Mongoloid Cow
Great Khan
I've decided to start this mod focusing on Central Asia. It is an interesting part of the world, where several civilisations meet, conflict and intertwine. I haven't decided much on definites, but here's a rough outline of what I'm thinking.
General area covered by mod:
The outline is only rough. It is slightly distorted for all intents and purposes, but it shows what I'm looking to cover in this mod. Japan and Korea are out. I'm not sure either would bring much to the mod, since they would be on the very peripheral, far away from the fun and action.
Civilisations:
This is the final civ list:
Arabia, Bactria, China, Gök Turks, Kazakhstan, Manchuria, Mongolia, Mughalistan, Nepal, Parthia, Persia, Russia, Scythia, Seljuq Turks, Tibet, Uighuria, and Yunnan (Dali).
All these civs but the Gök Turks at present need city lists, leaders and so forth. I do need a name for the Gök Turkish UU though. It is a horse unit replacement.
Religions:
In no particular order: Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Manichæism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Confucianism, Taoism. That is eight, one more than optimal, but it covers all the important ones.
Luxury Resources:
The kind of luxuries popular throughout Central Asia, of course: Cotton, Gold, Silver, Jade, Incence, Fur, Pearls, Gems, Ivory, Spices, Silk, etc. Nothing is decided on which to add though.
Wild Animals:
Lions in Mesopotamia, Tigers in Siberia and India, Wolves in the northern forests, Bears in China and Russia (?)
Units:
Here's where I have some big ideas.
- Camel units. Made slightly weaker than horse units, but have a 50% fight bonus against horses. This is because horses are offended by the smell of camels and have to be specially trained to not go nuts around them. Horses get a promotion to even things out though, but it won't come easy (or it will, pending play balance). It will be Bactrian Camels over Dromedaries though.
- Naphtha and Flame units. A part of Central Asian warfare was the use of explosives and flames by several units. I'm thinking Lancers, Naphtha Archers, Grenade Archers, etc.
- Nuts inventine units: There was real ingenuity in battle in this part of the world. War Wagons, fearsome siege engines and weapons, cattle-back archers, wicker-shielded archers, etc.
Victory conditions: The United Nations has to be replaced with something. The C.I.S. or that Pan-Indian alliance one are good contenders. I also have a secret plan for a new one. Not divulging on what it would entail though.
Improvements: Not too much going on here. I'll add Caravansarais for sure, but I can't think of what else.
World Wonders: More fun here. I want to add: the Taj Mahal, the Orkhon Monument, the Stupa of the Wild Goose, the Apadana, and the Potola Palace. Come running with more suggestions
Nomadism vs. Sedentarism: This is going to be the hardest part of the mod: creating an entirely new nomadic system in perfect balance with a sedentary system. I don't know computer coding so I could never do this, so I would need help with it (in other words: someone else to do it). I don't think Firaxis has yet released what is even needed to program this in the first place. Playtesting it is the only way to make it balanced. So what I need is suggestions of what to do with making nomadic, semi-nomadic and sedentary systems harmonised and distinct, or a way to ensure that this aspect of Central Asian culture and history does not appear to have been ignored at will.
Tech Tree: It is probably a bad idea to talk about this before anything else is fleshed out.
What I'm forgetting: I always forget something. This is a disclaimer.
General area covered by mod:
The outline is only rough. It is slightly distorted for all intents and purposes, but it shows what I'm looking to cover in this mod. Japan and Korea are out. I'm not sure either would bring much to the mod, since they would be on the very peripheral, far away from the fun and action.
Civilisations:
This is the final civ list:
Arabia, Bactria, China, Gök Turks, Kazakhstan, Manchuria, Mongolia, Mughalistan, Nepal, Parthia, Persia, Russia, Scythia, Seljuq Turks, Tibet, Uighuria, and Yunnan (Dali).
All these civs but the Gök Turks at present need city lists, leaders and so forth. I do need a name for the Gök Turkish UU though. It is a horse unit replacement.
Religions:
In no particular order: Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Manichæism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Confucianism, Taoism. That is eight, one more than optimal, but it covers all the important ones.
Luxury Resources:
The kind of luxuries popular throughout Central Asia, of course: Cotton, Gold, Silver, Jade, Incence, Fur, Pearls, Gems, Ivory, Spices, Silk, etc. Nothing is decided on which to add though.
Wild Animals:
Lions in Mesopotamia, Tigers in Siberia and India, Wolves in the northern forests, Bears in China and Russia (?)
Units:
Here's where I have some big ideas.
- Camel units. Made slightly weaker than horse units, but have a 50% fight bonus against horses. This is because horses are offended by the smell of camels and have to be specially trained to not go nuts around them. Horses get a promotion to even things out though, but it won't come easy (or it will, pending play balance). It will be Bactrian Camels over Dromedaries though.
- Naphtha and Flame units. A part of Central Asian warfare was the use of explosives and flames by several units. I'm thinking Lancers, Naphtha Archers, Grenade Archers, etc.
- Nuts inventine units: There was real ingenuity in battle in this part of the world. War Wagons, fearsome siege engines and weapons, cattle-back archers, wicker-shielded archers, etc.
Victory conditions: The United Nations has to be replaced with something. The C.I.S. or that Pan-Indian alliance one are good contenders. I also have a secret plan for a new one. Not divulging on what it would entail though.
Improvements: Not too much going on here. I'll add Caravansarais for sure, but I can't think of what else.
World Wonders: More fun here. I want to add: the Taj Mahal, the Orkhon Monument, the Stupa of the Wild Goose, the Apadana, and the Potola Palace. Come running with more suggestions
Nomadism vs. Sedentarism: This is going to be the hardest part of the mod: creating an entirely new nomadic system in perfect balance with a sedentary system. I don't know computer coding so I could never do this, so I would need help with it (in other words: someone else to do it). I don't think Firaxis has yet released what is even needed to program this in the first place. Playtesting it is the only way to make it balanced. So what I need is suggestions of what to do with making nomadic, semi-nomadic and sedentary systems harmonised and distinct, or a way to ensure that this aspect of Central Asian culture and history does not appear to have been ignored at will.
Tech Tree: It is probably a bad idea to talk about this before anything else is fleshed out.
What I'm forgetting: I always forget something. This is a disclaimer.
American English is actually less faithful to "English" than the English spoken everywhere else in the world. The exception is the "S"s and "Z"s in words like "civilisation". They were originally spelled with a "Z", but it was changed in the 18th - 19th Centuries to "S" because it is more aesthetic and pleasing to the eye. NuclearPowered, no one will ever take you seriously if you do not even know common, legitimate variant spellings and standard English.
I'll take a look at jls resources. Thanks for the tips.
Another problem with Spice is that the origin of most of it historically (the Philippenes) will not be included. A possible workaround would be to place it in major trade areas and cities, but it seems a cheap cop-out to me.
