[MOD] The Authentic Colonization (TAC)

TAC Project Team:
Akropolis – Commander Bello - Elwood - Fankman - koma13 - melcher kürzer
Ronnar - Stöpsel - Writing Bull - xXstrikerXx


We are glad to present you the final version of The Authentic Colonization: TAC 2.03_final has been released!
... and additionally: "Werewolves" - the second mod of the TAC-project​

A team of German and Swiss modders presents you the final version of The Authentic Colonization. TAC 2.03_final is a large but well balanced and well tested modification for "Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization". For the last four years we have developed this community modification of German-speaking Civforum.

TAC includes some parts of other international modifications like Netbandit’s balance Mod and Dale's Age of Discovery II. Former members of our mod-team created significant parts of TAC: King MB, Pfeffersack, raystuttgart, Robert E. Lee und Willi Tell. We'd like to thank all testers and modders who helped us developing this mod. Please notice that you will find detailed credits ingame at the colopedia.

Concept

The vanilla version of Civ4Col contained many failings and bugs, and it hadn't the spirit which all fans of the original Colonization had enjoyed. We have kept working hard for a general overhaul of the whole game. We have improved AI and balancing. And we have added a lot of new content like events, quests, achievements, a new and comfortable menue of transport-routes, a revised interface, specific troop-models for all nations, new maps, more civilizations, more founding fathers, more resources, cocoa plantings and whaling and learning-by-doing and much more. TAC-Manual presents our new features.

Spoiler :

Short and sweet - the concept behind "The Authentic Colonization"

What a pity! It could have been such a great game ...

Many fans of the original Colonization were excited and couldn't wait to see the release of Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization. But when the game was finally released in summer '08 they were gutted. True, Col II included most of the complex and exciting features of Col I but it didn't dare to develop the concept any further.
You could be successful in Col II by building only a few cities.

Then in a disappointing short war for independance you let your cities been taken by the king's army and immediately retook the cities with only a few cannons. That cheap victory left a bitter taste.

Players that tried to utilize all the features of Col II where massively handicapped by the ridiculously fast growing army of the king and the frequent tax increases.
What a weird situation: those who tried to play the game to the fullest where systematically demoralized. And after only 300 rounds all was over (way too fast) anyways.

But because there was a lot of potential in Col II we could only think about one thing: To make Col II the game it should have been. The Authentic Colonization! And after endless hours of brainstorming, designing, scripting and testing a dream came true.

TAC gives the game the true Colonization feeling it deserves. Set free the pioneering spirit of yours. In a newly found city you start from the beginning. No premade structures built by ghost hands. Tools, weapons and horses can't be bought for cheap in Europe any more. It will be more effective to produce them yourself. And before you the land yields a promise of food, wood and other resources and untold riches. All yours to take. How will you acquire the wealth the land offers to you? Taken by force at the point of a gun? Or with wit and diplomacy? Converting the natives to the christian belief? Now you can find your own strategy that works for you. By building farms, plantations, mines and lodges with your pioneers you improve your young colony.

To what end? you might ask. Because it's profitable now! The tax rate can't exceed a maximum limit now and you can lower the maximum tax rate if you are generous with your king. It is easier to get experts from schools and the inflation of education points has been capped.

Fast wins are not the way to go any longer. The starting size of the king's army has been increased dramatically but it doesn't grow as fast any more. Furthermore the King acts more intelligent now. He observes not only your production of bells but also the weapons and horses you have stored in your depots, your population and the chance of rebellion in your cities. The victory over the king is more challenging now. In compensation the round limit has been deleted. This way the game is no longer a race against the ticking turn clock but against your opponents. When one of them will declare independance, a round limit of 200 turns will start. At that time you will have to declare your own independance and to repel the following attacks of your king.

Whilst in the original Col II the other European colonial powers were no real threat you have to keep an eye on them now! They will fight for land and resources just as you do! The artificial intelligence will use the new cheap special units to defend it's cities and will transport goods and expand faster and bolder. It will not initiate the war for independence until it is able to win.

And we have modified so many other things as well: picturesque achievement windows, the extravagant Europe port, new texts in diplomacy, events and quests, new buildings, goods, nations, leaders, founding fathers, bonus resources, maps and many more improvements. But before a new feature was implemented we always checked if the idea matched the overall game design and the historic events of that time. It was our aim to achieve class with quality not with quantity. And yes... we are proud of what we have created. Col II became what it should have been: an Authentic Colonization.

Enjoy!

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

How complicated is the installation?
It's very simple. You get an installer. Please start the exe-file and follow the instructions. TAC requires the official patch 1.01f. We recommend installing the patch manually to avoid any issues. The Steam Version patches the game automatically. Please don’t mind that save games from the vanilla version cannot be played with TAC.

Does TAC override any data from the vanilla version?
No, it doesn’t. You don’t need any backup.

What if I don’t like TAC?
Just play the vanilla version. You don’t need to uninstall TAC.

Must I uninstall older versions of TAC after the release of a newer version?
No. Each TAC-version has an own name. You can delete the old versions to get more space, but that isn't necessary.

Can I play TAC together with other mods?
No, sorry. The game allows only one mod at time. This is reasonable because two mods don’t get along with each other.

How can I start TAC?
If you use the installer, you get a desktop icon. Double click on it.

Does TAC contain bugs?
TAC is software, and software has always some bugs. But we have been developing this mod for four years, and it contains only few bugs meantime – and less bugs than vanilla version.

What about the multiplayer-mode?
You can play TAC in multiplayer. It isn't possible to trade directly with other players, but that is an error of vanilla version. The only TAC-bug is caused by the cheat menu (ctrl-shift-z). So if you run into an oos-error during a multiplayer session, it means someone tried to access that menu.
To make TAC showing up in the multiplayer lobby, your TAC installations have to match following criterias:
1) All participants of a multiplayer party should have installed the same version of TAC (e.g TAC 2.03_final without any file changes).
2) TAC have to be installed into the program directory of Colonization (e.g. C:\Program Files\Colonization\Mods\TAC 2.03_final), not the documents/user folder.
3) The player who host the multiplayer game have to setup his windows firewall to allow the other players to access it. Look up your Windows documentation how to do that.
If you can't get the lobby to work, you can also try access a multiplayer session by using the "direct ip" option.

Can I use the ingame-tutorial?
No, sorry. We haven't adapted it to TAC. Therefore it is disabled. That is a general problem of Colonization-mods, it is too laborous to adapt the tutorial to all changes which had happened.

Could you explain me your new features?
Yes, but at first please read TAC-Manual. We have written it for you ...

The billboards of the settlements have problems to show the right names of the cities. Can you help me?
That bug isn't specific to TAC but to all mods. Mods for Civ4Col which are installed at MyGames-folder don't work if there is a special sign (like "ä", "é", "ñ", "ç") at the user name of the MyGames-folder. Create a new folder named "mods" at the main game installation directory and put the TAC-folder there.

After playing TAC some hours, the pauses between two rounds are lengthy. Can you help me?
That's a problem of the Colonization game engine, it isn't specific to TAC. Please save the game, go to the desktop, restart Colonization and load the save game.

Can I play TAC on my mac?
Generally it is not possible to play the mac-version of Colonization in combination with great modifications offered at the fan-forums. The mac-version packed important files into another format. These files won't be changed when you install TAC. But it is possible to use the windows-version of Colonization at your mac. Please use TAC 2.03_final without exe-installer. Here you will find a short technical introduction how to use this version on your mac. If you will try that and if it works, please tell your experiences to other users here. Then other mac-users will know a solution too.

What's about the future of TAC?
The development of TAC has been finished. But at our German-speaking forum we are developing scenarios which use TAC for creating some new challenges. The first one is “Werewolves”.

I wish to use parts of TAC in my own modification. Is that okay?
As a matter of course it is permitted to use TAC in an own mod project as long as the copyrights are not harmed. Please read our ingame credits. TAC is a non-commercial mod project. If you use or distribute TAC please pay attention to the copyright. We allow usage and distribution as long as TAC remains non-commercial. If you wish to use artwork, we could give you more informations about the creators so that you could mention them in the credits of your own modification.

How can I contact you?
You can contact us at our Fanatics-thread or via email to writing.bull [at] gmx.de .

 

Nice. Really looking forward to the final version of it. I am currently enjoying some MP with my friend who also loves it.

 

Maidhross has started to translate TAC from English to Spanish.

We will be glad to find users who want to help him. If you are interested, please contact us at the translation thread of TAC or send a message to Writing Bull.

 

Very cool....I will check this out! Thanks for all of your hard work...

Jeff

 

....the title of this message sums up my initial impression of this mod! So many things done well...all of the extra units, and the AI seems very well thought out too! I'm very impressed with the balance of this mod. I will report more when I get done...right now, I'm playing my second game on a huge map (had to transfer the game to my speedier laptop as the turn time was badly lagging in the 1600s)...good stuff and thanks again for all of your hard work! To those curious, you should check out this mod!

Jeff

 

Thank you, Jeff!

And we have to thank our community at German-speaking Civforum. TAC has been developed by an international team of modders, and our project has been supported by many diligent users from Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Norway. These guys have checked thoroughly all TAC-versions which we presented them throughout the last three years.

 

First of all nice work, i like it a lot. I have just begun my first game with all the excitement that comes with any new Civ product. I don't know what anything does, and each new pop-up screen is read with baited excitement. I really liked the random event when i found the half naked amazon women, and can't wait to see what else you all have in store for me. I do however have to pause and comment on one change that I really really don't like.

The old hotkey G.... is now Shift+G...

Please please please switch the commands so that G is back to normal and shift+G asks what destination you wish to go. It makes life SOOOOOOOO much easier. If i want to go to a destination then I will hit G and simply click on a city...

One thing I want to mention to anyone who hasn't played this mod yet is that it takes a long time to load so be patient. Or at least it did for me. So long that I tried it again and had two versions running. It's like 30 seconds.

 

I don't understand why you need the original GoTo-shortcut (G), has not the right mousebutton the same effect?
With our new GoTo-Feature you can send all units direct in the cities (and Europe), even if you can not see them on the screen. In my opinion is this much more effective to handle

 

I use the G button almost as much as the left mouse click.... G tells you how far the unit can travel and gives you combat odds. It is the way I move every unit, with G. I just started using the right mouse click as a result of this mod, and i dont like it. It really is a big deal to me... I hate to be a sour puss but it has affected my desire to play honestly. Why not make your new go to feature shift+g? I don't think units go to cities and to Europe nearly as much as everywhere else. Additionally who memorizes the names of all their cities? It is so much easier to hit G and simply click on your destination imo.

Additionally, why did you decide to eliminate the ability to build a city within 1 tile of another city? In my first game I wanted to build my second city in a money location but it shared one corner tile so I couldn't build it...

The AI is good, they're smarter.

I think the founding father juan ponce de leon? is a bit too powerful. 7 colonists and 4 indentured servents... 11 people... The exploration FFs are way strong in this, whereas they were almost meaningless in the original except for pedro alvares or whoever the -50% travel time to Europe was.

I have yet to get a DoW from going into a burial ground. I even use my treasures to explore them now. One even got attacked and lived somehow... But, I actually like this change lol. I never liked how the risk/reward was so high. Either you get a bunch of cash or you die.

I think the requirement of cloth/tools/horse for a wagon train is a neat idea, but is a bit limiting in the early game for such a necessary unit. It really slows down your early game as you have to waste an entire trip to europe for cloth/tools/horse as you likely need 2 of the 3 or even all 3.

The natives are stronger, and they build forts whoohoo. Now they might actually be a challenge to kill.

My indentured servents always escape, so now I just make them missionaries.

Okay wall of text over, apologies. I like the game a lot, but the G button thing is almost a deal breaker for me. Only time will tell, but it really is frustrating.

 

As soon as you found your second colony, you should get an event in which your king will offer you the goods required to build your first wagon train.
Of course you can also decide to take the weapons, but taking the goods needed for your first wagon is usually the better option.

It was our intention with TAC to slow down the initial spread of colonies. Additional requirements for wagon trains was one small piece that got us closer to this goal.

 

Because the AI likes to found new colonies in small distances to other settlements.

This founding father can be recruited at the middle of a game. Then many players wish to get experts no colonists without any special ability. Some of the TAC-users like this founding father, other users don't want to get him.

You can use indentured servants and criminals as missionaries, pioneers or soldiers without any problems. If these units have left a city and use any equipment, they won't escape.

 

Well, usually it should be possible to adopt to these kinds of changes. Give it some time. If nothing helps I can give instructions how to switch key bindings. But you will have to do it by yourself.

We think this adds an additional layer of strategy planning to the game. You have to think ahead where to place your cities. It also help the AI to occupy a larger area (=more competition) without the need of founding too many cities.

This should depend on your difficult level. A higher level will increase the chances of getting a DoW.

This was a much discussed topic in the german forum. There is strong faction in TAC-Team/community who support the current changes.

 

Thank you both for your quick replies. I did notice in my second game that the king gifts me the materials for the first wagon train, which is a really big deal actually. The first time I took the guns to sell to the natives .

I would really appreciate instructions on how to switch the key bindings. I have used G since Civ 3 when they took out the ability to move with the num pad.

And now back to killing the french, sorry frenchies. ︻┳═一 - - -

 

Changing hotkeys is quite easy:
In folder \Assets\XML\Units you will find several files with commands for your units to which hotkeys can be assigned.

For example in CIV4CommandInfos.xml you will find the Go-To command:

Spoiler :

PHP:

        <CommandInfo>
            <Type>COMMAND_GOTO_MENU</Type>
            <Description>TXT_KEY_COMMAND_GOTO_MENU</Description>
            <Help>TXT_KEY_COMMAND_GOTO_MENU_HELP</Help>
            <HotKey>KB_G</HotKey>
            <bAltDown>0</bAltDown>
            <bShiftDown>0</bShiftDown>
            <bCtrlDown>0</bCtrlDown>
            <iHotKeyPriority>0</iHotKeyPriority>
            <HotKeyAlt/>
            <bAltDownAlt>0</bAltDownAlt>
            <bShiftDownAlt>0</bShiftDownAlt>
            <bCtrlDownAlt>0</bCtrlDownAlt>
            <iHotKeyPriorityAlt>0</iHotKeyPriorityAlt>
            <bVisible>1</bVisible>
            <Button>Art/Interface/Game Hud/Actions/Go_to_city_high_res.dds</Button>
        </CommandInfo>


As you can see, "KB_G" is specified, which means it will use G from the keyboard as hotkey. You can change this to any other key that is not used - or add a requirement to also press Alt, Ctrl or Shift (just change the corresponding value from 0 to 1)

The "old" go-to command is in a different file: Assets\XML\Interface\CIV4InterfaceModeInfos.xml

Spoiler :

PHP:

            <Type>INTERFACEMODE_GO_TO</Type>
            <Description>TXT_KEY_INTERFACEMODE_GO_TO</Description>
            <Help>TXT_KEY_INTERFACEMODE_GO_TO_HELP</Help>
            <CursorType>CURSOR_GO_TO</CursorType>
            <Mission>MISSION_MOVE_TO</Mission>
            <HotKey>KB_G</HotKey>
            <bAltDown>0</bAltDown>
            <bShiftDown>1</bShiftDown>
            <bCtrlDown>0</bCtrlDown>
            <iHotKeyPriority>0</iHotKeyPriority>
            <HotKeyAlt/>
            <bAltDownAlt>0</bAltDownAlt>
            <bShiftDownAlt>0</bShiftDownAlt>
            <bCtrlDownAlt>0</bCtrlDownAlt>
            <iHotKeyPriorityAlt>0</iHotKeyPriorityAlt>
            <bVisible>1</bVisible>
            <bGotoPlot>1</bGotoPlot>
            <bHighlightPlot>0</bHighlightPlot>
            <bSelectType>0</bSelectType>
            <bSelectAll>0</bSelectAll>
            <Button>Art/Interface/Game Hud/Actions/Go_to_high_res.dds</Button>
        </InterfaceModeInfo>


If you exchange the hotkey settings between the two commands, you should have the hotkeys exactly as you want them.

 

Sweet, I know nothing about programming but from your response I did find it. But, I don't think my computer has the software to edit it as it default opens on a webpage with internet explorer, and there's another issue.

I went to:

C:\Users\Owner\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Colonization\MODS\TAC 2.02b_inoffiziell\Assets\XML\Units\CIV4CommandInfos.xml

I found the go to command text. However, I think there's more programming involved or at least another place it needs to be changed because this looks like its referring to the go to command menu, which I think they built for this mod. So I assume I would need to put a 1 in this text next to shiftdown, and then replace the 1 with a 0 in the other location. Or I could just change the hotkey for this to something else and remove the 1 in the other location.

- <CommandInfo>
<Type>COMMAND_GOTO_MENU</Type>
<Description>TXT_KEY_COMMAND_GOTO_MENU</Description>
<Help>TXT_KEY_COMMAND_GOTO_MENU_HELP</Help>
<HotKey>KB_G</HotKey>
<bAltDown>0</bAltDown>
<bShiftDown>0</bShiftDown>
<bCtrlDown>0</bCtrlDown>
<iHotKeyPriority>0</iHotKeyPriority>
<HotKeyAlt />
<bAltDownAlt>0</bAltDownAlt>
<bShiftDownAlt>0</bShiftDownAlt>
<bCtrlDownAlt>0</bCtrlDownAlt>
<iHotKeyPriorityAlt>0</iHotKeyPriorityAlt>
<bVisible>1</bVisible>
<Button>Art/Interface/Game Hud/Actions/Go_to_city_high_res.dds</Button>
</CommandInfo>

I tried to find the other location and got side tracked trying to find an email address to email microsoft and give them a piece of my mind for their browser that always opens by default and NEVER F-ING closes without me shutting down my system.

It's late... I shouldn't even post this... So, do I need special software to edit these XML files or what should I open it with? I did it again and opened it with XML editor but it also takes me to a read only webpage...

 

You can edit XML files with Notepad...

 

Perhaps you have mistaken the command "open" for the command "edit". Please right-click at the xml-file and then left-click at "edit".

 

I like not seeing combat odds in a battle....makes it a bit more unpredictable....

Enjoying this mod very much....might have to try a quicker game speed / smaller map as I'm using Marathon/Huge Map and while I'm quite pleased with the computer turn speed (only about ten to fifteen seconds on average), managing twenty cities can be a bit of a micromanaging challenge!

Thanks again for the great mod!

Jeff

 

Hi Jeff,

I'm glad that you like to play our modification. Perhaps a hint: When the time of waiting will be too long during a party, please go to desktop and start the game again.