The Rise of Arcadia
I will be uploading this to the mod database very soon. Stay tuned!
Arcadia is a XML-only mod developed by myself. I have worked on it since the day SDK was released. Think of Arcadia as an alternate-history Earth, but it takes place on a different planet with different civilizations, and events unfolded differently. It takes place entirely in the Ancient and Classical Era. The goal of the mod is to provide a very good Classical era experience, but without becoming another "Historical Ancient Rome scenario" and being forced into creating a realistic Earth with realistic events.
Because of this, while the tech line of Arcadia is very similar to Earth's, there are also differences. For one, Trebuchets and most other medieval-type weapons (heavy armor, the longbow) were developed and used extensively by the nations, while monotheistic religion never became a dominant force for shaping nations. Civilizations focused more on war, often gearing up and defending their homeland against hostile neighbors. Arcadia's history is long and bloody, and many atrocities have been committed by many of the nations.
REMEMBER: THIS MOD IS IN ALPHA STAGE! There are lots of unfinished aspects and most likely balance. I need help getting them all out. So I'm posting the alpha to help out with that.
Goals
- Provide a fun Classical era experience
- Slow down the pace of technology so that wars can become long and drawn out, and more useful since more territory will allow faster technologies.
- Create distinct, unique civilizations whose unique traits and flavors lead them to pursue their desired goals.
Civilizations
So far in Rise of Arcadia there are seven civilizations:
1. Menia (Greece)
- Leader: Talus
- Trait: Reformation (Social Policies cost 25% less culture)
- Focus: Culture
2. Candor (Rome)
- Leader: Hammon
- Trait: Ruthlessness (Great General effectiveness increased, strength when attacking City-States increased by 33%, and killing enemy units grant culture)
- Focus: Warfare
3. Rheia (Egypt)
- Leader: Tehuti
- Trait: Endless Riches (Trade Routes grant +3 extra gold, when Trade is researched, civilization receives a Great Merchant)
- Focus: Income, and naval trade
4. Javed (Persia)
- Leader: Ramman
- Trait: Master of Mind (Great Scientists appear 25% faster in all cities, and Golden Ages last 25% longer.
- Focus: Science and Defense
5. Odagana (Japan)
- Leader: Benjiro
- Trait: ??? (Not Started)
- Focus: Isolationalism, and Warfare
6. Seneca (Aztec)
- Leader: Quachcoatl
- Trait: Guerrilla Warfare (Melee units in Rough Terrain receive a 40% Combat bonus. When Tactics is researched, Civilization receives a Great General)
- Focus: Genocide, Warfare, Bloodshed, Insanity
7. Coloquia (Iroquois)
- Leader: Makya
- Trait: ??? (Not Started)
- Focus: Protection, Forests
Units
The following list doesn't include unique units, but it does include all-new speciality units I've created.
Scout Cavalry
Mounted scouts. Can dodge arrows easier and can move fast, but has a very low attack.
Heavy Cavalry
Extremely powerful cavalry units. Slower than most cavalry, but stronger than every other mounted unit. They receive defensive bonuses, but are expensive to make and cannot move after attacking. Weak to Pikeman.
Captain
These units grant an attack bonus to adjacent military units. They're not as strong as the other high-level units, but they're very useful in combat.
Longbowman
These guys are taken off as a unique unit, and are available to everyone, alongside Crossbowman. They retain their 3 range, but are weaker than Crossbowman.
Merchant Ships
These are buildable Great Merchants. They're not very fast and they don't grant as much gold as a Great Merchant would, but they're great for generating commerce and influence with coastal city-states.
Quinquereme
The strongest naval unit in the game. They can move through ocean, but they're extremely slow.
Goals for Alpha
- Making sure everything works right. If a tooltip says a unit is there, but it doesn't exist or isn't playable, I need to know.
- Is the gameplay fun?
- How fast are you reaching Future Tech?
- Is 350 turns too little? Too much?
- Are techs going by too fast?
- Feedback on the Tech Tree design
- Some optional techs (i.e. Archery, Siege Craft) just not worth getting?
- Some mandatory techs are just terrible?
- Any ideas on how to prolong the tech tree?
- Are units balanced? If not, which ones aren't?
- Are Candor and Seneca warmongers? They're supposed to be!
- All ideas are welcome. Whether it be gameplay changes, unit ideas, tech ideas, building ideas, etc. Remember, this is a Classical era mod, but it can incorporate medieval elements, because this is an alternate universe!
- Are the new social policies good?
Future Implementations
- Incorporate stuff from other mods (definitely going to credit, but I want to get my own mod working first before I do that)
- Cultural victory requires 3 Social Policies to unlock Utopia Project.
- A new technology that enables the building construction for Diplomatic Victory.
- An expanded naval system (different warships that serve different purposes.
- Expanded tech tree that would incorporate a lot of different technologies to diversify gameplay. Most techs would be optional, but useful.
- More units!
- Buildings! Buildings! And more Buildings!
- Unit art! (c'mon artists! Classical Units go-go!)
Changelog:
Code:
Civilizations
- Removed 11 civilizations from the game (America, Arabia, China, England, France, Germany, India, Ottoman, Russia, Siam, Songhai)
- Renamed civilizations (Greece - Menia, Egypt - Rheia, Rome - Candor, Japan - Odagana, Persia - Javed, Aztec - Seneca, Iroquois - Coloquia)
- Changed Civilopedia files
- Complete: Menia
- Not Started: Candor
- Not Started: Rheia
- Not Started: Odagana
- Not Started: Javed
- Not Started: Seneca
- Not Started: Coloquia
- Changed Civilization Traits
- Incomplete: Menia
- Incomplete: Candor
- Incomplete: Rheia
- Not Started: Odagana
- Incomplete: Javed
- Incomplete: Seneca
- Not Started: Coloquia
- Changed Unique Units
- Complete: Menia
- Skabella (rename of Hoplite)
- Hippikon (similar to Companion Cavalry)
- Incomplete: Candor
- Fanatic (Stronger strength, strong against cities, replaces Swordsman)
- Not Started: Ballista
- Not Started: Rheia
- Not Started: Odagana
- Not Started: Javed
- Not Started: Seneca
- Not Started: Coloquia
- Changed Unique Buildings
- Not Needed: Menia
- Not Needed: Candor
- Finished: Rheia
- Not Started: Javed
- Not Needed: Odagana
- Not Started: Coloquia
- Not Started: Seneca
Units
- Added all new units
- Untested: Quinquereme
- Untested: Heavy Cavalry
- Untested: Scout Cavalry
- Untested: Captain
- Functional: Merchant Ship
- Untested: Longbowman (available to all civilizations)
Social Policies
- Renamed Rationalism to Slavery
- Changed Policy Requirements
- Patronage, Commerce, and Slavery now require Classical Era
- Slavery and Liberty cannot be active at the same time together
- Autocracy, Order, and Freedom are unobtainable
- Added new policies
- Slavery
- Whipping
- Serfdom
- Gladiators
- Servitude
- Organization
- Wonder Construction
- Tradition
- Absolute Rule
- Liberty
- Toleration
- Honor
- Field Medicine
- Piety (Not Started)
- Commerce (Not Started)
- Patronage (Not Started)
Technologies
- All techs from Medieval -> Future have been removed
- Added new technologies
- Fishing
- Naval Warfare
- Cartography
- Advanced Navy
- Alliances
- Road Construction
- Discipline
- Drama
- Mounted Tactics
- Mounted Scouting
- Siege Craft
- Defenses
- Tactics
- Trade
- Tool Crafting
- Woodworking
- Moved technologies from Medieval to Classical
- Currency
- Engineering
- Metal Casting
- Future Tech moved from Future to Classical
Buildings
- Renamed Castle to Fortress
- Increased defensive effectiveness of Walls and Castles
- Added a Gallows building. The Gallows serve to increase happiness before you have any technologies (similar to the Monument). Very cheap, low happiness, low cost, low maintenence.
- Moved Theatre to Drama.
- Hanging Gardens now requires Engineering
- Moved Market to Trade.
- Barracks is a little cheaper to build.
- Circuses are cheaper to maintain.
- Theatres are cheaper to maintain.
Gameplay
- Chop Forest requires Woodworking
- Chop Jungle requires Woodworking
- Clear Marsh requires Tool Crafting
- Build Road requires Road Construction
- Build Fishing Boats requires Fishing
- Standard speed slowed down.
- Lowered time to 300 turns. Game takes place between 4000 B.C. and 0 B.C.
Thanks
- FiresForever (some LUA code help)
- goddambigcar (Some tech suggestions)Please remember this is an alpha build only.
Thank you in advance to anyone who downloads and playtests, and especially anyone who leaves feedback!
. But it was a learning experience.
