History Rewritten (Original Thread)

I'm aiming to have 0.9 finished before the end of the month and I'll make sure to put a mirror up at the same time.
 
Some ideas.
If you think any of them are worthwhile, you can try them for version 1.0.

1. Coastal Defense for Ships.
All ships currently get 10% defense when in a coastal tile.
I am not sure what this is intended to represent.
In any case, it seems that from a game standpoint it would make more sense to give any small advantage to the defending ships in their home coastal waters (defined as coastal squares within their cultural boundary.)
This could represent familiarity with local conditions, abstracting support of shore batteries, lack of fatigue of the crew, etc.

2. Workers Can Work
It would be good if there were something useful to do with workers after railroads are built.
I suggest that workers moved to cities can be ordered to "work".
One coin per turn as long as they "work".
Allowed with Guilds.
Becomes two coins per turn if they "work" in a city with a factory.
When you want, you can move them out and do something else with them.
Not intended as a major use of workers, but can come in handy from time to time when you have nothing really useful to do with them.
One could limit the numbers working in a single city somehow, for example, some fraction times the city size.

3. Shrine of the Fertility Goddess.
An idea for a new wonder.
(Don't know whether the name is the best.)
Gives +1 food for every farm.
Can be built with Mysticism.
Becomes obsolete with Biology or sometime before.
Maybe it is faster to build if you have access to corn, wheat, or rice,
or can only be built with access to grain.
Requires a Granary in a city before the shrine could be built.
Cost in hammers should be high, perhaps a little less than the Great Lighthouse.


4. Deep Sea Fishing Fleet.
Proposed new building:
It would represent the ability to send out a deep sea fishing fleet from the coastal city in which it was built. No actual ship would be moved, but presumably the fleet is going outside cultural boundaries and bringing back fish or whales.
(The reason I did not make it a unit is to avoid the player having to move the fleet.)
Can only be built in coastal cities that already have a lighthouse and harbor.
Cost somewhat more to build than a harbor.
Technology required is Optics or perhaps Astronomy.
Initially + 1 food, + 1 coin, + 1 hammer.
This increases to + 2 food, + 2 coin, + 2 hammer, upon getting steam power or another similar tech.
This increases to + 3 food, + 3 coin, + 3 hammer, upon getting refrigeration.

5. Customizing the Speed of Science
Allow an option to adjust the science speed when you customize the game, similar to the other current player options at the start of the game.
(The speed change is for all players, including AI, compared to what it would otherwise be.)
The speed at which science advances depends on many factors: single player difficulty level, multiplayer, map, style of play, etc.
In some games science gets well ahead of historical.
For example Tanks could be invented in the 1700s rather than the 1910s.
Some players may find the average rate of science advancement in the games they typically play is not ideal for their enjoyment.
There could be several speeds such as: normal, slower, slowest, faster, fastest.
It could be programmed by multiplying the cost for researching technologies by an appropriate factor.
I suspect it would work best if the factors varied by era, with no adjustment for the first era, a modest adjustment for the next era, a bigger adjustment for the next era, etc.
It might also be necessary when you decrease (increase) the science speed to increase (decrease) somewhat the benefit for knowing other civilizations who already have the given tech. (I assume this reduction in research costs is still a feature.)


6. Customizing the Cost of Military Units
Allow an option to adjust the cost of military (land, sea, and air) when you customize the game, similar to the other current player options at the start of the game.
(The change is for all players, including AI, compared to what it would otherwise be.)
There could be several levels such as: normal, higher, highest, lower, lowest.
It could be programmed by multiplying the cost for building military units by an appropriate factor.
I suspect it would work best if the factors varied by era, with no adjustment for the first era, a modest adjustment for the next era, a bigger adjustment for the next era, etc.
(If military units are relatively more expensive, then there should be somewhat fewer of them built. If military units are relatively less expensive, then there should be somewhat more of them built.)

7. Wonder Cost Dependent on Map Type
The relative value of a particular Wonder depends to some extent on the type of map.
For example, a Wonder that effects every city is more valuable the larger the map, all else being equal.
(The average number of cities per civilization depends on how crowded the map is. The fewer the opponents, the lower the sea level, and the larger the map, the larger the average number of cities per civilization.)
For example, a Wonder that effects every city on a continent is more valuable in a Pangea map than an Archipelago map.
For example, a Wonder that effects every coastal city is less valuable in a Pangea map than an Archipelago map.
I suggest that the cost in hammers of Wonders depend to some extent on the map type.
(This particular suggestion, even if doable, would require alot of work.)

8. Towns and Railroads.
There is currently no interaction between towns and railroads.
Historically the growth of a town was dependent on being on the railroad.
Possible alternative changes:
(1) Growth of villages is doubled when on a railroad.
(2) Extra hammer for towns for Universal Suffrage requires that the town be on a railroad.
One would at the same time, increase the current normal number of turns from village to town somewhat, if deemed appropriate.



9. Some possible new Techs
High Speed Rail
Horse Collar
Stirrup
Clockmaking (Chronometer)
Glass Blowing
Telegraph
Green Revolution (+2 food to farms with corn, wheat, rice.)

10. Radio Effects Maintenance
With the discovery of radio (or telegraph) it is easier to manage a large empire.
Maintenance cost due to distance to palace reduced by a small amount.

11. Tweaking Leader Traits.
Some leader traits may be less powerful than others (on average.)
One way to make such an underpowered trait a little stronger would be to have a free super specialist in the capital.
The super specialist would appear upon the researching of an appropriate technology and would be of a type that makes sense for the trait.
For example, the Aggressive Trait might get a Super General settled in its capital upon researching Feudalism.
It would take some game testing to determine when the super specialist should appear in order to maintain game balance.
A really underpowered trait could get two super specialist, one for each of two different techs.

12. Tweaking Civilizations
Some civilizations may be less powerful than others (on average.)
For example, America gets no unique building or unit until very far into the game.
One way to make such a civilization a little stronger would be to have a free super specialist in the capital after an appropriate tech is researched.
For example, America could get a super specialist when Representation is researched.

13. Ironclads
Ironclads are underpowered in Civ IV compared to Frigates and Ships of the Line.
The designer seems to have had in mind the very first ironclad and the most advanced Frigate.
Even then, historically an Ironclad was easily able to take on 3 Frigates.
(Setting aside the speed difference which is already reflected in the game.)
This is not even close to being reflected in the relative strengths of Frigates and Ironclads in the game.
This could be corrected by giving Ironclads a significant bonus against all wooden ships, such as 75%.

14. Making Health More Important
Currently health is less important than happiness.
Each one unhappiness means a tile not worked or one less specialist in a city.
This is worth let us say for the sake of discussion 3 food.
Each one unhealthiness means minus one food.
Yet until modern times, cities were very unhealthy places to live; the way cities had a net growth was through immigration from the country side.
Revise the effect of health to make the effects more pronounced:
-1 health = -1 food
-2 health = -3 food
-3 health = -6 food
-4 health = -10 food
-5 health = -15 food.
etc.
Effect = (Unhealth)(1 + unhealth)/2.

15. Domination victory should be made "Easier".
On a huge map, where I play, I think 1/3 of land area and 1/3 of population, together with at least twice your closest competitor in each of land area and population, should be enough for a domination victory. This is plenty hard to achieve, but does not take forever.


16. Military Units Away from Home
Define “home” for this purpose as within cultural borders or within the borders of another nation with which you have open borders.
Each turn a military unit is not home it takes damage.
(The amount of damage should depend on game speed.
Perhaps on marathon, about 3 hit points out of 100 per turn would work.
This would have to be game tested.)
Land units and ships would have to rest and repair from time to time, even if they did not participate in combat.
 
Hi all, update:

As you might have heard my country was hit by another major earthquake this week. We were lucky last time (less than 6 months ago!) but this time there's been a lot of damage and a lot of people killed. I live well away from Christchurch - all my friends and family are fine - but NZ is a small country and everyone here knows someone who's lost someone.

I was hoping to release 0.9 before the end of the month but obviously that's not going to happen now. I'm still working on it - it's been a good way to take my mind of things when needed - but my focus is understandably elsewhere at the moment. I'll update again when things are a bit less harrowing.
 
Hi all, update:

As you might have heard my country was hit by another major earthquake this week. We were lucky last time (less than 6 months ago!) but this time there's been a lot of damage and a lot of people killed. I live well away from Christchurch - all my friends and family are fine - but NZ is a small country and everyone here knows someone who's lost someone.

I was hoping to release 0.9 before the end of the month but obviously that's not going to happen now. I'm still working on it - it's been a good way to take my mind of things when needed - but my focus is understandably elsewhere at the moment. I'll update again when things are a bit less harrowing.

All the best to you New Zealanders! Because of your post I learned a little more about the earthquake (and wasn't aware, the epicenter was directly under the city center). I hope Christchurch will recover from that soon.

My original posting reason can be postponed, I might as well pn you, it's about the Starting Position modcomp, no big deal.
 
Our thoughts are with all in New Zealand, Xyth. The images coming out of Christchurch are terrifying and tragic.

Best wishes to Christchurch for a speedy return to some sort of normality.
 
Hi all, update:

As you might have heard my country was hit by another major earthquake this week. We were lucky last time (less than 6 months ago!) but this time there's been a lot of damage and a lot of people killed. I live well away from Christchurch - all my friends and family are fine - but NZ is a small country and everyone here knows someone who's lost someone.

I was hoping to release 0.9 before the end of the month but obviously that's not going to happen now. I'm still working on it - it's been a good way to take my mind of things when needed - but my focus is understandably elsewhere at the moment. I'll update again when things are a bit less harrowing.
Best wishes from the Lemon family, Xyth. Be well, and we'll see you when things settle down again.
 
Keeping you in my prayers Xyth, along with the rest of New Zealand.
 
Thanks for the well wishes all.

I'm currently doing the final adjustments and tests on 0.9 and I've just realized that I'm going to need to redesign a few wonders. They are:

  • The Pyramids. I don't want this enabling all government civics, it doesn't make sense and it doesn't work well with the new civics. I'm tempted to steal an idea from Civ5 and make it give the 50% worker speed bonus (instead of the Hagia Sophia).
  • Shwedagon Paya. Same reason as the Pyramids; doesn't suit the new civics or tech tree.
  • Hagia Sophia. Only needs to change if I give its effect to the Pyramids.
  • Taj Mahal. Given National Wonders give golden ages now, this wonder sorely needs a new bonus.

There are probably others but these are the ones with the most urgent need of redesign. Suggestions for these are most welcome.
 
I think the workers build stuff 50% faster Is a good idea for pyramids. Mabey the taj mahal reduces corruption in all citys. From memory the old civs i forgot which one but the pyramids built a greenery in every city.
 
My first guess would be to link the Taj Mahal to the civic Caste System: if present, more advantages would be coming from Caste System.

More gererally, I think it's fine, if some world wonders are only slightly different from each other, for the purposes of some wonder scale representational buildings in history didn't differ at all but were literally the same.
 
Shwedagon Paya.
Maybe some variation on Ankor Wat.
Allows some number of priests in city where built.
Some bonus to priests in all cities:
maybe +1 gold and +1 research.
Maybe allows one to switch religious civics without anarchy.
May be gives a temple (of the state religion) in every city.


I think the Taj Mahal can be left alone for now.
You could up its cost and have it give a longer than normal golden age.

Worker bonus for Pyramids makes sense.

Hagia Sophia, makes sense to be religious.
Some of the same ideas as Shwedagon Paya.
Maybe dramatically lowers the cost of building missionaries.
Maybe bonus to priests in all cities:
culture, great person points.
Maybe gives a monastery (of the state religion) in every city.



Thanks for the well wishes all.

I'm currently doing the final adjustments and tests on 0.9 and I've just realized that I'm going to need to redesign a few wonders. They are:

  • The Pyramids. I don't want this enabling all government civics, it doesn't make sense and it doesn't work well with the new civics. I'm tempted to steal an idea from Civ5 and make it give the 50% worker speed bonus (instead of the Hagia Sophia).
  • Shwedagon Paya. Same reason as the Pyramids; doesn't suit the new civics or tech tree.
  • Hagia Sophia. Only needs to change if I give its effect to the Pyramids.
  • Taj Mahal. Given National Wonders give golden ages now, this wonder sorely needs a new bonus.

There are probably others but these are the ones with the most urgent need of redesign. Suggestions for these are most welcome.
 
Maybe one of the religious wonders could give two free great priests in the city in which the wonder was built, kind of like the Great Library.

Giving a free priest in every city with the state religion would be stronger, maybe too strong.

My ideas for free Temples or Monasteries may be too strong.
Would probably have to increase the cost of the wonder.
In any case, would only apply in cities with the state religion.
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I've changed the Pyramids to match the Hagia Sophia but I decided to leave all the rest for the moment. Adjusting wonders is a job I'd rather do thoroughly so I feel it's best to come back to it after 0.9 is released. It's now been 3 months since 0.8 was released I don't wish to delay things any longer.

I'm doing some last minute checks and hopefully 0.9 should be ready later today or tomorrow.
 
Here's the list of changes:

Version 0.9

Technologies
  • Ancient to Renaissance tech tree redesigned and expanded
  • Tech progression should be slower overall
Civilizations
  • Aztecs: Sacrificial Altar is now a Jail replacement
  • England: Public House redesigned as a Colosseum replacement
  • Hittites: Now actually able to build their UW (Puruli)
  • Sumer: Ziggurat redesigned as a Castle replacement
  • Reassigned starting techs
Leaders
  • Isabella has gorgeous new art
  • Trung Sisters have improved art
  • Spiritual Trait: Now gives production speed bonus to Cemeteries and Great Temples
Civics
  • Reverted the initial civic in each category to low upkeep
  • Redistribution: new civic, replacing State Property
  • Most civics have been rebalanced or redesigned
Religions
  • Religions are now founded when a Great Prophet is generated
  • Maximum number of religions now scales 1:1 with number of civs at start of a game
  • Shrines require holy city and 2 Great Temples to be built by Great Prophets
  • Fixed and improved Inquisition AI
Buildings
  • New Buildings: Cemetery, Bath
  • Academy requires 4 Libraries instead of 4 Schools
  • Cereal Mills also consumes Sugar
  • Great Wall now costs 250 hammers (up from 150)
  • Hanging Gardens no longer requires an Aqueduct to build
  • Pyramids now increase worker speed by 50% (access to all Government civics removed)
  • Royal Cemetery now requires 4 Cemeteries to build
Units
  • New unit: Bombard
  • Several changes to chain of unit upgrades
  • Ironclad is now strength 15, move 3, cost 150, with new art
  • Removed ranged attacks from naval units
  • Increased the production cost of most Siege units
  • Siege units no longer provide happiness in cities (for Authoritarianism and such mechanics)
  • Poland has new Ancient to Medieval era unit art
  • Russia has new Ancient to Industrial unit art
  • Removed and consolidated a lot of support unit art (Settlers, Workers, etc)
Terrain
  • New Resources: Cotton, Olives
  • Camps no longer require a tech to be built
  • Camps can now be built on forests and jungles, giving 1 food
  • Coast no longer gives +10% defense
  • Farms now have a small chance to discover Corn, Rice, Wheat (similar to Mines)
  • Whales now obsolete with Mass Media (formerly Combustion)
Miscellaneous
  • Now able to build espionage in cities
  • Fixed an error when missionaries are trained
  • Several Civilopedia layout tweaks
 
0.9 is up! I'll have a mirror available tomorrow for those that can't use MegaUpload, but you'll need to PM me to request the link (due to download limit).
 
I am playing Version 9.0 successfully.
Thanks for the many new features.

The cost of techs seems much more than in BTS.
(I am playing Huge map at Marathon Speed.)

I know it will take a while to get used to a such change, but my first impression is that you have gone way too far. The science seems to lag too far behind the other aspects of the game.

In general, I think it would be better to start adjusting the cost of techs more gradually with an increasing effect on the later eras.

I do not like the lack of connectivity of the new tech tree.
I think it works better when more tech require a second tech that is not next to them on the tech tree.
This avoids the ability to beeline a particular tech or area of tech while ignoring large portions of the tree.

Given how slow science is I am not sure that is a problem/feature currently.

Obviously, you should wait for additional feedback from others.
 
In a game on a huge map, marathon speed, 14 civilizations,
9 religions have been founded by 340 B.C.

I randomly started as Egypt. With the benefit of being able to build the cemetery from the start and with the obelisk special building I founded 3 of these religions.
However, the 13 AI civs founded 6 religions by 340 B.C.


By 1 A.D., 13 religions founded, 10 by the 13 AI civs.

Just reporting results.
Not sure whether or not this is what you wanted.
 
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