Help needed with a new civilization

[RkShaRkz]

Hi guys.

I'll try to keep it brief I got Civ 5 and think it's a great game. Everything I liked about civs seems to be in here. Then I found out the Mods button actually works, and it's an internal browser no less. So i downloaded a few things, a few civs and finally it hit me.

I'm an educated programmer. I can code. I've been coding and modding for the past 15+ years. I wanna mod in my civ. And I need you to fill me in on it please

Looking at the Galic mod, I figured to use that as a template. If there are other templates, I'd be glad to hear them.

Here's my idea, all fleshed out. I'm warning you - I'm a bit selfish - i didn't bother to read what to read first or any of that. So i'm hoping you'll fill me in on everything I should know / look at.

The new civilization i want to add is Serbia. Since I suck at art, I'll settle for any loading screen/info for the time being. For diplomacy, I was thinking of borrowing Babylon or some other king guy.

Onto the meat.

Civ trait name: Feudalism or Monarchy. Name is WIP, help me out.
trait effect: Cities can expand up to 5 hexes instead of regular 3.
if that can't be done due to something being hardcoded, i've got a backup plan
backup trait: 50% culture to gold. similar to how hapiness is converted to culture.

Special #1: Hajduk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajduk). Additional Renneisance unit, since I don't know what it would replace.
Since they're good at ambushing and could cross any terrain, I was thinking of this
- no rough terrain penalty
- 3 move points (this would be their main thing)
- actually weaker than a swordsman (strength 7)
- very strong in rough (forests, hills, mountains) terrain, but sucky on defence in general.

Special #2: Secluded Monastery. (name is WIP)
- unlocked by Theology
- has to be built near Mountains
- +3 happiness, +5 culture
- maintenance 4
- has a Special culture slot.
- does not replace regular monastery (we had alot of them so I wanna keep the theme of still having alot of monasteries, each with a different thing).

or if I can't add new buildings to existing techs, there's a backup.
Fort Monastery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilandar)
- Same thing, except it replaces the citadel, and retains it's properties. I think I like this idea even better.
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I know this doesn't sound too hard, but since I'm just starting to get familiar with this, please point me in the right directions. I'm downloading the Civ5 SDK as we speak.

Even just thinking about how this would play out makes me itch. Culturemongering with huge cities with less need to expand that often OR with some of that (25%) becoming cash, waiting in the bushes/mountains with the haiduks, both cities having a temple, a monastery and a secluded monastery or a couple of fort monasteries, boosting culture and happiness and providing sanctuary for archers...

Also gives Military caste a good use, since I'd use the early general to build me a fort monastery
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Summa summarum:
I need help with the following:

- Making a new civilization
- Making a new leader
- Making a new unit/object (building as well)
- Making my trait, either Monarchy (50% culture to gold) or Feudalism (5 hex cities instead of 3) or hey - why not both.
- Putting it into the game

Please point me to the right tutorials.

P.S. If the Hajduk didn't have the no rough penalty, he could still cross 3 open hexes or 2 rough ones, right? That seems fair as well. Discussion ideas?

 

[RkShaRkz]

I found the PDF and everything I need to get me started on page 26. Thanks Kael.

What about my trait though? How to make cities 5 hexes big?

EDIT:
The last 10-15 pages are simply amazing. The things I read... basically summed up my 10 years of modding experience in a nutshell. Flavor vs Function. I couldn't have put it together better if I tried. Shows how much work you and the people you interviewed have put into their work/design and this game. Thank you for that Kael, it's not just a Civ5 comment - it's a general modding advice that should be followed. I think I will pay even more attention to that in the future, and reference those pages alot in the future.

Back to my mod now -
On the other hand, after having played a few long games and looking at the screenshots people have posted, lategame culture can come up to 500 per turn. With 50% that would equate to 250 gold just off culture. So culture buildings would essentially allow Serbia to field more troops, not a bad idea, and doesn't sound too OP even for late game. It might be OP if it stacks with buildings such as Markets, Banks etc, in which case I should drop it to 25%. I like the idea of having mega cities that generate gold based on the culture. That's the kind of gameplay I would enjoy the most, even if it is slightly OP, but I wouldn't want it to be too much. Hence the 25% idea. Piety, Honor and Autocracy sounds about right with this civ. And it makes use of every single one of those policies (even Military Caste - you need it for the fort monastery, furthering the need to fight to have more fort monasteries which further your army fielding capabilities ... that is, as if the general alone wasn't enough. Decisions decisions )

It just sounds right.

Well, it's been a nice read and talking to an empty room for now. When I get up in the morning I'll get cracking on this, in the meantime - I hope someone with more experience can shed some light on my trait idea. I really want to take this civ for a spin tomorrow Might even delete some other civs I downloaded, because I usually play Celts, Germany and if/when I put serbia in - I'll just play Serbia.

 

[Shiggs713]

that wasn't very brief.

I'm really not sure if that can be done before the source is released or not. The best way would be as Kael says in the guide, to look around in the schema to see what is possible. Many of the tags used are optional so you may not see the full picture by just looking at the data.

 

[DasGuntLord01]

What shiggs said +1.

You need to poke around and work out was is actually possible, specifically for your mod.

I can tell you for starters that I don't think it's possible to make a unique unit that DOESN'T replace an original. Given this limitation, you need to modify your design. Since the Hajduk is a highwayman more than a soldier or warrior, I'd question the inclusion of it entirely.

However, you have hit upon the right idea. You could play on the idea that Serbia has been stepped on by other powers for almost all of it's life. (Part of your leader's trait my be that you get a bonus fighting on freindly lands, and a penalty fighting overseas). Your secluded monestary should give much additional culture and replace the monestary. You could make serbia a primarily defensive, cultural jewel of the East.

 

[RkShaRkz]

They were more than just highwaymen, it is exactly them that actually drove off most of the Ottoman empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starina_Novak was a notable hajduk) but other than that... it's really the only interesting "unique" thing we've got.

Guess it'll be replacing the musketman then. I'll just have to rething the unit stats a bit, but I've got most of it fleshed out. And, as I said, I want the original monastery still in, so I'll be replacing the citadel. Citadels aint' that great IMO and they could use the touch-up.

But I'll see how the ideas will bend once I start coding it. Culture to money and the hajduk will probably go smooth. The monastery and the 5hex city is what I'm concerned about atm.