[MOD WIP] Elders of Zion

[LuvToBuild]

ELDERS OF ZION​

PURPOSE
This thread is an online design document for an upcoming mod of Civ5 based on the Brave New World Expansion Pack. It is for the discussion of ideas and suggestions related to this mod, as well as a place to discuss the technical implementation of specific game play elements.

OVERVIEW
This mod will focus exclusively on the period of history starting in the late Renaissance era and continuing through the present. It borrows some of the art and ideas from the Empires of the Smoky Skies scenario, but it will not be an exclusively steampunk style mod. If you haven't played the Empires of the Smoky Skies scenario, please look here for a synopsis.

EoZ simulates an alternative history of the world following The Great Cataclysm. This period of upheaval resulted in a great world war that devastated the nations of the world. Afterwards, the world's leaders and great thinkers created a new global system of government known as the World Congress to avoid such a catastrophe in the future.

TIME PERIOD AND ERAS
The late Renaissance period spanning 1700 AD - 2050 AD. The player will start in the Renaissance Era, then advance through the Industrial Era, Modern Era, Post-Modern Era, and finally the Future Era. Each era contains many new technologies required for advancing in the game.

FACTIONS

The Federation of Altneuland

Leader: Solomon ben David
Goal: The Altruists seek a world where brotherly love reigns supreme.
Capital: Kallipolis
Philosophy: Statism
Free Great Work: The Republic
Unique Ability: Prince of Peace
Bonuses from City-States are doubled.
City-State degrades at half and recovers at twice the normal rate.
The Federation and their friends receive a 20% boost to generation

Unique Building: Palace of Nations


Unique Unit: Ambassador

Image Description
The ambassador

History - Like the proverbial phoenix of mythology, The Federation arose from the ashes of The Great Cataclysm to reestablish rule of law among the people of the world. While the Altruists would have preferred that everything was under their direct control, they were forced to compromise with the other factions who were leery of their statist philosophy. Their role has been limited to hosting the World Congress, operating the world's judicial system, and mediating world affairs. Despite this hindrance, they spend long hours scheming to use the power of government to control all of the other factions and eventually the entire world.

The United Banks of Oz

Leader: Milburn "Midas" Pennybags
Goal: The Capitalists seek a world where the almighty pecuniary credit (PC) rules the day.
Capital: Emerald City
Philosophy: Mercantilism
Unique Trait: Everything He Touches
Double the number of trade routes available.
Resource diversity grants twice as much in trade routes.
Trading partners receive +2 for each trade route with the UBO.
Receives +3 for each trade route with a different civ or City-State.

Unique Building: Trading Company


Unique Unit: Trader

Image Description
The trader

History - Promising the citizens of the world that they would never again be victims of the business cycle, the Capitalists of Oz were able to quickly monopolize the wealth of the world within their borders. Their control over the money supply and the inequality this creates, continues to be a source of contention in the world.

"We (the bankers) must proceed with caution and guard every move made, for the lower order of people are already showing signs of restless commotion. Prudence will therefore show a policy of apparently yielding to the popular will until our plans are so far consummated that we can declare our designs without fear of any organized resistance."
- The Banker's Manifesto of 1892

The Academies of Nerdvana

Leader: Copernicus Galileo
Goal: The Sophists seek a world where the Arts and Sciences flourish.
Capital: Lyceum
Philosophy: Scholasticism
Unique Trait: Reason Conquers All
Great Scientists spawn twice as fast.
Great Person gifts to City-States gain 90 .
Each trade route with a different civ or City-State gains +3 .
Trading partners receive +2 for each trade route with the AoN.

Unique Unit: Schoolmaster

Image Description
The schoolmaster

Unique Building: Oxford University


History -


The Wehrmacht of Dominion

Leader: Frederick Hindenburg
Goal: The Militarists seek a world of strict law and order, so long as they are in charge.
Capital: Oberkommando
Philosophy: Authoritarianism
Unique Trait: Might Makes Right
Units require 25% less experience to level up.
Armor and mechanized units receive one extra .
Great Generals spawn at twice the normal rate and give an extra 20% boost to .

Unique Unit: Drill Instructor

Image Description
The drill instructor

Unique Building: Military Academy


History -

The Republic of Heartland

Leader: John Q. Public
Goal: The Industrialists seek a world where everyman is judged by his hard work and merit.
Capital: Hometown
Philosophy: Individualism
Unique Trait: Everyman's Creed


Unique Units: Blacksmith

Image Description
The blacksmith

Unique Building:


History - Left with nothing more to do than the mundane tasks of production, the Industrialists of Heartland created a powerhouse of industry and agriculture within their borders. With little time to spare from their daily labor, but always mistrustful of the Capitalists of Oz, the Sophists of Nerdvana, the Militarists of Dominion, and the Altruists of Altneuland, the hard working inhabitants of Heartland rely heavily on the media to form their political opinions.

"I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living." - John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

RELIGIONS
Major religions will be represented in the mod using city states instead of major civilizations founding them. This idea will borrow from the Holy City States mod. The following are the only religions currently planned for inclusion. Others may be added if they have contributed significantly to world events in the last couple of centuries. Christianity has been split into Catholicism and Protestantism to reflect the major schism in that religion. Islam has been split into Sunni and Shia for the same reason. These schisms occasionally come into play in world events in the form of sectarian violence. The ultimate goal will be to incorporate these religious/political tensions into the game as random events / city state quests.

Hinduism - Holy City: Varanasi
Buddhism - Holy City: Lhasa
Judaism - Holy City: Jerusalem
Catholicism - Holy City: Vatican City
Protestantism - Holy City: Wittenberg
Sunni Islam - Holy City: Mecca
Shia Islam - Holy City: Karbala

In addition to the major religions, each factions philosophy will be represented in the game using the religion system. Each faction's unique unit can spread that philosophy as a "missionary".

IDEOLOGIES
TBD

SOCIAL POLICIES
TBD

CUSTOM MAPSCRIPTS
The world will be limited to a custom mapscript which balances resources between the factions. The FSA will always be placed in the geographic center of the map with the other states surrounding them. The world may vary in style and shape but it will be mirrored or in some way balanced among the states in a hexagram pattern like spokes on a wheel.

More to follow...

Note: TBD=To Be Determined

 

[LuvToBuild]

An Interview with the Developer

Why did you chose the name Elders of Zion? Are you a closet anti-Semite?
Absolutely not. I admit that the name for the mod comes from the title of the infamous book conspiracy theorists all know (and sometimes seem to love), the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. I have never read the book but I know what it is purported to say about the Jews. I totally reject such nonsense as slander. The title is actually meant to poke fun at this premise by illustrating that there are, in reality, multiple factions in the world which compete with one another for a sort of "dominion status" with respect to international affairs.

Is this mod in response to the Civ5 Brave New World Expansion Pack?
I was actually working on the rough concept for this mod about two weeks before the announcement. I have been enjoying the Civ franchise off and on since Civ3. I have always enjoyed the unique gameplay elements that it provides, but I have been a bit let down with Civ5. The G&K expansion pack was much more fun to play than the vanilla release, but it still lacked a lot of the elements that I had come to love from Civ4. I am hoping to bring back some of that by introducing some new ideas, as well as incorporating some of the other great ideas found daily in these forums. The Brave New World Expansion has added other game concepts which I hope to really take advantage of with this mod.

What is the basis for this storyline?
Back when I used to play Civ4, I got hooked on the OCC style of play. I am a builder at heart (hence my avatar and forum name). I always tended to get wonderitis and not build enough military units. Inevitably, Monte or somebody would come calling with his SOD and kick my arse. I hated the way Civ4 nerfed artillery. I loved the way I could hold off huge SODs in Civ3 with some well placed forts. railroads, and a huge SOD of heavy artillery. With Civ5, ranged combat is back (thank god), the SOD has been eliminated (kind of iffy on this one), and the route system no longer creates a nasty looking web of roads and railroads (I really like that, although there are still some aesthetic issues IMHO). This grand idea started from my builder playstyle. As much as I liked OCC, I had a hard time maintaining my wonderitis while also keeping Monte at bay. As a result, I would often cheat by going into WB to create a utopian Paradise for my cultural and religious people. I know, I know, I should have just learned to play the darn game better, but I couldn't help myself . I had to have it all!!! As a result, I slowly developed the idea that it would be really fun to play a mod where I didn't have to cheat so much. I wanted a custom mapscript that would give me a kind of natural fortress with mountains. I wanted enough resources to give me a slight headstart early on, but not so much that I would be running all over everyone by the time the Middle Ages rolled around. I like to play mostly in the later eras, but I tend to like having a well developed empire by then as well. I was never real crazy about the advanced start option, although it was better than always starting in the ancient era and I did like to play it once in a while. I basically wanted to start with gunpowder, some basic techs for workers, a worker, a settler, and a musketman. I wanted the feel of starting in the ancient era but I wanted to actually start in a post-Renaissance / pre-Industrial era. This turned out to be a lot more work than I had expected. I made progress, but never enough to release anything. When rumors of Civ5 came out, I decided to abandon the project, and waited to see what we would get in the new version. I have had mixed feelings about it but the developer's seem to be headed in the right direction. I suppose we shouldn't be so hard on them. It took a couple of expansions for Civ4 to get really fun for me.

Ok, so you liked OCC and had a God complex. What made you decide to revisit this project for Civ5 at this present time?
I had been toying with the idea for a while, but hadn't quite gotten back into playing Civ5 enough to feel motivated for the hard work I knew would be required. I got bored with playing regular games one day, so I decided to check out the scenario section. I played the Mongolian scenario a few times, but kept failing to accomplish the win. After several attempts, I finally gave up and decided to try something else. The Fall of Rome sounded neat, but I had been playing as Rome exclusively for several games in a row already so I was looking to take a break from Caesar. I decided to check out the Empire of the Smoky Skies scenario because it sounded cool. I have always liked playing with industrial units much more than medieval ones. I couldn't believe how much fun it turned out to be. To be honest, I was a little unsure about the whole steampunk thing. I never really read H.G. Wells or Jules Verne. I knew about some of the stories and stuff from popular culture, but it was a genre that was relatively new to me. I decided that it was time to dust off my EoZ idea to see if I could model it after the EotSS.

What inspired you to make the leap from EotSS to EoZ?
I thought the concept and presentation for EotSS was very good. However, I didn't think it was quite fleshed out enough to really immerse me into the game. The background was nice and the unique victory conditions were cool, but I thought there could be so much more. While I don't read nearly as much as I did when I was a kid, I have always enjoyed a really good story. I also love to write my own from time to time. I've been told I can be good at it, but I'm still an amateur. I'm not planning to quit my day job any time soon. The Holy Ones is a story I did based on the results of my first ever Succession Game. I really enjoyed that game and loved being able to tell our story in a way that wasn't just a lot of "moved warrior here, popped a goody hut"

What was your specific inspiration for The Great Catacylsm mentioned in your overview for the mod?
There are lots of dystopian and apocalyptic books, movies, and other such entertainment these days. I think a lot of this is because of the Cold War and other events which have helped to shape the mindset of people of my generation. Most of these stories tend to take place in a post apocalyptic 21st century. I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to create a post apocalyptic world set in the 19th century. I also wanted it to be utopian in nature rather than dystopian. I wanted to create a world in which men have high hopes for the future after a devastating world war much like World War I. While World War II was certainly as bad, it does not have the distinction of being the "war to end all wars". I wanted to create a world that kind of starts off in a post World War I fashion, but is set at the beginning of the 19th century instead of the 20th century. I felt like this period was just as important as the beginning of the 20th century. It heralded the birth of a new kind of nation, the United States of America. This nation was founded on the novel idea that all men were created equal by their Creator. In many ways, the American Revolution led to the French Revolution which had a vast impact on 19th century Europe. Monarchy and colonialism were slowly fading away as a new era in the history of man came into view. This era would see the rebirth of an old idea, democracy. This grand idea would totally reshape the whole of Europe, and eventually the world.

 

[LuvToBuild]

How did you go about naming the different civilizations?
This was a little tough at first, but once I got started, the creative juices began to flow. I knew I wanted to more or less keep the basic premise from EotSS. I wanted the flavor of each civ to mimic how the game is actually played, much like it was done in EotSS. There would be a diplomatic civ based on Alderice, a mercantile one based on Octavius, a philosophical one based on Luther, an aggressive one based on Cyrus, and an industrious one based on Ignace. From there, I began to brainstorm various ideas about how I could incorporate certain things from pop culture, history, politics, religion, and most other aspects of our lives. I wanted to keep it kind of tongue-in-cheek for the light hearted players but still be serious enough for the number crunchers. Hopefully I've done a good job but only time will tell.

What is the inspiration for The Federated States of Altneuland and Solomon ben David?
I wanted to make it perfectly clear to the player that he was playing as a Messiah like leader. There is a great deal of symbolism incorporated into my choices. While they may not be 100% correct in the real world, I felt these ideas meshed well together to create a very nice allusion to a sort of messianic age. Theodor Herzl, often referred to as the Father of Political Zionism, published a book in 1902 called Altneuland. It is a German title which means OldNewLand in English. I thought the German name sounded much better to my American ear, so I stuck with the original title. I also thought it brought forth the idea of a new world arising from the ashes of the old, like the phoenix of mythology. I wanted this new civilization to be equated with the League of Nations and the United Nations of course, but I also wanted people to understand the original concept for the United States of America. It was not founded as a single nation, but a confederation of nations. It was later converted to a federation with a stronger central government located in a district of its own. I wanted to simulate all of this in Civ5 without getting overly complex and taking the fun out of things. I felt like this concept would give the player of Altneuland the sense that he was trying to benevolently rule the world, but the world didn't want any part of it. They are more concerned with their own self interests to be bothered with the grand ideas of such a person. The name Solomon ben David obviously refers to the most famous King of Israel, who is seen by some to be an archetype for Jesus Christ, the Christian Messiah. It should also be noted that one of the Jewish Messiah's is known as Messiah ben David, a Prince of Peace.

Why does Zionism seem to play such a big part in your story choices for Altneuland?
Well, naturally Zionism would play a big role in my desire to weave an harmonious story, since the name choice is based on a Jewish utopian novel written by the Father of Zionism. However, it actually goes much deeper than this. Many of the people who came to Colonial America were coming here for deeply religious reasons. Many of them considered themselves to be a new Israelite, escaping a sort of Egyptian Europe, to make a home in a new Promised Land. A lot of references are made to this type of thing in early American history. As Christians, they were drawn to the stories of Israel in the Bible. There are a lot of parallels between the USA and the State of Israel. Israel was originally a loose confederation of twelve tribes but Joseph gave his birthright to his two sons, effectively splitting his tribe into two half tribes, thus creating a "13th" tribe. America began as a loose confederation of 13 independent colonies, but when that didn't work out so well, they tightened their bonds with a constitution and created a federation. Nowadays, we are called the Great Satan while Israel is known as the Little Satan. This is due in large part to the effect that political zionism had on the Christians of the 19th century. The idea that the ancient nation of Israel could be reborn in their lifetimes, thus fulfilling their interpretation of Biblical eschatology, is still very much with us today in the form of Christian fundamentalism. This plays a significant role in our foreign policy choices. My intent with this mod is not to support or condemn Zionism, but rather to present the influence it has had in the world.

Moving along, can you tell us more about the United Banks of Oz and it's leader, Milburn "Midas" Pennybags?
There are many gameplay dynamics that I would like to incorporate into this mod to enhance the immersion of the human player. One is the impact that slavery had in early American history. Another is the impact that European imperialism had on the indigenous populations of less developed nations. A third is the impact that is currently being felt all over the world as a result of multi-national corporations and globalism. Milburn "Midas" Pennybags is based partly on the legendary king who was "blessed" with the curse of turning everything he touched into gold. I also wanted to incorporate the Monopoly guy from 20th century pop culture. I discovered that his creator, Philip Orbanes, gave the character a name in his 1988 book The Monopoly Companion. Milburn Pennybags is intended to be an amalgamation of everything people associate with capitalism, mercantilism, and the world of finance. I think this was kind of the intent for Octavius Cutler in the EotSS scenario. Milburn is intended to be the mortal enemy of all those who hate and despise capitalism, while being a best friend to those who love the free market system. For those in between, he will be both an asset and a liability . The United Banks of Oz is loosely based on the real world International Monetary Fund. It is intended to evoke the idea that high finance is often clouded in great mystery, where wizards of the marketplace speak their own language. There is a theory out there that suggests L. Frank Baum wrote the original Wonderful Wizard of Oz as an allegory of populist sentiment against the big banks of the East and West coasts of America in the late 1800s. Although he never admitted to such a thing to the best of my knowledge, I thought it would still be fun to incorporate the idea into my story, especially considering the impact that Wall Street has had on recent events.

 

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reserved 3

 

[LuvToBuild]

NEW UNITS

Ambassador - Elder Statesman converted from Civ4 Colonization by Wolfdog
- Colonial Era Ambassador unique to the FoA
- Can spread the philosophy of Statism

Schoolmaster - Firebrand Preacher converted from Civ4 Colonization by Wolfdog
- Colonial Era Schoolmaster unique to the AoN
- Can spread the philosophy of Scholasticism

Mobile Artillery (M109 Paladin) - Created by snafusmith
- Upgrade for Artillery
- Upgrades to Rocket Artillery

 

[LuvToBuild]

CURRENT ART NEEDS

High Priority Unique Units
Master Weaver - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Merchant unique to the UBO


Great General - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Drill Instructor unique to the WoD


Master Carpenter - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Craftsman unique to the RoH


Master Blacksmith - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Laborer unique to the RoH


Other New Units
Expert Farmer - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Farmer common to all civilizations
- Establishes a Farm improvement


Master Tobacconist - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Planter common to all civilizations
- Establishes a plantation improvement


Expert Trapper - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Trapper common to all civilizations
- Establishes a Camp improvement


Expert Lumberjack - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Lumberjack common to all civilizations
- Establishes a Lumbermill improvement


Expert Ore Miner - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Miner common to all civilizations
- Establishes a Mine improvement


Expert Silver Miner - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Stone Mason common to all civilizations
- Establishes a Quarry improvement


Master Rancher - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Rancher common to all civilizations
- Establishes a Pasture improvement


Flavor Units
Free Colonist and Expert Sugar Planter - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Settler common to all civilizations


Hardy Pioneer - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Worker common to all civilizations
- Changes to Industrial Era Worker


Scout (Mounted) - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Scout common to all civilizations
- Upgrades to Seasoned Scout

Seasoned Scout (Mounted) - Civ4 Colonization
- Upgrades to Armored Car


Dragoon - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Cavalry common to all civilizations
- Upgrades to Cavalry

Great General (Mounted) - Civ4 Colonization
- Colonial Era Great General common to all civilizations
- Changes to Industrial Era Great General

Great Spy - Civ4 Beyond the Sword Expansion
- Industrial Era Ambassador

CEO - Civ4 Beyond the Sword Expansion
- Modern Era Ambassador

Great Engineer (Modern) - Civ4 Beyond the Sword Expansion
- Modern Era Great Engineer

Hindu Missionary - Civ4 Vanilla
Buddhist Missionary - Civ4 Vanilla
Jewish Missionary - Civ4 Vanilla
Islamic Missionary - Civ4 Vanilla
Jesuit Missionary - Civ4 Colonization