A mortal engines mod

[matteo773]

I was just wondering if anyone else has read the books thinks it would be a good idea to create a mod of this. I thought of making one for civ 3 (which I actually knew how to mod...), but realised it would be impossible to program in moving cities. But now I've got civ 4.... I realised that it would be possible to program into the game.

I thought this would be a fun mod to play, so if anyone can help me to work out how to mod or do the mod themselves (I would probably be a liability and lack patience...) please say so .

The mod would probably be based on the last 2 books as then you could have the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft and the green storm as the two major civs. The only problem would be the other cities, and how they're divided up.... Oh and I wasn't planning on including MEDUSA or ODIN as it would be a bit of a bummer to have all your cities razed in a single turn with nothing to do about it.

Here are some links to explain a little about the plot of the books for those of you who haven't read the books.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_Engines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator%27s_Gold

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infernal_Devices

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Darkling_Plain

So what do you guys think?

 

[dalek master]

I have always wanted to try and do this, but I gave it up because it would have to have so muich work in C aparently....but anything small about XML or graphics I would help with if enough people are serious. Btw, make sure you have dots moving around Europe on the main menu .
Those books are epics. Not realy in story, but in imagery and scale, it deserves to be a movie more than a lot of children books that do.

 

[matteo773]

Thanks for the support!

I have always wanted to try and do this, but I gave it up because it would have to have so muich work in C aparently....

I thought it would.... that's why i need someone to at least get me started.

Would there be a way to program cities to baheve like units (so it would be like a mech. infantry a transport and a city)?

Those books are epics. Not realy in story, but in imagery and scale, it deserves to be a movie more than a lot of children books that do.

Well they'd be better than the Harry Potter movies. I'd like to see how Harry handles a battlestalker!

 

[dalek master]

I thought it would.... that's why i need someone to at least get me started.

Would there be a way to program cities to baheve like units (so it would be like a mech. infantry a transport and a city)?

I asked someone. They said it could work. But the thing is I can't imagne it easy to actauly add into the game, even if it happened. I mean you'd have to cahnge a lot of things to make it comfotrable for the player, and there is all sorts of little rules you'd have to think about. And what about EATING other cities? How woudl the AI know what to eat? Well I suppose they woudln't.....you could have a "salvage" abilty for you cities during the Green Storm war, so they could eat each other but are more vunerable to Bombs for longer.

Either way, this will not be easy. I realy want this to happen though.

 

[matteo773]

I asked someone. They said it could work.

Well that's good news!

They said it could work. But the thing is I can't imagne it easy to actauly add into the game, even if it happened. I mean you'd have to cahnge a lot of things to make it comfotrable for the player, and there is all sorts of little rules you'd have to think about.

Not so good news. I may start to look in to different ways I could do this with help from various tutorials. But that won't happen until tommorrow.

And what about EATING other cities?

Well I think it should increase the city size, by adding 50% of the population (not size, you'd have HUGE cities) and a 50% chance to have each of the buildings from the city being eaten placed in their city (except for palaces and buildings already built, the city would gain any wonders which had been built automatically). But htis would be extremely hard to do.

How woudl the AI know what to eat?

There must be a way to tell units only to attack other units which are few strength points higher than them or lower. If not they'll just have to hope.

you could have a "salvage" abilty for you cities during the Green Storm war, so they could eat each other but are more vunerable to Bombs for longer.

sounds like a good idea, I had a differen idea. you have the green storm and the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft as the two main civs with 16 (I'm right about there being a 18 civ limit aren't I?) main cities and their suburbs. Each civ is allied to the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft but at war with each other but I'm not sure if that will work. Also their should be pirate cities I guess because otherwise their wouldn't be many cities.

I have a whole load of questions right now but i'll just ask just a few for now. How should hammers, food, and gold be included? (Obviously anti-tractionist cities should be as normal).

Should you gain hammers from eating other cities say 75 per city size and you have to use it wisely before you run out. But can also build recycling centers to produce a few hammers a turn/make buildings and units cost less.

Food could be gained from cities and produced in farms.

Gold should be gained from cities and from trading (like great merchants except the unit you'd use (airship?) wouldn't be consumed and less would be gained from it.

Should old tech trading be included? If so how?

Should resources be "eaten" from the ground?

How many reiligions should be in game?

Should the space race victory be a super-weapon?

EDIT: Just thought of new questions. Cities would need to be upgraded with promotions as well as buildings, but what should say the engines be upgraded by? If you built it as a building I geuss you could have promotions to upgrade the engines make them more effiecient (see next question)/faster.

Should fuel be included to power you're cities engines?

 

[dalek master]

all good.

1) What would the religions be?
2) Yes, cities would realy have to take stuff from the ground, but this can probably be ignored, as you could just say the cities people do it themselves. You don't need to trouble your big fat mayor's arse on it.
3) I was thinking of a scenario mod, and whoever has the most points at the end wins,
4) Old tech could be python events. After a while, somebody finds this tech, and it becomes used, or maybe there is a one off missile you find, and you just get one of that missile etc. Otherwise it can be absorbed into normal gameplay, with techs etc.
5) Ideas for civs (I presume it starts in PG, and ends in DP):

Traktionstadtsgesellschaft (I hope he was drunk when he thought of that)
Green StormAnti-Traction League
Pirates
Traction cities (there are possibly lots and they are always at war..except most are hidden and they all have the same name, so it looks like they are fighting themselves, giving the feeling it is a single NPC nation even more)
Air Traders (like Traction cities, but the airships)

this is ofcourse only brainstorming. I have no idea how to do them.

 

[matteo773]

1) What would the religions be?

Well, there would be all the ones mentioned in the books (I geuss I'll have to re-read them ), I think I remember christianity, Clio, the airgods?, and quirke although he was the god of london.

3) I was thinking of a scenario mod, and whoever has the most points at the end wins,

This probably be much easier and better than what I was thinking.

Good ideas on civs but I'm wondering how to include the airtraders in game... oh well I'll start looking around the XML seeing if there's anything I can do in there.

 

[matteo773]

Well over the last 5 hours I've found out I'm no programmer. I tried to give the city movement at the least and it wouldn't do what I wanted it to do. So unless there is someone who can program who's interested in this mod or helping me A LOT; I don't think this mod will go anywhere.

 

[dalek master]

say "looking for C++ programmers for Mortal Engine mod! " in you siggy. I will too I realy want a civ4 mod of this...

 

[matteo773]

I'm beginning to the think we're the only people who've read these books... In the meantime I'll begin to put together all the ideas we have and see if I can do anything.

 

[matteo773]

I've just done a brief draft of the things which need to be done for the mod. This is basic so it doesn't have much on it if I've missed anything off can someone say (especially if it's a new idea).

To read this file you need to download freemind. Freemind is a free mindmapping program which is easy to use and unbelievably helpful.
http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

View attachment mortal engines to do list.zip

 

[tom1734]

ill try and do something for a civ 4 one like a map .
This is a really good idea

 

[thomas.berubeg]

ill try and do something for a civ 4 one like a map .
This is a really good idea

To bad i't is already being done. Look at Cities acting like units in this forum

 

[von10]

hey guys im new here and i would like to know how to get the game does anyone have a download i can have im low on money right now if possible plz send to me or send me to a site that has the dowload available and is it a fun game?

 

[thomas.berubeg]

How to get what game?

 

[Civkid1991]

i think they were talking about civ. Probably didn't know there wasn't a full version download.

 

[thomas.berubeg]

Perhaps... i figured they were talking about the mod, but i wasn't sure

 

[thomas.berubeg]

Perhaps... i figured they were talking about the mod, but i wasn't sure

 

[lucianli123]

I just thought of this idea a few days ago and I thought I would do a ggogle search on it.I have a few ideas myself,
1.changing from traction city to static should be an option in civics
2.you should be able to build "suburb"or satillite cities like predetor subuerbs.
3.MEDUSA would work if you need to find the computer brain first through expeditions and it has a increased chance of failing every time you used it.ex. 1st use:100% sucess, 2nd use 50% sucess, thind use 25% sucess 25% destruction of city, 4th use zero chance of sucess 100% destruction of city
4.I think you should be able to play as any traction city you want and join the tractionstdts later like a permanent alliance.
5. civs:london,leader: magnus crome special unit: beefeater, hero: valentine,arkangel,leader:???,heroiotr masgard su: huntsman,anchorage: leader freya rasmussen,special unit: engine worker hero???,antitraction league, leader???, su:battle airships hero: anna fang, green storm, leader stalker fang, su stalkers hero general naga, manchester:eader???,hero???,su tractionstadt shock troop,murnau, leaderkolbold, hero, wolf kobold su:???