naf4ever
Dread Lord
Mod – Ultimate Strategy
release version .48 w/ alternative tech trading model
Current Status:
- Version .48 is out. It contains a few more bug fixes, refinement of the free specialist for creative trait and a few other minor tweaks. - 04/29/06
- Im starting up grad school soon and wont have a lot of time to keep doing this mod unfortunetly. I've enjoyed it a lot but im putting this mod on hold for the time being. - 04/04/06
- A better explanation of how some of the new features work along with more pictures have been added below. - 04/04/06
Currently Working on:
- Adding more variety and differences between the civics and traits.
- Contemplating how to create and maybe add a cruise missle unit. This isnt for sure though.
Here are some pics and explanations of the new features added:
The new Medicinal Herbs resource gives all your units increased healing and a slight combat bonus from maintaining better health.
Salt is one of the oldest preservatives around. Here it gives an increase to food yield in all your cities.
The Coffee resource does nothing on its own but allows you to build the powerful Coffee House building. As you can see it increases happiness and the caffiene fix helps to boost productivity and commerce.
I added the super-cool PlotList enhancement by 12monkeys. It lets you manage stacks of units much better and apply all sorts of filters to them. Check out the readme on it for details on how to customize it.
I borrowed the slavery model from Kael's Fall from Heaven. You have a 1 in 4 chance to capture slaves when you win a battle in that civic. The slave units can then be used as moderate workers or sac'd to slightly increase production of a building or wonder.
All units will now receive this bonus when you are in the "Nationhood" civic as long as they are in your own territory. Excludes boats and helicopters.
Watermills and workshops have gotten much needed upgrades. They will now give a bonus to your city based on how many of them are being worked within the city radius. This pictures shows an example. Workshops give a bonus to production, watermills to gold. Read the version notes for more information on them.
Standard tech trading (swapping techs) has been disabled in this mod. It is replaced with a unique technology transfer bonus instead that is based on open border treaties. For example in the above picture you can engage in a "technology transfer" by researching any of the techs under the "Has available for trade" section. The catch is you just have to be trading with them, hence have an open borders treaty with that person. They will also get this bonus from you when they are researching the appropriate techs so be cautious to whom you give treaties.
This is the technology transfer bonus you then get if you are researching a tech that someone you have an open borders treaty with already has. This replacement to tech swapping basically symbolizes things like merchants bringing back knowledge from far away lands, trade and commerce that gives exposure to new technologies and ideas, etc...
The new early era scout/spy available at writing.
Additional Changes:
- A number of the civics have been changed around to become more useful, especially the labor ones.
- Weak and underused units and buildings have been tweaked and improved.
- Some of the traits have undergone changes. Industrial now gives +1 hammer on squares already producing 3 or more instead of the wonder bonus. Creative leaders now receive a free artist in all cities size 12 or greater.
Other Features:
The purpose of this mod is to take a very analytical look at vanilla civ and then proceed to balance out numerous issues with the goal of adding strategy, variety and fun to the game especially in regards to competitive multiplayer games. In addition I loved playing the current mods out there already yet most of the time was wishing there was one that combined certain elements from one mod with the unique features of another while maintaining game balance and fun. It is my hope this mod does this. Furthermore every major change or addition to this mod along with the reasoning behind it will be detailed in the Alteration Analysis that you can download and look at. The goal of this is to put these changes to public scrutiny and examination in order to encourage lively debate with the purpose of generating more well thought out ideas for improving the game.
Big thanks to Sevo for letting me borrow some of his python code to get me started with and whose mod is still one of my favorites and inspired me to make this one.
Downloads:
Alteration Analysis - Being re-done
Ultimate Strategy mod v.48 hosted on FileFront - 11 megs (If you're having problems downloading it pick a different download server from their list.)
To install simply extract the .zip file to your Civilization 4\Mods directory. Then in the main menu choose "Advanced" and "Load a Mod" then pick Ultimate Strategy.
To install a patch simply extract the .zip file to you Civilization 4\Mods directory EXACTLY as you did when you installed the mod to begin with.
Version Notes:
Click the spoiler button to see all the changes in the game in relation to basic civilization 4.
Spoiler :
Ultimate Strategy
release version .48
Trait Changes:
Creative now gives a free specialist for large cities size 12 and up instead of a free artist.
Civic Changes:
Slightly increased the amount of production from pop rushing and from sacraficing slave units.
Resource Changes:
Made the new Herbs, Salt and Coffee resources slightly more rare.
Fixed a bug with tech selection and the tech transfer bonus.
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Ultimate Strategy
release version .45
Gameplay Changes:
Updated most values to be consistant with civ4 version 1.61. The things I didnt update are:
1) Kremlin still gives -50% hurry discount instead of -33% as in version 1.61
2) SDI cost remains 2000 instead of 1000 as in version 1.61.
3) Nationhood cost remains "Low" instead of "none" as in version 1.61.
Civic Changes:
Got rid of the slave specialist. You can still capture slaves when in the slavery civic but now they are actual units. They are basically workers who perform tasks at 50% the normal rate and can also be sacraficed in cities for 15 hammers toward production of a wonder or building.
Resources Added:
Salt - Requires a quarry to make accessible. Will give you +10% to food yield in all your cities.
Coffee - Requires a plantation to make accessible. Allows you to build Coffee Houses (described below).
Medicinal Herbs - Requires a plantation to make accessible. Grants all your non-machine based units (melee, archer, mounted, gunpowder and recon) the Medicinal Herbs promotion (described below).
Buildings Added:
Coffee Houses - Requires Coffee in order to build. Gives +1 happiness, +10% production and +10% commerce as long as you have access to the coffee resource.
Promotions Added:
Medicinal Herbs - Gives +5% heal in friendly/neutral/enemy territory and +5% combat strength.
Mod additions:
PlotList Enhancement - This is a really awesome mod that lets you manage large stacks of units much better. Refer to the readme to see everything it does. The .ini file for it lets you customize quite a bit of how you want unit stacks displayed.
Mod Changes:
Updated Modified Domestic Advisor
Updated Modified Specialist Stacker
removed enhanced military advisor (for the time being at least) because it isnt compatible with civ4 version 1.61.
(Ive also included the readme's for the more complex mods incorporated into this one so you can see more clearly what they are doing and how you can customize them.)
Known issues:
The new civ4 version 1.61 patch has caused a few known issues. So far all are just graphical and dont really affect gameplay:
1) Sometimes you see two research number indicators in the lower left info box when you mouseover the research bar at the top. One is nonsense with erratic numbers.
2) If you switch techs in the middle of researching one and that switch should normally result in the Tech Transfer bonus being applied or unapplied sometimes you won't see it take place instantly or it will get applied inappropriately. This gets resolved correctly though at the end of the turn before research generated so no tech is actually lost or falsely gained.
Im working to fix all of these.
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Ultimate Strategy
release version .40
Gameplay Changes:
The Science Rep has been removed for the time being until i can have fill a better role. Tech trading is now like it was before but with the bonus done via the tech transfer building (this should cause less out-of-sync errors than previously). So if you have open borders with someone and you are researching a tech they already have, you now get the "Tech Transfer" bonus in all your cities (which is equivlant to +100% to research).
Improvement Changes:
Workshops and Watermills - now give a bonus to the city based on how many there are in the city radius fat cross.
1-2 workshops in the city radius will give +5% to production
3-4 workshops in the city radius will give +10% to production
5+ workshops in the city radius will give +15% to production
1-2 watermills in the city radius will give +5% to gold
3-4 watermills in the city radius will give +10% to gold
5+ watermillsin the city radius will give +15% to gold
The tiles with the workshop or watermills MUST be worked to get this bonus.
Promotions added:
Nationalist - +10% strength, +10% city defense. This promotion is automatically given to all non-naval, non-helicopter units that are within their own territory if the player is in the nationhood civic. This promotion goes away if they switch civics or leave their territory.
Promotion Changes:
Exceptional - increased strength bonus from 15 to +20%
Wonder Changes:
Universal Sufferage - great person bonus reduced from 50 to 25%
Unit Changes:
Informant - increased speed from 1 to 2
Civic Changes:
Universal Sufferage - no longer enables rushing production with gold. It now gives +100% cottage/village/etc. growth. Removed the +10% to war weariness.
Emancipation - now enables rushing with gold and doesnt have the growth bonus anymore since universal sufferage has it.
Caste system - no longer allows unlimited specialists. Instead it gives +1 free specialists to all cities.
Free Speech - now allows unlimited artists. Removed the +10% to war weariness.
Free Market - now allows unlimited merchants.
Free Religeon - now allows unlimited scientists.
Slavery - has the new slave/caputure specialist function (already implemented last update)
Serfdom - now gives +1 commerce/farm (seems reasonable, the old bonus was too geographic-specific)
Mercantalism - no longer gives +1 free specialists. Now gives +25% gold to all cities.
Feudalism - increased the amount of free units per/population. Before it gave a base of 5 free units + 1 for every 10 population in your empire. It still gives a base of 5 free units but now gives +1.5 additional free units for every 10 population in your empire.
Nationalism - All units in this civic (except naval and helicopter) receive the Nationalist promotion as long as they remain inside their own territory. This bonus is removed if they leave their territory or if you switch civics.
General:
Ive been trying to clean up the code some and get rid of poorly written functions. This should help those of you experiencing out-of-sync problems. This will be an on-going process but its making progress.
Fixed a bug with the creative trait improvement not deleting the free artist when population dropped below the needed amount.
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Ultimate Strategy
release version .35
Gameplay Changes:
Technology Trading - Ive totally redone the tech trading model. Its less buggy and more fun now. Tech trading is now done via a unit called the "Science Rep." If you are researching a tech that an ally of yours has AND your science rep is in one of their towns you will now get a bonus in the form of the Tech Exchange building that appears in your cities. In addition if your science rep is in a foreign city you have a 1% chance every turn for him to inspire a foreign great scientist to join your cause (this chance happens regardless if you are getting the tech bonus or not so always try to have your science rep in a foreign city). NOTE: An automated feature has been implemented so that the AI will get the appropriate bonus if they are rearching tradable tech even if their science rep doesnt meet the critera. This basically simulates a player who super optimizes the use of their science rep.
Slavery - When in slavery you have a 25% chance to capture a slave every time you win a battle. This slave then joins one of your cities at random and becomes a slave specialist that gives +1 production. Each town can have a max number of slaves no more than half their population (rounded down). If you are at your max in all your cities you wont generate any more slaves.
If you switch out of the slavery your slaves will be liberated and will dissappear. Because of this upgrade to slavery the bonus for sacraficing people from pop rush has been reduced back down to 30 hammers.
Mod Changes:
TechConquest - now gives the following points for capturing a city: A base amount of tech points equivlant to the 2% (of the tech cost) times the population of the city plus a bonus amount equal to a random amount of 3% times the population of the city. In essence if you take over a city:
#size 5 you will get between 10 and 25 percent of the tech . Or an avg of 17.5% gained
#Size 10 city gives 20 to 50 percent. avg of 35% gained
#size 15 between 30 and 75 % . avg of 52.5% gained
#size 20 between 40 and 100% . avg of 70% gained
Added Mods:
Specialist Stacker by The_Lopez - This lets you see more of the super specialists. This was needed so you can see them all when you have lots of slave specialists.
Added Units:
Science Rep of course! - 2 movement, 60 cost available with writing. National unit (1 max)
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Ultimate Strategy
release version .25
Gameplay Changes:
New Technology trading model implemented. Technology trading in the form of tech swapping is now gone. Technology trading is now a part of open border agreements. If you have an open border agreement with someone and are researching a tech that they already have you will get a +100% bonus to research at the end of that turn. You will get a bonus of +100% max regardless of how many people you have open borders with possesses that tech. This 100% bonus is based off your total current research points in your empire (the number that appears in the financial screen).
Furthermore once you get Scientific Method this bonus gets increased by an additional amount equivlant to +100% of the total science research from specialists. Example: If your empire is producing 90 research points and 30 of it is coming from specialists then you will get a total bonus of 120.
Note: The technology progress on the main screen and the tech screen are slightly off because they don't capture these bonus reseach points. Im working on interface changes now to correct for this.
Trait Changes:
Creative - Tweaked the free specialist bonus as it was quite powerful before. This trait now functions exactly like it does in vanilla civ except cities size 12 and greater now get a free artist specialist. The bonus 2 culture from the trait is no longer removed when the free artist appears.
Bug fixes:
Fixed the modified industrial trait. It now functions like it should.
Mod Changes:
Removed Settler Religeon mod
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Ultimate Strategy
release version .17
Trait Changes:
Industrial - altered so now it simply gives +1 hammer on tiles already producing 3 or more. The wonder production bonus has been removed.
Creative - This still gives +2 free culture/city but only to cities size 7 or lower. Once it gets to size 8 this bonus gets replaced with a free artist specialist instead!
Aggressive - Has an increased chance to produce "Exceptional" units which are detailed below.
Game Additions:
There is now a random 1 in 20 chance that any combat unit you build will receive the "Exceptional" promotion. Civs with the Aggressive trait have their chance increased to 1 in 14.
Exceptional promotion gives: +10% withdrawl, +1 first strike, +5% heal in enemy and neutral and +15% strength.
Cleaned up and removed some unit graphics not being used.
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Ultimate Strategy
release version .15
(All changes listed here are explained in more detail in the alteration analysis.)
Diplomatic changes:
Tech trading – now requires education (temporary until the new tech trading model detailed in the alteration analysis is complete)
Permanent Alliances – now available with constitution
Trait Changes:
Creative - added +10% bonus to research
Unit Changes:
Bomber - increased range to 10
Stealth Bomber - increased range to 14
Musketman - added +25% city defense
French Musketeer - added +25% city defense, increased strength to 10
Artillery - increased withdraw chance from 25% to 30%
Mongol Keshik - added +1 first strike chance
Arabian Camel Archer – added +25% desert defense
Cannon - Now available with Chemistry
Ironclad - increased power to 14, movement to 3
Aztec Jaguar Warrior - increased power now 6, added +25% to forest defense
Civic Changes:
Slavery - increased production from sacrificed pop to 40
Serfdom – added +2 bonus commerce from plantations
Increased medium and high upkeep costs
Pacifism - upkeep increased to low
Slavery – upkeep increased to low
Religion Changes:
Buddhism - spread factor reduced to 90
Polytheism - spread factor reduced to 90
Judaism - spread factor reduced to 95
Confucianism – remained same at 100
Christianity - spread factor increased to 105
Taoism - spread factor increased to 110
Islam - spread factor increased to 120
Building Changes:
Castles - now available with monarchy
Colosseum - changed to 10% culture/happiness, added +1 culture
Factory - now generates an additional +1 unhealthiness
Recycling center – now gives a flat +2 health bonus
Improvement Changes:
Lumber mill - now available with machinery
Cottages – now require monarchy
Winery – now available with pottery
Project Changes:
SDI - cost increased to 2000
Added World Wonders:
Great Wall - requires construction, free wall in every city
Mausoleum of Mausollos - requires alphabet, +1 happy on continent
Art of War - requires Feudalism, +2 xps
Leonardo's Workship - requires machinery, +1 science/specialist
Tsukiji Fish Market - requires economics, gives tuna resource
Copernicus' Observatory - requires Astronomy, +100% research in city
Universal Suffrage - requires industrialism, +50% great people rate in all cities
Cure for Cancer - requires genetics, +1 happy, +1 health
Added Promotions:
Arctic Combat I
Arctic Combat II
Desert Combat I
Desert Combat II
Added Units:
Cataphract – power 6, 2 moves, +25% vs melee, requires horseback riding and bronze working, requires horses and either copper or iron
Bazooka – power 20, +50% vs armor, -50% versus gunpowder, requires artillery and assembly line
AEGIS cruiser – power 34, 60% intercept, +25% attack vs nuclear sub, requires computers, satellite and plastics
howitzer – power 22, 2 moves (an improved artillery), requires robotics
nuclear sub – power 32, 1 first strike, 50% withdraw (late game sub), requires fusion
Informant – 1 move, early era spy unit, national unit (1 max), no espionage or sabotage, requires writing
Added mods:
settler religion - settler will have a religion based on the religion of the city it was made in
real fort upgrades - improved forts
improved domestic advisor screen
improved foreign advisor screen
small tweaks and improvements to general interface
tech conquest - you now have a chance to gain research points when taking over a city
cultural decay – This mod makes two significant changes to culture. First, any time a city is lost (conquered, destroyed, etc), it sends a "Culture Shock" through the region, resulting in the loss of 50-75% of the culture generated by the city. Note, this culture is NOT the culture visible in the city screen, it is the culture that determines the city boundaries, and which Empire will be able to work a square. The Culture Shock makes it much easier for an Empire to exert control over squares surrounding a city when it is conquered. The second thing it does (which gives it its name) is cause squares outside of an Empire's borders to slowly lose culture over time. This loss (5% of the square's culture every turn, resulting in a half-life of roughly 14 turns) makes it harder for an Empire to regain lands that they lost in the past.