[mini mod] Scouting for Boys

[damocles88]

I have released the alpha of my first mod, "Scouting for Boys". This mod makes scouts a viable first unit by making them faster and have +1 sight range. The downside is they are now weaker and cost a little more. They're great for exploring though - which is what scouts are meant for after all! Just don't go near any barbarians.

Thanks to everyone that helped me get the damn thing working.

Feel free to include this mod in any larger mods, just drop a credit in there somewhere.

Available through the mod hub.

edit:

V2 is out now. I've decided to make the scouts a pure recon unit - they have had their melee ability removed. To account for this, I've put their strength up to 6 so that they can survive toe to toe with a brute.

I think this is a better solution than weak scouts. Weak ones would die too easily when barbs would dash out of the shadows and cut you down.

[Lord Olleus]

Scouts in vanilla are already great as they are! They are always my first build - not virtually everyone in the strategy forum agrees.

[Gorey]

Yeah, they already ARE viable IMO.

I never built them in civ4, but in civ5 they are actually a good first build. You aren't in the huge rush at the start of the game like you were in civ 4. You have time now. And it completely rocks when ruins upgrade them to archers that ignore terrain. woooo!

[damocles88]

v2 released with significant change of direction. See edited original post.

[AndyWiltshireNZ]

Thanks damocles, I like the update, it really defines scouts as their own unit, rather then just a weak warrior.

Do you think the cost could be lowered a bit? I still find it better to invest in a warrior to handle the barbarians early on, whereas I would love to be able to get 3 scouts out on recon for the cost of 2 warriors... round about pricing... ?

[Aussie_Lurker]

What would make them even better-I feel-is if they got you better outcomes from Ruins & City-States. Just a thought.

Aussie.

[AndyWiltshireNZ]

Originally Posted by Aussie_Lurker

What would make them even better-I feel-is if they got you better outcomes from Ruins & City-States. Just a thought.

Nice idea. To balance it, you could remove military upgrades for scouts, but increase culture and gold finds.

[damocles88]

Nice idea. To balance it, you could remove military upgrades for scouts, but increase culture and gold finds.

The problem here is that some people would rather have the military upgrade over the culture or gold. Losing one in favour of the other will alienate half the people that might like the mod.

I'll have a look to see if it's possible to boost the gold/culture output when using scouts. And maybe make it so scouts never get the crappy finds like maps and camp placements. If it's possible, that is.

edit:
An idea strikes me - maybe I should make two scouts. One slightly weaker, but more likely to get the gold/culture, and one like the current version, but more likely to get the military upgrade. Then players can decide which to build at game time.

[SirCabbage]

Great mod, REALLY great little mod... but, could I have a request or two?

I like the idea of scouts being unable to do anything combat related besides defense.. thats great. But I noticed a little issue. Ranged units. When before I was able to take out ranged units with scouts (as a defensive measure) now I can not. So I have often found my little scout cornered by an archer or similar ranged unit... Is there any way you could deal with this? like a "scout only promotion" to allow for ranged combat immunity, or, some like, ranged counter move for scounts? i'm not a modder but still.

other then that, id wish for other scount units (to upgrade to instead of archers, such as explorers (for the middle ages) and another one for the more modern era (since in this game you need to MOD to get a tech to reveil the maps.. and the lack of map trading... scouts have a higher level of use later in the game)

more scout promotions would be nice too, since, these scouts are designed to last longer they may need more. :P Hell, even a scouting guild or something to help scouts become more useful lategame if upgrades arnt doable.

BUt yeah, love the mod, hope to see newer versions soon. I cant mod so I have no clue how hard my suggestions are... but, yeah. Had to say em

[damocles88]

I like the idea of scouts being unable to do anything combat related besides defense. thats great. But I noticed a little issue. Ranged units. When before I was able to take out ranged units with scouts (as a defensive measure) now I can not. So I have often found my little scout cornered by an archer or similar ranged unit... Is there any way you could deal with this? like a "scout only promotion" to allow for ranged combat immunity, or, some like, ranged counter move for scounts? i'm not a modder but still.

I'm not sure I like this idea - the main aim of this mod was to move scouts out of the warfare aspects and into a pure recon role. Besides, with 3 movement and no terrain penalty, you should easily be able to evade an archer or two.

other then that, id wish for other scount units (to upgrade to instead of archers, such as explorers (for the middle ages) and another one for the more modern era (since in this game you need to MOD to get a tech to reveil the maps.. and the lack of map trading... scouts have a higher level of use later in the game)

I'm not sure what advantages there would be in upgrading to explorers. The scouts in this mod are practically explorers already. They are also already very useful lategame as spotters for siege/artillery units, and for scouting ahead before an invasion.

Personally I quite like the lack of map trading and map reveals - it's more akin to reality where there are parts of the world still not properly explored even today.

more scout promotions would be nice too, since, these scouts are designed to last longer they may need more. :P Hell, even a scouting guild or something to help scouts become more useful lategame if upgrades arnt doable.

I quite like the idea of a scouting guild. Maybe it could unlock with archery, and any city that builds the guild, will be able to build a new type of armed scout with archery skills (less effective than normal archers, but with stronger melee defence), which would upgrade into crossbowmen later on. The only problem with this is I'm no modeller/animator, so it would end up using archer graphics. But that might not be so bad.

[SirCabbage]

I'm not sure I like this idea - the main aim of this mod was to move scouts out of the warfare aspects and into a pure recon role. Besides, with 3 movement and no terrain penalty, you should easily be able to evade an archer or two.

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I normally have at least one or two scouts set to "auto-explore" , so its still only able to get away from archers when doing it personally. Not to meantion, there was one game where I wanted some ruins.. but I couldnt get near them because there was a single, low hp archer wandering around. :P



I'm not sure what advantages there would be in upgrading to explorers. The scouts in this mod are practically explorers already. They are also already very useful lategame as spotters for siege/artillery units, and for scouting ahead before an invasion.

Personally I quite like the lack of map trading and map reveals - it's more akin to reality where there are parts of the world still not properly explored even today.

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Slightly stronger? since lets face it, tanks have like, 50 strength, gunmen and even knights also much higher.

Basically, just slightly stronger and eaiser to defend themselves. not too much, but just to compair them to more then brutes lategame.






I quite like the idea of a scouting guild. Maybe it could unlock with archery, and any city that builds the guild, will be able to build a new type of armed scout with archery skills (less effective than normal archers, but with stronger melee defence), which would upgrade into crossbowmen later on. The only problem with this is I'm no modeller/animator, so it would end up using archer graphics. But that might not be so bad.
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Possibly, technically you could even add techs based on exploration, with guilds and other "armed scouts" in the tree. Maybe a scouting monument wonder that gives extra movement to all scouts in the empire. I dont know. But lets face it, your mod is VERY specialised. Scouts. if you want to keep expanding it you will eventually need new scouts and such. BUt im no modder, so, once more just ideas. I just love the mod.