I am only the gopher. (Go for this - go for that) But how many junior modders do you have? Wondered why you were so keen to get me on the team (hidden agenda).
Apart from some opinions, editing maps and messing with Spawninfos.xml. That is my only experience.
I am willing to help, but have no idea what to do - yet. so will need examples and lists of which files etc. that need to be updated.
That is, when you are ready to implement those changes.
I suppose every little helps.
There's a few names I'd hoped would answer the call (yours on the top of the list!) Glad to have your help!
So this might be a little frustrating and maybe we can talk out a better way but here's the basics.
This is the beginning of the current Neanderthal civ listing in CivilizationInfos.xml. It's BASED on the Barbarian one.
There are already a LOT of buildings that are defined and a LOT of units that are defined. These definitions are where a modder can set a building to be unbuildable or redefine what that building access would be. Remember Unique Units and Unique Buildings from Vanilla? These are the tags that let a modder define a unique for a particular civ, say, replacing the normal Swordsman in the Swordsman CLASS with a Praetorian for the Roman Civilization for example.
If >NONE< is defined, as it is here for many buildings and units, it basically makes that whole unit or building class completely inaccessible to this civ.
I think you see where I'm going with this. Neanderthals shouldn't be able to build a LOT of buildings normal civs can. They should also not be able to Train pretty much every unit in the game with the exception of the actual UNIT_NEANDERTHAL, possibly the Neanderthal Warrior, and maybe canines if they get to the point where they have Canine Domestication. Workers are probably something they should be able to build.
This is also a call to eventually proliferate more neanderthal units for these guys... at some point. I can certainly see a Neanderthal Axeman, Spearman or Swordsman being pretty fearsome and a big problem if Neanders are allowed to exist long enough to develop their tech levels. They should never be given any throwing units since research suggests this was their underlying competitive problem with homo sapien.
Anyhow, this basically means nearly every building and nearly every unit needs to be gone through and added to these tags for this civ.
Have I been clear as to what the task amounts to, even if it IS an unfortunate one?