Design your own Civ VI civ

[Atlas627]

Mayans will likely need to be reworked since Frederick Barbarossa gets the same agenda. Which is weird, since the Mayans fit the city-states bonus fits better for Mayans. T_T

Barbarossa's agenda certainly makes a lot of sense, since he was the Holy Roman Emperor (and the Empire was basically a collection of City-states)! The bonus I know less about, but the Agenda certainly fits Barbarossa to a T.

Atlas627, lots of ideas from you! I love the idea of Anushiruwan the Just being a leader--didn't know he existed. He could probably get a Great Persons bonus.

Anushiruwan is a ruler from the Sassanian Empire, not the Achaemenid like Cyrus and Darius. I made him the main ruler because variety is nice, and the Civ6 devs seem to agree. Perhaps this will be the game that they finally represent non-Achaemenid Persia in some way

Persia is a great civ to have ideas sorted out for. I think Immortals should be immune to bonuses from other unique units, etc. Darius is a great idea for a leader to have a road bonus.

I think "immune to other unique bonuses" would be very clunky to code. And it wouldn't be intuitive for the player as to which bonuses it applies to. Like obviously it applies to a combat bonus, but what about movement bonuses? Withdrawal? City attack while its a garrison? Etc.

I like Genghis Khan for Mongolia but not Ogedei, since he was a drunkard. Maybe Mandukhai Khatun, who was a capable warrior? I suspect the Mongolian bonus in-game won't revolve around Great Generals as it did in Civ V, but it's a good idea nonetheless. I wonder if rather than the Keshig, we might do better with Mangudai, who could be a vanguard unit of some sort.

Personally, I have no issue with him being a drunkard. In fact, he was a drunkard because he slid into depression when someone close to him died. It didn't seem to stop him ruling capably.

I couldn't think of anything more iconic than the Keshik, but I'd love suggestions. I basically just called the unit "Keshik" but gave it abilities appropriate for all Mongol units of the time. It'd be easy to rename.

Ger districts are a great idea, since Mongolians (IIRC) had tents even outside large cities.

Yeah, I was very pleased with that one and the design I came up with for it. I'm trying to fill in all of the Unique Districts first, since they're the part of the game we know most about. Its hard to come up with stuff that actually would work in-game if we don't know what the buildings do!

Edit: I had heard about Mandukhai Khatun, but couldn't remember her name! Unfortunately, we don't really know anything about her personality to make an Agenda from...hmm

 

[Nikae]

Civilization - Hungary
Civilization ability - Security in force - Military and defensive buildings provide amenities and housing

Leader: Matthias Corvinus
Leader Ability: Black legions - combined unit stacks have greater combat strength - or a special combination of units, mechanics are not known yet, higher gold from pillaging and city capture
Leader Agenda - he likes civs with high gold or g/t

Unique improvement: Vegvar - replaces encampment, doubles the unit's military strength standing on it, cannot build next to city centre
Unique unit: Hussar - replaces cavalry, enhanced flank attack, gains culture on kills

 

[otaman1]

With multiple leaders confirmed, Stephen I could be a religious leader.

 

[Atlas627]

I added suggested playstyles to my previous Civs. I'm going to continue to follow the format of

Civ Name

Leader Name

Leader Ability: [Insert Name Here] - Ability description

Flavor and gameplay explanation

Agenda: [Insert Name Here] - Agenda description

Flavor and gameplay explanation

Alternate Leader (follow same format as first leader)

Unique Ability: [Name]

Ability descripton

Flavor and gameplay

Unique Unit: [Name]

Unit description

Flavor and gameplay

Unique Infrastructure: [Name]

Infrastructure description

Flavor and gameplay

Playstyle

Overall playstyle description. Point out the cohesion between abilities and how you envision the Civ to "feel" overall.

 

[Nikae]

As for Hungary, religion and devotion was never really a choice, but a necessity. In order to assimilate into Europe, Christianity had to be taken up and spread through the population. Later Hungary fought a number of large scale defensive wars against foreign invaders who happened to be non-christian, self-defense was obvious, but many people perceive this as defending the faith.

The country had a history of colorful warfare from its birth to the 2nd world war, I chose a militaristic leader and trait because he is the most recognizable king with a distinct personality. As for other traits, as a civilization, Hungary has got two outstanding achievements. One is the amount of scientific and sports achievements in the 20th century, and the preservation of its unique cultural traits, not assimilating into the slavic, german or turk ones.

 

[The Kings Raven]

Israel

This interpretation of Israel is designed to represent the entire history of Israel / the Jewish people. Obviously doing that within a single civilisation will require a lot of simplification, so I'm cutting it into three "eras":

• Biblical Israel: Focusing on faith
• The Diaspora - focusing on far flung communities and merchants
• Modern Israel - focusing on military and science

Each era feeds into the following, with faith buying the economy boosting Radhanite unit and gold buying the Haganah unique unit.

Without further adu here's the actual design:

Unique Advantage: Chosen People
Settler's can only be acquired by buying them with faith. Gain the unique unit Radhanite, replacing apostle.

Radhanites retain the apostle's ability to enhance a religion ("your merchants bring teachings from rabbis in far off lands") and can construct Radhanite trading posts on luxury or strategic resources if you have the technology workers need to collect that resource. A Radhanite trading post adds the resource to your empire and provides +1 gold, +2 with Apprenticeships when the tile is worked. If built outside your territory they claim the tile they are built on.

Rationale: The limitation on settlers represents Israel's small size and the complete lack of a nation for much of history. I'm hoping to balance it so that you can get a few settlers out at roughly the usual time but later on settlers, especially when you have other options like Radhanites competing for your faith. This might involve making the cost scale with the era or your number of cities.

The Radhanites are the core representation of the diaspora era. it's spectated that many Jewish populations descend from Radhanite outposts while their ability to claim resources outside your borders creates something of a diaspora population.​

Leader: Moses - Promised Land
Pastures provide +1 faith. Gain double Great Prophet points in the ancient era.

Moses' agenda is The Second Commandment. He dislikes civilisations who spread religion into his cities. He likes civilisations that have fewer luxury resources than him. As an obvious nod to real history, Moses is hardcoded to avoid fascism and hates anyone who adopts fascism.

Rationale: Aside from the obvious nod to history Moses is strictly from the ancient era. Moses' hard line on foreign religions is self-explanatory. The luxury resources is a reference to his successor Joshua and the Gibeonites. I think keeping those civilisations around would also make good trading opportunities.​

Unique unit: Yashiva - replaces temple

In addition to providing faith, the Yashiva increases the city's science output by a percentage.

Rationale: While I wanted to associate science with modern Israel, I chose the classical era Yashiva for two reasons: Firstly I couldn't think of any iconic modern building to use. Secondly Jewdism is famous for not having a temple so replacing it felt right. I made it a percentage boost to ensure that it remains relevant in the modern era.​

Unique Unit: Haganah - replaces infantry

Haganah have the same stats as infantry but require 33% less hammers to build and 50% less gold to buy. They gain a 10% combat bonus when fighting near a destroyed Radhanite trading post and a 20% combat bonus when fighting near one of your destroyed or occupied cities.

Rationale: I needed to have at least some representation of the modern era that actually appears in the modern era, so I chose to Haganah. The bonus to fighting near a destroyed or occupied city references the real Haganah taking Israel. Because this bonus is highly situational I gave them the ahistoric bonus when near destroyed Radhanite trading posts to compensate. Since they were paramilitary force with no state backing I made them cheaper rather than stronger than regular infantry.​

 

[ferretbacon]

HUNGARY

My take on Hungary is very tied up with Matthias Corvinus (who I think is a fascinating character). Therefore, my version of Hungary is more Kingdom of Hungary than the modern Hungary, which I unfortunately don't have a nuanced or deep knowledge of. That said, I think this would be an interesting and worthwhile interpretation and a cool leader to see in the game.

Leader - Matthias Corvinus

Agenda - Philosopher-King
Likes civs that have more techs or civics than Hungary. Dislikes civs that possess more Great Works of Writing than him.

Matthias Corvinus was the first European ruler outside of Italy's city states to embrace the Renaissance. As such, he admires civilizations that exhibit advanced learning. On the other hand, Corvinus loved books and sought to collect as many rare and valuable tomes as possible in his Bibliotheca Corviniana. He'll be very envious of any civilization that has a larger collection than he does.

Leader Ability - Black Army
Corps and Armies do not reduce the effectiveness of the member units. Corps and Armies both unlock one era earlier than standard. May purchase units at 25% cheaper than other civs.

The Black Army was a majority mercenary force under Corvinus that exhibited a size, composition, and tactical refinement ahead of its time. As such, Corvinus is able to organize his troops both more effectively and earlier than other leaders.

Unique Ability - Petty Kings
Hungarian cities receive extra amenities if there are no other Hungarian cities within 4 tiles.

The oligarchs or provincial lords in the Kingdom of Hungary, also called the Petty Kings, were powerful landowners who administered huge contiguous territories through usurping royal prerogatives in the Kingdom of Hungary in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Hungarian cities like to feel autonomous and receive extra amenities if given some "elbow room."

Unique Unit - Hussar
Replaces Knight (preferably a lighter Medieval cavalry unit if such one exists in the game); cheaper than the Knight, the Hussar receives a combat bonus when combined with another Hussar unit to form a Corps or Army.

Hussars originated in Hungary. Poland could still have Winged Hussars since those were heavy cavalry in the Renaissance. Austria, if it's also in the game, could get something more Austrian. Synergizes well with ULA Black Army -- not only does it not lose effectiveness, it actually gets a bonus!

Unique Building - Royal Library
Replaces the Library building in the Campus District. Provides 2 Great Work of Writing slots. If it has one Great Work of Writing, it receives +1 Science. If filled with two, it receives +3 Science.

This building represents the Bibliotheca Corviniana. I went with a more generic name so that it wouldn't sound quite that unique. This marries Corvinus's love of books with the Renaissance progress he sought. If you focus on attaining some early Great Works of Writing, it can help to give you a solid early lead in tech (and civics, for that matter, considering the focus on Great Works).

 

[AliasMittens]

Thanks for the info! I also find the Hittites to be among the most interesting civs of the ancient era.

Is the Blood of Hatti based on a particular phrase or ideology? I guess the connection is that the "blood" is the ore from the land?

The name is based on something from Hittite literature I vaguely remember reading (to be fair, I may be mis-remembering). That said, I think it's still appropriate as a nod to the pre-Indo-European history of the land of Hatti itself, and the attitudes/memories of this that the Hittites held and celebrated in their customs.

 

[IgorS]

OK...
Here is the Israel I want to see in the game.

First of all, I think that Israel should be treated like Greece, Egypt, and Persia, which means - ancient and modern should not be mixed. There are two reasons for this: 1. Focusing on Ancient Israel would remove the controversy that modern Israel might generate. 2. Ancient Israel and modern Israel are ages apart from one another, and since there was no continuity, there is no sense in mixing the two into one civilization, like we do with, say, India, or China, where the entire history is represented in one civilization.
So, what I want to focus on is Ancient Israel, which is both Biblical Israel, and Israel of the later Hasmonean age, all the way to Herod and to the fall of the Second Temple in 70 AD, and Bar Kochva's Rebellion.

The unique ability of the civ would be, obviously, Holy Land. This should give them a bonus to defending their borders, as well as perhaps something involving religion and warfare.

For a leader, I want to go to a less obvious choice, not someone from the Bible, but a later leader, a female leader, which is always interesting - queen Salome Alexandra.
She can have the Sanhedrin as her leader ability, giving her bonuses that improve happiness in the realm. Her agenda can be something like "Fortified Cities", meaning she will focus on defense rather than offense, and will try to make her cities as strong as possible.

Unique unit: Slinger of Benjamin - Ancient Israel is well known for its slingers, but those of the tribe of Benjamin were considered the best.

Unique building: Gath - the word "gath", or "gat", as it is pronounced in modern Hebrew, means "wine press". The gath can be the Israelite granary, and provide extra happiness.

Another idea for a unique unit: Ekatontamachoi - kind of like the Israelite version of the Immortal. Can replace the swordsman, and be weaker, but cheaper.

 

[ferretbacon]

THE OTTOMANS

Leader 1 - Mehmed II

Agenda - Padishah
Dislikes civilizations on his continent that have more cities than he does. Covets capital cities on his continent.

Mehmed is an expansive and conquering leader. He doesn't mind neighbors, but as Padishah, or lord of kings, he wants to be the biggest and most glorious empire on the block. If he's small he's going to bite off more than he can chew. If he's one of the largest, though, you'll see the Ottomans often come to blows with the bigger empires. With Mehmed's proclivity for conquest, the Ottoman AI will often see the destruction of runaway civs.

Leader Ability - el-Fatih
Ranged siege units receive additional bonus damage (+15%) against cities. Unlocks the Great Bombard unit.

Mehmed's title, "the Conqueror," was well earned. He started his illustrious conquests with the seizure of Constantinople at age 21 and only continued from there. By the end of his reign, he'd forged the Turks an empire and unified Anatolia (and beyond) under his rule. Since conquering land in the game is all about city captures, few do it better than Mehmed.

---

Leader 2 - Suleiman

Agenda - Magnificence
Respects civilizations that have a more gold per turn than him. Dislikes civilizations that are in debt (0 in treasury or losing gold/turn).

Suleiman was spectacularly wealthy. He respects other wealthy nations, but looks with disdain upon financially ruined civs.

Leader Ability - Community of the Talented
Every time you achieve an Inspiration, gain a gold boost (~50 gold on Standard speed).

Suleiman fostered the development of a distinct Ottoman culture that didn't take its identity from Persia. He was the patron of many artists, artisans, and craftsmen who ushered in the empire's golden age of cultural development. The prestige gives Suleiman gold every time one of his clients is "inspired." This prompts the Suleiman player to seek out and achieve Inspiration requirements, which helps to bolster Suleiman's wealth and also plays to his other title, "Lawgiver," in that civics are frequently based on legal developments and that government changes (reforms) come about through new civic research.

---

Unique Ability - Millet
For each religion in your empire that represents a majority in at least one city, gain +1 amenity in every city. Gain a culture bonus in your capital equal to double this number.

The Ottoman Empire was fairly tolerant to religions outside of the official Islam and even allowed religious minorities within the empire to not only continue to exist, but to operate and self-govern (to some degree) as well -- so long as they played by the rules of the empire. This tolerance leads to happier subjects in conquered territories. The plurality of people in the empire means that cultural exchange is possible, which in turn allows the empire to flourish in civics and arts.

Unique Unit - Janissary
Replaces Musketman; heals 5% of its base health per turn regardless of location or actions taken (remains on upgrade). Janissary Corps fight at full effectiveness.

The iconic Janissary has to be in. I decided that they should get a slight passive healing bonus to reflect the effective supply lines and support that the Janissaries enjoyed. The Janissaries were also used to fighting in corps, so they aren't thrown off if combined with another Janissary unit.

Unique Unit 2 - Great Bombard (if Mehmed II is leader)
Replaces Bombard; receives % combat bonus (on top of el-Fatih bonus) against cities equivalent to half the city's defense strength. Possesses less melee defense strength than standard Bombard.

The tougher the nut, the more the Great Bombard goes to work. Mehmed used enormous bombards the likes of which the world hadn't seen when he sieged Constantinople. Though slow loading and not a deciding factor, the awe-inspiring bombards symbolized the Ottoman's willingness to embrace innovative weaponry.

Unique District - Bazaar
Replaces the Commercial Hub; +1 amenity to adjacent districts and provides +1 gold for each improved unique luxury resource in your civilization.

The Bazaar was chosen because it seems that Arabia will not be using it and though the term originated in Persia, I think Persia has other options. The Bazaar promotes an expansive empire and rewards such through monetary compensation. I thought about including the better known Hammam, or Turkish Bath, but with the Roman Bath and Indian Stepwell, another water/sanitization building just doesn't seem to fit. I also considered the Cistern, but the Ottomans inherited those from the Byzantines and didn't really construct new ones. Also, again, another sanitation building.

 

[Atlas627]

New Civ time! Let's go with Portugal this time.

Portugal


Leader: Joao II

Leader Ability: Legacy of Henry the Navigator - Has an extra Economic policy slot. Counterespionage activities performed by Portugal are more effective (will update when we know more game mechanics)

Henry had built a whole slew of sponsors and benefactors for his expeditions. Joao acquired a lot of money for the crown through this, and also by confiscating the lands of disloyal nobles (and by forcing them to actually pay their taxes). Joao was very effective at finding and uprooting conspiracies in his kingdom.

An economic policy slot is more effective the fewer of them you have, which will incentivize Portugal to consider running a Monarchy as opposed to a Merchant Republic and the like. More effective counterespionage should help an insular, protective playstyle.

Agenda: O Principe Perfeito - Likes Civs that have a low level of Diplomatic Visibility with him. Hates Civs that are caught using spies against him.

Joao started his reign with an intense consolidation of power, severely reducing the power of the nobles. As a result, they attempted several conspiracies against him, which he effectively shut down. He was also known, even as a child, for being immune to the influence of others and hating intrigue. The posthumous nickname "The Perfect Prince" refers to Machiavelli's "The Prince" and how Joao was a good example of that ideal.

I'm not sure if this Agenda will result in good gameplay, since you'll need high Diplomatic Visibility to find out his hidden agenda. I guess there might be a sweetspot that changes from game to game (if hidden agenda strength changes) that affects just how much visibility you want with Joao each game. I guess, if you want to be friends, you should leave Joao alone, but if you're willing to be enemies, you can know all about the happenings in his Civ.


Alternate Leader: Maria I

Leader Ability: Government in Exile - The first Portuguese city on a non-home continent to reach 10 population receives the "Colonial Royal Court" building (cities in resistance don't count), which provides +2 housing, +2 "Royal Patronage" amenities, and allows the city to construct 2 additional districts.

Maria went mad very quickly in her reign, and her son performed all of the regal duties in her place. Nevertheless, she is remembered for being the Queen while these events took place, and is thus fondly remembered by Portugal for being a female ruler and Brazil for improving Brazil and helping it gain peaceful independence.

The actual improvements mostly occurred when her son moved the entire court to Rio de Janeiro just 2 weeks before Napoleon's invasion arrived. Because the British helped them relocate, he opened Brazil up to trade with foreign powers. The court needed buildings for administrative function, which resulted in vast improvements to Rio. With these two things in place, Brazil was declared a kingdom alongside Portugal.

This ability should encourage heavy investment in a colonial region. The ability to make a city so excellent will not be passed up, and a second "homeland" might be required to defend it.

Agenda: A Louca - Every once in awhile (~40-60 turns), Maria changes her agenda. She randomly chooses from one of the following:

• Pious - Likes Civs with the same religion as Portugal, dislikes Civs with other dominant religions
• Compassionate - Likes Civs who are at peace. Dislikes Civs who raze cities.
• Terrorized - Dislikes Civs who have a larger military than Portugal.
• Suspicious - Dislikes Civs who share a continent with Portugal.
• Agreeable - Likes everyone.

Maria is mostly interesting for her Agenda. She was known as a capable ruler before her madness, and she made judgements that showed compassion and piety. As she went mad, she often thought about being damned for all eternity. When the court relocated to Brazil, she thought the natives were imps and devils.

Unique Ability: Age of Discovery

When you discover a City-State, receive an envoy with that CS. Conquering CS returns your envoys that were there to the envoy pool. Receive 2 Inspirations at random when you discover all continents.

The Portuguese Empire thrived by finding various feuding local powers and agreeing to be a neutral party in exchange for trade rights. They would conquer trading centers that were profitable for competitors. Finally, they started the "Age of Discovery" by trying to find a way to go around all of the monopolies of the day.

Portugal is encouraged to explore quickly to get as many CS bonuses as possible (even if they don't find them first). The Nau will make trading with some of them profitable, but if you change your mind and decide the competition is too fierce, you might gain by conquering the CS (your Feitoria is a strong tile, and you get your envoys back). Portugal wants to explore far and wide to get its Inspiration bonuses early enough to snowball them.

Unique Unit: Nau

Unlocks at Cartography; replaces Caravel. Starts with the "Volta do mar" promotion, which gives +2 movement if there are no land tiles in sight range when it begins its turn. Also has the "Feitoria" promotion, which allows the unit to construct a Feitoria on an adjacent coastal tile owned by a City-State not on your home continent, one time only.

The Nau is the Portuguese name for the Carrack, a type of ship that was basically a bigger and stronger Caravel. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to master the currents and trade winds (Volta do mar) due to several advancements in technology. One of these was the sail method that the Caravels and Carracks employed, which allowed the ship to go against the wind. The Portuguese experience with sailing out to sea helped them understand the pattern of trade winds and currents that would allow them to sail around the world quickly and consistently. The Portuguese used these expeditions to quickly set up shop in territories they discovered, establishing Feitorias (which are explained below).

The exploration bonus encourages Portugal to explore bits of the coast at a time, finding good places to settle/trade with, but little bits at a time and all over the place. Once you find a spot worth trading with, you can build a Feitoria to take advantage of it.

Unique Infrastructure: Padrao

Unlocks at Celestial Navigation; replaces the Lighthouse. In addition to the normal Lighthouse bonuses, it provides faith equal to the adjacency bonus of the Harbor and makes tile purchases 25% cheaper in the city.

Padraos (monuments) are markers erected by Portuguese explorers when they made landfall, as a land claim. They featured the Portuguese coat of arms and were shaped like a large stone cross. They were often located on outcroppings of land so they'd be visible from the sea (just like a lighthouse).

Encourages Harbors, helps settle new cities (colonies need to buy tiles), and gives faith so that Portugal can use religion better.

Unique Infrastructure #2: Feitoria

This unique improvement can only be constructed by a Nau, on a coastal tile, in City-state territory, on a foreign continent. This improvement provides significant yields in food, production, and gold to its tile. When Portugal trades with this City-state, the trade route provides a large amount of extra gold, and even more if Portugal is the Sovereign.

Feitoria is the Portuguese word for Factory. Basically, these were fortified trade and production centers established on coasts around the world to trade with natives.

This improvement encourages Portugal to grab City-state allies overseas, and to form trade routes with them. Giving bonuses for being the sovereign encourages Portugal to explore quickly, and giving the improvement high yields encourages opponents to attack City-states Portugal wants (it also encourages Portugal to take its own CS using its UA). This also works well with Joao who is a loner, since you can trade with City-states and not care about making friends (or enemies).


Playstyle

The Portuguese benefit from being a coastal empire. They may want to trade or conquer City-states far away due to their Feitoria and UA. Maria's bonuses and the Padrao encourage settling some colonies, and Joao is flexible for those times you want to think on your feet.

 

[Atlas627]

Portugal

Leader : John II
Historical agenda : The lord of the lords (John II said, apparently, after getting rid of the nobility "I'm the lord of the lords, not the servant of the servants") - Hates civilizations that trade and ally with the same city-states he trades and allies with.

I think your Agenda might be more fitting for making Portugal's AI play well, but I don't see how this fits with Joao's personality.

Leader's ability : Legacy of Henry the Navigator - Can build the Nau, a caravel replacement that has +1 move and receives triple gold and bonuses and diplomatic points when discovering a new city-state. No influence lost with a CS as long as Portugal maintains a trade route with them.

I don't think these abilities work with what we've seen of Civ6. The gold gain is a Civ5 thing, losing influence is a Civ5 thing, and I'm not sure what "diplomatic points" are representing here. Which game mechanic is that?

Civ's ability : Saudade - Coastal cities are founded with half less unhappiness than usual. Harbor districts cost 50% less production and gold (buildings Inside of it included) (Saudade is a very portuguese concept. It's a kind of melancholy, an unspeakable sadness towards a lost past).

Unhappiness isn't a thing in Civ6, but I like the Harbor + buildings discount.

Civ's unique unit : Caçadores - Has a bonus move after attacking. Bonus against units in open field.

Its cool to have something new to Civ! That being said, I don't see this fitting with Portugal's overall gameplay and theme at all. Of course, we could have different views of how Portugal should play.

Civ's unique district : Commercial House - Provides a gold bonus and amenities per each luxury resource Portugal has, may it be through a working tile or trade. Gold bonus for each adjacent adjacent district or luxury resource tile.

What district is this replacing? If this is an extra district, when does it unlock? Does it get constructed on land or water?

THE OTTOMANS

Leader 1 - Mehmed II

Agenda - Padishah
Dislikes civilizations on his continent that have more cities than he does. Covets capital cities on his continent.

Oooh, interesting. This might make the AI suicidal. I'm also not sure that Agendas include what the AI wants to do, merely their diplomatic stances.

I recommend changing this to something like "Dislikes Civs who control an original capital on his continent."

Leader Ability - el-Fatih
Ranged siege units receive additional bonus damage (+15%) against cities. Unlocks the Great Bombard unit.

I like this. Very thematic, both gameplay and flavor-wise.

Leader 2 - Suleiman

Agenda - Magnificence
Likes to amass gold. Dislikes civilizations that have a larger treasury than him.

"Likes to amass gold" sounds like a recipe for AI disaster. That will probably just encourage Suleiman to play poorly all the time.

Since Treasury is something that can swing wildly, you might want to avoid using it for AI diplomacy (unless you want Suleiman to be bipolar). Perhaps "Dislikes civs with a larger Gold Per Turn" than him".

Also, both of your Agendas only have dislikes. Do you want the Ottomans to have no allies, only enemies? That might be appropriate, but I think letting Suleiman have allies makes some sense and gives variety. That way it isn't "oh the Ottos are in my game, looks like its total war and they'll never ally anyone".

Leader Ability - Community of the Talented
Every time you achieve an Inspiration, gain a gold boost (~50 gold on Standard speed).

Oooh, I love this ability. I also love the implications it has for the rest of gameplay, and how those things also line up with what Suleiman was known for. Very elegant.

Unique Ability - Millet
Cities with a different religion than the Ottoman capital receive extra amenities and generate bonus culture.

I feel like this wording encourages purposely converting your capital to some random religion whenever your civ becomes too homogeneous. Its also odd to have those cities be better than your normal cities, since we've seen nothing about penalties for cities not following your dominant religion. But this is something very critical to Ottoman history and culture, so it should be represented somewhere!

How about "Receive +culture and faith in your capital for each city in your empire that follows a non-dominant religion"? This encourages getting many weak cities of the tolerated religion, but big prosperous cities of your dominant religion (so you have the population to keep it dominant), and trying to keep them balanced. And it doesn't make the weak tolerated cities stronger than the capital, and the capital is basically what the Ottomans cared about.

Unique Unit - Janissary
Replaces Musketman; heals 5% of its base health per turn regardless of location or actions taken. Janissary Corps fight at full effectiveness.

I like it. I assume neither of these persist when upgraded? I think they both should, since the Janissary was basically an institution that lasted for ages.

Unique Unit 2 - Great Bombard (if Mehmed II is leader)
Replaces Bombard; receives % combat bonus (on top of el-Fatih bonus) against cities equivalent to half the city's defense strength. May not fire if it fired last turn. Possesses less melee defense strength than standard Bombard.

I know the drawbacks are flavorful, but I don't know if they're fun. Weaker to melee attack is fine, but can't fire if it fired last turn? That's basically cutting its strength in half. It also encourages running away and coming back on those turns it can't fire (since there's no setup on siege units as far as we've seen). Also, I think Siege units qualify as support units and can be combined with other units, but I might be wrong.

The bonuses should be enough by themselves.

Unique Building - Bazaar
Replaces the Market; provides +1 gold for each improved unique luxury resource in your civilization.

The Bazaar was chosen because it seems that Arabia will not be using it and though the term originated in Persia, I think Persia has other options. The Bazaar promotes an expansive empire and rewards such through monetary compensation. I thought about including the better known Hammam, or Turkish Bath, but with the Roman Bath and Indian Stepwell, another water/sanitization building just doesn't seem to fit. I also considered the Cistern, but the Ottomans inherited those from the Byzantines and didn't really construct new ones. Also, again, another sanitation building.

Well the Roman Bath is an Aqueduct District replacement. And the Bazaar is the best choice for a Commercial Hub District replacement. That can be for Ottomans or for Persia, but it definitely can't be a building replacement. I like using the Bazaar to represent the Silk Road trade that was so important for Persia, but your Bazaar does a good job of encouraging an Ottoman Empire.

The Stepwell is a well, not a sanitation building. That's basically an irrigation building, and it seems to be a tile improvement.

I think the Hammam is a great idea. I was going to use that when I made an Ottoman Civ. I'll get around to that tomorrow, I think.

 

[TheBladeRoden]

I think in honor of our newest voice over guy, there should be a Sean Bean civ pack. Examples I brainstormed when I should have been in bed..

Janus Syndicate


Civ Ability: "For England, James"
Reduced chance of spies being caught by friendly civs.

Leader: Alec Trevalyan


Leader Ability: "Half of everything is luck, James"
Spies can steal more money from other civs. They can also steal missile and nuke units.

Unique Unit: Goldeneye (replaces Nuclear Missile)
Larger AOE but causes less damage. EMP blast disables city production and yield for ? turns. Mech units disabled for ? turns.

Unique Unit (alternate?): Tiger Helicopter (replaces Gunship)
Undetectable from long range. Immune to EMP effects.

Unique Building: Antenna Cradle
Increases range for missile units stationed in city.


Gondor



Civ Ability: "One does not simply walk into Mordor"
Walking is slower when entering enemy territory. (wait that's not a good trait!)

Leader: Boromir


Leader Ability: "But then I took an arrow to the everything"
Melee units have greater resistance to archery units

Unique Unit: What About A Catapult (replaces Catapult)
Longer firing range. With access to gold, it can launch infantry units paradrop style.

Unique Building: Beacon of Gondor
If a city in your territory is under attack, units within ? range of a beacon will move faster.


House Stark


Civ Ability: "Winter is Coming"
Units and cities have better defense on snow and tundra tiles.

Leader: Eddard Stark


Leader Ability: "What's good for the executed is good for the executioner"
Swordsmen and axemen do critical damage against isolated units. But this also works for enemy units fighting yours as well!

Unique Unit: Direwolf (replaces Pikeman)
Requires fur?

Unique Building: The Wall
Similar to the Great Wall, but adjacent tiles act as snow tiles for the civ ability.

 

[ferretbacon]

Oooh, interesting. This might make the AI suicidal. I'm also not sure that Agendas include what the AI wants to do, merely their diplomatic stances.

"Gains as many Spies and as much diplomatic access as possible. Does not like civilizations who ignore these espionage activities."

Catherine's Black Queen agenda. My emphasis.

"Likes civilizations from her home continent, and wants to expand to all continents. Doesn't like civilizations on continents where England has no cities."

Victoria's Sun Never Sets agenda. My emphasis again.

While not common, agendas can certainly set AI goals and behavior beyond diplomatic dealings.

"Likes to amass gold" sounds like a recipe for AI disaster. That will probably just encourage Suleiman to play poorly all the time.

Since Treasury is something that can swing wildly, you might want to avoid using it for AI diplomacy (unless you want Suleiman to be bipolar). Perhaps "Dislikes civs with a larger Gold Per Turn" than him".

Also, both of your Agendas only have dislikes. Do you want the Ottomans to have no allies, only enemies? That might be appropriate, but I think letting Suleiman have allies makes some sense and gives variety. That way it isn't "oh the Ottos are in my game, looks like its total war and they'll never ally anyone".

I can agree with that. I think I'll go edit it to be "Respects civilizations that make more than 20 gold/turn. Dislikes civilizations that make more gold per turn than him." That gives one of them more nuance. He recognizes a good fortune, but is still upset if he's not supreme.

I think Mehmed should remain relatively hostile. Besides which, there are a couple of agendas that are purely negative (Qin Shi Huang, Tomyris) and have no "like" aspect. He can be friends with those on his continent that are smaller than he is and won't have any specific desire for capitals on other continents.

Oooh, I love this ability. I also love the implications it has for the rest of gameplay, and how those things also line up with what Suleiman was known for. Very elegant.

Thanks. "Elegant" is high praise in my book.

I feel like this wording encourages purposely converting your capital to some random religion whenever your civ becomes too homogeneous. Its also odd to have those cities be better than your normal cities, since we've seen nothing about penalties for cities not following your dominant religion. But this is something very critical to Ottoman history and culture, so it should be represented somewhere!

How about "Receive +culture and faith in your capital for each city in your empire that follows a non-dominant religion"? This encourages getting many weak cities of the tolerated religion, but big prosperous cities of your dominant religion (so you have the population to keep it dominant), and trying to keep them balanced. And it doesn't make the weak tolerated cities stronger than the capital, and the capital is basically what the Ottomans cared about.

I'm not sure how you can simply change the religion in your capital on a whim, especially if it's a holy city. I guess there's some room for abuse, but it would be difficult to engineer such an exploit. I think I have an idea on how to prevent exploitation if you check my forthcoming edit.

But I do like your suggestion that the bonus is centered in the capital, perhaps even the palace building itself (to nod to the Tokapi Palace).

I like it. I assume neither of these persist when upgraded? I think they both should, since the Janissary was basically an institution that lasted for ages.

I didn't state it, but I think the "replenishment" would carry on upgrade, but not the corps bonus.

I know the drawbacks are flavorful, but I don't know if they're fun. Weaker to melee attack is fine, but can't fire if it fired last turn? That's basically cutting its strength in half. It also encourages running away and coming back on those turns it can't fire (since there's no setup on siege units as far as we've seen). Also, I think Siege units qualify as support units and can be combined with other units, but I might be wrong.

The bonuses should be enough by themselves.

My rationale was that the extra attack bonus based on the city's defense could get absurd and so needed the balance that the bombards are slow to fire and vulnerable to destruction. I mean, 15% from el-Fatih + 15% from, for example, a 30 defense strength city + more from a possible city attack promotion in the ranged siege line and you're quickly approaching +50% attack bonus from this unit. You might be right in that I was a bit heavy-handed though. Perhaps they can fire every turn and being more vulnerable is enough.

Well the Roman Bath is an Aqueduct District replacement. And the Bazaar is the best choice for a Commercial Hub District replacement. That can be for Ottomans or for Persia, but it definitely can't be a building replacement. I like using the Bazaar to represent the Silk Road trade that was so important for Persia, but your Bazaar does a good job of encouraging an Ottoman Empire.

The Stepwell is a well, not a sanitation building. That's basically an irrigation building, and it seems to be a tile improvement.

I think the Hammam is a great idea. I was going to use that when I made an Ottoman Civ. I'll get around to that tomorrow, I think.

I don't see why it can't be a building replacement. It doesn't make much difference anyway -- whether a building or district, I'd likely ascribe a similar effect.

What discouraged me from the Hammam more than anything is that I'm still not certain how the Roman Bath district will work and we still don't know what, if any, buildings a standard Aqueduct district possesses. So it came down to ignorance of how a Hammam could work or what it would replace more than anything. Once I get more information I'll probably come back and swap them out.

Looking forward to your version!

 

[Atlas627]

"Gains as many Spies and as much diplomatic access as possible. Does not like civilizations who ignore these espionage activities."

Catherine's Black Queen agenda. My emphasis.

Yeah, that one always struck me as inconsistent. But now Victoria also says "wants to settle on every continent", so I guess it works.

I can agree with that. I think I'll go edit it to be "Respects civilizations that make more than 20 gold/turn. Dislikes civilizations that make more gold per turn than him." That gives one of them more nuance. He recognizes a good fortune, but is still upset if he's not supreme.

Yeah, the numbers aren't too important here. Its obvious that everything is subject to balance, haha. I like the change. Nuance helps.

I think Mehmed should remain relatively hostile. Besides which, there are a couple of agendas that are purely negative (Qin Shi Huang, Tomyris) and have no "like" aspect. He can be friends with those on his continent that are smaller than he is and won't have any specific desire for capitals on other continents.

Yes, some have no 'like' aspect, but their dislikes are harder to trigger (more wonders, surprise war). So they don't care about you normally, and dislike you if you trigger their...trigger. But making money will happen accidentally, and controlling an original capital on Suleiman's home continent might be completely uncontrollable.

Thanks. "Elegant" is high praise in my book.

Its very important! Since we don't have the game, it is difficult to know the normal game flow that allows us to create elegant effects. I think I did a better job with some of my ideas than others. This one of yours seems like it will work well to me.

I'm not sure how you can simply change the religion in your capital on a whim, especially if it's a holy city. I guess there's some room for abuse, but it would be difficult to engineer such an exploit. I think I have an idea on how to prevent exploitation if you check my forthcoming edit.

Its not so much about actually abusing the exploit, but that it 'feels' weird. Someone's going to say "wait, so all that matters is that my capital be different from the rest? Well, if I'm going to do anything to maximize this ability, the easiest thing is to change the capital" rather than change every city or conquer whole extra civs.

But I do like your suggestion that the bonus is centered in the capital, perhaps even the palace building itself (to nod to the Tokapi Palace).

I checked the edit. I think I'd purposely try to not found a religion and then pick a religion far away from me as the state religion.

I think the goal is to represent religious tolerance, but also diversity, right? We do know there's a "Dominant Religion" mechanic, but there doesn't seem to be negative amenities for religious strife. You might be able to play around with the Dominant Religion mechanic to get something that encourages religious diversity/tolerance without just encouraging heathenism.

I didn't state it, but I think the "replenishment" would carry on upgrade, but not the corps bonus.

As you wish. Just something to consider!

My rationale was that the extra attack bonus based on the city's defense could get absurd and so needed the balance that the bombards are slow to fire and vulnerable to destruction. I mean, 15% from el-Fatih + 15% from, for example, a 30 defense strength city + more from a possible city attack promotion in the ranged siege line and you're quickly approaching +50% attack bonus from this unit. You might be right in that I was a bit heavy-handed though. Perhaps they can fire every turn and being more vulnerable is enough.

Don't know either. First, there seem to be no percentage combat boosts in the game. Second, I think siege weps are support units, so you'd probably not even notice the decreased melee strength.

I don't see why it can't be a building replacement. It doesn't make much difference anyway -- whether a building or district, I'd likely ascribe a similar effect.

I skipped a few steps in my logic.

1) There will probably be 1 unique district for each of the main districts. This includes Commercial Hub.
2) What could fit as a unique Commercial Hub? Bazaar seems like by far the best option. Its like why they decided on using Roman Baths instead of a Forum; there's just nothing else that could replace the Aqueduct as well, even though the Forum is an even better Commercial Hub!
3) Bazaar could be for Arabia, Ottomans, Morocco, or Persia. What would it do for their Civ's playstyle? Oh, and its obviously not Arabia
4) Ottomans should probably be about conquest and religious tolerance, plus empire-building. Morocco might be an even better pick than Persia, but idk if they're going to be in again. Persia should be about conquest, empire-building, and trade (Silk Road). That's where it should go (empire-building + trade = commercial district) I also think it will go here because its different from the Satrap in 5, and honestly I could find no other infrastructure that I thought would be good for Persia

So my point is that the Bazaar WILL be a unique commercial hub. So I guess you're right that you CAN design it however you wish, I just think that trying to design something that will fit in the actual game is part of the fun. And I think the Bazaar will absolutely end up in the game as a unique commercial hub.

What discouraged me from the Hammam more than anything is that I'm still not certain how the Roman Bath district will work and we still don't know what, if any, buildings a standard Aqueduct district possesses. So it came down to ignorance of how a Hammam could work or what it would replace more than anything.

That's fair. That's a reason why I was holding off on doing an Ottoman design.

 

[ferretbacon]

Its not so much about actually abusing the exploit, but that it 'feels' weird. Someone's going to say "wait, so all that matters is that my capital be different from the rest? Well, if I'm going to do anything to maximize this ability, the easiest thing is to change the capital" rather than change every city or conquer whole extra civs.

I checked the edit. I think I'd purposely try to not found a religion and then pick a religion far away from me as the state religion.

I think the goal is to represent religious tolerance, but also diversity, right? We do know there's a "Dominant Religion" mechanic, but there doesn't seem to be negative amenities for religious strife. You might be able to play around with the Dominant Religion mechanic to get something that encourages religious diversity/tolerance without just encouraging heathenism.

Okay, that whole thing was getting unwieldy - third and hopefully final edit. Much more simplified and expresses the same idea.

I skipped a few steps in my logic.

1) There will probably be 1 unique district for each of the main districts. This includes Commercial Hub.
2) What could fit as a unique Commercial Hub? Bazaar seems like by far the best option. Its like why they decided on using Roman Baths instead of a Forum; there's just nothing else that could replace the Aqueduct as well, even though the Forum is an even better Commercial Hub!
3) Bazaar could be for Arabia, Ottomans, Morocco, or Persia. What would it do for their Civ's playstyle? Oh, and its obviously not Arabia
4) Ottomans should probably be about conquest and religious tolerance, plus empire-building. Morocco might be an even better pick than Persia, but idk if they're going to be in again. Persia should be about conquest, empire-building, and trade (Silk Road). That's where it should go (empire-building + trade = commercial district) I also think it will go here because its different from the Satrap in 5, and honestly I could find no other infrastructure that I thought would be good for Persia

So my point is that the Bazaar WILL be a unique commercial hub. So I guess you're right that you CAN design it however you wish, I just think that trying to design something that will fit in the actual game is part of the fun. And I think the Bazaar will absolutely end up in the game as a unique commercial hub.

I see the logic in that. I changed it accordingly.

 

[Atlas627]

Okay, that whole thing was getting unwieldy - third and hopefully final edit. Much more simplified and expresses the same idea.

I like it! It might be odd that it specifically encourages seeking out new religions to conquer, but that's a niche case. It mostly encourages expansion into new territory and not wanting to lose the religions in your country.

I see the logic in that. I changed it accordingly.

Wow, +1 amenity for each adjacent district?!

I like the idea, though. And who knows how balance will be

Remember also that unique districts don't count toward the district cap in a city. So every city will be able to build a Bazaar! Yowza! And they build in half the time! Bonkers!

 

[TheSpaceCowboy]

Here’s my wish list for the Greek Civilization, based partially upon what we already know (Pericles and Acropolis). I envision Greece as getting a significant head start in the early game with a great deal of versatility. This is very much a “play the map” civilization, given all of the choices available (which city to found, which Technologies and Civics to boost, which Wonders to rush, etc).

Greece

Leader: Pericles

Civilization Ability: Hellenistic League
When founding a city after its capitol, Greece may choose from the list of available cities, each of which comes with a unique bonus which applies only within its tiles. Examples include:

Athens: Must be founded first. +15% production towards the Parthenon. Triggers a Golden Age upon completing the Parthenon.
Corinth: Religious building provide +1 Gold. Commercial buildings provide +1 Faith.
Delphi: +15% production towards the Oracle. Boost any Ancient or Classical era Civic upon completing the Oracle.
Ephesus: +15% production towards the Temple of Artemis. Gain the “Goddess of the Hunt” Pantheon belief in this city upon completion of the Temple of Artemis.
Halicarnassus: +15% production towards the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.
Ilium: +1 Great General points from Ancient Walls and the Iliad great work. Kills from Walls and Encampments also generate Great General points.
Ithaca: +1 Great Admiral points from Harbor, each Trade route, and the Odyssey great work.
Marathon. Greek units ignore rough terrain penalties when moving through Marathon. Any unit which wins a battle within 4 tiles of Marathon during the Ancient or Classical era receives +2 movement before the turn is ended.
Knossos: Can construct a Palace in addition to the one in Athens. This counts as a second Capital which must also be conquered for a Domination victory. Can only be founded in the Ancient era.
Olympia: +15% production towards the Statue of Zeus. Arena provides an extra amenity. Mountains provide an additional +1 Faith to Holy Sites.
Rhodes: +15% production towards the Colossus. The range of Rhodes’ sea trade route is increased by 50% upon completing the Colossus.
Sparta: +50% production towards an Encampment and Military buildings. Melee units built here do not end their turn when being promoted during the Ancient and Classical era.
Thebes: Amphitheater contains two slots for great works of Writing. Oedipus Rex and Antigone each provide 2x yield for Amphitheater. This bonus stacks.

Additionally, if Greece owns all of the cities which contain the Colossus, Great Library, Great Lighthouse, Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Oracle, Parthenon, Statue of Zeus, and Temple of Artemis, then each of those Wonders will generate tourism and appeal equal to all of their other yields combined beginning in the Modern era. This bonus only applies anytime Greece owns all seven Wonders.

Leader Ability: Cradle of Civilization
Upon researching certain technologies and civics, Greece is awarded each of the following unique Great Persons:

Archimedes (Great Engineer): Gained upon completing Masonry. Provides 50% production to any one of the following Wonders: Colossus, Great Library, Great Lighthouse, Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Oracle, Parthenon, Statue of Zeus, Temple of Artemis
Aristotle (Great Scientist): Gained upon completing Writing. Choose one Technology and one Civic from the Ancient or Classical periods to receive Eureka bonuses towards.
Leonidas (Great General): Gained upon completing Bronze Working. +10 Defensive aura to all Ancient and Classical Melee units. Forms and promotes an Army from a Phalanx unit.
Pythagoras (Great Prophet): Gained upon completing Astrology. Choose one additional Pantheon belief.
Sophocles (Great Writer): Gained upon completing Drama and Poetry. Oedipus Rex, Antigone

Unique Unit: Phalanx
Replaces Spearman. +10 Defense when adjacent to another Phalanx. If a City-State is conquered by a Phalanx during the Ancient or Classical eras, Greece receives its Suzerain bonus for as long as it owns the city.

Unique Infrastructure: Acropolis
Gains Great Person points next to corresponding districts.
Prophet points next to Holy Site.
Scientist points next to Campus.
General points next to Encampment.
Admiral points next to Harbor.
Merchant points next to Commercial Hub.
Writer points next to Entertainment Complex.
Musician points next to Theater Square.
Engineer points next to Industrial Zone.

 

[HanNorwood]

I love the idea of the different cities giving different bonuses to Greece, but I don't like (and doubt it would be implemented), the idea of specific wonders being given bonuses and potentially giving bonuses. Maybe Ancient wonders would be better, and remove the bonus for possessing them.

 

[SMcM]

OK...
Here is the Israel I want to see in the game.

First of all, I think that Israel should be treated like Greece, Egypt, and Persia, which means - ancient and modern should not be mixed. There are two reasons for this: 1. Focusing on Ancient Israel would remove the controversy that modern Israel might generate. 2. Ancient Israel and modern Israel are ages apart from one another, and since there was no continuity, there is no sense in mixing the two into one civilization, like we do with, say, India, or China, where the entire history is represented in one civilization.
So, what I want to focus on is Ancient Israel, which is both Biblical Israel, and Israel of the later Hasmonean age, all the way to Herod and to the fall of the Second Temple in 70 AD, and Bar Kochva's Rebellion.

The unique ability of the civ would be, obviously, Holy Land. This should give them a bonus to defending their borders, as well as perhaps something involving religion and warfare.

For a leader, I want to go to a less obvious choice, not someone from the Bible, but a later leader, a female leader, which is always interesting - queen Salome Alexandra.
She can have the Sanhedrin as her leader ability, giving her bonuses that improve happiness in the realm. Her agenda can be something like "Fortified Cities", meaning she will focus on defense rather than offense, and will try to make her cities as strong as possible.

Unique unit: Slinger of Benjamin - Ancient Israel is well known for its slingers, but those of the tribe of Benjamin were considered the best.

Unique building: Gath - the word "gath", or "gat", as it is pronounced in modern Hebrew, means "wine press". The gath can be the Israelite granary, and provide extra happiness.

Another idea for a unique unit: Ekatontamachoi - kind of like the Israelite version of the Immortal. Can replace the swordsman, and be weaker, but cheaper.

I'd rather see Israel represented by a ruler of the United Kingdom of Israel, Solomon being my top choice. Isreal was a more impressive nation by comparison to its neighbors at that time. The Hasmonean dynasty of Israel which Salome Alexandra ruled was roughly equivalent in size to the kingdom of David and Solomon, but not only was the size of the earlier kingdom more impressive for its time, but it wielded significant influence over surrounding tribes. The same seems to have been the case for the Hasmonean dynasty, but to a lesser extent.

Though a benefit of your choice is that most of what we know about her is not legend, making accurate depiction easier. Also, Salome Alexandra does definately seem to have been a very capable ruler in her own right.