Hi there!
I'm new to these forums (as a poster, but I've been lurking for a long time, and learned a whole lot from these forums. I'm now an Immortal player and I have the people of this forum's to thank). I'm from Brasil, and some time ago I have created a mod (again, learning from the great tutorials in these forums) for my own use (and that of some friends) featuring the brazilian civilization with President Lula da Silva as a leader. I have now decided to post it here, as a small way to say thanks for the great teachings these boards provided me (and still do).
Reasoning behind my choices:
Traits - Well, Charismatic is a given. It fits the guy perfectly, being one of the most popular presidents in the history of Brasil. The other trait was a hard choice. I ended up with Expansive mainly because of some realizations Lula's government: the PAC (Programa de Aceleração de Crescimento - meaning something like "Development Acceleration Program", the discovery of the "Pré-Sal"(huge oil reserves located in deep water, that - if confirmed - will launch Brasil as one of the top Oil producers in the world), and some important social programs (like SUS and Bolsa Família). In my view, these points are at least taking the country some steps forward, which somewhat fits expansive (in a modern way) in my point of view. Those who are brazilians (or very well informed about the country) will know what I'm talking about, and hopefully see some sense in my choice.
Unit - Ok, Brasil was never a military potence. There's no such a thing as a moment in history when Brasil had "more powerful units" then every other nation in the world. So I had to go for some kind of especialized advantage. And by this approach, it is indeed pretty realistic to point to brazilian's rainforest ("Selva") especialized infantry. While they haven't actually never been involved in a real war (and I hope they'll never need to - get away from our forests your american bastards! - kidding!), they have extensive training to operate in that kind of enviromnent, having acess and knowledge of the immense Amazonian rainforest. So, I've given the UU the first two Woodsman promotions for free. I think it keeps the UU well balanced, not being overly powerful, while still making it pretty usefull. By taking Woodsman III out of the barracks, this unit can really shine, gaining 2 first strikes, minor healing ability and becoming a total nightmare when operating in forest/jungle tiles. - On a side note: I may release a second version of this mod featuring as UU the "Supertucano", a brazilian jet fighter that is resilient and extremely cheap to produce, while not being fit to rival the "heavyweight" jets of other nations, like MIGs of F-16's (I think the mechanics would fit nice in Civ4... something like a reduced operational range and strengh, but a much lower hammer cost).
Building - This one was hard. Can't think of something unique that is significant enough to feature as Brasil's building. I went for the "Estádio", a soccer (in fact it's called football, but let's not mess with the american's unsophisticated minds - kidding againg!) stadium. Brasil is well know for it's prowess in the sport, and exports loads of players every year to major teams in other countries. It's certainly key to uphold the countries culture. The Maracanã stadium, for example, is well know in the whole world. So we have a Colosseum replacement that let's you run a free artist especialist (your own soccer superstar!) and adds one more slot so you can turn one of your citizens in another artist. Eventually, all these especialists should give you a great artist: your Pelé, Zico, Romário, Ronaldo... Again, it's seens well balanced to me: compare it to the French Salon (a superior building, even if it comes later in the game).
Please, note that this is the first time a mod any game. There are limitations in my mod, and I'll try my best to list them so they are know to those who decide to download. If anything escapes my attention, I'm sorry, and if you point it to me, I'll add it by editing the post in the future. That said, the mod should be fully functional, and I've had a nice time playing with this Civ.
Limitations:
- I can't work with 3d models, so I had to use Paratrooper models for the UU Infantaria da Selva. For me, it's not a problem at all, since they fit perfectly with that jungle camouflage. But that's just me.
- For the same reason, the Estádio UB lacks a different model, using that of the Colosseum which it replaces.
- No new voice files for now, so I had to use those of the Portuguese civilizations. So your brazilians will have a strong portuguese accent for some reason! Again, if you are Polish or something, I doubt it will make any difference to you.
Any problems, please point out an I'll try to help/fix. Thanks and I hope some of you enjoy.
DOWNLOAD: http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=13130&act=down
(Still waiting for moderation to approve the file uploaded to the board servers. If it's not ok to post external links, please inform me).
I'm new to these forums (as a poster, but I've been lurking for a long time, and learned a whole lot from these forums. I'm now an Immortal player and I have the people of this forum's to thank). I'm from Brasil, and some time ago I have created a mod (again, learning from the great tutorials in these forums) for my own use (and that of some friends) featuring the brazilian civilization with President Lula da Silva as a leader. I have now decided to post it here, as a small way to say thanks for the great teachings these boards provided me (and still do).
CIVILIZATION - BRASIL
LEADER - LULA DA SILVA
Leader Traits - Charismatic and Expansive
UU - Infantaria de Selva (replaces Infantry)
UB - Estádio (replaces Colosseum)
LEADER - LULA DA SILVA
Leader Traits - Charismatic and Expansive
UU - Infantaria de Selva (replaces Infantry)
UB - Estádio (replaces Colosseum)
Reasoning behind my choices:
Traits - Well, Charismatic is a given. It fits the guy perfectly, being one of the most popular presidents in the history of Brasil. The other trait was a hard choice. I ended up with Expansive mainly because of some realizations Lula's government: the PAC (Programa de Aceleração de Crescimento - meaning something like "Development Acceleration Program", the discovery of the "Pré-Sal"(huge oil reserves located in deep water, that - if confirmed - will launch Brasil as one of the top Oil producers in the world), and some important social programs (like SUS and Bolsa Família). In my view, these points are at least taking the country some steps forward, which somewhat fits expansive (in a modern way) in my point of view. Those who are brazilians (or very well informed about the country) will know what I'm talking about, and hopefully see some sense in my choice.
Unit - Ok, Brasil was never a military potence. There's no such a thing as a moment in history when Brasil had "more powerful units" then every other nation in the world. So I had to go for some kind of especialized advantage. And by this approach, it is indeed pretty realistic to point to brazilian's rainforest ("Selva") especialized infantry. While they haven't actually never been involved in a real war (and I hope they'll never need to - get away from our forests your american bastards! - kidding!), they have extensive training to operate in that kind of enviromnent, having acess and knowledge of the immense Amazonian rainforest. So, I've given the UU the first two Woodsman promotions for free. I think it keeps the UU well balanced, not being overly powerful, while still making it pretty usefull. By taking Woodsman III out of the barracks, this unit can really shine, gaining 2 first strikes, minor healing ability and becoming a total nightmare when operating in forest/jungle tiles. - On a side note: I may release a second version of this mod featuring as UU the "Supertucano", a brazilian jet fighter that is resilient and extremely cheap to produce, while not being fit to rival the "heavyweight" jets of other nations, like MIGs of F-16's (I think the mechanics would fit nice in Civ4... something like a reduced operational range and strengh, but a much lower hammer cost).
Building - This one was hard. Can't think of something unique that is significant enough to feature as Brasil's building. I went for the "Estádio", a soccer (in fact it's called football, but let's not mess with the american's unsophisticated minds - kidding againg!) stadium. Brasil is well know for it's prowess in the sport, and exports loads of players every year to major teams in other countries. It's certainly key to uphold the countries culture. The Maracanã stadium, for example, is well know in the whole world. So we have a Colosseum replacement that let's you run a free artist especialist (your own soccer superstar!) and adds one more slot so you can turn one of your citizens in another artist. Eventually, all these especialists should give you a great artist: your Pelé, Zico, Romário, Ronaldo... Again, it's seens well balanced to me: compare it to the French Salon (a superior building, even if it comes later in the game).
Please, note that this is the first time a mod any game. There are limitations in my mod, and I'll try my best to list them so they are know to those who decide to download. If anything escapes my attention, I'm sorry, and if you point it to me, I'll add it by editing the post in the future. That said, the mod should be fully functional, and I've had a nice time playing with this Civ.
Limitations:
- I can't work with 3d models, so I had to use Paratrooper models for the UU Infantaria da Selva. For me, it's not a problem at all, since they fit perfectly with that jungle camouflage. But that's just me.
- For the same reason, the Estádio UB lacks a different model, using that of the Colosseum which it replaces.
- No new voice files for now, so I had to use those of the Portuguese civilizations. So your brazilians will have a strong portuguese accent for some reason! Again, if you are Polish or something, I doubt it will make any difference to you.
Any problems, please point out an I'll try to help/fix. Thanks and I hope some of you enjoy.
DOWNLOAD: http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=13130&act=down
(Still waiting for moderation to approve the file uploaded to the board servers. If it's not ok to post external links, please inform me).