[BtS] "Mars, Now!"

[Larch]

Wish I could find a Sci-fi mod as good as this for civ 5. Any plans to convert to civ 5?

 

[Vortilex]

The_J isn't buying CV as he does not agree with the EULA for Steam. There won't be a The_J version of this mod for CV, but there might be one made by one of the people most interested. Unfortunately for me, my computer can barely handle extra civs, and most pictures don't show up as they normally would; they show up as glitches, so I won't be able to make one

 

[The_J]

Thanks for the compliments, but Vortilex is right .
I also think i would not have the time for it.

And give the a bit of this, time . Civ5 is out for 6 weeks around, you can't expect that there are tons of science fiction units for Civ5 yet. And developing this mod took at the beginning already a half year, and i had nearly everything i needed, so it's not really possible to get already a total conversion for Civ5.

------
I've added the outpost and the shopping center as UBs, and also the People's Liberation Army as UU.
If added the martian legionaire too, but as UU for the mercenary. I don't like that "warrior" UUs very much, but all 3 suggested UUs were for the elite unit, and that was a bit boring, imho. Oh, and it makes now still sense, and i had a nice model for it .


And i have obviously not enough experience with the 3D programs, could not figure out how to fit a helmet onto the units, i'll probably have to read 1 or 2 tutorials about that :/.

 

[Otaku-sama]

Which model did you use for the Legionnaire?

For the Martians, I think you should consider changing their base civ from Babylonian to French, because Babylonian is a dead language and French is much more likely to be a language spoken between interstellar travellers.

Also, more ideas:

(Since the Africans are windmill specialists...)
Solar Wind Power Plant
UB for the African Union, replaces Geo-Heat Plant
Resourceless
+2 Healthiness
+2 Commerce
Provides Power

Assault Chopper
UU for African Union, replaces Mobile Commando
Str 20, Move 3
Can Flank Siege Weapons
Starts with Ambush, Pinch
+ other Mobile Commando stuff
Also a little backstory on the AU:

As resources on Earth declined, the African Union found itself unable to continue developing its poorer regions. Unable to secure either oil or uranium, the Africans decided that green energy was the only way to keep up with their own industrialization. Designing revolutionary turbine designs and more efficient generators, Africa quickly became the leader in wind and tidal power. Although wind and tidal power did not have the same potential as fusion, Africa caught up with the rest of the world, no longer the poverty striken country it once was. Once news of foreign space programs were leaked to the African Union, they started their own space program, led by Kufi Anana and Thomas Mubarak, hoping to secure resources for their developing economy.

Another thing: Since Panzer Kunst is based in Martial Arts, maybe the missionary should be replaced with the pre-Industrial Great Spy from Civ4.

 

[The_J]

Which model did you use for the Legionnaire?

This one.
Can't be really used for anything besides an early unit, so that fits imho .

For the Martians, I think you should consider changing their base civ from Babylonian to French, because Babylonian is a dead language and French is much more likely to be a language spoken between interstellar travellers.

Did you actually hear that they speak babylonian ?
Just thought that i give them something obscure, which no one will recognize that easily.

French... yeah, why not, one of their leaders is french, and it's unlikely that no one will speak it in the future.


A bit related: The canadians use at the moment the english language set, and not the american. Should i change this?

Also, more ideas:

(Since the Africans are windmill specialists...)
Solar Wind Power Plant
UB for the African Union, replaces Geo-Heat Plant
Resourceless
+2 Healthiness
+2 Commerce
Provides Power

That could be overpowered .

Assault Chopper
UU for African Union, replaces Mobile Commando
Str 20, Move 3
Can Flank Siege Weapons
Starts with Ambush, Pinch
+ other Mobile Commando stuff

mmhh...i guess i could have some halfways fitting model.

Also a little backstory on the AU:

As resources on Earth declined, the African Union found itself unable to continue developing its poorer regions. Unable to secure either oil or uranium, the Africans decided that green energy was the only way to keep up with their own industrialization. Designing revolutionary turbine designs and more efficient generators, Africa quickly became the leader in wind and tidal power. Although wind and tidal power did not have the same potential as fusion, Africa caught up with the rest of the world, no longer the poverty striken country it once was. Once news of foreign space programs were leaked to the African Union, they started their own space program, led by Kufi Anana and Thomas Mubarak, hoping to secure resources for their developing economy.

would never have thought about that, but makes at all sense somehow.
->

Another thing: Since Panzer Kunst is based in Martial Arts, maybe the missionary should be replaced with the pre-Industrial Great Spy from Civ4.

The question here is, if somehow working missionary animations could be fit on it.
I think someone made a ninja out of that model, but with jaguar animations, so that the missionary animations would not work. Maybe i can find something with warrior or spearman as base .

 

[Otaku-sama]

Well, I'm able to recognize the Babylonian from the times I played Babylon on Civ4. I don't actually speak Babylonian.

Canadians using the English lanuguage set is fine, since we are a British colony.

Maybe scratch the commerce bonus and maybe discount the hammers a bit, since the Africans are apparently now the best windmill makers in the world.

Another UB:

Ice Hockey Rink
UB for the Canadian Space Agency, replaces Space Park
+4 Happy
No resource bonuses
No bonus to terraforming (if applicable, I don't remember what else the space park does)

 

[Vortilex]

I don't actually speak Babylonian.

Babylonian is/was a semitic language, so it should be related to Hebrew somehow, though I think it's quite a distant relationship. Still, it should be like Romanian and Spanish. Now, only if I spoke Hebrew

 

[Otaku-sama]

Sorry to keep piling things up onto you, but you forgot the anthem of Saudi Arabia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymlmSzfHmk0

Also here's potential Alien diplo music:
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/289365

Also, maybe since the aliens always do so bad, maybe they should be included as a civ that starts at the beginning of the game in place of another civ. They are a Non Playable Civ, but they are spawned in at the beginning of a game in a spot that is somewhat equal to every other civ's spot. The back story says that the aliens were on Mars before humans arrived, so they shouldn't be so weak in the game.

 

[The_J]

Babylonian is/was a semitic language, so it should be related to Hebrew somehow, though I think it's quite a distant relationship. Still, it should be like Romanian and Spanish. Now, only if I spoke Hebrew

I'm seriously confused about that .

Another UB:

Ice Hockey Rink
UB for the Canadian Space Agency, replaces Space Park

Not sure how ice hockey plays in lower gravity .
But well, at least getting it cold should not be a problem.

Sorry to keep piling things up onto you, but you forgot the anthem of Saudi Arabia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymlmSzfHmk0

The arabia here is not only Saudi Arabia.
It should represent everything in that area, so also Iran (which has as far as i know a space program), irak, egypt and so on.
-> same problem like with south america :/.

Also here's potential Alien diplo music:
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/289365

I'll have to see how it's ingame.
I'm at the moment listening to it, and the sound itself is quite...in the foreground. That's for diplomacy music not a problem (unlike for the soundtrack), but it could get annoying after some time. We'll see.

Also, maybe since the aliens always do so bad, maybe they should be included as a civ that starts at the beginning of the game in place of another civ. They are a Non Playable Civ, but they are spawned in at the beginning of a game in a spot that is somewhat equal to every other civ's spot. The back story says that the aliens were on Mars before humans arrived, so they shouldn't be so weak in the game.

I've now already given them some boni, and i like the occurence after the start, so i do not really want to change that . I'll see, if i can strengthen them in other ways too.

 

[Otaku-sama]

Maybe since the Arabia in the game includes the Middle East, maybe consider renaming it to the Islamic Union instead, to incorporate as many Islamic Middle Eastern countries you could possibly want.

I thought the aliens in the game were supposed to be the resident Martians who had their land all colonized by humans. Are they supposed to be alien explorers who happened across Mars and decided to colonize? They're a little vague to me.

 

[The_J]

Maybe since the Arabia in the game includes the Middle East, maybe consider renaming it to the Islamic Union instead, to incorporate as many Islamic Middle Eastern countries you could possibly want.

I don't really want to reduce this to the religion.
Sadly, making the name longer to what it was intended to (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) will screw the interface.
Mmmhh...i'll consider it.

I thought the aliens in the game were supposed to be the resident Martians who had their land all colonized by humans. Are they supposed to be alien explorers who happened across Mars and decided to colonize? They're a little vague to me.

I wanted them to be explorers, but the already written part of the backstory suggests more or less that they've been there before...so they returned.

 

[Vortilex]

The way I created the back-story for the Martians was that they had already been there. Whether or not they come from an extra-Martian/extraterrestrial area is up to whomever is playing to decide. What's important is that they only got their act together relatively late in the game

 

[General Pilates]

The way I created the back-story for the Martians was that they had already been there. Whether or not they come from an extra-Martian/extraterrestrial area is up to whomever is playing to decide. What's important is that they only got their act together relatively late in the game

They cannot be Martians. I demand it. It is too cliche.

 

[Otaku-sama]

If the aliens are explorers, then a rewrite of the original backstory is in order. May I suggest an alien alliance that is somewhat like the Covenant of Halo, so the leaders can be diverse instead of being of just one species. Also, naming them something more interesting than the Alien Empire. Maybe the Confederacy of Galactic Systems?

 

[Vortilex]

Yeah, that works. It would definitely explain why all the Alien leaders are different.

 

[Otaku-sama]

Backstory for the PSE:

As more of the world industrialized, the demand for computers skyrocketed as working class citizens of former third world countries rose out of poverty. Beneath the political tensions and the exploits of the militant European Union, a war of another kind was waged: one of corporate imperialism. In the world of computers, a deep line was drawn between two competing computer giants: Pear Computers Inc. and Macrosoft Inc.. Both based in America, they fought a vicious war of trade secret theft and slanderous advertisements. When the economy dropped when natural resources began to dwindle, both corporations began to falter. Both corporations quickly realized that if they merged into one, they would survive the economic slump and have the added benefit of a monopoly. Together, they formed Blue Computers Inc., with Steven Gates and Robert Jobs as co-chairmen of the board. Despite the monopoly, the economic slump still proved to be a slippery slope. To make matters worse, the world's supply of silicon began to dwindle along with the rest of the world's resources. The only solution for survival was one shared by many of the world's nations: Mars. Despite disapproval by a large portion of the stockowners, Blue Computers developed their own mission to Mars, on par with national space programs, hoping to secure sources of silicon to ensure the longevity of their industry.

Also, I think that the PSE, the Aliens and Jail Rock really need a better flag icon.

 

[The_J]

The story collides with the corporation mechanics .
Unless i make the corps exclusive to them .

Also, I think that the PSE, the Aliens and Jail Rock really need a better flag icon.

Did you have anything specific in mind?
What i've added is the most obvious of which i can think and the images are (technically) clearly recognizable. No idea what else could serve here well.

 

[Otaku-sama]

Maybe you should replace the iPear and Blue Computer Corps with something else to clear up any conflicts?

The icons are just too simple in my opinion, and they don't really stick out from the plain white background. I've found a few pictures that you could use for a flag or give you inspiration for a flag:

Jail Rock:
http://piratestuffbe.us/images/Pirate_flag_by_Scumm_bar.jpg

PSE: (maybe use the icon for Blue Computer corporation)

Alien:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/alien flag/PirateStu/AlienFlagWeBoardat4AM400.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_V1Xl3xmG9-A/SWpoPkPWqfI/AAAAAAAABCQ/VVuAtKm_Rfg/s800/Roswell_NM_flag.gif

 

[The_J]

Maybe you should replace the iPear and Blue Computer Corps with something else to clear up any conflicts?

do you know, how much work this is ?

But i have i think 3 possible corps over, so i can do it.

The icons are just too simple in my opinion, and they don't really stick out from the plain white background.

you have a point there.

I've found a few pictures that you could use for a flag or give you inspiration for a flag:

Jail Rock:
http://piratestuffbe.us/images/Pirate_flag_by_Scumm_bar.jpg

PSE: (maybe use the icon for Blue Computer corporation)

Alien:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/alien flag/PirateStu/AlienFlagWeBoardat4AM400.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_V1Xl3xmG9-A/SWpoPkPWqfI/AAAAAAAABCQ/VVuAtKm_Rfg/s800/Roswell_NM_flag.gif

I don't think the first image fits .
For the aliens, i'd prefer the first one. The second is also nice, but i don't think the style fits to the rest.

 

[Otaku-sama]

How much stuff does there need to be changed before you feel good about releasing the patch? I'm getting a little antsy to tell the truth...