City State Diplomacy Mod (Updated)

[Lord Tirian]

Just stopping by for some graphics, done with the Roman Forum. It was a bit of a pain, since most pictures are ruins. And it's rather hard to depict what is essentially a plaza, not a singular building. Thanks to HBO's Rome and some browser game, though, I found some good source images and edited them to match each other somewhat... the result:

Spoiler :

The icon is a bit busier than I'd like, but when I tried to remove elements, it either started to look empty or it started to look more like the icon for a single building. As I said, depicting a plaza is hard... As before, they're in the my CiV Imgur album.

 

[Gazebo]

Just stopping by for some graphics, done with the Roman Forum. It was a bit of a pain, since most pictures are ruins. And it's rather hard to depict what is essentially a plaza, not a singular building. Thanks to HBO's Rome and some browser game, though, I found some good source images and edited them to match each other somewhat... the result:

Spoiler :

The icon is a bit busier than I'd like, but when I tried to remove elements, it either started to look empty or it started to look more like the icon for a single building. As I said, depicting a plaza is hard... As before, they're in the my CiV Imgur album.

Fantastic! I think it looks great - I'd say it is no more or less busy than many of the vanilla icons. I'll drop this in v23. Thanks again, as always - having a resident artist is quite the luxury!

ExpiredReign,
I'm going to look at the crash now. I'll let you know what I find.
Edit: The crash dump isn't hooked into the same version of CSD's dll I have now, so I can't load the symbols. I'll keep looking for the crash on my own- if you see it again, let me know.
G

 

[ExpiredReign]

I loaded up the last autosave from before the CTD and played through as I did yesterday, nothing. No CTD, lua log entries, nothing, it just kept on playing perfectly.

I guess it must've been just 'one of those things'. Apologies for the extra work, if any.

 

[Gazebo]

I loaded up the last autosave from before the CTD and played through as I did yesterday, nothing. No CTD, lua log entries, nothing, it just kept on playing perfectly.

I guess it must've been just 'one of those things'. Apologies for the extra work, if any.

No worries, I didn't spend too long on it. I bet it was a pathfinding bug, as those tend to resolve on a reload due to variability of actions.

Working on a unique function for the Diplo Buildings. Right now, I've got this:

+x% of the City's Production added to the current project every time the city increases its population.

The x can be any number - right now it is '5' in the mod.

The idea is this: Chanceries, Wire Services etc. are thematically all about governmental efficiency (that's the idea in the game, anyways). There are no buildings which reward growth immediately except for those related to food. I though it would be interesting to have little boosts of production/gold/culture etc. every time a city grows to simulate the relationship between governmental oversight and increasing governmental efficiency at organizing labor, earning taxes, etc.

Thoughts?
G

 

[Gazebo]

I loaded up the last autosave from before the CTD and played through as I did yesterday, nothing. No CTD, lua log entries, nothing, it just kept on playing perfectly.

I guess it must've been just 'one of those things'. Apologies for the extra work, if any.

No worries, I didn't spend too long on it. I bet it was a pathfinding bug, as those tend to resolve on a reload due to variability of actions.

Working on a unique function for the Diplo Buildings. Right now, I've got this:

+x% of the City's Production added to the current project every time the city increases its population.

The x can be any number - right now it is '5' in the mod. Project = whatever the city is producing.

The idea is this: Chanceries, Wire Services etc. are thematically all about governmental efficiency (that's the idea in the game, anyways). There are no buildings which reward growth immediately except for those related to food. I though it would be interesting to have little boosts of production/gold/culture etc. every time a city grows to simulate the relationship between governmental oversight and increasing governmental efficiency at organizing labor, earning taxes, etc.

To explain better, every time your city grows, you get 5% of your production per turn added to your current project as a mini-boost. I have it setup so that this can be changed to Gold or Culture (I could add other yields if desired).

Thoughts?
G

 

[ExpiredReign]

Sounds like an idea worth exploring.
When you say you it can:

be changed to Gold or Culture (I could add other yields if desired).

Does that mean it is a 'global' change, ie. done via the options pre-game for ALL cities.
Or is it something done on a 'city-by-city' basis so that you could set different bonuses for different cities. I'm assuming the former.

 

[Gazebo]

Sounds like an idea worth exploring.
When you say you it can:



Does that mean it is a 'global' change, ie. done via the options pre-game for ALL cities.
Or is it something done on a 'city-by-city' basis so that you could set different bonuses for different cities. I'm assuming the former.

Former, yeah. There's just a global value in the AddDefines.sql file that can be set to '1' (Gold), '2' (Production), '3' (Culture). Pretty simple. I'm reluctant to add yet another bonus that is a % per turn or flat amount per turn, so this seems like a fun mechanic.

Update: Okay, new building mechanic added in. It can be edited in the Options.sql (type of yield granted) and the amount can be edited in the building's xml file itself. Set to 0 in the xml to disable. I've also added in Tirian's newest artwork and made a few tweaks here and there. Have fun!
G

CSD v23

 

[Gazebo]

I've added in a completely optional element to CSD for v23. This is more of a personal 'to-do' than anything else, however if anyone else out there likes the idea (and uses CSD), the option is available. The 'to-do' has to do with the scaling of AI difficulty at higher levels.

In short, I've always felt that the AI's 'cheating' behavior has actually made it a less compelling player, as most of the bonuses, such as free technologies, are exclusively tied to the early game. This means that the majority of a game is decided in the first 100-200 turns or so purely by virtue of the player's ability (or failure) to 'catch up' to the artificially-advanced AI. Furthermore, the 'race' to get early wonders becomes less about strategy and choice, and more about supremely lucky/optimal starting locations. So, here's the concept:

(These changes only apply to King, Emperor, Immortal and Deity-level play, though I could easily expand them to apply to all levels if desired)

I've tossed out the free techs for the AI at the beginning of the game. Gone. This will correct the awful early-wonder rushing that plagues the early game, and open up gameplay during this time.

I've set the AI's default handicap values to be more in line with the 'Prince' setting, to bring their base values in-line with the player's. The biggest change here, however, is that I've greatly increased the % decrease of the AI's values per era (i.e. the AI gets better and better, statistically, as the game goes along).

To offset these nerfs, and to augment the latter change, when an AI reaches a new era, it gets a set of instant bonuses designed to give it a 'mini-boost' at fairly regular intervals:

- The AI gets a lump sum of gold every era, scaled to the era.
- Ditto for Culture and Golden Age points.
- The AI gets a boost to its current research (or overflow) based on its current research-per-turn (essentially, it gets a smaller version of the GS beaker 'pop' every era).
- The AI gets 1+ military units, instantly, for free, every era
- In the Medieval and Industrial eras, the AI gets a free worker
- In the Classical and Renaissance eras, the AI gets a free scout
- The AI gets a set amount of unmodded (i.e. not locked to population) happiness in its capital every era.

These values can be tweaked by modifying a Defines value in CSD - it starts at '2,' (Emperor difficulty) but can be raised/lowered to change the efficacy of the above values.

In the few test games I've played/watched, the AI performs much more evenly throughout the game, as their bonuses don't peter out over time.

Like I said, this is an utterly optional change that I've been tweaking for my own uses, one that I thought you all might like to see. I'll fold it into v23 at a later date so you can take it for a spin.
G

 

[ExpiredReign]

@Gazebo, did you make a change to the unit selection code for the barbarian horde?

Lately I have been getting a great mix of units appearing that make for a much better fight.
Pikemen, crossbowmen & trebuchets all appearing at once. To be clear, they're appearing at the same time. I made it a goal to watch the CS that was being attacked during the AI turns and you can see the units appear on the map so it isn't a case of pikemen leftover from the first round being joined by crossbowmen etc.

This new mix is more akin to what a siege is about, IMO.

Even if you didn't change anything intentionally, whatever you did do, don't change it back, this is great.

 

[Gazebo]

@Gazebo, did you make a change to the unit selection code for the barbarian horde?

Lately I have been getting a great mix of units appearing that make for a much better fight.
Pikemen, crossbowmen & trebuchets all appearing at once. To be clear, they're appearing at the same time. I made it a goal to watch the CS that was being attacked during the AI turns and you can see the units appear on the map so it isn't a case of pikemen leftover from the first round being joined by crossbowmen etc.

This new mix is more akin to what a siege is about, IMO.

Even if you didn't change anything intentionally, whatever you did do, don't change it back, this is great.

I did. I simply had it do two separate spawns at the same time, one melee, one ranged. Also, the melee one includes UUs for some added fun.

I'm enjoying my own current game of v23 - the balance changes listed (including AI changes in last post) above have proven to be, at least for me, a much more enjoyable challenge. We'll see - about 300 turns in.
G

 

[Gazebo]

Next beta of v23 inbound. Whoward has the dll (still some merge work to be done on both our ends), so final balancing is all that is left. Yay!

This version includes AI difficulty changes (which can be disabled) as well as all aforementioned changes. I'm really thrilled by this latest change (difficulty) - yeah, it falls outside of the immediate scope of CSD, however seeing the AI actually come back from behind and surpass me in score and tech level in the industrial age was quite the feat. One game is by no means a scientific analysis, but the addition is promising. The knock-on effect of this change is increased competitiveness for city-states on behalf of the AI, which is welcome.

I'll have a full log of changes soon enough (it is -huge-).

Cheers!
G

CSD v23 (last beta)

 

[Zeppelin4]

This version includes AI difficulty changes (which can be disabled) as well as all aforementioned changes. I'm really thrilled by this latest change (difficulty) - yeah, it falls outside of the immediate scope of CSD, however seeing the AI actually come back from behind and surpass me in score and tech level in the industrial age was quite the feat. One game is by no means a scientific analysis, but the addition is promising. The knock-on effect of this change is increased competitiveness for city-states on behalf of the AI, which is welcome.


CSD v23 (last beta)

Does this AI change effect Civs too?

 

[Gazebo]

Does this AI change effect Civs too?

I'm not sure what you mean by 'civs' - major civs? Yes, it affects them exclusively. It does not affect minor civs, nor the player him/herself.

Here are the changes I'm talking about, pulled from a (somewhat hidden) earlier post and explained better:

I've set the AI's default handicap values to be more in line with the 'Prince' setting (i.e. no starting advantages over the player), to bring their base values in-line with the player's. The biggest change here, however, is that I've increased the % decrease of the AI's values per era (i.e. the AI gets better and better, statistically, as the game goes along).

So, if the AI's unit/building cost starts out at 100%, on Emperor difficulty it will drop by 5% every era. By the information era (value of 7), the AI's buildings will only cost them 65% of their actual cost.

To offset these nerfs, and to augment the latter change, when an AI reaches a new era, it gets a set of instant bonuses designed to give it a 'mini-boost' at fairly regular intervals:

- The AI gets a lump sum of gold every era, scaled to the era (100 x era x CSD difficulty multiplier (2 on Emperor) ).
- Ditto for Culture and Golden Age points (20 x era x CSD difficulty multiplier (2 on Emperor) ).
- The AI gets a boost to its current research (or overflow) based on its current research-per-turn (essentially, it gets a smaller version of the GS beaker 'pop' every era) (boost equals the amount of science the AI has produced over x turns, with x = Current era + CSD difficulty multiplier (2 on Emperor) ).
- The AI gets 1+ military units, instantly, for free, every era (1 on King, 2 on Emperor, etc.)
- In the Medieval and Industrial eras, the AI gets a free worker
- In the Classical and Renaissance eras, the AI gets a free scout
- The AI gets a set amount of unmodded (i.e. not locked to population) happiness in its capital every era. (based on multiplier)

The AI retains its starting free warrior/scout/worker on these difficulties, though they could be removed if desired.

Multiplier values are 1 for King, 2 for Emperor, 3 for Immortal and 4 for Deity.

I designed these boosts with the AI's general play-style in mind, and to keep the AI at a competitive level throughout the game. Sure, the AI still 'cheats' a bit, especially in the later eras, but it tends to be offset more readily by the player. In other words, if you are playing well, the AI will simply continue to challenge you and push you as you move ahead into the late-game. If you are not playing well, the AI will probably surpass you by the Renaissance, if not earlier. More than anything, though, having all players, and the AI, start at roughly the same level means that the first 200 turns are far more flexible strategically.

I hope that makes sense!
G

 

[Zeppelin4]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'civs' - major civs? Yes, it affects them exclusively. It does not affect minor civs, nor the player him/herself.

Here are the changes I'm talking about, pulled from a (somewhat hidden) earlier post and explained better:



The AI retains its starting free warrior/scout/worker on these difficulties, though they could be removed if desired.

Multiplier values are 1 for King, 2 for Emperor, 3 for Immortal and 4 for Deity.

I designed these boosts with the AI's general play-style in mind, and to keep the AI at a competitive level throughout the game. Sure, the AI still 'cheats' a bit, especially in the later eras, but it tends to be offset more readily by the player. In other words, if you are playing well, the AI will simply continue to challenge you and push you as you move ahead into the late-game. If you are not playing well, the AI will probably surpass you by the Renaissance, if not earlier. More than anything, though, having all players, and the AI, start at roughly the same level means that the first 200 turns are far more flexible strategically.

I hope that makes sense!
G

Yes it does thanks for the information. What I take from it your not making a smarter AI instead your giving them buffs at each era to better compete with players.

 

[Gazebo]

Yes it does thanks for the information. What I take from it your not making a smarter AI instead your giving them buffs at each era to better compete with players.

Right. I mean, I've made quite a few improvements to the diplomatic AI (particularly in the WC), however other improvements (generally tactical changes) are not part of CSD. Yet.
G

 

[Zeppelin4]

Right. I mean, I've made quite a few improvements to the diplomatic AI (particularly in the WC), however other improvements (generally tactical changes) are not part of CSD. Yet.
G

Yet? I'm quite surprised nobody has tackled this by now. Is it that much of a pain in the butt to do? I would love to see you give it a go for your dedication to your mod is amazing.

 

[Gazebo]

Yet? I'm quite surprised nobody has tackled this by now. Is it that much of a pain in the butt to do? I would love to see you give it a go for your dedication to your mod is amazing.

Well, the 'SmartAI' mod seems to do some nice things with the tactical AI. I haven't used it yet (as it does not play nicely with CSD), but, if there is any interest by the author or whoward to combine yet another pair of dlls, it might give the dll-modding community a base of AI tactical improvement to work on. I intend to look at what he did once v23 is out the door, and perhaps, if I can bring myself to do so, I might dive in. There are a lot of things I'd like to do (better espionage, better deals, etc.), but time, and career, are such burdens.
G

 

[Zeppelin4]

Well, the 'SmartAI' mod seems to do some nice things with the tactical AI. I haven't used it yet (as it does not play nicely with CSD), but, if there is any interest by the author or whoward to combine yet another pair of dlls, it might give the dll-modding community a base of AI tactical improvement to work on. I intend to look at what he did once v23 is out the door, and perhaps, if I can bring myself to do so, I might dive in. There are a lot of things I'd like to do (better espionage, better deals, etc.), but time, and career, are such burdens.
G

It's to bad we can't get Firaxis to do another patch that makes a better AI and fixes some bugs. I would think this game is their bread and butter and they would give it more love then they do.

 

[ExpiredReign]

That's interesting. In what way dose the 'SmartAI' mod not 'play nicely' with CSD?

I was under the impression WHoward already had that mod's changes in the DLL he is maintaining.

I was going to, once I had run through a few more games of just CSD, try and load up some of those other DLL mods, along with CSD, and try and get the 'perfect' setup.

 

[Gazebo]

That's interesting. In what way dose the 'SmartAI' mod not 'play nicely' with CSD?

I was under the impression WHoward already had that mod's changes in the DLL he is maintaining.

I was going to, once I had run through a few more games of just CSD, try and load up some of those other DLL mods, along with CSD, and try and get the 'perfect' setup.

Sorry, I should say that it doesn't play nicely with CSD by itself, as both have DLLs. I wasn't aware that it had been assimilated into the whoward Borg. That's good news!
G