K-Mod: Far Beyond the Sword

[noto2]

@mqs yes it would make more sense if a colony were part of a permanent alliance. Even then, colonies get started up so slowly and it would really only make an impact on one type of map - terra.

As for vassals, I leave it on and I really enjoy what it adds to the game. It creates a situation like Bismark era Europe where you can't just ignore what's going on in the world. If other civs are at war and you're being left alone, that's good, but if you sit there and don't get involved, one civ will eventually acquire 4-5 vassals, and at that point will become unstoppable, even if you do have a tech lead. Once a civ has a vassal or two I will actively stop them from getting more, to the point of joining a war on the other side just to stop them from getting more poweful. It forces me to actively participate in global affairs, maintain the balance of power, etc. I find it makes for a much more interesting game.

Also, it does reduce tediousness. I've been playing since civ2. I remember the long slogs of civ2 and civ3, conquering over 200 cities to win the game, long after it was decided.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Was it just me, or did steam release a patch for civ4 recently? Some of the xml seems changed.

On June 5th Steam updated Civ4 to replace GameSpy with Steamworks.

If you are making changes you should be doing them as a Mod rather than changing base XML.

 

[Tasunke]

hey do you have Biplanes in the early war/ great war era?

Also, do you have different types of Infantry as it goes from early riflemen -> civil war riflemen -> WW1 infantry -> WW2 infantry -> assault (1945) infantry -> Vietnam infantry (M-16 w/grenade) -> IFVs (infantry fighting vehicles/modern)

(with IFVs possibly being carriers/apcs for Vietnam infantry units)

and do you have Great War tanks -> Light/Med/Heavy tanks -> Main Battle Tank?

 

[RyanTheGreat]

There is a mod called multiple derivative civs, I think this would be a good addition to k-mod. basically each civ has derivative civs that spawn at random when a colony is created. to me this makes more sense than having a European civ spawn the Mayans which is unrealistic.

 

[Zacar]

In CIV4EraInfos.xml, does iResearchPercent only affect starts of that particular era? Whereas iTechCostModifier sets a global modifier?

I wonder how many of these era settings only affect starts.

 

[Pisskop]

Just dropping in to say that the ai learned not to leave unprotected workers around their backfield when I used aircraft to scorch the improvements and paradropped in to take them. That's pretty awesome! Great work.

 

[noto2]

Just played a game of Civ again, it's been months.

Karadoc: I started near Charlemagne and sword rushed him. He had horses but no copper. He could have saved his capital easily if he had just built archers, being protective and all, but instead of building archers he spammed chariots. It was ridiculous. His capital had like 2 archers and 10 chariots defending it, so my 8 swords took it without breaking a sweat. I don't have a save of the game around that time, unfortunately.

 

[Charles555nc]

I was watching the AI with the map revealed, and I noticed something kinda dramatic to me...AI's with access to two sea resources, actually built a work boat and then sent that first work boat to scout...and then built a 2nd work boat to actually connect one of his sea resources.

This was leading to other AIs kicking the crap out of this one.

So I changed the xml in civ4unitinfos.xml (under kmod folder), work_boat to

<NotUnitAIs>
<UnitAI> <UnitAIType>UNITAI_EXPLORE_SEA</UnitAIType>
<bUnitAI>1</bUnitAI>
</UnitAI>
</NotUnitAIs>

And this seems to be working much better. Galleys or triemes would be better scouts (and less priority than early access to food).

 

[pepoluan]

I enjoy the changes made by K-Mod. However, I would like to merge two other mods with this: Abandon City, and Disable Espionage. Where would I start?

 

[Charles555nc]

When playing kmod I notice that the ai's settler cost 146 and that mine cost 149.

I have aiunitproduction at 90% so I know its not coming from civ4handicapinfos...anyone know where in the code the ai gets like 2% off everything?

I made the ai prefer growth techs and they are expanding way too fast now lol. I just want to set them back about a turn and pay the full amount for a settler.

 

[God-Emperor]

When playing kmod I notice that the ai's settler cost 146 and that mine cost 149.

I have aiunitproduction at 90% so I know its not coming from civ4handicapinfos...anyone know where in the code the ai gets like 2% off everything?

I made the ai prefer growth techs and they are expanding way too fast now lol. I just want to set them back about a turn and pay the full amount for a settler.

The iAIPerEraModifier, perhaps. Every time an era is advanced they AI accumulates that much of an adjustment to many things. On Monarch difficulty it is -2 per era, so they'd get -2% to the cost in the 2nd era (I don't think they get it in the first era).

 

[Charles555nc]

My iAIPerEraModifier is -3 tho (emperor). And Im talking about in the beginning of the game as well.

 

[pepoluan]

Heh heh. I just emerged victorious of a World War.

It was the Terra 2 map, on Large, and the situation was like this:

• Me as Louis XIV
• Gilgamesh
  • Isabella
  • Genghis Khan
  • Charlemagne
  • Montezuma
• Willem van Oranje
• Roosevelt (D)

(D) = Defensive Pact

The Dutch was at war with Gilgamesh & his vassals. I get tired of seeing Willem's forces traversing my land (due to earlier development in which I terminated Ashoka, the Dutch civilizations was surrounded on the West and South by my French civ; on the north by ice; on the East by the Pacific ocean).

So, through the UN, I proposed an end to the war against the Dutch. My vote + Willem's + Roosevelt's are enough, and peace is gained.

Since Willem's already Friendly with me, I signed a Defensive Pact.

For unknown reasons, Gilgamesh declared war against me.

So there. A full fledged World War between me & my pact signers against Gilgamesh and his vassals.

It all ended accidentally. After terminating Genghis Khan and Isabella, reducing Charlemagne to just one city, and carpet nuking Gilgamesh's land (making sure I never agree to the Non Proliferation Treaty), the big man is ready to capitulate, and I demanded capitulation from Gilgamesh, Charlemagne, and Montezuma.

Two turns later, I accidentally won the Domination Victory

Meh.

I had aimed for the Space Victory, actually. Only 8 turns left until my spaceship is complete.

Oh well. Luckily I've turned on AutoSave every 2 turns, and keep the last 100 AutoSaves, so I think I'll go back to the moment before I demanded capitulation, hand over a non-important city to my weakest ally, and prevent Domination Victory.

 

[Charles555nc]

Im still modding the xml, after redoing my changes after the patch reset some of my stuff, grrrr.

Using the vision cheat Ive been looking at the ai alot. I noticed that some beginning techs were great and some were very situational, like fishing (no sea resources no help). I put in huge priorities towards food based techs and survival techs...iron working, bronze working, animal husbandry. I spent at least 3 or 4 days customizing the civ starts so they are more fair and consistent.

I also noticed the ai likes to make some early sea scout units when starting by the sea, while land Ais are making settlers...

So I lowered the fishing boat cost, and the galley...gave palace a +15% production on sea units (doesnt work on fishing boats). Im trying to recreate the "Japan" or "England" feel where a naval based country can compete in the world. The ai loves building moai statues in their sea sided capitals- so I buffed it for +2 happiness, +2 hammers, +2 priest points and a +10% production to sea units, and made it slightly cheaper than stonehenge.

So an island civ with a capital facing the ocean, WITH moai's statue now gets a total +25% towards sea units. They expanding almost as fast as land civs, even to other islands early. And now they have huge island civ vs island civ battles and stay at about the same tech as the land lubbers. But I made a bajillion other changes towards the xml.

Ill attach a save so you can enjoy the chaos, if interested.

 

[Lib.Spi't]

the save won't work without all of your xml changes.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

the save won't work without all of your xml changes.

Yes this should really be a Mod - otherwise no one else will be able to play it!

 

[Charles555nc]

All of the hard work is Karadocs work, I just went up and down the xml...

although it is hilarious that when I adjust the handicap values 1% at a time because just a difference of 2% and sometimes the ai expands out of control lol.

Knowing that I know 0% about non xml programming, is there an easy way I could make and post an adjusted mod so others could give me feedback?

I also made changes to the base global defines, civ traits, tech priorities, tech costs etc...

Edit: I guess zip it and then post in the modpacks forum?

 

[Lib.Spi't]

yeah, name it something like K-Mod: 555 or something then you give credit for the original and also show your changes.

Chances are that you will need to find an external host site (I am not usre how big kmod is zipped?)

Alternatively, you could jsut take your modded xml files and folders (or even the whole kmod xml folder) zip that and then post with instructions that this is to be used with kmod and to over write the xml folder.

that would make the whole zip smaller.

I just looked at it, you can .rar your whole xml folder to less than 1mb, which means you could post it here and in the modpacks sections as an attachment, in your post., that would allow people to use your saves if they overwrite their kmod xml folder (and keep the backup of the kmod one somewhere.)

 

[Charles555nc]

Well I figured out how to post it...now Im thinking about whether I should post it...I have gone back and adjusted every line in the Ai leaderheadinfos, but only for Alexander through Darius I, for example lol. Kinda jerry rigged.

Ive changed almost every unique unit and building and I think I'll go back make sure nothing is overpowered...like I wanted the quechua to be good but I think if the human spams it, it might too good.

And I only play on epic speed and emperor, so I'll need to adjust the handicapinfo for the other difficulties and then attach that file...Im gonna finish a game or two more and then post it methinks.

Like, for example, I gave the explorer combat 5, and gave them two levels in woodsman. So the Ai makes them now, and because of the xml changes, the ai is usually carrying one or two, triple woodsman upgraded explorers- to keep their invasion stacks going...

And the AI makes much more use of machine guns, in stacks...

Edit: Thought I had a win...then Brennus gets factory era gold age while in universal sufferage, caste system, and state property, and wow I thought I wore him down and a huge stack top and east pop up...hold the line!!

 

[Zillaxwafer]

I love the direction K-Mod is going, but I was wondering if you put any thought into the Air, Sea, and Nuclear combat mechanics of the game? For example, if memory serves, you can't actually kill a unit with an air unit, you can only bring him down to negligible health. That gets kind of ridiculous when I am carpet bombing an area and he is still razing plots of land. Why do Sam infantry have to be present to defend a city against aircraft? Why can't there be a Sam Emplacement buildings? Why can't the city itself attack the unit? Why is it that a 0.1 health horseman can conquer my city in modern days if all I have is air units and sea units present? Cities should have some sort of built in attack strength.... Especially since conquering one reduces its population!

When it comes to Naval units, even the ones that could barrage cities (and therefore can obviously deal some damage to land based units) cannot attack ground units. Not even as air units currently do where it is an incomplete kill! What then becomes the point of a navy? Patrolling the oceans and cutting off trade routes? Well the "Explore" option, even in war, rarely results in my ships killing enemy ships, even if they pass right by them. The "Patrol" option makes them stand still and only attack things that end their turn NEXT to the unit. If "Patrol" made them "Explore" inside of the current borders of wherever they were, and attack any unit in movement range when able. I could see it being a bit more useful.

Nuclear combat just halves the population of a city, if memory serves I had a small 1 tile island city I was up against that I must have hit with 4-5 ICBMs and it wouldn't die at 1 population. That seriously needs to be addressed. Nukes should be able to erase cities....

Then a final bit is why do ranged attack units have to enter the square they just attacked into? The battle takes place with the ranged units still on the city square, more or less. Why can't I attack a unit adjacent to the city with a ranged unit, and then keep him in the city? I mean if he were attacking an enemy stack of units this would happen, so why not on victory too?

Just some random ideas. I hate what they did with Civ5, so it looks like I'm going to be playing civ4 a lot longer, and after so long, its the little things. XD I know your not exactly god... but you seem to have quite a fair bit of skill at this.