how do I switch off civ-specific in a scenario

[Algernon Pondlife]

Okay, I know I'm a minority. But how can I start up a scenario in civ conquests without civ-specific abilities? do I have to do some clever edit or something? Do I have to use PTW for scenarios and forego the new limits on things like trading maps? I hopw not because that is why I bought it. Perhaps I'm just to dim to find the option.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

I'm not really sure what exactly you mean, are you talking about one of the Conquests, or a Scenario?


In any case, you can change all settings in the editor -> Sen properties - > victory conditions. The Civ-abilities are found in the 'Others' box IIRC (don't have C3C here).
But be carefull, the highlighting of your selected items isn't displayed properly; always use CTRL + click, and check it with the game (you'll see all selections when you get the start screen).

Only problem is that this will result in no HoF entry .

 

[Algernon Pondlife]

Thanks for your reply Doc.

I'm not interested in conquests or other tactical scenarios. I really mean playing the full game but with a map (e.g. Kal-El's earth map) I mostly want to play the game without the distortions of civ-specific units and traits. Does your answer mean I will have to go into every mod and edit a version for C3C distinct from PTW etc.?

I can't find "others" under "victory points limits" or anywhere else in the editor.

But it's worse than I thought. The civ content menu offers either without specific units or without traits. Can I get both? If not I could just be sending back my copy with a serious complaint

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Sorry, opened C3C, and it looks like I told you something completely wrong (could be this was changed during the beta).


The way I see it, the 'easiest' way would be to disable special units, and manually remove the traits from all Civs; you could import that set of rules into each scenario you want, so you'd only have to do it once.

 

[Algernon Pondlife]

Thanks Doc.

I'll look into doing that. Not exactly off-the-shelf facility though!!

Not very impressive configuration by Firaxis is it?

If this is the start (continuation?) of a trend away from the original Civ premise, I'm going to have to think carefully before committing more money to any future offerings. It's one thing to add some gloss and to pander to the mass market, but it's quite another to undermine the primary concept that made me go out and buy a computer in the first place. It is in danger of becoming just another game (albeit one of the best designed there is and great fun to play).

 

[Commander Bello]

Just a simple question - maybe I misunderstood...

You are going to play C3C without the content of C3C? Why aren't you playing the vanilla Civ3 then?

 

[Algernon Pondlife]

Dear commander at war,

Amongst all the gloss and "toy soldier" extras, I'm led to believe that there are at least two attractive features; firstly there are more civs to choose from ( I like variety and I was a little distressed not to be able to play the Monguls which had been my favourites inCivilization), and secondly there are changes that slow down the mapping out of the further reaches of the world, allowing explorers to have a more useful role (I hope).

Furthermore, any new edition normally tidies up some loose ends or litle problems in the game and that is likely to be positive. In this case there are new techs, wonders, buildings etc. and if they have been well designed and integrated they will enrich the game.

Everyone has their own reasons for playing civ, their own take on the game, their own ways of enjoying it. They are all legitimate because it is a very rich and complex game. But it is capable of great flexibility and there is no good reason to take away characteristics that have been fundamental to it from the eginning, as they were to Hartland Trefoil's original boardgame design before that.

yours,
Algae

 

[Algernon Pondlife]

But it's worse than I thought. The civ content menu offers either without specific units or without traits. Can I get both?

Ah well. I see now that if you choose no traits you don't get unique units either. Mea culpa. I should have delved deeper before. So it is just mods and scenarios I have to worry about.

 

[Algernon Pondlife]

It seems I have to rescind my last post. It says on the start screen that you don't get traits or units when you start a no traits variant. BUT you do get units. The Inca's get the chaqui scout for example. Apart from screwing up the game there is something unprofessional about all this.

 

[Algernon Pondlife]

Okay. I'm not very bright. There was a fairly easy way to edit things mostly how they should be. The labour intensive bit is getting rid of the unique units. But obviously (which is why it did not occur to me before) you take the 2no unique units mod and edit it to take the traits out. Just a few clicks per civ. And then for good measure you can (for a few clicks more - per civ) take out the startup techs. and with a final fling you can easily remove the golden age by reducing its turn value to zero. True vanilla civ.

Thing is, it's so simple you would have thought the great gods at Firaxis could have thrown it in. After all not everyone wants to dabble in something so technical as an editor.

While I'm at it, I've had a wee think about how it seems to work. It looks to me that we could have had random traits and random starting techs (limited to the roots of the tech tree more or less) all for the price of about an hour's design and coding and an hours testing. It all happens at the time you configure a new game anyway. I don't think it can radically affect the AI - or the whole idea of freedom to mod would be rather fraught, since mods can change a lot more than this. Random unique units might be a bit harder to implement, but progress is progress.

Okay, I'm still in the minority, but it would have been virtually free to add this simple feature.

Anyway now I have my vanilla civ with the improvements that help make explorers valid. So I'm happy for now.