, the Myu find that the Age of Ice has ended. Taking this as an auspicious sign, they hope that the Age of Rebirth will give them a chance to atone for their sins.


    Spoiler Design goals :

    1) Psychic dwarves. I dunno, seemed like a fun idea.
    2) Not every new civ has to completely redefine the game. For every D'Teshi or Scions of Patria, there is room for a Hippus or Lanun. Although, I would like to think that the psionic mechanic makes them a little more unique than the Hippus.
    3) Lots of magic. (Nearly) every unit should be able to use some magic. But, again different from D'Tesh, you don't get something for nothing. There should be something to balance this ability. In the case of the Myu, this is mostly balanced by no access to Bronze or Iron weapons. Also, some of their units have lower strength than normal.
    4) There shouldn't be an obvious best path. Several tech lines and several unit lines should be useful.
    5) Incorporate these inside jokes: Veteran of a thousand psychic dwarves, small medium at large (question: what do you call a dwarf psychic who escaped from prison), shoot stones is a play on sheut stones


    Spoiler Leaders :

    Zeriadh - Major Leader, Neutral Good, Philosophical, Creative.
    One of the first dwarves to discover psionic powers, Zeriadh is exceedingly ancient... and beautiful, for a dwarf. She has always meant well, but fell to a temptation that cost her people greatly. Resigned to and eager for penance, Zeriadh refuses to pass on until she has been able to make amends for the cardinal sin of greed. She knows that there is evil lurking in every corner of Erebus, and knows that she can use her people's skills to destroy it, or at least die in the attempt. Death in service to a worthy cause and a returning of her people to true faith in Kilmorph is all she seeks at this point - and sweet relief, knowing that she has atoned.

    Nevos - Minor Leader, Neutral, Ingenious, Death Seeker (new trait) - Sergeant of the Grey Seers, and leader of many expeditionary forces to destroy the aberrant creatures of the underdark. Subscribing to the theory of "know your enemy", Nevos is skilled in Shadow magic and in hunting abominations, undead, and anything that hides in the darkness.

    Dekahd (not yet implemented. will be: Emergent Leader, Lawful Evil, Intolerant, Controlling, Hubris (may be renamed... gives Psionic to divine units, who will get a bunch of new psionic/divine spells that are very powerful but with potential unpredictable negative effects)) - Leader of a group of Myu who feel they were betrayed by Kilmorph, and who longs to recreate the temple to the divinity of the Myu. Dekahd and his followers believe that they can directly harness the power of the gods, twisting their will to practical means. Under Dekahd, practicing psionic disciplines without a license is a crime - he wants to keep control over those Myu who still side with the repentant Zeriadh, and make sure that only his own people have any power.


    Spoiler General Changes (affects everyone, or a subset thereof anyway) :

    Accelerated (given by the Force I spell Accelerate): added +50% workrate bonus. This makes it more useful for Mud Golems.
    Field Fortification: now requires Recruiter promotion - was going to be changed in 1.31 anyway, but I need it now for the Myu Hero, because he is a Commander but I don't want him having access to Field Fortifications.
    Domination: does not give the dominated unit free promotions from your civ or leader traits.


    Spoiler Civilization info :

    Civilization Trait: Psychic: gives Psionic & Channeling I promotion to all Melee, Recon, Mounted, Archery, and Arcane units.
    Hero: Master Zho, an early Dominator unit. (see Units spoiler for more info)
    Worldspell: Wave of Power - All of units that have Mind 1/2/3 gain a spellstaff, and gain Auger Nightmares, which is a Fear effect that is removed after combat. All of your other units gain 1 level of Mind magic.

    New trait for Nevos (Minor Leader): Death Seeker - Free Promotion (Death Seeker, Combat I) for Recon Units. Allows construction of Shadow Chamber.
    Death Seeker (Promotion) - +20% resistance to Death and Unholy damage. +40% combat vs. Undead. Not purchasable with XP.


    Spoiler Psionics :

    Psionic promotion: Denies access to Bronze Weapons and Iron Weapons (Crystal Weapons partially makes up for this, see below). Allows access to Mind I & Force I. Allows Melee units access to Earth I. Allows Recon units access to Shadow I. Allows access to psionic spells. (Future plans: either Air or Spirit for Archery units, either Water or Dimensional for Mounted units, although currently they only have access to Chariots and War Elephants as mounted units.)

    Psionic II - non-visible promotion that automatically gives Channeling II to tier 3 psionic units. Currently may take a turn to kick in, but that will be fixed with 1.31.
    Psionic III - non-visible promotion that automatically gives Channeling III to tier 4 psionic units. Currently may take a turn to kick in, but that will be fixed with 1.31. (note that while sphere level 1 promos require an Arcane unit, sphere level 2 promos only require level 1 and Channeling II, so a unit with Channeling II and access to Earth I can eventually get Earth II)

    Telekinesis (Requires Psionic, Mind I, Force I)
    2 str 20% Ranged 1 attack that can be stacked with other ranged attacks.

    Collapse Walls (Requires Psionic, Mind II, Force II)
    25% Bombard.

    Shoot Stones (Requires Psionic, Mind I, Earth I)
    Summons a 2:strength: rock. (Just added: The specific rock that is summoned is based on the tier of the unit casting it. Tier 1/2/3/4 rocks are 2/3/4/6:strength:

    Mutable Landscape (Requires Psionic, Mind II, Earth II)
    Caster can "pick up" a non-organic, non-mana resource and drop it some place else. Resources can be picked up from your own or unowned territory. Resources cannot be dropped on a visible resource. Resources cannot be dropped even on a non-visible resource if that resource is in rival territory. If the caster dies while holding a resource, it will be dropped on the ground either where he stands or in an adjacent square. If the caster's plot and every adjacent plot already has a resource, then it is lost. (Note the last part is only partially tested and only works if the caster dies in combat. I suppose it is an exploit to disband a unit holding a resource, but it seems like a waste of effort just to remove a resource from the map.)

    Shadow Jaunt (Requires Psionic, Mind I, Shadow I)
    Summons an invisible non-combat shade with 2 :move: that can explore rival territory. The Penumbral Form can also summon the caster. If it does so, the caster is invisible and unable to move until the end of the next turn. If you summon the caster into rival territory, it will declare war.

    Coalesce (Requires Psionic, Mind II, Shadow II)
    Deals damage to every invisible, hidden, illusion, or hidden nationality unit within 2 squares of the caster. It is only available if there is an appropriate target in range, so it also acts as a limited detect invisibility. It doesn't make the unit visible, but it does do heavy damage and has no damage limit, so 3 uses (approximately) can kill a unit. May need to be balanced, although I think it's okay because it's so specific.

    Deflect Arrows (Requires Psionic, Mind I, Air I)
    Gives +20% vs. Archery units. Can be maintained by a caster in the stack, otherwise expires in 1 turn.

    Mental Barrier (Requires Psionic, Mind II, Air II)
    +1 Defense. Stackable up to 4 times. The caster must maintain the barrier and cannot cast while doing so. The barrier is applied automatically to new units entering the tile, and is removed from units that leave the tile. When any caster drops his maintained mental barrier, it will recalculate for all of your units.


    Spoiler Unique Buildings :

    Myu Palace
    gives Mind, Force, Earth mana.

    Fortune Teller
    Replaces Pagan Temple.
    Provides +1 :) with Gems (instead of Incense)
    Provides +2 :gold: (instead of Culture)
    Training bonus applies to Arcane instead of Disciple units.

    Crystal Works
    Requires Alteration
    +10% :hammers: with Gems, +10% :commerce: with Gold, +10% :commerce: with Mithril
    Sells Crystal Weapons for 25:gold:

    Crystal Weapons
    Purchased at Crystal Works.
    Available to Melee, Commander, Arcane, Mounted units.
    +1:strength:, +10% vs. Iron Weapons, 2:science: for each combat won
    (The :science: from combat is done via python, because the variable in XML that allows this gives you :science: towards the tech that the opposing unit requires, meaning it's only occasionally useful at best.)


    Shadow Chamber (Requires Death Seeker trait, Hunting)
    National Wonder, limit 3 per player
    120:hammers:
    Provides Shadow Mana
    Allows production of Grey Sentry
    Trains Recon units (.25, 10 XP limit)


    Spoiler Unique Units :

    Telepath
    Replaces Axeman
    Has +25% against Melee (instead of against just Warrior). Gains free promotion Mind II (but does not gain Mind I or Channeling II). (This is to make the Axeman UU a little bit more survivable. The Warrior should be fine, and the Champion UU should be pretty good (with Crystal Weapons and Stoneskin, among other things). But there is a time in the game where your Telepaths will have a hard time standing up to opposing Axemen, so if you're lucky you'll be able to Charm them while you research better things.)
    Does not get the +10% City Attack bonus.
    Uses a modified Monk model (which is probably my favorite part about this unit).

    Veteran
    Replaces Champion
    4:strength: +2 Lightning (may become Psychic damage if that ever exists)
    2 str, 20%, 0 Range attack (so it's useless by itself, but increases his psionic ranged attacks)
    Free promotion Channeling II

    Grey Sentry - Requires Shadow Chamber
    Exactly the same as a scout, but starts with Shadow I. Does not replace the Scout, because it's only available to Nevos, and requires a building.

    Grey Seer
    Replaces Ranger
    Requires Tracking (instead of Animal Handling)
    5 :strength:
    100:hammers:
    Allowed to gain Crystal Weapons.
    -10% city attack (instead of -20%)
    +20% vs. Animals (instead of +50%)
    Free promotion Channeling II
    Special Ability: Shadow Trap - Summons a Shadow Trap on this square, which costs no maintenance. Limited to 10 per player, mostly because I don't like the micromanagement involved in putting one on every single square. Shadow Trap is invisible and immobile. If an enemy can see it, it can be destroyed in combat (but it seems like even Perfect Sight won't make it visible). At the end of the turn, if a rival unit is standing in the Shadow Trap, the trap destroys itself and the enemy gains the LOST promotion (blind, moves randomly, 33% chance to go away each turn after 3 turns).

    Warp Beast - Animal unit.
    Requires Animal Handling
    120:hammers:
    6:strength: 3:move:. 0-3 first strikes.
    Starts with Dimensional 2 (teleport 2).
    Can cast "Warp Beacon" which allows any of your psionic units to teleport to the square where it was cast, for 1 turn.
    Automatically gains Untamed (which gives it a 2% chance to go barbarian) if there is no Phasewalker on the same square)

    Phasewalker - Beastmaster UU
    Identical to a Beastmaster, but with Channeling 3 (due to being a psionic tier 4 unit), and access to Dimensional magic (and because he's a psionic recon unit, also Mind, Force, and Shadow)

    Master Zho
    Hero
    0/3:strength: 2:move:
    Requires Divination
    Commander (but command limit of 0 and cannot get promotions to increase this - he can only command his dominated units). Starts with Mind I / II / III, Channeling I / II, Dwarf, Psionic, does not start with Hero, or gain free XP. Allowed to gain Earth I, Shadow I, Air I, Dimensional I (as well as later versions of them, and also Force because that is already allowed by Psionic).

    Medium
    Replaces Adept
    1/3:strength:
    1str 25% 1 Range
    Starts with Mind I instead of a free promotion.
    (otherwise, same as an adept)
    (considering increasing cost of the Arcane line because reducing their strength really doesn't matter or balance out for their bonuses, however the Myu Arcane line is already overshadowed a little bit by the fact that all their units get spells)

    Mentalist
    Replaces Mage
    2/4:strength:
    1str 35% 1 Range
    Starts with Mind II instead of a free promotion.
    (otherwise, same as a mage)

    Omnipath
    Replaces Archmage
    5:strength:
    2str 55% 1 Range
    Requires Gems instead of Reagents
    Starts with Mind III instead of a free promotion.
    (otherwise, same as an archmage)

    Crystal Guardian
    Replaces Fort Commander
    Arcane Unit
    Starts with Psionic, Channeling I, Channeling II.
    Starts with 2:strength: (instead of 3)
    Starts with 4str 45% 1 Range (instead of 6str 50%), but due to Telekinesis and Force II can gain a kill-capable ranged attack pretty quickly.
    No collateral damage (removed in v0.20).
    (otherwise, same as a Fort Commander)

    Kineticist
    Replaces Archer
    3/4 :strength: (instead of 3/5)
    25% defensive strike chance (instead of 20%)
    20% defensive strike damage (instead of 10%)
    Otherwise, same as a Dwarven Slinger.
    Automatically gains Channeling II upon attaining level 5. (This because the Myu don't have access to a tier 3 Archer unit. So they don't have to wait until tier 4 to have access to level 2 Psionic Mind/Air spells.)

    Mud Golem replaces Worker
    Dwarven Druid replaces Druid
    Dwarven Shadow replaces Shadow

    Banned from Longbow, Marksman, Horseman, Horse Archer, Knight.
 
Strategy
Just a few notes on play. I'm not an expert on playing RifE, so this is just rudimentary. I would be happy to hear others' thoughts on Myu strategy. (or balance, lore, or anything else)

- The Myu are a builder civ. They have a few early-game builder bonuses, like early access to Mind I (which meshes well with Philosophical), Creative to make Monuments less necessary, Fortune Teller's (Pagan Temple UB) 2:gold: means you should be able to support several cities pretty quickly, and a scout with Force I (now gives a +50% workrate bonus) leading 2 or 3 Mud Golems can build improvements very quickly.
- Nearly all Myu units can use some magic, but this does come with a price. Your melee units cannot use metal weapons until mithril. This means that your won't have a lot of military force in early and mid-game. Once you get to late game, though, your melee units will have mithril weapons PLUS spells, so they can be pretty strong.
- You really need Gems. Your Archmage UU requires them, your Crystal Works gives a :hammers: bonus with Gems, your Fortune Teller gives :) with Gems, and if you go Runes of Kilmorph, you need them for your Priests as well. So get Gems. If you don't start near any, try to get a Veteran (Champion UU) or Mentalist (Mage UU) promoted to Mind II/Earth II as quickly as you can and go steal some. Note you can only pick up resources from unowned or your own territory. If you have to go to war to get Gems, do it. (Other ways to try and get Gems include mining every hill square you can see, and hording Earth mana - Runes of Kilmorph can help on both of these.)

- Worldspell: There are three basic strategies I can think of for when to use the worldspell.
-- Turn 1: Your starting Warrior will be able to cast Inspiration immediately which is good, and your starting Grey Sentry (in v0.20) will get Shadow Jaunt which is great for early scouting.
-- As soon as you produce Master Zho: You'll get Mind 2 on a lot of units at this point, and will give Master Zho a Spellstaff that he can use to Dominate twice in the same turn.
-- When you have a couple of tier 4 units upgraded to Mind 3. This is sort of self-explanatory, and probably the most powerful way to use it (multiple fear-wielding double-dominators!), but requires waiting a long time and by that point the game may already be won or lost.

-Some techs to shoot for:
-- Tracking gives you Grey Seers a tech earlier than other Ranger units. They are only 5:strength:, but they can set Shadow Traps, and can use Crystal Weapons.
-- Alteration allows you to build the Crystal Works, which allows you to buy Crystal Weapons. They are +1 Str, but +10% vs. Iron Weapons helps a little. Also they can help your teching if you fight a lot of battles with them.
-- Divination allows access to your Hero, Master Zho. He starts with Mind III and Channeling III, so he's like an archmage (with more limited spell selection) that you get very early (changed in v 0.20 - he no longer has Channeling III, just II. He still gets Mind III though). Possibly too early - he might have to be moved back. But until then, take advantage of him. He is a Commander, so he can Dominate units and then give them bonuses to attack. Keep him well protected though - he has no attack strength and only 3 defense. Also, he's pretty expensive for the point in the tech tree that he comes in, so if you're going to build him, you have to be pretty devoted to it.
-- Any tier 4 unit - they get Channeling III, so make good use of it.
-- Mysticism - probably an obvious one, but getting God King going early is just so good, especially now that Aristograrianism has been nerfed. Also gives you the chance to found an early religion, and sets you on route to KotE. Finally, Elder Council is good for every civ, but especially a Philosophical one. And you start with Ancient Chants, so it's really a no-brainer.
-- Archery. Kineticists are introduced in 0.20 with access to some pretty strong Air/Mind spells. Deflect Arrows can be very helpful in attacking well-defended cities, and Mental Barrier (which requires a level 7 Kineticist or around the same level Mage) can make your own defense very strong. Note that in order to make use of the Air/Mind spells, you'll probably need Elementalism as well to hook up an Air node.


-Notes on Nevos:
-- Nevos is not Philosophical like Zeriadh, so Mysticism isn't quite as attractive, but it's still really good. I find myself researching it first even if I'm just running a few turns to test some new unit or mechanic. Runes of Kilmorph is just as good for him as it is for Zeriadh, but his emphasis on the recon line makes founding Fellowship of Leaves very attractive as well.
-- Hunting gives him not just the usual good stuff, but also access to the Shadow Chamber. It's tough to find room to build it right away, and actually the free Shadow mana may not be attractive in the first 100 turns of the game, but eventually you'll want to build it if only to help level up your Grey Seers.
-- Grey Seers are Nevos' primary offensive unit in early mid-game, but they are woefully bad at taking cities, making him even more reliant on Master Zho for conquest than Zeriadh is. If you manage to lose Master Zho or don't go that route, then a couple of routes you can go are: 1) Zerg rush, using your Warp Beasts to teleport all of your units in at the last second. 2) Zerg rush with the Warp Beasts themselves - they're only 6:strength:, compared to the 7:strength: Rangers that are available around the same time, but they are a little cheaper, very mobile, and don't have the city attack malus (unless you have a Phasewalker taming them, in which case you want to move them away from the Phasewalker before attacking a city with them). It can also be cathartic to smash them up against a city wall before they can try to go barbarian on you. 3) Go up the melee line for Iron Working - using Veterans while trying to rush to Animal Mastery for your Phasewalkers. 4) Horde Shadow magic for your eventual Mistform summons (goes along well with #3).
-- Mind I/Shadow I is good for mobility, but then, so are Warp Beasts. Mind II/Shadow II is very strong if you're up against a lot of invisible, illusion, or hidden nationality units. But if not, then you may want to focus more on Combat promotions for your Grey Seers. Even without magic spheres, they still have something to cast with Shadow Trap, and you may need them to make up the bulk of your attacking force.
 
I'll give it a try. Tell me, how do the AI handle this civ? Or they don't work at all as an AI?

I haven't seen the AI play them yet (because I've spent almost all of my free time lately either making this civ or else testing to ensure that the stuff I added works). But I think the AI should actually be pretty good with them. It seems to handle ranged attacks well, and it will have some as long as it's smart enough to grab Mind I and Force I (which I'm not sure off... I wonder if increasing the AI weight of the "Mind1_Force1" autompromotion that allows Telekinesis would have any effect... That is, does it look down the line and see what other promotions would be granted when it chooses what to take?

The AI is banned from using Mutable Landscape because it would only use it to screw itself, but the other psionic spells should be pretty easy for it.
 
Added the lore. Incorporated a lot of stuff from Swinkscalibur. All-in-all, I think I like it better than the original lore in the design thread, but I'm not 100% sure.
Either way, the important part is the actual playable stuff, right?

Edit: Oops, speaking of playable stuff, found a bug. First time I tried playing another civ with an AI as the Myu, got a python exception in the requirement for their world spell, which only happens when an AI is playing them. (...and oops - didn't add their world spell to the first post... done now)

If you want the bug fix without having to download the whole module again, just replace (path to Rise from Erebus)\Assets\Modules\NormalModules\Myu\python\spellMyu.py with the contents of the attached zip file (I would just attach the python file because it's not that big, but the forum doesn't allow .py as an allowed extension).

Or just edit spellMyu.py, search for "bPlayer", and replace it with "pPlayer".
 
Just thought I'd pop in and say how awesome this mod is. I'm really liking the whole psionics thing. I would like to see more diversity with the "spells", but I don't really know how that could be done and fit the lore.

Thanks, I appreciate that. The lack of comments on here had led me to believe that no one had really tried it yet. I'm eager for any feedback, even if it's negative. :D

I hear you on the spell diversity thing. However, the biggest mechanic of psionic is simply that it allows virtually all of your units access to Mind and Force, with the psionic spells being an added bonus. On the other hand, if you have any ideas for psionic spells let me know. The way I currently have it set up is for each unit line to have one mana (other than Mind/Force) that they are attuned to. However the Arcane line can still use all mana types. I may add Air or Spirit to the Archery line (currently consisting of Slinger (who might get a UU called Kineticist), Crossbowman, and Arquebus. I haven't played them through to the later game units, but I also wouldn't be adverse to adding a Longbowman UU. And if I end up adding a mounted line, they may get Dimensional (in fact, they may not be traditional mounted units at all, but Psychoportation specialists).

So long story short, more psionic spells wouldn't hurt if you have any ideas. Currently still plan on a Mind/Earth 3, Mind/Force 3, and Mind/Shadow 3 spell, but I haven't really settled on any ideas for those yet.

Also, when the evil leader is in, the psionic/divine spells will be really exciting (if I do say so myself).

Oh, and in addition - when RifE totally overhauls the magic system, my psionic system will probably change a lot too...
 
Also, with the permission of EugeneStyles, I may be releasing a Module that is a slightly modified version of the Myu giving them increased flavor and synergy with my Underground Module (their Lore was specifically altered to make that possible)
 
Swinks - ideally, it would be great if both modules (yours and mine) could be built so that either one could be used independently, but if they are both installed, then the Myu would be able to use the underground stuff. Once you have a releasable version of your module, I'll download it and try it out and we can discuss if that's possible and if so, how to do it.
 
I'll see if I can come up with any ideas for Psionic spells. I'm not a huge fan of the Mind I/Shadow I spell; it just doesn't seem overly useful to me. My personal preference would be a limited invisibility. Think Jedi Mind Trick. For the archery line, I personally see them as being Air oriented. The mounted line being Psychoportationists (is that even a word?) would be totally awesome.
 
I think it would involve a third module honestly. Doing it with two, it would be really hard for anything outside of python to know if another module is loaded. I think there is a way for python, but a lot of the changes would be way easier in XML. I guess more experienced folks might give us a heads up for how to make it work.

Essentially, I want to give the Myu:
Spoiler :

  • The Good
    • Feature Flavor for Tunnels? (not sure if it can be modular at all)
    • Terrain Flavor for Peaks? (not sure if it can be modular either)
    • A promotion that gives them +1 :movement: underground
    • +1 :hammers: from tunnels
    • +1 :commerce: from both undervillage and undertown
    • +1 :commerce: from both undervillage and undertown with taxation
  • The bad
    • Chances for unique negative effects, when in tunnels
    • -1 :commerce: from towns
    • -1 :hammers: for hills/forest


All in all the changes are meant to give them a strong incentive to work near peaks and develop their tunnel network. In exchange they have the chance for more negatives underground.

The exact balancing factors are just a suggestion and could easily change with testing/suggestions.
 
It is easily possible to have your module modify the Myu if, and only if, they are already installed. Without requiring python, or a third module, and done entirely in xml.

There are three tags available in all xml files, used for modular loading. One is bForceOverwrite; You know about that one. The other two are for dependencies, as in, Unit_A requires Unit_B to exist before it will load.

From the FF modmodder's thread:
  • bTypeDependency Indicates that this is a modification ONLY and if the Type doesn't already exist, not to bother loading what is listed here (keeps a Module which only changes the cost of a warrior from creating a brand new Warrior unit with no name and no stats, but a nice cost, if the main mod decides to delete/rename the warriors and you forget to remove the module)
  • AndDependencyTypes & OrDependencyTypes - Subelement is <DependencyType> and lists the <Type> of something else which exists in the XML.
    • What this actually does is it makes the module item not load at all unless the Type requirements are met (everything from the AND list exists already, and at least 1 thing from the OR list). It is not too likely that modders will find a need for these tags any time soon, so I'll plan to just point the first person who shows interest in it at the WoC forums and then let them figure it all out and explain it to other people themselves ;)

So you'd basically copy parts of the Myu module into your own, make your changes, and add the following tags:
Code:
<bTypeDependency>1</bTypeDependency>
<AndDependencyTypes>
    <DependencyType>List some item not copied here</DependencyType>
</AndDependencyTypes>

Then your Myu alterations will automatically take effect if the Myu are installed, and have no effect otherwise.
 
Well, there's the stuff Valk mentioned, but even easier might be to have traits that are defined in my module, but empty. Something like,
Code:
        <TraitInfo>        
            <Type>TRAIT_SUBTERRANEAN</Type>
            <!-- Does nothing unless Underground Mod is loaded -->
        </TraitInfo>

Then I give my leaders that trait, and you define the trait in your mod. Would be pretty clean, and because of the way modular XML is loaded, it wouldn't matter what order the mods are loaded in.

[*]Feature Flavor for Tunnels? (not sure if it can be modular at all)

[*]Terrain Flavor for Peaks? (not sure if it can be modular either)

Neither of these can be modular at all, so I'd have to send something to Valk. Would probably modify my current flavour mod info, adding in (assuming you can add preferences for features that don't exist in the base code, which I *think* you can, but not sure):

Code:
if (gc.getInfoTypeForString("FEATURE_TUNNEL") != -1):
    pCivFlavourInfo.addPreference("PLOT_PEAK", 2)
    pCivFlavourInfo.addPreference("FEATURE_TUNNEL", 2)

[*]A promotion that gives them +1 :move: underground

That could probably be an autopromote in your code that only requires Dwarf. Luchuirp would get this bonus, but would otherwise not benefit from the other stuff. Khazad would presumably have access to all of the underground mod.


[*]+1 :hammers: from tunnels

[*]+1 :commerce: from both undervillage and undertown

[*]+1 :commerce: from both undervillage and undertown with taxation

(EDIT)SHOULD work with a trait.
but... *sigh*... doesn't(/EDIT)


[*] Chances for unique negative effects, when in tunnels

Presumably work with the same autoPromote that gives the units bonuses in the tunnel (or if you wanted to limit it to just Myu, then an autoPromote that requires Psionic and Dwarf), using pyPerTurn to apply negative effects.


[*] -1 :commerce: from towns

[*] -1 :hammers: for hills/forest

Should be part of the same trait from above.
 
Well, there's the stuff Valk mentioned, but even easier might be to have traits that are defined in my module, but empty. Something like,
Code:
        <TraitInfo>        
            <Type>TRAIT_SUBTERRANEAN</Type>
            <!-- Does nothing unless Underground Mod is loaded -->
        </TraitInfo>

Then I give my leaders that trait, and you define the trait in your mod. Would be pretty clean, and because of the way modular XML is loaded, it wouldn't matter what order the mods are loaded in.

[*]Feature Flavor for Tunnels? (not sure if it can be modular at all)

[*]Terrain Flavor for Peaks? (not sure if it can be modular either)

Neither of these can be modular at all, so I'd have to send something to Valk. Would probably modify my current flavour mod info, adding in (assuming you can add preferences for features that don't exist in the base code, which I *think* you can, but not sure):

Code:
if (gc.getInfoTypeForString("FEATURE_TUNNEL") != -1):
    pCivFlavourInfo.addPreference("PLOT_PEAK", 2)
    pCivFlavourInfo.addPreference("FEATURE_TUNNEL", 2)

[*]A promotion that gives them +1 :move: underground

That could probably be an autopromote in your code that only requires Dwarf. Luchuirp would get this bonus, but would otherwise not benefit from the other stuff. Khazad would presumably have access to all of the underground mod.


[*]+1 :hammers: from tunnels

[*]+1 :commerce: from both undervillage and undertown

[*]+1 :commerce: from both undervillage and undertown with taxation

All works with a trait.


[*] Chances for unique negative effects, when in tunnels

Presumably work with the same autoPromote that gives the units bonuses in the tunnel (or if you wanted to limit it to just Myu, then an autoPromote that requires Psionic and Dwarf), using pyPerTurn to apply negative effects.


[*] -1 :commerce: from towns

[*] -1 :hammers: for hills/forest

Should be part of the same trait from above.

I would not do it the way you describe. For one, it would require a blank trait in your version. For another, it doesn't work.

The bonuses to improvements? Yeah... Not possible via trait. Can only be done via civ. Meaning he has to directly modify the Myu civilization, and thus needs the tags I mentioned. :p
 
So, it appears, most of the work is on my end. Sounds good. I will work out a way to make it happen. I think I have all the info I need.

That being said, I ran into a huge challenge in testing that I didn't anticipate. I figured making the FEATURE_TUNNELS have a terrainboolean for peaks would allow them to be placed on peaks. But No. I can't even worldbuilder them in.

Also for some reason pUnit.setUnitArtStyleType() is giving me an error. Not sure why.
 
I'll see if I can come up with any ideas for Psionic spells. I'm not a huge fan of the Mind I/Shadow I spell; it just doesn't seem overly useful to me. My personal preference would be a limited invisibility. Think Jedi Mind Trick.

I thought about invisibility. But I kind of didn't like the idea. a) Invisible units are extremely annoying - can't attack them, and meanwhile you get your troops picked off when you step on a grassland without knowing what hit you. I mean, it's cool, and flavorful for the civs that do it, but also annoying. b) Invisible recon has been done. I don't even like that D'Tesh gets them, because he already has enough special things for a civ, and it really makes the Sidar seem like red-headed step children. c) Flavor-wise, I like the idea of this civ being kind of "anti-invisible", mostly through the Mind II/Shadow II spell, which is very narrow, but very strong. d) I also like the Mind/Shadow line being about scouting - Mind I/Shadow I gives you some extra scouting ability and the potential for extra mobility.

If it's too weak (it's possible - stunning the master when you summon him is pretty rough, but before I put that part in, the Shadow Jaunt basically just gave you 2 extra movement per turn and was kind of a micromanagement nightmare (every turn move 2, cast, move 2, select the unit that got automatically un-selected, cast... which you can still do, but it's not an unmitigated bonus and not something you want to do every turn))... then there may be some other ways to power it up. Thinking about one or more of the following:

  • Not using up your cast for the turn (freeing you up to cast Shadow I (autocast at end) each turn - because part of the weakness I see with Mind I/Shadow I is that Shadow I isn't that good unless you can keep refreshing it as needed).
  • Perhaps the summon master ability shouldn't prevent casting next turn (or just prevent casting Shadow Jaunt but not other spells).
  • 3:move:?
  • Thought about giving it See Invisible, but then it's probably too good... It basically gives the caster Perfect Sight. Maybe it could cast a weaker version of Coalesce?
  • Summon master ability could give the master temporary invisibility (in exchange for stunning him).
  • Allow it to explore rival territory. (What happens if it summons the caster into rival territory?)
 
Ugh... found another bug. This one prevents tier 3 and 4 units from getting Channeling 2 and 3 as advertised. Trying to figure out what caused it, because it was working at some point before initial release, but I obviously broke it at some point in there... (edit: found it. fixed it.)
 
I thought about invisibility. But I kind of didn't like the idea. a) Invisible units are extremely annoying - can't attack them, and meanwhile you get your troops picked off when you step on a grassland without knowing what hit you. I mean, it's cool, and flavorful for the civs that do it, but also annoying. b) Invisible recon has been done. I don't even like that D'Tesh gets them, because he already has enough special things for a civ, and it really makes the Sidar seem like red-headed step children. c) Flavor-wise, I like the idea of this civ being kind of "anti-invisible", mostly through the Mind II/Shadow II spell, which is very narrow, but very strong. d) I also like the Mind/Shadow line being about scouting - Mind I/Shadow I gives you some extra scouting ability and the potential for extra mobility.

If it's too weak (it's possible - stunning the master when you summon him is pretty rough, but before I put that part in, the Shadow Jaunt basically just gave you 2 extra movement per turn and was kind of a micromanagement nightmare (every turn move 2, cast, move 2, select the unit that got automatically un-selected, cast... which you can still do, but it's not an unmitigated bonus and not something you want to do every turn))... then there may be some other ways to power it up. Thinking about one or more of the following:

  • Not using up your cast for the turn (freeing you up to cast Shadow I (autocast at end) each turn - because part of the weakness I see with Mind I/Shadow I is that Shadow I isn't that good unless you can keep refreshing it as needed).
  • Perhaps the summon master ability shouldn't prevent casting next turn (or just prevent casting Shadow Jaunt but not other spells).
  • 3:move:?
  • Thought about giving it See Invisible, but then it's probably too good... It basically gives the caster Perfect Sight. Maybe it could cast a weaker version of Coalesce?
  • Summon master ability could give the master temporary invisibility (in exchange for stunning him).
  • Allow it to explore rival territory. (What happens if it summons the caster into rival territory?)

I agree, completely invisible recon isn't my thing. By limited I meant either timed, or with a chance of detection, and certainly going away after raiding a dungeon or attacking. Shadow Jaunt just seems like a slightly less powerful version of Sever Soul. Alternatively, you could make Mind I/Shadow I give the ability to detect invisible units, or HN units. Although maybe that's better suited to Mind/Spirit. The Myu can read minds, correct? If they can, I don't think HN units would be able to do anything, seeing as the Myu would know what they were up to immediately.
 
I agree, completely invisible recon isn't my thing. By limited I meant either timed, or with a chance of detection, and certainly going away after raiding a dungeon or attacking. Shadow Jaunt just seems like a slightly less powerful version of Sever Soul.

Which is as intended, but I do see how it's a little bland. I'm thinking about having it remain with its current capabilities (scouting, mainly), but adding in limited invisibility as well, like so:

-Stunned effect no longer prevents casting.
-Stunned effect grants INVISIBLE_LAND (or maybe downgrade to INVISIBLE_ANIMAL?).

Thus, you can travel invisibly for as long as you keep recasting the spell, but will be limited to the 2:move: that the shadow has, and will be unable to attack (also unable to cast, since you're using your casting on staying invisible). Thematically, the unit is traveling as a shadow, only partially in phase with the physical world. It's a little bit of a micromanagement thing, since you've got to cast twice per turn to keep it up, but the first half of that can be autocast. I don't suppose there's anyway to keep a unit from being deselected when his move runs out?

Should the spirit also be able to explore rival territory? Again, question of what happens when you summon the caster into rival territory (will have to test).
 
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