[GS] Good Gameplay Mods

[acluewithout]

I was wondering if anyone has played around with any mods which change game play and, if so, what their observations were?

I’m interested whether anybody thinks there are some good balance changes or mechanics out there that maybe FXS should consider for the base game.

“Gameplay mod” here means not AI or UI focused, and which actually rebalances units, buildings civs etc., or introduces new mechanics etc. eg the mod that gives hills -1 food or only lets you mine resources.

The big one is of course JFD’s Rule by Faith, but I’d be interested to hear thoughts on smaller mods too.

This mod here caught my eye - and prompted this thread - although to be clear this is for Civ V. It introduces specific holy war, world war and cold war mechanics. Very cool.

A few other mods:

Starting scout. I used this when I was starting with Civ VI and loved it. But ultimately preferred playing without it so that I had to choose whether to build an early scout or not. A free scout at the start changes the early game significantly- just like Rome’s free monument does - and this mod was what got me thinking that the Cree should start with a free scout.

FearSun’s IZ mods. FearSun and his mods are awesome. I’ve been slowly working on my own IZ mod and have taken a lot of inspiration from his mods. That said, I think the buffs are a bit too powerful (particularly adjacency from lumber mills). IZ does need a buff though.

 

[iammaxhailme]

I'm a big fan of the NQmod overhaul for Civ 5.

For civ 6, the only two mods I always ALWAYS use are quite simple, but importans.

First: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=970242434
Expanded initial vision. Lets your starting settler see a long distance, so you find a decent spot. Since the map is so important in civ 6, I got tired of realizing I should have moved that settler 3 turns and loading autosaves...

Second: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1191823233
Earlier lumber mills. I mean come on.

 

[darko82]

Vox Populi is one of the best mods. Unfortunately, it does not work with Civ VI, only Civ V, which I already abandoned.

 

[acluewithout]

@iammaxhailme I’ve looked at the NQmod mod before. How does it change the play experience for you? Does it just make things feel more balanced?

 

[criZp]

The only gameplay mods I use are my own. I', not gonna say all my mods are definitive improvements on the game, but I think some of them are:
Production Cost Rework: fixes the ridiculous district build times after the early game is over
More Great Work Slots: Doubles slots in library/temple/broadcast tower. Because having great writers and musicians just standing around doing nothing is so silly.
Better Water Tiles: +1 extra food on water tiles, takes them from **** to decent.
Housing and Amenity Adjustments: the warning icon for low housing actually appears when the -50% growth modifier kicks in, I think that is very important. But there are some other small changes too.

 

[DioAurion]

Quo's is a good place to look if you don't mind a light expansion level of gameplay changes twisting the whole experience in a different direction.

Real Strategy mixed with it is my preferred game of choice. While it is technically an AI mod, the way it transforms the AI's tactics makes things feel like there have been gameplay changes.

 

[Gedemon]

if I had time to play (and wanted to play without overhauling the whole game every time I try it...), here is the kind of gameplay mod I'd use: Loyalty++

 

[acluewithout]

Shout out to two sets of mods.

First, the Urban Complexity Mods. Link. There's some good ideas here about how some smaller mechanics (like Ski Resorts) could be made a bit more dynamic. The latest mod linking power to happiness is really interesting.

Second, Radiant mods. Link. Some small but good ideas that seem well implemented, eg National Wonders.

Other really small Mods that I think are interesting (sorry, no links): Commercial Hub Adjacency for Oasis; Military Engineers can build Roads without Charges; Spies having normal promotion trees.