MILITARY TWEAKS
-By EvanBGood
The goal of this mod is to make every unit in the game practical and unique without making major changes to the game itself. Primarily, this is a mod of balance, convenience, and fun. This mod does not take the game's AI limitations into account, but rather, aims to balance the effectiveness of the player's decisions and eliminate the "one right way" to do things.
For the sake of customization, I will be working on three different versions of this mod:
LOW IMPACT - The low impact version addresses the most obvious problems with military unit balance only and has the least noticeable effect on the game as a whole. Low impact is base game compatible.
MEDIUM IMPACT - The medium impact version addresses problems in unit balance that each individual user may or may not see as necessary to be fixed. This version also includes tweaks to the unit upgrade system with the goal of making every unit in the game upgradable through all eras without ever becoming obsolete. Medium impact is base game compatible.
HIGH IMPACT - The high impact version makes more experimental changes to the game in the spirit of making combat more interesting through many stages of the game. Though no new units will be added in this version, existing units may be changed drastically. Due to these changes, high impact may not be base game compatible.
This is my very first published mod, and as such, may contain errors. It is very much in an alpha stage, so feedback and bug reporting are most definitely needed!
The following is a complete list of changes for each version:
LOW IMPACT V1.0
MEDIUM IMPACT V3.0 RECOMMENDED VERSION
HIGH IMPACT V0.0 (Pre-release)
-By EvanBGood
The goal of this mod is to make every unit in the game practical and unique without making major changes to the game itself. Primarily, this is a mod of balance, convenience, and fun. This mod does not take the game's AI limitations into account, but rather, aims to balance the effectiveness of the player's decisions and eliminate the "one right way" to do things.
For the sake of customization, I will be working on three different versions of this mod:
LOW IMPACT - The low impact version addresses the most obvious problems with military unit balance only and has the least noticeable effect on the game as a whole. Low impact is base game compatible.
MEDIUM IMPACT - The medium impact version addresses problems in unit balance that each individual user may or may not see as necessary to be fixed. This version also includes tweaks to the unit upgrade system with the goal of making every unit in the game upgradable through all eras without ever becoming obsolete. Medium impact is base game compatible.
HIGH IMPACT - The high impact version makes more experimental changes to the game in the spirit of making combat more interesting through many stages of the game. Though no new units will be added in this version, existing units may be changed drastically. Due to these changes, high impact may not be base game compatible.
This is my very first published mod, and as such, may contain errors. It is very much in an alpha stage, so feedback and bug reporting are most definitely needed!
The following is a complete list of changes for each version:
LOW IMPACT V1.0
Spoiler :
V1.0
Right now, the main purpose of the low impact version is to make minor adjustments to the horseman and ironclad units, widely seen as the most unbalanced units in the game at the moment.
Horseman/Companion Cavalry:
- Horseman Cost Increased to 100 from 80
- Horseman Movement Reduced to 3 from 4
- Companion Cavalry Movement Reduced to 3 from 5 (keeps combat advantage)
- Horseman and Companion Cavalry have a 40% penalty to city attack (same as tank)
Ironclad:
- Ironclad combat increased to 40 from 35 (for higher defense)
- Ironclad ranged combat increased to 20 from 18
- Ironclad production cost slightly reduced to 200 from 220
- Ironclad movement increased to 5 from 4 (coast-only trait remains)
Right now, the main purpose of the low impact version is to make minor adjustments to the horseman and ironclad units, widely seen as the most unbalanced units in the game at the moment.
Horseman/Companion Cavalry:
- Horseman Cost Increased to 100 from 80
- Horseman Movement Reduced to 3 from 4
- Companion Cavalry Movement Reduced to 3 from 5 (keeps combat advantage)
- Horseman and Companion Cavalry have a 40% penalty to city attack (same as tank)
Ironclad:
- Ironclad combat increased to 40 from 35 (for higher defense)
- Ironclad ranged combat increased to 20 from 18
- Ironclad production cost slightly reduced to 200 from 220
- Ironclad movement increased to 5 from 4 (coast-only trait remains)
MEDIUM IMPACT V3.0 RECOMMENDED VERSION
Spoiler :
V3.0
- Should have been in V2.0 but that's the mod browser for ya
- Fixed: Scouts not losing their terrain bonus upon being upgraded to archers.
V2.0
- Fixed: Unit upgrades were not working properly. Please redownload version 2.0 to fix this issue.
- Fixed: Obsolescence was not occurring for the upgraded units.
V1.0
This is currently the most stable version of the mod. Medium Impact adjusts the costs and the abilities of several different units and streamlines the upgrade tree to make every unit in the game upgradeable to the modern era.
Horseman/Companion Cavalry:
- Horseman Cost Increased to 100 from 80
- Horseman Movement Reduced to 3 from 4
- Companion Cavalry Movement Reduced to 3 from 5 (keeps combat advantage)
- Horseman and Companion Cavalry have a 40% penalty to city attack (same as tank)
- Penalty does not currently carry over to knights, lancers, or cavalry, but this might change in a future version.
Ironclad:
- MAJOR CHANGE: Ironclad can attack twice per turn.
- Ironclad has an "Iron Armor" trait that increases ranged defense by 25%
- Ironclad production cost slightly reduced to 200 from 220
- Loses double attack with upgrade, no movement increase due to upgrade (see below)
- Rationale: The initial idea of this change was to represent the ironclad's dominance over wooden ships, particularly due to its ability to deflect cannonballs. The double shot also reflects the increase in cannon power of that age, as well as giving it a unique in-game usefulness beyond a simple strength increase.
Tank/Panzer/Modern Armor
- All tank variants receive a unique "Thick Armor" trait that increases both ranged and normal defense by 33%
- Tank/Panzer cost greatly reduced to 370 from 450
- Modern armor cost greatly reduced to 570 from 700
- Rationale: The idea here was to make tanks act like... well... tanks! Their combat strength is useful already, of course, but their lack of defensive abilities made them strangely weak compared to the infantry of their eras, while their great cost and reliance on oil further reduced their appeal. An all-terrain boost to defense is something no other unit has, and fills a unique role as a unit that can both hit-and-run and soak up damage for the units behind it.
Chariot Archer/War Chariot/War Elephant
- All chariots can now move after shooting, like other cavalry
- Rationale: There have been debates in the usefulness of chariot archers, but I thought they needed a little tiny boost to ever be considered over standard archers, and to reward players who have early access to horses. This gives them a hit-and-run tactic, making them especially dominant on flat land.
Upgrades: NOTE: UPGRADES ARE CURRENTLY NOT WORKING! WORKING ON IT AS WE SPEAK!
- All units should be upgradable, meaning you're no longer forced to keep or disband crossbowmen and lancers when jet fighters are in the sky. As always, all upgrades have a hefty cost and require strategic resources like any produced unit.
- Scouts can now upgrade to archers without goody huts! (They lose their fast-travel abilities, but can keep survival and visibility promotions)
- Crossbowmen (and unique variants) can upgrade to cannons.
- Ironclads can upgrade to battleships (they lose the double attack and iron armor advantages in this mod).
- Bombers (and the B17) can upgrade to stealth bombers
- Submarines can upgrade to nuclear submarines
- Lancers and Cavalry (and all unique variants) can become tanks.
- Many units go obsolete when their new replacements become available (they can still exist, but can not be produced in cities). This does not include the scout/archer upgrade.
Known Issues being worked on:
- Buying the upgrade from scout to archer is far too cheap
Possible future tweaks:
- Adjustments to the anti-tank unit to increase their usefulness when countering the tank's superior defense
- Adjustments to carriers to increase their usefulness
- Adjustments to catapults, and possibly all artillery, to increase usefulness in aggressive warfare
- Lots and lots of balancing.
- Should have been in V2.0 but that's the mod browser for ya
- Fixed: Scouts not losing their terrain bonus upon being upgraded to archers.
V2.0
- Fixed: Unit upgrades were not working properly. Please redownload version 2.0 to fix this issue.
- Fixed: Obsolescence was not occurring for the upgraded units.
V1.0
This is currently the most stable version of the mod. Medium Impact adjusts the costs and the abilities of several different units and streamlines the upgrade tree to make every unit in the game upgradeable to the modern era.
Horseman/Companion Cavalry:
- Horseman Cost Increased to 100 from 80
- Horseman Movement Reduced to 3 from 4
- Companion Cavalry Movement Reduced to 3 from 5 (keeps combat advantage)
- Horseman and Companion Cavalry have a 40% penalty to city attack (same as tank)
- Penalty does not currently carry over to knights, lancers, or cavalry, but this might change in a future version.
Ironclad:
- MAJOR CHANGE: Ironclad can attack twice per turn.
- Ironclad has an "Iron Armor" trait that increases ranged defense by 25%
- Ironclad production cost slightly reduced to 200 from 220
- Loses double attack with upgrade, no movement increase due to upgrade (see below)
- Rationale: The initial idea of this change was to represent the ironclad's dominance over wooden ships, particularly due to its ability to deflect cannonballs. The double shot also reflects the increase in cannon power of that age, as well as giving it a unique in-game usefulness beyond a simple strength increase.
Tank/Panzer/Modern Armor
- All tank variants receive a unique "Thick Armor" trait that increases both ranged and normal defense by 33%
- Tank/Panzer cost greatly reduced to 370 from 450
- Modern armor cost greatly reduced to 570 from 700
- Rationale: The idea here was to make tanks act like... well... tanks! Their combat strength is useful already, of course, but their lack of defensive abilities made them strangely weak compared to the infantry of their eras, while their great cost and reliance on oil further reduced their appeal. An all-terrain boost to defense is something no other unit has, and fills a unique role as a unit that can both hit-and-run and soak up damage for the units behind it.
Chariot Archer/War Chariot/War Elephant
- All chariots can now move after shooting, like other cavalry
- Rationale: There have been debates in the usefulness of chariot archers, but I thought they needed a little tiny boost to ever be considered over standard archers, and to reward players who have early access to horses. This gives them a hit-and-run tactic, making them especially dominant on flat land.
Upgrades: NOTE: UPGRADES ARE CURRENTLY NOT WORKING! WORKING ON IT AS WE SPEAK!
- All units should be upgradable, meaning you're no longer forced to keep or disband crossbowmen and lancers when jet fighters are in the sky. As always, all upgrades have a hefty cost and require strategic resources like any produced unit.
- Scouts can now upgrade to archers without goody huts! (They lose their fast-travel abilities, but can keep survival and visibility promotions)
- Crossbowmen (and unique variants) can upgrade to cannons.
- Ironclads can upgrade to battleships (they lose the double attack and iron armor advantages in this mod).
- Bombers (and the B17) can upgrade to stealth bombers
- Submarines can upgrade to nuclear submarines
- Lancers and Cavalry (and all unique variants) can become tanks.
- Many units go obsolete when their new replacements become available (they can still exist, but can not be produced in cities). This does not include the scout/archer upgrade.
Known Issues being worked on:
- Buying the upgrade from scout to archer is far too cheap
Possible future tweaks:
- Adjustments to the anti-tank unit to increase their usefulness when countering the tank's superior defense
- Adjustments to carriers to increase their usefulness
- Adjustments to catapults, and possibly all artillery, to increase usefulness in aggressive warfare
- Lots and lots of balancing.
HIGH IMPACT V0.0 (Pre-release)
Spoiler :
V0.0 Not yet released!
I have not yet made the High Impact version of this mod, as there are several things I plan to do with it that may or may not be possible. Here are a few of the things I intend to try to add, in addition to all the Medium Impact changes:
- Hybrid promotions for chariot archers that increase both ranged combat and melee combat on open land, so they have a promotion that is useful immediately, as well as in the future (though not as powerful as shock, which can then be stacked).
- Major change of how anti-tank and helicopter units work, giving them ranged attacks to make them act like modern archers who require line-of-sight.
- Spearman defense bonuses on open land.
- The ability for naval units to stack on top of defenseless embarked military.
I have not yet made the High Impact version of this mod, as there are several things I plan to do with it that may or may not be possible. Here are a few of the things I intend to try to add, in addition to all the Medium Impact changes:
- Hybrid promotions for chariot archers that increase both ranged combat and melee combat on open land, so they have a promotion that is useful immediately, as well as in the future (though not as powerful as shock, which can then be stacked).
- Major change of how anti-tank and helicopter units work, giving them ranged attacks to make them act like modern archers who require line-of-sight.
- Spearman defense bonuses on open land.
- The ability for naval units to stack on top of defenseless embarked military.