While I am perfectly aware that I am "flogging a dead horse" by replying (all my posts were on this thread) here, a random search lead me here, and made me scroll once again through the posts and revive my (fond) memories of the mod, the lore, and all the expectations I held over the years about the unfinished masterpiece we call "Necro Cristi". I realized then that I never had the feeling of "closure" about the whole story, so, I decided to write this post both to achieve the "closure" I yearn, and to thank Colin (the author) and everyone that contributed to this mod over the years for all their awesome work, and for the reasons I am about to explain.
I got Civ IV in 2005 back then I was 12 years old and I was still in middle school. I quickly became very interested in the whole concept of the Civilization series, both by the need to think, plan and decide on a much greater scale than in other strategy (more on that later) games, by the addictive gameplay, and by the huge learning experience it was. One can learn a lot about human history by playing this game, and being able to experience the whole succession of human history in a single afternoon certainly helps. One day, unhappy that a meaningful Civilization like my country (Portugal) got left out of vanilla civ, I discovered this site and all its mods. This happened in (maybe) 2007, the year when BtS came out (which I promptly bought).
My first interest after discovering the extensive mod library here on Civfanatics was the scenarios. I always loved WW2, a love that grew immensely both from watching the World at War documentaries (BBC) and from playing the Desert War scenario in vanilla. So I searched for scenarios that emulated that feel, but soon I discovered modpacks had much more content sometimes including a lot of different scenarios themselves. And while casually scrolling through the site, I discovered NECRO CRISTI. I read the whole premise and I was seriously impressed. I downloaded the mod immediately. The concept was amazing, and so was the lore and all the references to so many things and so many people
and the music that fitted in perfectly with the tone of the mod
It struck me that the mod was a true labour of love. For me, Necro Cristi was just as educational as base Civ IV. The zombies were pretty cool, but the true core of the concept was (at least for me) exploring how mankind would react to such a catastrophe. Colin is obviously a VERY cultured individual. Being a cultured individual is a goal that I always strive (and strived) for, so my 14 years old self challenged himself to try to learn the most he could about all the references. I mean, how could a Portuguese 14 years old teenager discover Soren Kierkegaard if it wasnt through Necro Cristi?
All the quotes, the names, the references and the music in Necro Cristi have a poignancy that I have yet to discover in other media. For me, Colins greatest achievement was creating this Universe, and weaving this thread of stories. Both Necro Cristi and Fall from Heaven prove that Civilopedia, while far from perfect, is a pretty decent way to showcase all the lore!
I awaited all the updates anxiously. I scrolled through the thread incessantly. And I played the hell out of the versions that were updated! At the same time, I searched the internet for all those intriguing names that popped in the lore from time to time: Zanzibar, Sunya
Today I compare all those learning experiences to learning about some secret society, and slowly unraveling all the secrets and all the hidden knowledge. Call me a weirdo, but I still love to delve in the wikis of some games just to piece the whole lore together. I read a lot about the lore in the game. A lot of Nietzsche, Thoreau, Kierkegaard
I discovered Lustmord and the whole Dark Ambient genre through this mod. And I found out Adam and the Ants was a pretty amazing band while at it! Necro Cristi was for me some sort of Guide of cool. Not everything that was cool was in Necro Cristi, but everything that was on Necro Cristi was very interesting, and very cool! All this culture is sadly very off the beaten path in todays society, or at least in my Portuguese high school microcosm. I was then 17 years old, still playing the hell out of the mod and in my senior year at high school (12th grade).
Meanwhile, I anguished at every hiatus. Sadly, it seemed Necro Cristi would never be finished. Others, no doubt propelled by the same kind of affection I felt for the mod, tried to continue Colins work, but I believe Necro Cristi is a deeply personal work, so only Colin can finish it. When 0.3 came, I finally thought I would have closure, but the efforts (apparently) waned. Closure never came. I joined Civfanatics because of this mod, and today I laugh at all my posts, as they showcase me growing up from a 14 years old teenager in his 9th grade to a 19 year old Officer-Cadet, about to enter his third year in the Portuguese Military Academy. I believe the culture I acquired while playing Necro Cristi is today instrumental in helping me to become a wordly, cultured and well-rounded army officer (as my 5 year old nickname might indicate, a cavalry (armour) officer a rosenritter, to use the mods vocabulary!), as my love of philosophy and psychology (among other things) all stem from this mod!
So thank you Colin! Like any great work of art, your mod has inspired someone!
I love the Civ games, and their gameplay, but in this (admittedly) very long post I want to thank Colin and everyone else that contributed to the mod. From time to time, I receive an e-mail about some new post in this thread, and I still hope Necro Cristi will be finished: I seek closure. Thus, after seeing this thread come up on Google after some random search for Lustmord, I was inspired to write a message of thank you for everything. Consider this an open letter of sorts. Necro Cristi might have deserved a standalone game, a novel, or a movie and I would certainly acquire them. But for me it is already a masterpiece, even in this unfinished state!
Obrigado Colin! Obrigado a todos!
Artur
