AdvCiv-SAS (Simple Advanced Strategy)

Thanks for your suggestions and feedback, glad the AI is more enjoyable to play with.

While i can't promise i would implement all obviously i'll take them into account.


Before i reply point by point, my general answer could be found in the main changes guide (i assume you already read part of it i guess, but if not you can find info about the changes there: https://github.com/wonderingabout/A..._AdvCiv-SAS/Docs/README_Main_Changes_Guide.md)

Also, ideally, i'm trying more and more of the changes optionalable in sas defines (https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...ework/Assets/XML/GlobalDefines_advciv_sas.xml), and it is still a change in progress (not sure i can make them all be so, but trying to add more and more of them).

Units

  • Too many units have bonues on banal terrain & features, like plains grasslands etc. This is just confusing and cluttering.
    • The bonuses don't make sense for many units too, e.g. Samurai having a tundra bonus
  • Why does the Quechua and Jaguar now require metal?
  • Since crossbows require metal, civs without it are stuck with 4 str "longbows" until muskets.
    • If you need a justification, I'm pretty sure trebs and catapults use as much metal IRL but they're resourceless
  • What is the point of the 2str "Archer" unit? Why would one build it over the warrior or the scout?
    • I know they have different terrain modifiers and stuff, but since the AI isn't retardedly aggressive early game anymore, one should just wait till the 4str "Longbows" come online.
  • "Ancient Maceman" is lame. "Warrior" (or "Militia" in RFC DoC) was fine, why did you bother changing it?
  • "Bazooka" should be "Anti-tank." Bazooka is the name of the Americanweapon used in WWII, not the military units using them.
    • They also need to be buffed so they'd have more than 50% against tanks (BtS issue).
  • The Dutch Switf worker is barely distinguishable from the Indian worker. Can either of them be changed (restore the East Indiaman or that Longbow UU in RFC-DoC)?
  • Camel units shouldn't be as powerful as horses outside of deserts, for the sake of historicity.


On units:
- The idea was to add strategical depth, as in civ4 terrain and features don't play any role, but it can be a fun strategy layer (e.g. camel units stronger on desert, etc.). The samurai ice one is used to symbolize japan being a fairly nordic country and is an abstraction/approximation. Generally i tried to give max 25% terrain/feature bonus unless it's something less important like forest/jungle then i went up to 50% since it doesn't affect city combat anyway. See for details: https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...-for-terrain-modifiers-for-civ-specific-units
Sometimes approximated, but generally accurate to the civ's real world terrain composition (scandinavians strong on ice, etc.)

- quechua, jaguar, are different units than the civ4 ones, quechua is a swordsman replace, and jaguar now replaces axemen. This is because i found quechua rushes then being useless the entire game boring, unbalanced, and useless, as cities are not even built, and something more middle game to be stronger. Jaguar is because the unit is ncredibly weak in civ4, and the axemen timing suits aztec slaving profile much better, i buffed it plenty. They use metallic weapons, so by requiring metal, i can justify them being otherwise stronger, as compared to the base swordsman, unless relevant (see yeoman archer (england) replacing the the crossbow (convenient historical time since no longbow there) not requiring metal). Catapults and trebs don't, they are mostly comprised of wood from what i checked/remember, although i could be wrong ofc, even if they had a bit of metal in them, it's not iconic enough to justify requiring the bonus itself (other metals existed or such, not a core feature (if i'm not mistaken).

- i thought about it plenty, and in civ4 they require iron as well if i'm not mistaken. Civ-specific crossbows in my mod advciv-sas are also buildable with copper (bronze abstraction), and btw rome legiinaries, the new holy roman houfnice too, since it's sensical and to buff them on this end. If you don't have metals, you can still build horse units. If not, i added the camel bonus, so you can go with camel units. If not, the yeoman archer (england) covers this (no bonus crossbow replacement) since they are a more defensive civ and i thought it's much nicer and stronger/better fit than the old unit they had (redcoat iirc). My general idea is buff the weak and useless, rarely nerf the strong but more like uplift everyone so there is more strategy and room for player mistakes and opportunism (else would be boring i think.

- the "warrior" (ancient maceman) has 3 str but is weaker in city combat (-33%-33%). It is also stronger vs animals than archers. Archers are better inside cities, but ancient macemen have the advnatage outside of cities. Plus ancient macemen are cheaper if you're short on hammer. I beleive it's balanced and stronger than the civ4 implementation, now you have choices. The scout and some other units (see pedia entry) can walk on peak, so there is a lot of strategy on how you can use them (plus early you'll gain more commerce if you see their borders before you have world map if i'm not mistaken), or prepare for war sooner (i lost 4986 because i didnt see the hell comign to me in rome AI's nearby territory (and other reasons ofc).

- i thought bazooka was cool and more distincitve. Anti air and "missile" types of units are a part i mostly didnt reork yet, but intended to, but it's tedious a bit and would need thinking like for other changes to make it different from base advciv in an interesting way (that at least i think it is), ideally i would rework them later and not sure yet exactly how (one of my ideas is to add a new combat type and give it specific modifiers vs other ocmbat types, but not sure nor determined yet, etc.)

- the swift worker is basically the old BTS fast worker. Some people were fond of it vs base advciv one's it seems. Since dutch are fairly peaceful, i thought it would help them a lot, and a lot more than some late naval unit for the most part useless. Also adds balance as india is no longer the only civ with a worker boosted. The 3 movespeed can be used by higher level players (not saying you arent i dont knwo, but they try super hard to optimize worker move or such so i think theyll find it useful in some way, maybe they can even be used for scouting or such who knows.). The unit itself represents dutch's modern trading profile and hiogh mobility commerce.

- Yes camels are a bit op on desert, but again, (i mean i didnt say it yet), desert tiles are weaker. Instead of always it being better to plant on grass cities, now you can gain advantages or exploit weaknesses from desertic tiles. The numbers may be a bit op it's a matter fo balance and review, but the general idea is fine and great for balance (making horse and camel a tiny bit more disitnct, although horse as of now doesnt have specfic bonuses since it's plenty strong, for now at least if ont always or not anyways etc.)


Then for suggestions before reading, sure i am open, but obviosuly as you cna guess i guess i have my own vision, i hope the mod is flexible enough so palyers can tune it as they prefer:

Suggestions​

  • Remove the 2str Archer, rename the 4str Longbow to "Archer"
  • Add some sort of a "Bombard" unit in between trebs and cannons, since Gunpowder tech doesn't unlock anything rn
  • Buff Pikes, so they'd be a unit in between Maces and the 12 str Muskets
  • Nerf Dragoon base strength (to prevent AI overbuild. Pretty sure line infantry caught up with cavalry by Napoleonic - Victorian eras)
  • Nerf War Elephants (BTS issue)
  • Nerf SAM infantry base strength to something closer to Anti-Tanks (BtS issue, to prevent AI from overbuilding it)
- no, i want civs to have an early alternative to ancient macemen, but i agree they fade a bit too fast, however archery existed from -50 000 BCE more or less if not earlier from what i looked, so it's fine. Longbows are stronger classical unit so fine as well, then crossbows are the medieval upgrade, simple and effective, although can always be adjusted in terms of balance ofc for specific numbers, i like it overall but tlel em your ideas too if you want thanks (not like this is necessary, but the 1 unit 1 time is simple and effective as you also seemed to want and i like it simpel this way as it's easy to read and not bloated (but still added camel for versatiltiy and variety, nto utlra simplified either, etc.).

- i considered it (bombard medieval unit), but the problem is the window is so tight that by the time you have trebuchets, cannons are not so far off. It would be tedious to upgrade them every while, chinese people were the first with gunpowder it seems, some firing based medieval unit would be great for them (but their zhuge nu is already (quite) cool so not sure). (i saw them do a rush with it believe it or not xd in autoplay, and england doing a yeoman archer rush too of 50+ units :o (more like a stack / egular stomp though (rivals were strong but anyways etc.)

- pikes are great against medieval mounted units and cheaper, combined with city defense, they are a fine option already. I buffed it i believe as compared to the civ4 or base advciv one. It is also plenty strong vs maces i think (unitcombat_shock bonus as well).

- the dragoon looks cool but personally i'd rather build rifles or muskets, they are more hammer efficient overall and less prone to counter or such (i don't remember exactly). They can be handy to counter or target siege though, but i beleive they are balanced (move speed is not decisive, str is marginally better, cost higher), coudl increase cost a bit but doesnt seem necesasary (from waht i rmember, didnt look just now since i remember it well enough i think and reowrked it not lon ago (open to ideas though so tell me and i'll see if it fits mor especific ideas))

- yes war elephants are a bit too strong indeed, but their cost is also higher. Also, elephants are useless in medieval. As you saw in advciv-sas games are not determined in ancient or classical era, you're still building your empire and have solid defense (AIs too), so not sure it is that op in advciv-sas (if all you have is elephants and no other bonus (i.e. ressoruce in sas as per civ4 code terminology anyways etc. (for clarity since advciv-sas often uses this name instead of the usual one but anyways etc.)), so i think it's decently fine. Plus spearmen are buffed in advciv-sas, so you have more room to coutner them, especially civ-specific vairants; overall maybe it's fine as such.

- i had intended to create anti air and rework them, but it's late game and not a priority (so many things to do first as you can see xd but super fun though! Open to ideas, although i have a generla idea in mind, it's definitely not settled, can't promise i'ill implement though but open to listening anwyays etc.)

AI

  • AI don't colonize overseas continents as fast as they used to?
  • AI isn't building wonders at all

On AI:
Generally yes, advciv-sas AI is much much much stronger than base advciv one, i reduced handicap to adjust it, and i beleive it's much smarter and hopefully hope i mean it's enjoyable as such. It is still prone to mistakes or such, but i believe they'll blunder much less, and be sneaky as in opportunistic more at any player's i.e. rival's mistake (ai vs ai or ai vs human i mean, in short all and each aiplayer is stornger which maeks sense but to clarify anyways etc.).

- i made changes to control the units to build depending on map type. Water heavy maps (guessedly based on map name) don't have the same unit profile in AI_ChooseUnit (function i used to control quotas for sanity and opportunism). In autoplay i chekced archipelago and they still did raids (raiding a rival's island), so i thought watery maps worked fine, but i barely tested them otherwise (maknig sure thye produce plenty anval units vs our pangea restrictions, grossly glancing at their pace).

Continents counts as a land heavy map (it's 2 small pangeas i think) for advciv-sas AI so maybe this explains why, as they should have much less naval units (stronger as such)

I saw in autoplay one player spawn in its own island in a pangea where all rivals were, believe it or not, it won a space race! So i believe it's fariiyl fine (but open to feedbakc or issues).

- Yes, but it's not "NOT" building wonders strictly, just much less. If you see the scoreboard there are still some wonders but much less, especially early. By turn 200-300 you should have more or less 10 if not more wonders built, generally by the top dog. I changed it becuase it's stupid to build a wonder when you are losing (and many buildings in fact). AdvCiv-SAS AI is much strogner but opportunistic and less versatile (actually more since it doesn't spm wonders just so you conquer it, which i beleive is very stupid and boring as a concept or thing to do i mean). They still build wonders, just much less. If you reduce xml costs, they'll build them more i believe (they have thigns like max 20 turns to build a wonder else ditch it, don't build a wonder 3+ rivals have the tech for before them (i don't remember the specific but things liek this, and hammer minimal resticitons too, ditching them if danger or war, etc.). In sas defines you can tune some of these settings, although i could add more, i beleive there is some to tune there as you prefer. As for me i vlaue storngest AI not roleplayu so i set it up as such, there are less wonders as a human would (at least i), but not none. I may buff wonders more to make them more attarctive, but not nerf unit spam unless it's op (buff wonders rtaher). Wonders especially early are a huge gamble, and not best move i think epecially at higher dififcultes, it's more aobut buffing wonders than nerfing unit spamming AIs or buiding spamming AIs here i think, but open to feedback as well.

Misc​

  • The unlimited Engineer perk from Wage Labour civic is OP, it allows so many GEs = 1 turn wonders
  • Ports are OP, should be delayed till later eras (e.g. astronomy or steam engine)
  • Feitoria is missing the free merchant bonus from its generic building
  • Unit icon hover menu doesn't display all the unit bonuses, e.g. matchups against unit types / classes
  • I guess its WIP but the tech tree has many choke points where only 1-2 techs are researchable
  • Astronomy comes way too early. Galleons shouldn't be a thing until gunpowder, at least.
  • I guess this is also WIP, but the build icon list in the city menu are bugged
On Misc:

- it's a new civic i added (and didn't have the time to test yet), open to ideas, but they still cost 2 food. I thought no auto science specialists is an interesting idea, but open to ideas there. I beleive the wage labor civic itself is a nice idea for balance though, but if you have better ideas tell me as i'm open to change this if relevant (look at unlimited priest and spies in other civics too)

- ports are late enough and expensive enough. They require other water buildings. By the time you have them, you'd have invested plenty time and hamme,r and if you're not killed, then it's deserved you enjoy the reward of thi risk. Plus you need to work the water tiles, it doesnt give free hammer, so you abandon your cottages or food or such. I beleive it's fine as it is, although coudl bebalanced a bit in the unmbers maybe, the concept seems fine to me. In civ4/advciv, water cities are way too weak, i tried to buff this which i beleive i did quite well. It's basically a city specific moai, no big deal since all players could get moai way earlier in civ4 right iirc? Now moai is much later and a world wonder, much more expensive too, i beleive it's fine

- from what i rmember, feitoria uses another formula that emphasizes trade route modifiefrs ratehr or somethign simialr (didint look). If you're playing portugal the reowked traits would make joao and other imperialistic very strong or beenfiting from this i think (but didnt look too deep into it)

- not sure exactly which hover you are talking about, show a screenshot. The matchup thing i added in the UI as i could, i am not pro coder xd but can try maybe. Ideally i'd want the map view to show comba tmodifiers a bit nicer too, but didnt get to rework this yet (and forgot, as there are so many things, i believe it woudl be a ncie enhacnement if it's what youi're rereferring to additionally) (if not i generally try to make it so you dont need to hover (see the new specialists breakdown for example in the city screen on bottom right, etc.)

- this is not a strict hsitorical enactment, but i believe much more historically accurate than base advciv is. Scandinavians and arabs were big sailers from what i saw on some reading, they probably went to the american continent in the 1000s if not sooner. Even if not, it's not unthinkable to have some poarallel universe wher ea civ went to another continent in the 1000s, i beleive it's fine (just like in some games islam may eb founded before christianity (rarely and not by a lot but maybe), so religions spread more gameplay wise). It's already much more accurate and muc much muchmore than civ4 base advciv i mean. I am steering away from strict accuracy in latest tree rework (see latest posts and commits and the medieval rework i'm adding (open to feedback on it, will post after this message too), i beleive it's mroe interesitng for gameplay variety than have say islam requrie christinaity tech (islam is a abrahamic rleigion tied to judaism so not nonsensical in a ^parallel universe that it woudl happen at same time or evne slightly before rarely, but reuslts in mroe rleigions beign spread sooner (but not overdoign it as i still want it mostly accurate, unliek civ4's meditaiton but most importantly buddhism in ancient era...) (i could put meditaiotn early for hinduism (dint research enough to tell) byuut it fits buddhism very well so better keep it at late classical for hsitorical accuracy i think

- possibly, i didn't test it yet, tell me your feedback. I added 2 city bars but didnt check if ti's the default yet or not. Tell me what bugs you have or a screenshot. I beleive latest addition is the 2 new extra rows which are veyr handy to not scrolll to see all avaialble city produciton in city bar

And thanks for your feedback, tell me further thoguths on it thanks!
 
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Following this, this is the current medieval rework

I'm a bit zz to write all now xd, but basically it adds a new medieval tech (moving music theory later or removing it for somehting else will see), which solves many issues with the medieval tree, called as of now "mercenaries", from:

mercenaries (concept idea i got from https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/The_Middle_Ages_(Civ3) : (Middle Ages The High Middle Ages tech tree) : https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/The_Middle_Ages_(Civ3)?file=Middle_Ages_The_High_Middle_Ages_tech_tree_(Civ3).png)

(button=icon i got from ffh2's "recruit mercenary" but anyways etc.)

Done also with chatgpt 5.2 and gemini 3 pro's help thanks a lot!

What it fixes

- faster classical (music removed) as was too slow
- longer medieval (was too fast)
- debloats many techs (constitution had military things: was unrelated), astronomy was bloated (removed privateers and frigates now (still unit requires it not sure), wage labor is moved from broader education that was bloated too, pikes moved away from feudalism so it is more about statecraft now and i can move wonders there (see screenshot in this post))
- delays guns and cannons (were a bit too fast to come but anyways etc.) with this new extra tech
- allows gunpowder to be sooner (more historically accurate and possibly varied but anyways etc.) so it no longer plays a weird/forced gun/cannon units delayer
- removes the weird broader education at chemsitry to slow cannons down but not so relevant and defintiely not verstile so not ideal (weird science military mix so early and less strategically meaningful)
- it nicely symbolizes the shift from servitude to liberal army so we can put itas a gate to slow down cannons and firearms nicely
- allows to remove the weird later abrahamism, now in the see tree (with chatgpt 5.2's suggestion indirectly that i found nice then thanks :))

And many other changes, not finished but almost i'd say, here is what it looks as of now (still reviewing and may revert a change or 2 but mostly as such i'd guess)

Added the screenshot of the initial version from last commit (otherwise), but with our yet uncommitted changes of the first tech tree part

All in all this adds more versatiltiy and strategic possibilities, while hopefully being more balanced

open to suggestions and feedback, although i like it this way now i guess but people can tell me too thanks

edit: while the idea was cool, looking deeper into it it is more of a bloat and makes tech line more monotonous, so i'll most likely revert it and adress the issues in another way if any, that were still partly covered by removign from early eras music theory tech :) but anyways etc.
 

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@Osakasayama

hello or re rather xd good news (if i may say but anyways etc.) :)

the feature is now implemented in advciv-sas 5195! (so still dev version that as you may know or whoever is reading this you can get following these steps: https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...ck_Install_Setup_Guide.md#development-version

you can now disable/enable them as you see fit in sas defines (GlobalDefines_advciv_sas.xml#L82-L99)

(commit)

upon reviewing this main changes guide with chatgpt 5.2's help (who help me add it thanks to it and to me too and to you too xd i guess i mean if i may say but anwyays etc.), this is now properly mentionned in the main changes guide as well (was only in my custom main changes guide) and rewrote the entire section with tis help (it did most work i onyl reread quick and helped it too xd i mean thanks but anyways etc.):

edit: if you have other features or ideas feel free to tell, i obviously can't guarantee i'll implement all, but will consider, and see if they fit my vision for the mod if i may say xd (stronger ai, easy enough to implement or worth it if i can, better ui, give more options to players in a way that matters to me, etc.).

edit 2: fix xml comment that was quite unclear anyways etc.
 

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You're the mod maker, so obviously all of this is up to you!
I don't want to force my opinions onto you, so just on the things I think are important.

>Terrain bonus modifiers toggle
Wow, I've fiddled with XML and Python modding ages ago, but I had no idea you could do something like this. Good work!

>Quechua, Jaguar
>They use metallic weapons
They didn't. They used stone / obsidian weapons.
I agree with your tech requirement changes, but they should still be resourceless.

> Yes camels are a bit op on desert,
I'm saying camels *should* be stronger than horses on desert, but a bit weaker everywhere else.

>BtS balancing issues
Here's a nice video on unit balances in BtS, from a player standpoint.


>UI bugs and Wonder Issue
See my screencap below.
  • Build Icons don't seem to display correctly after 3 or 4 rows. (This could be due to my screen resolution)
  • Unit hover icons displays a 0% collateral damage modifier, but none of the important stuff like unitclass / category matchups
  • AI didn't build the important wonders like the Pyramids, Great Library, nor even the Oracle. I lost the save but they never built it even in the industrial era.
    • This was a 7 player Tectonics earth-like map, btw
Spoiler :
1765845714453.png
 
thanks for your feedback again :)

of course i get to make the mod as i want, but i am happy to implement player feedback if it aligns with my view (if not np i'll just say it as long as respectful discussion is encouraged on my end i mean if i may say i mean :) but anyways etc.)

Moving forward, to reply to you on the issues as i go through them, first i fixed the missing tooltips issue: now you can see them in all the tooltips that are not sevopedia/civilopedia.

I had disabled them in related .cpp file as after i made UI enhancements in sevopedia, the extra bullets in sevopedia placeSpecial ("Special Abilities..." panels) would take a lot of vertical space and ruin readability and forced to scroll, plus it was not needed anymore after i added the nice UI colors existing buttons i mean (if i may brag a bit).

Now the best of both worlds i mean following your feedback, it only applies in sevopedia, but outside it they are successfully shown :)

commit: https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/commit/9c01aa6e3f18c6826441cd77b84c7c160bb970b4

There are many things i didn't know about DLL, and to begin with i didn't even start modding for that long in years xd just this year actually but anyways, what matters is this is fixed i guess i mean.

Ideally i'd display them nicer outside sevopedia, but as i was saying in previous panels, it would need time to see how to do it if at all necessary, and there are more urgent or important/significant things to do i mean

Will update/edit this message as i go through your other points so i dont lose the text xd thanks i mean if i may say but anyways etc.

edit: easier/cleaner / more readable but anyways etc. to continue in next post rather but anyways etc.
 

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On the aztec jaguar topic :)

You are correct too, indeed as per chatgpt 5.2's review, metals were not primarily used as weapons back then.

To be honest i don't know too much about the aztecs, but while balancing them and other units, i had done some quick research, helped by chatgpt (whiever version it was back then xd), and it seemed fine to make it require metal.

From what i had researched then and remember now, it seems they were elite troops and very strong. I also liked the idea of having a strong ancient civ like the aztec one, and civ4 and base advciv one are incredibly weak (it's one of the original reasons why i even started balancing and starting my mod xd if i think about it, although i didn't change it until later, or did so many times i guess hehe but anyways etc.).

But one nuance, metals did exist in aztec time according to chatgpt 5.2, just it was not dominant for warfare.

Also, since we moved the jaguar to bronze age at axemen, which suits them much better due to their slaving profile and overall ancient identity i think, metals were even less so widespread then, so the no bonus then makes sense i think personally xd.

Obviously it would need a rebalance, which i am doing atm, but while i do so here is chatgpt 5.2's rationale explanation to this question, feeding it the xml of all axemen units (i also agree with it the aztec jaguar was still a bit too strong before we rework it later after i write this first xd (weird past/future in same sentence but anyways etc.) so may not be so bad to rework them.

Just the dog soldier (that we reworked too into a nice unit i think) also uses no bonus, so would need to add variety and not make it an auto pick either which would be boring, for now here is chatgpt 5.2's rationale thanks to it and to me i guess heheand you too or whoever is readong or maybe contributing i guess but anyways etc.

(also for info i didnt copy pasted your message but just rephrased your idea to it as i was explaining it and my view but anyways etc.)

ChatGPT 5.2 said:

Did the Aztecs use metal weapons?​

They used metals, but (in general) not as the main “battlefield edge” the way Old World iron/steel did. The iconic Aztec close-combat weapon was the macuahuitl: a wooden club/sword with obsidian blades set into the sides. Wikipedia+2Encyclopedia Britannica+2

They did work and trade copper (and copper alloys) a lot — bells are a very common example (there are museum pieces explicitly identified as Aztec copper bells), and copper tools/axes show up in discussions of Mesoamerican copper industries. The Metropolitan Museum of Art+2Mexicolore+2

So the player is basically right about Aztec “frontline weapons” = wood + obsidian is the famous/typical picture, while metals existed but weren’t the dominant military tech in the Civ4 “requires copper/iron” sense. Encyclopedia Britannica+2British Museum+2



Your current Jaguar XML: why it must be nerfed if you remove metal​


Right now your Jaguar (Axeman-class) is already “premium”:
  • No stat downside vs generic axe: iCombat=5, iCost=35
  • Extra offense: iCityAttack=10
  • Big jungle package: Jungle attack +25 / jungle defense +50
  • Free Combat I
  • iPower=6 (AI will value/spam it more)

If you simply remove <PrereqBonuses> (Copper/Iron), it becomes a no-resource axeman that is also a better rusher + better jungler + higher AI power rating. That’s exactly the “op obviously xd” situation you’re anticipating.

Another note is i have noticed ingame in autoplay the jaguar being underpicked, i guess due to no copper availability, so it probably fits better the narrative and aztec aggressive profile to give them no bonus as well overall, even if unit will be rebalanced to be weaker obviously (else woudl be op xd), which is fine since it was a bit op anyway. I had in mind to make it relevant against swordsmen too when i had reworked it last time, but maybe there is a better way to approach it will see.

edit: re on this if i may say but anyways etc.

After considering it for a while, it seems with no bonus the jaguar is plenty strong but still weaker than the dog soldier that also is no bonus.

Also, if one has copper, it would be a weak unit and boring right.

But making it stronger will break it i think

So it seems the best alternative or fitting thing here may be to give it utility rather on top of its no bonus advantage, so the scaling doesn't make it snowbally op, while still retaining early nice effectiveness.

Without further ado xd, i unveil the rework, tada! Xd (wanted to say this xd but anyways etc), i present (humbly or not xd or yes but anyways etc.) the rework:

Add promo sentry (vision around). It's a nice fit since only the yeoman archer (england) has it among land units i mean, as our UI rework nicely shows (if i may brag a bit with chatgpt and such's help too i did it i mean and now player feedback to help enhance things if i have any (not required but nice thanks xd i guess i mean really hehe but anyways etc.)

Here is chatgpt 5.2 and screenshots to close on this issue and then i'll review the next ones in next messages anyways etc.

If you have other ideas feel free to send too and i'll see what i see fit or not xd thanks i mean but anyways etc.

ChatGPT 5.2 said:

Got it. With your current Jaguar (no metal, no city attack, still big jungle/forest mods), the “weak” feeling is mostly that it is now just a normal axe on open tiles, while Dog Soldier has a more generally-applicable kit (first strike stuff + broad terrain mods). So the safest buffs are the ones that add
utility / operational value rather than raw combat math.

Do not do Shock mod 25 -> 50​

On a no-resource unit that is already a good jungler, UNITCOMBAT_MELEE_SHOCK 50% is too much, because it turns into “I don’t need metal and I still hard-win the metal line” too often (and it keeps scaling into later Shock units).


The best “iconic but not OP” add: free Sentry​

Your Sentry is perfect for this: it is rare, it is useful, and it does not inflate direct combat odds.
  • PROMOTION_SENTRY = iVisibilityChange=1
  • It’s not redundant with your feature modifiers.
  • It fits “jungle scouting / ambush / raiding.”
  • You already said only Yeoman currently uses it, so it won’t feel spammy.

In autoplay moctezuma is indeed strong and shiny in ancient it seems based on this quick testing sample but anyways etc. (plus also behold the awesome or shiny or whatever or not UI rework fo the military panel, now displaying more info and uses more of the screen (although not strictly scaling on resolution, uses 1080p as a base due to some coding constraints i had/found in the related file for now at least but still larger than old (more info on the ui reworks in advciv-sas here btw: https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/blob/tech-rework/README.md#ui-ingame anyways etc.))
Plus commit link link anyways etc.
 

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also, i'll reply to the rest later i guess as i may implement further tech tree changes and have found a seemingly nice fix for long classical inertia + too fast medieval: possibly the insurance tech but not sure as i don't know if our tech pace needs an extra tech there or if it would make things worse or would need balance (empty refrigeration tech slot to use it for the tech i rework it with whichever it is but anyways etc.), that i have found with chatgpt 5.2's help but i found it in its thoughts iirc thanks xd (but again not sure may or may not go with it) but anyways etc.

for now, what i did was tech tree fixes and enhancements, in particular banking has a much more central role in medieval tree, and so does chivalry related to (see commit for wiki notes about rationale and related changes)

also added a new pedia entry, wikipedia based, that emphasizes this earlier part of banking in history and for our mod (see commit for wikipedia links anyways etc.) but anyways etc.

commit: https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/commit/74a24578a7f20a6109caafe9c0b13d2228a69a53

which is btw coincidentally AdvCiv-SAS 5200 already (even though it's the development version! But anyways etc.), but i want to do more changes before a new release, and adress previous player feedback of @Osakasayama and who knows what's more or not xd, if there are enhancements or sugegsitons welcome if htye fit if not feel free to send though i mean if i may say but anyways etc.

next i noticed ancient costs are quite a bit too high so need to adjust this before considering what to do with the now empty refrigeration tech but should be much enhanced and versatile / strategically varied now i mena if i may say but anyways etc although it is still unfinished i mean if i may say but anyways etc. i beleive it's a nice enhancement already but woudl need more testing to be sure and see but anyways etc.

To test the development version, you can follow the steps here: https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...ck_Install_Setup_Guide.md#development-version

-

Also, i have investigated or tuned tech paces a bit and found after all we used to spend too long in early classical so the longer medieval span i wanted ended up being to long.

Somehow, lowering these values a bit (which were too high btw) allows for a better scaling and pacing, reaching mid/late classical sooner, having iron working sooner which is nice

trying not to overdo it as difficulties and maps change stuff and i wouldnt want pace to be too fast on the opposite, so for now set as such asi go into your wonder question in more detail now thta tech is bit more set up (although refrigeration is still empty for now as it is undecided but anyways etc.).

edit: also aztecs did very well early, they didn't win in autoplay but had a nice army, it definitely has/had but anyways etc. the 4986 epic roman balanced comp vibe so added it in documentation and since it's more recent too with the UI rework as well but anyways etc.
 

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@Osakasayama and whoever is concerned/interested in this as i think many players be:

i have confirmed the low wonder building and found a fix (option in sas defines) on how to restore a mostly base advciv liek behaviour (AI builds many wonders)
commit: https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/commit/66401dd0164770c122d87dfbe25ae8bae2f3b968
summary:
"<!-- custom: update: in autoplay, the SAS_AI_BUILDING_VALUE_WORLD_WONDERS_OPTIMIZE check specifically greatly reduces the number of early wonders (0 wonders vs 6 wonders at turn 100 with vs without it, everything else being the same). Tune below sub-kobs if you want more precision, or to restore a more base advciv like behaviour of wonder building, disable SAS_AI_BUILDING_VALUE_WORLD_WONDERS_OPTIMIZE entirely. I believe building settlers or workers is generally stronger especially early, so i kept the "optimize" flag enabled i mean but anyways etc. But you can disable it if you want a more wonder-building like behaviour, or maybe rather one of the sub-knobs as you prefer (but it can quickly become a rabbit hole xd so beware i mean if i may say but anyways etc.). See below to specifically tune its suboptions rather anyways etc. Code added with the help of chatgpt 5.2 thanks anyways etc. -->"

Here you can see how wonder building can vary depending on how you play/tweak the settings: i have went through the rabbit hole and chose defaults i find suitable (strong AI, low wonders unless really in reach), see how it may look like (again for simplicity if you want wonders simply disable SAS_AI_BUILDING_VALUE_WORLD_WONDERS_OPTIMIZE in the SAS define (XML) unless you want to go through rabbit hole.


Or, if you want strongest or at least a stronger short term maximizer survival and efficiency-focused AI, keep advciv-sas defaults.

in between, it may be a rabbit hole but you can try the few options and see.

edit: note: even with sas defaults, AIs still build wonders, just not a lot (altough very rarely none i guess maybe? But most often they build a few per game if not a bit more; again adjust as you see fit anyways etc.), as seen in screenshot 629 that follows the 628 that had no wonder at turn 100 but anyways etc.

edit 2: edited xd but anyways etc: you are correct however that not building the great library or such later is not smartest behaviour, as it would be having just 1 less unit late enough int he game like in industrial as you said, for now if not always or not i didn't fine tune it in such a way, i should do that right now indeed thanks for the idea again :))

I have also reduced wonder costs conservatively (they were a bit too high), as i think even with these reduced costs, we can't rule out the risk of being attacked while building them and then just building them for our rivals as they conquer us, or the opportunity loss from having 1 less settler, worker, or whatever unit early which needs to be weighed as i balance this, and makes me think generally for a strong AI better avoid, even though some wonders provide scaling, generally and as i want it, i prefer low to no wonders from AI unless they find it valuable. Adjust as you see fit anyways etc.
 

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Following previous commit, i have noticed as said in edit 2 but anyways etc. that indeed we do not build the great library or pyramid even in industrial (AI braindeadly efficient, in a good way but biting it xd here but anyways etc.) as per your (@Osakasayama or whoever else interested as well i guess i mean too thanks anyways etc.).

And yes you are correct as well here, pyramids barely cost more than a knight unit or cuirassier later on, its benefits are significant, so it is better to build it (makes miltiary slightly more efficient in terms of unit cost as well since we're building less units, should help in many way, on top of the wonder's benefits itself).

So i pushed 2 fixes/enhancements addressing this:

commit: https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/commit/8a13288983ec3e985d67645a803c0f742aa3992a

changes:

- (Requires AdvCiv-SAS 5203+) Do not build **Anti-Barbarian Border Blocking** (`bBorderObstacle`) **Wonders** (e.g. Great Wall) past a certain **era** (e.g. Classical era, meaning we will not build Great Wall or equivalent wonders from the Medieval and onwards). Change in `CvCityAI::AI_buildingValue`.

- (Requires AdvCiv-SAS 5203+) Regardless of the aforementionned pre-filtering rules, **cheap World Wonders ASAP** (hammer `iCost` tunable by era in SAS defines). This is because we have prioritized most early hammer towards early urgent growth (settlers, workers, etc.) or military (urgent rush or defense), and the very cheap cost (e.g. Pyramids not yet built Medieval era) make it attractive and worth having ~1-2 less units or similar. Change in `CvCityAI::AI_buildingValue`. Note: about Wonders generally, AdvCiv-SAS uses a quite strict low wonder policy, as early settlers and workers are more valuable generally and a stronger choice; plus later on we have little time to build world wonders as we risk being overrun by our rivals and building world wonders for them as they conquer us, which is a poor choice. A mostly Base AdvCiv-like behaviour of AIs building many wonders can be restored in SAS defines by disabling `SAS_AI_BUILDING_VALUE_WORLD_WONDERS_OPTIMIZE` (e.g. 0 vs 6 wonders at turn 100 in an autoplay sample with vs without it).

The barbarian one is because i have noticed we build the great walls suddenly in medieval, but it's already too late to get any value out of it (gets obsolete soon so not much GP or culture, which is fine since we don't want it always active but anways etc.)

This changes significantly history, and now at turn 200, even though AIs still have 0 wonders at turn 100 (so mostly the same so far it seems at a glance) in this autoplay sample, they now have a bunch at turn 200 (steam sales philosophy/mentality xd (in a good way i mean xd but anyways etc.)).

I like how this makes the AI more opportunistic like a human would, and i hope this smarter and more competent/competitive AI is more chalelnging and hiopefully fun but anyways etc.

I believe it is now the best of both worlds, and recommend to have sas defaults as they are, as it should be strongest i tihnk (early low wonder priority, later opportunistically much more as they are cheaper lecherously xd i mean if i may say but anyways etc.), players can adjust as they see fit.

Here is before and after these changes for compare (both using otherwise sas defaults, and it is tunable in sas defines as well), history changed a lot after these (in many ways i guess but it altered outcome in later eras anyways etc.)

Next, i have noticed our function and wonder fitlering somehow disabled shrines, even though they have no cost (-1 in xml) and are built by great prophets, thye didnt apepar even at t300 or later, and after this cheap thing, they suddenly appeared. I'm thinking this indirectly fixed it (since -1 at ancient is cheaper than 50 or whichever min hammer gate/threshold we put for very cheap wonders, not sure if we need a proper fix or not for shrines and -1 to eb safe but anyways etc). (most lmiekly for cleanliness will see, also not just wonders even regular buildings so yes most liekyl to be updated or continued xd rather i mean but anyways etc.)

-

And finally i think this wraps this issue:

commit: https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/commit/c28e40dd39782f69ee82b9b61454ccf21595dc98

Shrines and such weird buildings are not taken into account anymore by our SAS CvCityAI::AI_buildingValue gates. History somehow changed again after this change i mean if i may say but anyways etc.

Looks like the no wonder issue is more or less wrapped, here is how it went after this change anyways etc.

One of the next changes i guess would be to enlarge the UI as i did previously in some advisors as per the UI rework i mean (recently was not even long ago xd i mean if may say but anyways etc.).

Note: this is with sas defaults which i recommend to keep for most efficient AI, it builds plenty ownders late enough it seems, but AI woudl build them muchmore and sooner i suspect, although i didn't test beyond turn 100 since last thing i mean; i suspect it would be less optimal though but players can adjust it as they see fit but anyways etc.

To test the development version, you can follow the steps here anyways etc.: https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...ck_Install_Setup_Guide.md#development-version
 

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Build Icons don't seem to display correctly after 3 or 4 rows. (This could be due to my screen resolution)
re on this, i dont see an issue in the screenshot you linked, don't all the rows display as intended?

admittedly my game is set to 1080p, and the only issues i see, even if i increase the number of rows in sas defines are:

- slight vertical misalignment: i mean rows could be shifted a bit vertically as one line is slightly grinded down xd i mean but anyways etc. But minor
- when a bonuses side (top right) panel is crowded, the numbers overlap a bit. It would be solved by either reducing the strategic row, altohugh i have made it even, or more exhaustively slightly widen the ssides and then it would naturally fall in place (maybe 10-20px more or less who knows didnt test, but this may need further adjustments to the blue bar or such

i'm thinknig of making a new release fairly soon, as we added in advciv-sas plenty polish and enhancements already, but if you or othe rpeople have suggestions welcome and i'll see if they fit or not for advciv-sas :)

i have plenty ideas on things to enhance, but some players use the stable version, i believe they would benefit from the existing improvements already, and all seems quite stable (i have a few things to fix like the empty tech etc.), rest would be next release i think

but if no further issue fine as well as you or other players prefer xd i mean thanks :)

thanks :)

To test the development version, you can follow the steps here anyways etc.: https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...ck_Install_Setup_Guide.md#development-version

edit: here is also the save i use for the city screen screenshots recently if it helps (to enter debug mode to see all rival's cities or such: chipotle in some config file then ctrl+z to enter debug mode thanks in all cases anyways etc.

edit 2: although it's not perfect, i believe this is a fine solution for now (see screenshot 660 or later if any anyways etc.)

edit 3: redoing properly the .tga icons see next post below anyways etc.
 

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Fixed .tga file's icons, for example:

- fix religion christianity icon now no longer looking like a health/hospital icon
- camel no longer looking like a hot potato xd but anyways etc.
- or wheat like a candy weirdly but now a nice and proper wheat original icon art (from history rewritten mod anyways etc.).
- etc. similarly fix many broken icons similarly anyways etc.

redone properly thanks to:

Game Font Editor (v0.6) fir Civ4 (https://forums.civfanatics.com/resources/game-font-editor-v0-6-for-civ-4.17276/) which is an amazing software (as recommended by gemini 3 pro thanks a lot but anyways etc.), tremendously better than dxtbmp that was **** xd real bad, now it's so easy and effective and reliable with this thanks but anyways etc. (no screenshot in this post as of now about this but anyways etc.)

commit: https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/commit/6845f686e115b24168d71223c2a74eab65dca428
 

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>UI bugs and Wonder Issue
See my screencap below.
  • Build Icons don't seem to display correctly after 3 or 4 rows. (This could be due to my screen resolution)
Regarding this as i said before i mean, i don't find a specific issue on my 1080p res or on your screenshot, and when trying to use more bars there is a minor misalignment vertically that does not seem too urgent or important to fix, most likely i couldn't identify the issue you pointed so if you could pinpoint more clearly i could look into it maybe if i can mean ideally but anyways etc.

Additionally, i have enlarged the sides, so now they display more info and are much prettier. Combined with the previous .tga enhancement, i think a release is due or rather maybe expected quite soon i mean but anyways etc. (after i polish a few things, and would continue the rest in next release if i do i mean ideally but anyways etc.).
 

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New version released: AdvCiv-SAS 5210!

Heavily Reworked UI: Upscaled many panels to modern 16:9 display to show more information and reduce the need to scroll, and beautified them. A few AI enhancements and tech rework for smoother pacing.

Many of these new settings are partially or entirely tunable in GlobalDefines_advciv_sas.xml

- UI (In-game):

Note: for more UI rework related screenshot samples, see also: https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/blob/tech-rework/README.md#ui-ingame
  • Beautified the Domestic Advisor (F1 key) (now shows in "Producing" column the button (i.e. icon) of the current item being built (unit, building, project, process)) and updated its dimensions so it occupies the full game window width and more elements are visible (Espionage slider, HUD, selected units row(s)). Change in CvDomesticAdvisor.py.
  • Enlarged, excentered the Foreign Advisor's (F4 key) screen, and refined its tabs so they can display up to 12 players and overall more information so less scrolling is needed while still preserving key relevant information for display (scoreboard, map, commerce sliders and values, etc.). The code was also refactored to improve dynamic scaling, ensuring most UI elements automatically realign if dimensions are changed in CvForeignAdvisor.py and CvExoticForeignAdvisor.py. Did a similar rework of the Military Advisor (F5 key) in CvMilitaryAdvisor.py, and of the Technology Advisor (F6 key) in CvTechChooser.py.
  • Added "Willing to become vassal" and "Vassal" icons in the Foreign Advisor's Glance tab in the human player's row, to help avoid the need to tediously check these up through other screens, in CvExoticForeignAdvisor.py, and in CvDLLWidgetData.cpp for the corresponding tooltip (on hover).
  • Enhanced the City Screen: added a new Great Person +n ICON information in relevant Buildings' rows; added a new Specialists Breakdown; added optional extra rows in the Production Chooser Bar (tunable) (note: does not affect the production chooser outside of the city screen); fixed some hard anchored items that now dynamically adjust to sides' width. Beautified it as well: removed the 3 gray bars ("Trade Routes", "Buildings", "Specialists"), increased sides' width, made bonuses columns even in width, and other changes. These changes allow to now display more information and reduce the need for scrolling or hovering. Also enlarged the Bottom-Left and Bottom-Right panels so they align dynamically with the enlarged Side Panels (that now display more information). Change in CvMainInterface.py.
  • Similarly Beautified and Enhanced the Technology Advisor in CvTechChooser.py so it uses more of the screen while still preserving key information. Players can tune the advisor's width (4 different options) in SAS defines. See https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...Tree.md#customizable-technology-advisor-width. Note: to see the BUG's Tech Bulbing Indicators, see BUG Menu Recommended Options (https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...d#relevant-bug-menu-options--enable-if-needed)
  • Redid some AI-generated images (Mounted Combat (Tech), Impluvium (Building), Gord (Building) with nano banana pro.
  • fix GameFont .tga file's icons with Game Font Editor (v0.6) fir Civ4 (https://forums.civfanatics.com/resources/game-font-editor-v0-6-for-civ-4.17276/), which is an amazing software (as recommended by gemini 3 pro thanks a lot but anyways etc.), tremendously better than dxtbmp that was real bad xd but anyways etc.; now it's so easy and effective and reliable with this thanks but anyways etc. Examples of fixes: fix religion christianity icon now no longer looking like a health/hospital icon, fix camel no longer looking like a hot potato xd but anyways etc., or wheat like a candy weirdly but now a nice and proper wheat original icon art (from history rewritten mod anyways etc.), similarly fix many broken icons similarly anyways etc.

- AI:
  • Aggressive tech trade discounts for widely known techs: AIs now sell technologies known by ≥1 of their rivals at heavy discounts (e.g. 25% of the original cost/value), recognizing that it is better to secure some gold immediately via a cheap sale than to hold out and risk getting 0 gold if a rival sells it first; implemented in CvPlayerAI::AI_dealVal. To compensate for this higher trading efficiency, AI research costs (iAIResearchPercent) have been adjusted (reduced/increased at higher/lower difficulties): iAIResearchPercent,124,116,108,100 (noble),92,84,76,68,60 -> iAIResearchPercent,118,112,106,100 (noble),94,88,82,76,70
  • Do not build Anti-Barbarian Border Blocking (bBorderObstacle) Wonders (e.g. Great Wall) past a certain era (e.g. Classical era, meaning we will not build Great Wall or equivalent wonders from the Medieval and onwards).
  • Fix AI not building negative cost buildings (e.g. Shrines, corporations, etc.): our SAS building priority optimizations are not needed for cost-free buildings since we don't need to save hammer to build them, but their atypical iCost profile would cause issues with our rules, resulting in them not being built or heavily delayed if affected by any SAS CvCityAI::AI_buildingValue gate (now fixed). Further addresses: https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/advciv-sas-simple-advanced-strategy.699716/post-16898915
  • Regardless of the SAS building priority filtering rules, build cheap World Wonders ASAP (hammer iCost gates tunable by era in SAS defines): early, we want to prioritize most hammer towards early urgent growth (settlers, workers, etc.) or military (urgent rush or defense); later on they cheap cost (e.g. Pyramids not yet built Medieval era) makes it attractive and worth having ~1-2 less units or similar. Change in CvCityAI::AI_buildingValue. Note: about Wonders generally, AdvCiv-SAS uses a fairly strict low wonder policy, as early settlers and workers are more valuable generally and a stronger choice; plus later on we have little time to build world wonders as we risk being overrun by our rivals and building world wonders for them as they conquer us, which is a poor choice. A mostly Base AdvCiv-like behaviour of AIs building many wonders can be restored in SAS defines by disabling SAS_AI_BUILDING_VALUE_WORLD_WONDERS_OPTIMIZE (e.g. 0 vs 6 wonders at turn 100 in an autoplay sample with vs without it), but this should not be necessary and not recommended to change SAS building wonder defaults to have an optimal AI play, as this build cheap wonders ASAP change causes most wonders to built by turn 200 (when it is more efficient to do so). Adjust as you see fit. Further addresses: https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/advciv-sas-simple-advanced-strategy.699716/post-16898915
  • Fix some combat or other tooltips being disabled: now they are only disabled outside sevopedia (since they are not needed due to AdvCiv-SAS's enhanced sevopedia UI), not everywhere anymore, and they are now visible elsewhere (City Screen on hover, etc.). Addresses this player feedback: https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/advciv-sas-simple-advanced-strategy.699716/post-16898487

- Terrain/Features:
  • Now optional: players can now selectively disable terrain/feature attack modifiers and/or terrain/feature defense modifiers (e.g. Roman Legionaries stronger (+25%) on plains; chariots weaker (-50%) on jungle, etc.) via SAS defines. Implemented in CvUnitInfo::getTerrainAttackModifier / CvUnitInfo::getTerrainDefenseModifier (and feature equivalents). Addresses this player feedback: https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/advciv-sas-simple-advanced-strategy.699716/post-16898487

- Technologies (core changes only as would be too long):
  • adjust tech costs slightly for a more gradual pace as cities stagnate or have a slower growth pace in the late game (1800->1700, 1950->1900, 2100->2050)
  • TECH_THE_WHEEL: TECH_ANIMAL_HUSBANDRY AND TECH_MASONRY to the TECH_ANIMAL_HUSBANDRY AND TECH_POTTERY (thematically more correct ("Potter's Wheel" as i had intended then but somehow made stricter for balanced but anyways etc. and less rigid tree, buffs chariots a bit as a side effect since they are available sooner but anyways etc.). Additionally allows roads to appear sooner which is much more versatile strategically so better as such i think but anyways etc. Also, ingame it seems that since we unlock roads at the same time to most times link our horse (unless river connected but most often not), plus the fact that our production capacity is still fairly low so early and longbows not much later and going miltiary would delay our early expansion, this is probably balanced as such but anyways etc.
  • TECH_BRONZE_WORKING: remove the TECH_AGRICULTURE (now only requires TECH_METAL_CASTING): thematically more correct, and more importantly for balance we get bronze working way too late still. Even though it requires less techs than the wheel for chariots, it is in a higher tier so fine as such. Plus, it is significantly riskier, as bronze working does not leads to as many techs, plus is not tradeable in our mod, so fine to relax the requirement there. This rewards such a risk more as well.
  • move vassaling ability and civic from TECH_DRAMA to TECH_PHILOSOPHY: more relevant than in a cultural tech in the end, also helps AI getting it sooner. Gemini 3 pro also recommends this anyways etc.
  • BUILDINGCLASS_MILITARY_ACADEMY's tech prereq from TECH_CONSTITUTION to TECH_MILITARY_SCIENCE (civ4's default as per chatgpt 5.2's recommendation and my review anyways etc.)
  • move the free great scientist from TECH_REFRIGERATION to TECH_PHYSICS as in base civ4 or advciv coincidentally xd but anyways etc.: more balanced as such, boosts weak non-military physics tech anyways etc, and a reference i guess to newton/copernic or such so very relevant thematically i think but anyways etc.
  • PROCESS_CULTURE (build culture in city): change tech prereq from TECH_MUSIC to TECH_DRAMA: back to drama since we have removed TECH_MUSIC (see below), and since AIs handle this sometimes bad in the early game. This helps culture techs more by condensing their effects and make them more "bulky" if i may say but anyways etc.
  • BUILDINGCLASS_NATYA_SHASTRA: change tech prereq from TECH_MUSIC to TECH_DRAMA: "(fits performing arts as per chatgpt 5.2's review thanks but anyways etc.)"; adjusted iCost to match this change anyways etc.
  • BUILDINGCLASS_GLOBE_THEATRE: change tech prereq from TECH_DRAMA to TECH_PRINTING_PRESS (much more accurate as per chatgpt 5.2's review, plus buffs this weaker tech and makes it more iconic/specialized anyways etc.); adjusted iCost to match this change anyways etc.
  • "replace TECH_MUSIC with TECH_ROMANTICISM, with chatgpt 5.2's help/recommendation and my own help too xd i mean if i may say but anyways etc., as mid-late classical was too long (late iron working or macemen, etc.), while medieval era was too short (cuirassiers appear too soon, etc.) + is a nice thematic fit to nationalism as well as per chatgpt 5.2's suggestion and possibly mine too not sure (i don't remember i mean but anyways etc.). It also helps more or less directly delay dragoons that appeared a bit too fast after cuirassiers, or/and give new strategic options instead. Note: the old ancient techs now use TECH_LITERATURE as a prereq to replace it anyways etc. ; now done but anyways etc; pedia entry similarly from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism anyways etc."
  • TECH_NATIONALISM: change tech prereqs from TECH_MILITARY_TRADITION AND TECH_MILITARY_SCIENCE to TECH_LIBERALISM AND (TECH_MILITARY_TRADITION OR TECH_MILITARY_SCIENCE)
  • BUILDINGCLASS_BROADWAY: change tech prereq from TECH_LIBERALISM to TECH_ROMANTICISM. Adjust iCost to match this change anyways etc.
  • TECH_BANKING: moved to a more central position, now facing TECH_DEMOCRACY and TECH_FEUDALISM (historically more accurate according to gemini 3 pro and according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank#Medieval and also its Medici origin (+ according to gemini 3 pro "1. The Historical Logic: "No Taxation Without Representation"" + "Connecting Banking $\to$ Democracy is a very strong narrative." + "The Burgher Class: Historically, the rise of banks created a wealthy merchant class (Burghers/Bourgeoisie) that wasn't part of the nobility." + "Separation of Science & State: Leaving Printing Press to focus on Physics and Naturalism makes it the "Scientific/Intellectual" tech, while Banking becomes the "Political/Economic" tech.". As it said helps alleviate ubiquitous printing press that is less versatile and thematic, and reduces strategic possibilites. It allows to force knight units sooner, as AIs ignore this tech a bit too long, now it's a coherent part of history anyways etc. Also fixes the central gap in the medieval tree anyways etc. Now only requires TECH_CHIVALRY AND TECH_CURRENCY (removed redundant and not as related thematically TECH_FEUDALISM anyways etc.). + "<!-- custom: a text that emphasizes banking's earlier history, pedia entry based similarly on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_banking and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank#History anyways etc. -->"
  • TECH_DEMOCRACY: change tech prereqs from TECH_FEUDALISM AND TECH_PRINTING_PRESS to TECH_BANKING. Also add an OR prereq TECH_BROADER_EDUCATION: seems/feels more thematic and accurate/relevant to me as such but anyways etc.
  • TECH_LIBERALISM: change tech prereqs from TECH_DEMOCRACY AND TECH_NATURALISM AND TECH_BANKING to TECH_BANKING AND (TECH_NATURALISM OR TECH_DEMOCRACY)
  • Delayed Requirements: Some techs (e.g. TECH_MOUNTED_COMBAT) can optionally be researched fairly early (e.g. at Classical Era) or skipped until significantly later when they become mandatory (e.g. mid-Medieval Era for TECH_CHIVALRY). This gives more strategic flexibility and research costs management, as these techs would be cheaper to research later on with a stronger economy, while shorter-term concerns have more room to be addressed sooner if desired.
  • reduce early tech techs to adjust pacing (150->140, 225->200, 300->275, 425->400, 575->525, 750->700, 900->875, 1200->1150): lowering these values a bit (which were too high btw) allows for a better scaling and pacing, reaching mid/late classical sooner, having iron working sooner which is nice. Trying not to overdo it as difficulties and maps change stuff and i wouldnt want pace to be too fast on the opposite, so for now set as such as i go into the player wonder question in more detail anyways etc.
  • BUILDINGCLASS_ORACLE: change ObsoleteTech from NONE to TECH_BROADER_EDUCATION "<!-- custom: was NONE: now kind of like in civ3 but broader (no pun but anyways etc.): this change makes sense i think as older religions eventually start to fade away; plus it allows not to have ridiculously cheap free tech later in the game if not yet build anyways etc. -->"
  • BUILDINGCLASS_APOSTOLIC_PALACE: reduce iCost from 325 to 300: "<!-- custom: make cost quite low as it is more of a shared wonder between all players and we want it in more games than not in them but anyways etc."
  • reduce wonder costs as they were a bit too expensive especially early relative to unit/building costs (generally i try to aim for 3x-4x more or less (not necessarily always so always but anyways etc.)) and advciv-sas's low modifier from bonuses change: (175->150, 200->175, 225->200, 250->225, 300->275, 375->350, 425->400, 500->450, 525->475, 550->500, 575->525, 600->550, 625->575, 650->600, 675->625, 700->650). We don't want to overdo the wonder cost correction, as wonders are not a shopping list of things that must always be built every game in advciv-sas, only options to choose from or not if deemed relevant (fine to ignore many if not a strong move to build them but anyways etc.). But also, considering it more, even if they are a bit too cheap or may be so, there is still a risk of falling behind militarily and being conquered and so ending up just wasting time and building them for our opponent when they conquer us; with that in mind, it would be fine as such, as unit spam is attractive and reliable, but hopefully wonder building is more so and a more valid strategic option/alternative but anyways etc. Adresses player feedback: https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/advciv-sas-simple-advanced-strategy.699716/post-16898915
  • replace TECH_REFRIGERATION with TECH_ENVIRONMENTALISM : Reuses civ4's CIVIC_ENVIRONMENTALISM's button and TECH_REFRIGERATION's quote + a modern later tech so industrial goes faster and to thematically cover this part of history as well (plus modern was quite most importantly while industrial was too slow anyways etc.). Move the forest preserve's gold effect from TECH_BIOENGINEERING to TECH_ENVIRONMENTALISM, as well as the bonus obsoletes from TECH_MASS_MEDIA and TECH_COMPOSITES. Gets iHealth 1. Also, it uses a real wikipedia based entry, not the very bad and poorly framed civ4 ones.
  • TECH_MARINE_TECHNOLOGY: change prereqs from TECH_REFRIGERATION AND TECH_ELECTRICITY to TECH_ELECTRICITY
  • BUILDINGCLASS_LABORATORY: no longer requires TECH_REFRIGERATION (now only TECH_THEORY_OF_EVOLUTION)
  • BUILDINGCLASS_SUPERMARKET: no longer require TECH_REFRIGERATION (now only TECH_CORPORATION)
  • TECH_COMPOSITES: now also requires TECH_ENVIRONMENTALISM (with TECH_INDUSTRIALISM). As a nice side effect, this helps gate modern tanks rushes that would otherwise be too soon after the first tanks are discovered at TECH_INDUSTRIALISM anyways etc.
  • TECH_DEPOPULATION: increase iHealth and iHappiness from -8 to -9
  • TECH_TRANSHUMANISM: increase iHealth from 1 to 2
  • TECH_TERRAFORMING: increase iHappiness from 2 to 3

- Corporations tech prereqs reworks:
  • cereal mills : ecology -> ecology
  • sid sushi's : refrigeration (removed) -> marine technology (fish food theme)
  • standard ethanol : combustion -> combustion
  • creative constructions : radio -> radio
  • mining inc : marine technology -> elecricity (op corp as of now i think but in non-military tech so riskier and so maybe fine, also still an industry tech sort of so thematically ok maybe anyways etc.)
  • alumnium co : assembly line -> assembly line
  • civilized jewelers : game theory -> corporation (sooner, was too late, now coincidentally same as advciv/k-mod anyways etc.)

- Units:
  • rework the aztec jaguar so it requires no bonus and has extra modifiers instead: (removed free promotion Combat 1, remove the bonus prereqs i.e. no need for copper nor iron anymore since they historically used obsidian or such weapons, and give it a free promotion Sentry to give it a tactical edge over the generic axeman without overpowering it. Hopefully the unit is more thematic and historically accurate, as well as strategically versatile and balanced. Addresses this this player feedback and discussion there in https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/advciv-sas-simple-advanced-strategy.699716/post-16898915, and done with the help of chatgpt 5.2 too and my help too thanks xd but anyways etc.

- performance optimizations
- 48 civs DLL included

AdvCiv-SAS 5210 Update: 2025-12-19: fix building prereq + incovenient city bar auto-scroll on click
Update: 2025-12-18 (1 hour after release):
- fix incorrect tech prereq of the BUILDING_PERSIAN_APOTHECARY: was TECH_CHIVALRY instead of TECH_MATHEMATICS.

Update 2: 2025-12-19 (after release):
- fix the production chooser bar in city screen auto-scrolling to bottom rows when clicking on one of the lower rows, which was annoying, now fixed.

If you downloaded the AdvCiv-SAS 5210 first released version before, just redownload from same link: it now has the updated file. Since this is a minor change i didn't make a new release for it.

See for full Cumulative file changes and git commit history from AdvCiv-SAS 5160 to 5210 viewable at https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...1c...39914c9b3d5f0422b05cab7fbba55d088658932a

In autoplay, the 48 civs DLL runs fine in a noble as well it seems too!

Going forward (although not promised nor guaranteed), i'd want to do more UI reworks ideally, and possibly balances changes and other things! Hopefully the mod is more fun and balanced with this new release anyway i mean but anyways etc.
 

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@Osakasayama

i just pushed this commit that fixes the issue of the production chooser bar auto scrolling to lower rows when clicking one of them, not sure if it's the issue you had but maybe helps anyways etc.:


note: doesn't fix the opposite issue (from the bottom rows if we click on a row we scroll back to top, but this maybe a nice side effect as we don't need the lower rows as much anyways so kept as such anyways etc.).

So going forward, the next ideas i have are UI reworks or fixes, some unit reworks, tech asset review, possibly AI enhancements if i find or implement any, and possibly review crashes or something similar and related or other issues anyways etc. To be updated if i do anyways etc.
 
I'm adding atm civics ordering with the help of chatgpt 5.2 based on some mod's code, looks nice! Still unfinished as of now anyways etc.

Note: the projects page has not been beautified, but since this is a nice functionnal change i think i mean but anyways etc i wanted to show it here as well but anyways etc.

as general info anyways etc.:
To test the development version, you can follow the steps here anyways etc.: https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...ck_Install_Setup_Guide.md#development-version
 

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also added other types of groupings:

- by specialist type based on RFC DOC mod's code and with chatgpt 5.2's very nice help thanks but anyways etc; plus beautified the page otherwise a bit anyways etc.
- group bonuses by improvement type with the very nice help of chatgpt 5.2 anyways etc, based on RFC DOC mod's code as well as my adjustments or mostly review hehe as well thanks to me as well xd if i may say but anyways etc.
- group improvements in sevopedia by land/water (idea from the Middle-Earth mod thanks and with the big help of chatgpt 5.2 thanks but anyways etc.), with other subgroups

Also, as for sevopedia terrain's entries, i fixed the old hardcoded implementation of peak and hill, now unhiding them rather to reverse what base advciv code did since we don't need nor want that here for our purpose and all i mean but anyways etc.

And as i'm doing UI reworks, i also added grouping by land/water, as i find it much prettier and convenient, for more info about that,

As for sevopedia feature's entries, added a similar grouping but with a Land (Removable) and Land (Other) i got the idea to add hehe if i may say but anyways etc.; it reads much clearer like how as of now Land (Growth) was for cottages and such i mean if i may say but anyways, done with the help of chatgpt 5.2 thanks but anyways etc.

See also if interested related ui reworks documentation on advciv-sas's github but anyways etc.:

- UI (Sevopedia reworks & related)
- UI (In-game)

It looks as below which i find super pretty and readable xd as well, thanks to chatgpt 5.2's help as well anyways etc :)

To test the development version, you can follow the steps here anyways etc.: https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...ck_Install_Setup_Guide.md#development-version
 

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also, atm i'm beautifiying the miltiary advisor with chatgpt 5.2's help, it looks very nice but is unfinished (button taking too much height, etc)

but now my boy claude opus 4.5 has stepped in xd and he's doing it xd

also, with a minor polish the sevopedia project is brand new and shiny xd but anyways etc.

edit: also added the city screen now showing a button (i.e. icon) (on bottom left) of each element int the production queue with claude opus 4.5's help anyways etc.
 

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@keldath today i tried codex (with GPT 5.2-codex medium) and it performs amazingly well!!

i think i'm gonna go addicted to this xd, simpel integration in vs code so far

i tested it on a junk task that i really wanted to do, of simpifying trash or needlessly messy code comemnts i had, some of the problematic ones at least, i just sat a few minutes and let it do tis thing!! https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/commit/4582d1382154cdd16062112e2106d4edb87b76a4

this is i tried antigravity but it was nowhere near as good as this and buggy

@<Nexus> you might be interested in this since you seemed curious about AI stuff, i'm discovering this part of it but it's super fun (and effective) xd

you can try in a test branch if you want to be safe maybe (but i can't be held responsible, take your safeties and hopefully you may find this helpful as well or at least you'd have tried it thanks hehe but anyways etc.)
 

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this is one strange issue or rather enhancement i mean, as part of removing old bloat (the old hardcoded bonus-specific builds in xml with now a dynamic fetch) (commit: https://github.com/wonderingabout/AdvCiv-SAS/commit/d429c5767348a88f2976ea57b54c5d2419c45812), AI suddenly became stronger with all players having more cities at t100 and a stronger military, and improvements on bonuses still preserved. Hard to think it's a fluke or randomoness, since there was no other change otherwise on same save file.

Maybe this fixes a bug or something, but note that AI may somehow possibly be significantly stronger now, even though it already was and this is just a noble run xd on a large pangea anyways etc.

By t200 the scoreboard difference is even starker in before vs after changes

edit: i tested on another map and i get similar results (higher score and military and tech pace, reverting the autoplay order (first new DLL then old DLL at reload from 0), changing difficulty from noble to monarch, and i have seemingly same results at a glance: AI significantly stronger especially early but also later on.

edit 2: the only other change is moving a massive 9000 char string out of unitais xml info to a txt, so this could the actual cause although i didn't test further to know, chatgpt 5.2 says such a change is also likely to be the culprit when i asked it thanks but anyways etc.

This warrants a new release after i up the tech costs a bit since there is no reason to reduce them as AI tech pace fine now.
 

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AdvCiv-SAS 5240 is released!

A hotfix version that massively increases AI strength, and extensive UI Reworks (Sevopedia, Military Advisor, and City Screen).

- AI (Major Strength increase due to bugfix):
  • replaced hardcoded CvUnitAI::getBonusSpecificLandBuilds which somehow leads to much more cities at turn 100 and much faster tech pace, and stronger military. Much higher score for all players as well in score board at turn 100 vs turn 200, reproducible too.
  • e.g. test 1 noble pangea large map:
    • - t100: before: scores from 267 (top) to 199 (bottom) -> after: 387 to 265
    • - t200: before: scores from 721 (top) to 281 (bottom) -> after: 1140 to 414
  • e.g. test 2 monarch pangea large map, swap autoplay order, same results:
    • - t100: before: scores from 380 (top) to 225 (bottom) -> after: 452 to 240
    • - t200: before: scores from 1168 (top) to 667 (bottom) -> after: 1211 to 628
Cause of these results is most likely either fixing a bug in a recent CvUnitAI::getBonusSpecificLandBuilds, rework that moved them to xml hardcoded defines in an incomplete way, now they are automatically fetched by the DLL without needing XML defines which should be cleaner and more reliable, or the cause could likely be removing a +/- 9000 char code comment to a separate .txt file in case it caused issues as it was the only other change at this commit. Regardless of which cause it is, AI is measurably stronger so this warrants a release.

- Technologies
  • increase tech costs to match this AI strength increase (else they tech too fast): 875->950, 1150->1250, 1700->1750, 1900->1950, 2050->2075
- UI (In-game)
  • Military Advisor: added Unit Combat and Units buttons (i.e. icons) with the help of chatgpt 5.2 and claude opus 4.5 thanks.
  • City Screen: added Buttons (i.e. icons) in the Production Queue.
- UI (Sevopedia reworks & related)
  • Entries Grouping: Depending on the Sevopedia Page, Sevopedia lists are now grouped: by Civic Type (e.g. Government, Economy) in Sevopedia Civics; by Era Type (e.g. Ancient Era, Classical Era, No Tech Prerequisite (available at any era)); by Specialist Type (e.g. Engineer vs Great Engineer) in Sevopedia Specialist; by Improvement Type (e.g. Farm -> Wheat/Maize, Pasture -> Sheep/Pig) in Sevopedia Bonus; by Land/Water (e.g. Land Improvements -> Farm/Pasture, Water Improvements -> Fishing Boats/Offshore Platform) sometimes with additional subgroups. Code implemented in SevoPediaMain.py. Mostly based on RFC DOC mod, with some ideas from the Middle-earth mod too (land/water groupings in particular), then implemented with the help of chatgpt 5.2.
  • sevopedia building: fix ironworks requiring coal+coal instead of coal+iron
  • sevopedia building: the great person button in sevopedia building can now be hovered and and successfully redirects to the specialist's corresponding sevopedia page.
  • fixed Base AdvCiv bug, in sevopedia bonus, in the aluminium bonus' entry, of all project tooltips showing the Apostolic Palace and redirecting to it instead of showing the project's tooltip and redirecting to said project, with the help of chatgpt 5.2 thanks anyways etc
  • minor beautify and polish sevopedia projects
- Buildings
  • Great Person Buildings (e.g. Academy, Scotland Yard) now require a tech (e.g. `TECH_LITERATURE`, `TECH_MONARCHY`) so they appear in the tech tree and in the Sevopedia Building's corresponding group rather than in the "No Tech Prerequisite" group. This may make strategic considerations more specialized and help slightly curb military beelines in particular.
  • Units
  • UNITCLASS_SPY: change tech prereq from TECH_MONARCHY to TECH_CALENDAR
  • Executives now require the same Tech(s) to be built as their corresponding corporation's does (e.g. `TECH_MARINE_TECHNOLOGY` and `TECH_CORPORATION` for the Sid Sushi's executive unit; was `NONE`.) to be built. This simplifies the Sevopedia Unit Era grouping implementation so they are correctly listed (e.g. "at Modern Era", not at "No Technology Prequisite"), and executive's effective availability (i.e. not until the later eras). This also balances rival city acquisition so a player cannot produce executives if we do not have the corresponding Corporation in the city (mirroring the shrine prerequirement change).
- code cleanup, refactor, and performance optimizations
- update 48 civs DLL

Reminder: many of these new settings are partially or entirely tunable in GlobalDefines_advciv_sas.xml

Full Cumulative file changes and git commit history from AdvCiv-SAS 5210 to 5240 viewable at https://github.com/wonderingabout/A...2a...b5ecf7a37ae7330c65384a4f880d20d344193230
 

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