Bring animals back

[killmeplease]

I'm working on a "before the dawn" mod now, that features 15k to 2.5k BC period, and i think it would be great to have such a things in the game:
1. Mammoth hunting. Mammoths are moving around plains and breed. If caught by a player's unit, give food and production. Cant move into forests.

I think there are 2 ways:
1) make them from ruins. I mean mammoth can be a 'ruin' with just a different model. And moved around via lua script. AIs will be eager to chase them as they're programmed to do it with ruins.
2) Introduce a new, 'Animal civ' - just like a barbarian civ, that cant build cities and in state of instant war with all other civs. So mammoths could defend themselves, having say str 4. Here is the queston: Is it possible to have a unit with combat strength but not capable of attack (only defend)? Another question is, if it possible to guide AI's units movements? I want them to go from plot to plot, to most 'fresh' plots each time (fresh plots having value 0 of freshness, just visited = -5, restoring +1 freshness each turn up to 0). I fear if mammoths will be units, they'll move wrong. What do you think about that? if it possible to move units with lua? And how to make mammoths units appealing to AIs?

i've found an icon already, lol

II. Developing animal civ idea, herds units can be introduced. These could be captured with developing of domestication (otherwise hunted like mammoths) and brought to a player's territory, where they would build a herd improvement. Then, when enemies - other civs or barbs, would pillage a herd improvement, they'd get a herd uint and would bring it to own territory. Quite fun, don't you think?

Next idea is to introduce a second animal civ - predators - wolves (str 2), cave lions (str 4) etc, at war with animal civ and all other civs as well. They'd be capable of killing (eating) moving hersds and pillage herds improvements, kill settlers, wounded units etc.

I want to know what do you think about this ideas, potential of playability and fun.
Also it would be great if some modder guys answered stated questions if they know answers.

 

[chrome-rome]

Is it possible to have a unit with combat strength but not capable of attack (only defend)?

I think this can be done by giving the unit the "promotion" that ranged units have that makes them unable to melee attack. If you don't give the unit a ranged attack, then it can't attack.

 

[Dunkah]

I love this idea. Sounds like great fun. Miss that aspect from Civ IV. Would definately use this mod.

Sorry I can't answer any of your questions. Not a modder myself.

 

[Gedemon]

I think this can be done by giving the unit the "promotion" that ranged units have that makes them unable to melee attack. If you don't give the unit a ranged attack, then it can't attack.

Yes, that's the PROMOTION_ONLY_DEFENSIVE type.

 

[killmeplease]

Thanks for your answers, so we can have a defense-only unit.
So now i have to learn if it is possible to introduce an animal civ and how to do it. And how to make hunting animals appealing to AI.
maybe a ruin way will be easier..

 

[Gedemon]

About the rest, AI unit guided movement can be done using something like that :

unit:PushMission(MissionTypes.MISSION_MOVE_TO, x, y, 0, 0, 1, MissionTypes.MISSION_MOVE_TO, unit:GetPlot(), unit) -- where (x,y) is the destination

you may want to use whoward69's route finding code to help to choose a way to your unit's objective.

and use GameEvents.PlayerDoTurn.Add(WhateverFunctionYouUseToMoveYourUnit) to make your unit move before the AI try to use it.

 

[killmeplease]

Thanks Gedemon, this is very helpful.