Essential mods?

[w1nter]

Hello there, I'm absolutely new to the Civilization community and Civilization 5. I played Civilization 3 back in the day, however nothing more than just fooling around on the easiest AI. I don't usually pay too much attention to the communities of games like Civilization, Age of Empires and whatnot. However, I'm really excited to be a part of this community.

So, my questions would be:
Are there any essential mods that one should use for Civilization 5? (I own all the DLC's and Gods and Kings)
A general explanation of how it is possible to play the game and how does it look when it's being played that way would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,
Andrew.

Moderator Action: Moved to GD.

 

[Novalia]

The large majority of players do not use mods. The main reason is likely that they nullify Steam achievements. I played around with a few and really liked them.
AI Trade Opportunities saved a lot of time and mouse clicking.
Info Addict shows you every civs military, culture, science, religion output, civ relationships and more.

 

[Fluffball]

The large majority of players do not use mods.

Got some stats to back up that statement?

On the to original subject...
Infoaddict it probably the only must have mod. Trade opportunities is also a great time saver as mentioned, the only other mod i can't live without is Notification options because it always notifies you when a city grows unlike the basic game which stops notifying when your city grows past 6 for some reason? and also notifies when you acquire a new tile which the basic game doesn't at all.

The last two mods you will have to download yourself rather than through steam but it is easy to do and by doing so they become 'yours' instead of being at the mercy of steam.e.g. recently steam has been having an issue where mods had to download every time you played so you couldn't use steam based mods in offline mode.

 

[Matthew.]

Infoaddict is a good one. It doesn't really break the game in anyway, and isn't forced upon you unless you choose to use it. You can play entire games with it enabled and never consult it, but it is there with tons of information when you need/want it.

I do suggest playing around with mods, either released by others or created by yourself. The core game is decent, but there is a ton of potential in certain areas and mods allow for a more enjoyable experience.

 

[LoriKe]

I also use the tree regroth one cause it's really usefull and realistic in the same time

 

[ignite]

I use a number of mods from WHoward's Pick'N'Mix Mods site (http://www.picknmixmods.com), specifically any UI enhancement mods or information mods. I tend not to use any mods that alter the game, preferring to play with what the developers intend. Exceptions include mod that refunds % of tech lost if Goody Hut gives tech being researched, mod that turns off maps/camp reveal from goody huts, mod that adjusts counterspies, one that improves city-state luxury balance, etc.

Essentially mods that either help balance the game, fix things that Firaxis should have, or provide more information (like promotion and upgrade tree).

 

[joncnunn]

Well, if your interested in achievements; you can't play with any mods, even those that don't change game play.

As to the mods themselves, if your wanting a more intelligent AI; that's VEM for those with Vanilla & GEM for those with G&K.