Changing Starting number of settler units?

[zonk]

Hoping someone has an easy answer to this...

I'd like to bump up the starting number of settler units for both myself and the AI... Me - I've taken care of (I simply added it as a bonus for the Civ I play with).

How do I increase the number of settlers the AI starts with? I assumed it was in the handicaps XML file - but the only options appear to be:
- iAIStartingDefenseUnits -- which I assume just controls # of archers
- iAIStartingWorkerUnits - obvious
- iAIStarting ExploreUnits - scouts

I see there's an iAIStartingUnitMultiplier, but I think this is a modifier on the 3 options above... I don't want to give the AI 12 archers, 3 workers, and 3 scouts ;-) --- just 3 starting settlers (like me).

Is there a nomeclature for including settlers? Since Deity AI receives 2 settlers and lower levels 1 -- I assume there HAS to be a mechanism somewhere that I'm missing.

Thanx in advance

 

[isau]

You can do this in Civ4CivilizationInfos.xml using the FreeUnitClasses tree. Here's an example:

<FreeUnitClasses>
	<FreeUnitClass>
		<UnitClassType>UNITCLASS_SETTLER</UnitClassType>
			<iFreeUnits>2</iFreeUnits>
	</FreeUnitClass>
</FreeUnitClasses>

You could quickly give this to every civ by doing a find-replace on <iFreeUnits>1</iFreeUnits> ----> <iFreeUnits>2</iFreeUnits>.

FYI, I've found that the if gifted more than one starting settler, the AI still tends not to actually use the settle for at least a little while. This isn't necessarily a poor strategy, but it seems by default it's how the AIs behave in the first couple of turns.

Isau