"Competent Lua scripter...?" Clearly, you're not familiar with my work...
Whither Grand Colossal Persia?
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): I was asked to....
I can't speak very much about the request for this mod, but I can tell you why I decided to build it. It appears to me that the requestor for this mod(Steam user
@ Adam Jensen 007) wanted a custom civ to participate in some kind of Deity-level AI deathmatch games (additional info:
). Adam will have to add the deeper background as to
why such a mod is needed.
I know nothing about such things, and care even less. The
content inside the mod was of less importance to me than the
process of actually building it was.
I get requests to build mods all the time. I generally don't accept most of them, as I simply don't have the time. But this case was a little different. Some background:
About 3 months ago, I took a break from modding. My "World at War" scenario for WW2 (
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1689346337) had just about broke me. It was, however, a pretty good outcome for my
real project, the
"Scenario Management Engine (SME)" - a library of tools that allows you to build a brand new, custom scenario by filling in just a handful of information. This data-driven design allows you to build something
almost as powerful as a R.E.D. scenario in a couple of hours time - once familiar with the engine.
At any rate, after a few months of rest, I decided to come back to modding, with a list of projects I plan to work on. About this same time, I received the request for an OP Persian mod from
@ Adam Jensen 007. The mod looked fairly straightforward, and I felt like I needed a "starter project" to re-familiarize myself with the game's database schemas, interrelationships, etc. Seemed like something I could use to get back up to speed on the data side of the game.
Creating a custom civ (minus the artwork) usually requires only a few hours. I think I have about 4 hours of total development time invested in Grand Colossal Persia. About 2 more in building the Steam portion (getting screenshots, writing the Description, etc.). Getting the 16 new units models reskinned, recolored, and working is often beyond a starter modder's capability. Customizing attack animations is way beyond. It requires much more knowledge than simply XML/SQL/Civ5 SDK. It involves using Photoship/Gimp2, SQLiteSpy, Agent Ransak for research, IndiestoneMaterialMaker, etc. To many modders, especially beginners, this is just not possible.
In an attempt to improved the
immersive qualities of the gaming experience, more work was required than simply working trying to get Danrell's models up and running. Fortunately, I've done a lot of this in the past, so it wasn't very time consuming for me.
You are definitely correct that collaborating the specs of the civ took time. It generally does in all software development timelines. Fortunately, while I was waiting on input from Adam, I was working on the update to several of my "World at War" mods, planning to release a broad update in the next few days. Mostly cleaning up inconsistencies within the mods and how they interact with other mods in the family. And adding about 38 new units (16 Chinese, 10 Dutch, 8 Japanese, and a few others ) to the "Unique Units" companion mod.
And despite the OP nature of this mod, I do plan on releasing a "balanced" version once this mod goes from BETA to Stable. Why? Well, many, many modders have released custom civs that overlap the game's normal civs. And why not? We mod because there's something in the game that missing, broken, wrong, needs improving, etc. We all feel like we can add some enjoyment to the game for a select number of players who might be interested in the content. If it weren't for modders (especially
@thecrazyscot), I would have given up on Civ5 in the first couple of weeks of playing. Discovering the crazy scotsman's Omnibus mod led me to a 3 year love affair with a game I think (with all its flaws) is awesome! Contributing even my little bit to the total content available in support of this game makes me quite happy!
Additionally, at the very beginning, I realized the main value of building this mod was not for the purposes of adding a ridiculously OP Persian civ. I saw the potential in converting the civ to a viable alternative Persian Civ to players interested in such a gaming experience, but one different to the game's "normal" Persian civ. And getting good feedback from players of that mod might help me fill a void for players what like Persia, but aren't 100% happy with the game's version of that civ.
In the case for a normal version of GCP - the mod will add 14 reskinned units, giving a player a much richer, immersive gaming experience. Your armies throughout the Tech Tree will
look much more Persian. The 2 new units have a Persian look and feel as well. Heck, even their custom promotion is named after Zoroastrian eschatological principles. Add to that the beautiful artwork from talented modders like Hierarchy Artanis and yourself (all used in compliance with the Modiquette), the mod itself is simply beautiful, and definitely will add a quality gaming experience to a player interested in a deeper Persian game.
So,
Bottom Line At Bottom (BLAB): I created the custom civ at a request of a player. It required a handful of hours, and provided me a much-needed refresher into the databases the game uses. It allowed me to give a little back to the wonderful community that has given quite a bit to me. It's been a helpful experience to me, and I hope that anyone really interested in a Persian-focused gaming experience will enjoy it as well!