Hello everyone!
Gazebo here. Though I enjoy my work on CSD, I've been considering working on a new mod for Civilization V for some time now, and I'm interested in a bit of feedback. I really enjoy the mechanics introduced by Brave New World, however the introduction of late-game mechanics such as ideologies has illuminated the absence of what I believe is a key element of history from the post-renaissance era: the economic divergence caused by industrialization and the rapid process of urbanization that occurred thereafter.
In the current game, the transition into industrialization and the construction of factories feels too smooth; in other words, it does not illustrate the sudden burst of economic productivity that occurred in the 19th century. Even the tech tree is organized in an somewhat odd fashion (Industrialization before the railroad?).
As a history professor, I'd like to bring a bit more realism into the industrial era. This isn't an economic rebalance per se, but rather a re-imagining of the difficulties created by the industrializing process. This will create economic imbalances between civs. That's the goal. That is what happened historically, and it is, in my opinion, far more interesting to see economic divergence play out in the simulation (rather than everyone getting access to everything).
Mod goals:
- Highlight the massive improvement in efficiency during the industrial revolution, particularly advances in farming (allowing for larger cities), fuel (the importance of coal and, later, oil) and the innovative role of factories in increasing the commercial viability of smaller countries such as Britain.
- Create an in-game divergence between industrial and nonindustrial countries that, due to resources, unhappiness or debt, will make industrialization a late-game hurdle, rather than a speed bump. I want to make happiness, not gold, the key contention here, as it is the game's best representation of stability.
- Increase the cost of post-industrial buildings and units to highlight the growing importance of industrialization, and create a tier of 'non-industrial' military units and buildings that highlight the 20th century divergence of the world into 'industrial' and 'nonindustrial' regions.
Industrial Wonders:I'd like to add a few key wonders to the renaissance and industrial ages that will give the creator of the wonder an era-wide advantage in economic productivity (this will symbolize the leaps in industrial technology pioneered by Britain, Germany, the US, et. al. during the 19th century)
Current concepts:
- The Newcomen Engine: free Factory, boost to production for mines in city where it is built available during the late Renaissance
- Pasteurization: boost to population in all cities, increased amount of food production, and a small boost to happiness, available in industrial era
Buildings:
Greater connections between economic output and science during the industrial era, as most technological innovations in this time came from practical solutions to economic problems, not academia.
Industrial buildings, like factories, should generate a lot more productivity at the cost of happiness, not gold. Production boosts should be based on city size (tied to # of tiles worked). Production on farms, mines, etc. should increase, not just baseline production.
The Industrial Age should also include buildings that more rapidly increase population over time and give one-shot boosts to population growth, such as sewer systems, hospitals, etc.
All industrial buildings should draw upon a particular resource, so as to highlight the economic diversity of the modern world based on environmental determinism. If you want to build a Cotton Mill, for example, but you lack Cotton, you'll need to take it by force! If you don't have it, and can't get it, civs that have it will gain an economic advantage over you. The more resources you have, the more effective your industries, particularly if those resources are in your borders.
There will be a tier of buildings that require no resources and do not consume happiness, but will be vastly less useful than their resource-requiring counterparts. This will allow civs with minimal or no industrial resources to stay afloat, but slowly slip into obscurity if they don't gain the goods they need.
The same applies to military units - melee-oriented units will persist into the industrial and modern eras, at reduced costs and extremely limited combat potential. This will, ideally, create the 'guns v. swords' style of combat seen during the age of high imperialism in the late 19th century.
Policies:
The commerce tree, though good, has a limited avenue of potential for some civilizations. I'd like to make it more of a 'fertile ground' for rapid industrialization than it currently is. Discounts to factories, free happiness from some industrial buildings, etc. Essentially, do for industrialization what Piety does for early and effective religion creation.
If interest is strong, I'm going to begin making this mod. Feel free to give me your opinions!
Take care,
Gazebo
Gazebo here. Though I enjoy my work on CSD, I've been considering working on a new mod for Civilization V for some time now, and I'm interested in a bit of feedback. I really enjoy the mechanics introduced by Brave New World, however the introduction of late-game mechanics such as ideologies has illuminated the absence of what I believe is a key element of history from the post-renaissance era: the economic divergence caused by industrialization and the rapid process of urbanization that occurred thereafter.
In the current game, the transition into industrialization and the construction of factories feels too smooth; in other words, it does not illustrate the sudden burst of economic productivity that occurred in the 19th century. Even the tech tree is organized in an somewhat odd fashion (Industrialization before the railroad?).
As a history professor, I'd like to bring a bit more realism into the industrial era. This isn't an economic rebalance per se, but rather a re-imagining of the difficulties created by the industrializing process. This will create economic imbalances between civs. That's the goal. That is what happened historically, and it is, in my opinion, far more interesting to see economic divergence play out in the simulation (rather than everyone getting access to everything).
Mod goals:
- Highlight the massive improvement in efficiency during the industrial revolution, particularly advances in farming (allowing for larger cities), fuel (the importance of coal and, later, oil) and the innovative role of factories in increasing the commercial viability of smaller countries such as Britain.
- Create an in-game divergence between industrial and nonindustrial countries that, due to resources, unhappiness or debt, will make industrialization a late-game hurdle, rather than a speed bump. I want to make happiness, not gold, the key contention here, as it is the game's best representation of stability.
- Increase the cost of post-industrial buildings and units to highlight the growing importance of industrialization, and create a tier of 'non-industrial' military units and buildings that highlight the 20th century divergence of the world into 'industrial' and 'nonindustrial' regions.
Industrial Wonders:I'd like to add a few key wonders to the renaissance and industrial ages that will give the creator of the wonder an era-wide advantage in economic productivity (this will symbolize the leaps in industrial technology pioneered by Britain, Germany, the US, et. al. during the 19th century)
Current concepts:
- The Newcomen Engine: free Factory, boost to production for mines in city where it is built available during the late Renaissance
- Pasteurization: boost to population in all cities, increased amount of food production, and a small boost to happiness, available in industrial era
Buildings:
Greater connections between economic output and science during the industrial era, as most technological innovations in this time came from practical solutions to economic problems, not academia.
Industrial buildings, like factories, should generate a lot more productivity at the cost of happiness, not gold. Production boosts should be based on city size (tied to # of tiles worked). Production on farms, mines, etc. should increase, not just baseline production.
The Industrial Age should also include buildings that more rapidly increase population over time and give one-shot boosts to population growth, such as sewer systems, hospitals, etc.
All industrial buildings should draw upon a particular resource, so as to highlight the economic diversity of the modern world based on environmental determinism. If you want to build a Cotton Mill, for example, but you lack Cotton, you'll need to take it by force! If you don't have it, and can't get it, civs that have it will gain an economic advantage over you. The more resources you have, the more effective your industries, particularly if those resources are in your borders.
There will be a tier of buildings that require no resources and do not consume happiness, but will be vastly less useful than their resource-requiring counterparts. This will allow civs with minimal or no industrial resources to stay afloat, but slowly slip into obscurity if they don't gain the goods they need.
The same applies to military units - melee-oriented units will persist into the industrial and modern eras, at reduced costs and extremely limited combat potential. This will, ideally, create the 'guns v. swords' style of combat seen during the age of high imperialism in the late 19th century.
Policies:
The commerce tree, though good, has a limited avenue of potential for some civilizations. I'd like to make it more of a 'fertile ground' for rapid industrialization than it currently is. Discounts to factories, free happiness from some industrial buildings, etc. Essentially, do for industrialization what Piety does for early and effective religion creation.
If interest is strong, I'm going to begin making this mod. Feel free to give me your opinions!
Take care,
Gazebo
= +1 food surplus, 4+ 
