[MODCOMP] Great Generals From Barbarian Combat Mod

[TheLopez]

Great Generals From Barbarian Combat Mod
By: TheLopez

Last Update: 11/08/06

Version: v0.3w
Patch Compatibility: Warlords v2.0.8.0
MP Compatible: Yes
Download Mod v0.3w

Description:
Since the introduction of Civ4 one of the things that has always baffled me is
the intentional nerfing of Barbarians. Well this tradition was continued
through the Warlords expansion by not allowing barbarians to have great
generals and not allowing non-barbarian players to generate great generals
through combat against barbarians. This mod changes those mechanics while
providing the configurable options allowing players to switch the functionality
back to its original behavior.

Installation Instructions:

1) Unzip this into the "warlords_install_folder\Mods\" folder.
2) Open the CivilizationIV.ini configuration file
3) Change the Mod line to read: Mod = Mods\Great Generals From Barbarian Combat Mod
4) Load the game.
5) Then play as normal.


-----Game Play-----

Spoiler :

- Allows players to specify if great generals should be spawned as a result of
victorious combat against barbarians.

- Allows players to specify if great generals should be spawned as a result of
victorious combat against animals.

- Allows players to specify if barbarians should be allowed to spawn great
generals.

[TAB]

-----Notes to Modmakers-----

If you want to use the Great Generals From Barbarian Combat Mod in your mod I
have tried to make things as easy as possible for you.

In the SDK files I have added // < Great Generals From Barbarian Combat Start >
and // < Great Generals From Barbarian Combat End > in all of the places that
I have made changes to the original files.

As part of the changes to the SDK files I have also included several new
methods and exposed them to python they are:
[TAB]bool isGreatGeneralFromBarbarianCombat() const;
[TAB]void setGreatGeneralFromBarbarianCombat(bool newValue);
[TAB]void toggleGreatGeneralFromBarbarianCombat();
[TAB]bool isBarbarianGreatGenerals() const;
[TAB]void setBarbarianGreatGenerals(bool newValue);
[TAB]void toggleBarbarianGreatGenerals();

-----Version Information-----


-----v0.2w------

- Added the configurable option allowing players to specify if great generals
should be spawned as a result of victorious combat against animals. Requested
by alpha wolf 64.

Spoiler :

-----v0.1w------

- Great Generals From Barbarian Combat Mod infrastructure

- Added the configurable option allowing players to specify if great generals
should be spawned as a result of victorious combat against barbarians.

- Added the configurable option allowing players to specify if barbarians
should be allowed to spawn great generals.

-----===Credits & Thanks===-----

- Exavier
[TAB]Composite Mod - readme.txt format

- Caspi
[TAB]For providing the idea for this mod

 

[dh_epic]

AKA the "make war incredibly easy" Mod

Hey, whatever people find fun.

 

[TheLopez]

AKA the "make war incredibly easy" Mod

What do you mean by that? How is it going to be incredibly easy?

 

[Dom Pedro II]

What do you mean by that? How is it going to be incredibly easy?

I would imagine that since you encounter a lot more barbarians in the early game, he means you'll get a lot more great generals and consequently, you'll be given a big boost in fighting wars.

 

[Gunner]

But if everyone gets the bonus then it isn't overpowered. Unless you think that the AI is somehow unable to kill barbs.

I also think that by giving barbs great generals it would make warfare more difficult, wouldn't it?

 

[alpha wolf 64]

if you build the great wall, the AIs will have way more GG than you will. I dont limit the number of XP that you can get from barbs, and the AIs always have more uber units than I do. Unfortunately for them, they are usually defensive since they were defending their cities. I went up against one uber longbow, and he killed off 4 cats and 3 rifles before I managed to get to the other defenders. In hind sight, I should have brought more cavalry to overload the 2 pikes so I could use a cavalry on him. As was, I only brought 3 cavs, and 2 died and the 3rd still paired off with a pike. I'm not sure what the AIs will do with them, but I'm sure every AI will generate more GG than I will. And it will be FUN

 

[Jeckel]

Very cool TheLopez, the first game of Warlords I played I was surprised and bewildered when I kill half a dozen barbs and didn't get a GG.. This is a very nice fix.

 

[Rabbit, White]

Another gem from TheLopez

You keep making these faster than people can add them to mods.

 

[chaplain]

i played with the mod a while and found it pretty amusing. l like playing with "raging barbarians" and this mod makes this much more rewarding. but unfortunatly i think i found a bug to report:
the mod somehow screws up the tech advisor, newly researched techs are no longer marked as researched (green), they stay cyan (for beeing in procress). saving and loading the game again fixes the issue, but the next researched tech will be broken again.
i tested it multiple times and i'm 100% sure it has to do with this mod. btw.: i've a clean warlord installation - no other mods installed, no xml-changes.

 

[TheLopez]

Do you have anything in your custom assets folder?

This mod does not change anything having to do with the tech chooser. Can you please turn on debugging through your CivilizationIV.INI file and post the logs it generates when you are using this mod?

Thanks

 

[chaplain]

i've enabled logging and played some turns (the error occured). which file / info do you need?

in assets\python\screens of the mod are 2 files: CvTechChooser.py and CvTechChooser.py.old. may the problem be there?

edit :
i've simply tried deleting the files above and played for a while. the problem is gone and the mod seems still to work. maybe this is of some help?

 

[TheLopez]

Ok, the download is fixed now so it doesn't include the two files. That's odd, I wonder why they were in there...

 

[alpha wolf 64]

One itsy bitsy tiniest of requests. Can we generate GG XP only from barb units and not animals?

 

[TheLopez]

Sure, I'll throw an option to exclude them from providing points towards generals.

 

[gunnergoz]

Where are these options? I've loaded the mod by placing the files as directed and modified the civ4.ini file as directed; the mod shows up on my initial splash screen as a label at the top right but when I get to the game setup/options screen, I see no barbarian options and I also do not notice any experience points accruing from killing barbarians.

 

[TheLopez]

Where are these options? I've loaded the mod by placing the files as directed and modified the civ4.ini file as directed; the mod shows up on my initial splash screen as a label at the top right but when I get to the game setup/options screen, I see no barbarian options and I also do not notice any experience points accruing from killing barbarians.

Why did you both PM me and post here exactly the same thing? Here is my answer to your PM:

The options are configurable through the config INI file included with the mod.

The changes introduced with the mod allow you to get GG from combat with barbarians, it does not change the XP system.

 

[dh_epic]

But if everyone gets the bonus then it isn't overpowered. Unless you think that the AI is somehow unable to kill barbs.

That's EXACTLY it. Or, more to the point, the human player will be better at killing barbs. Here's the ultimate surefire strategy to end up with huge numbers of great generals early on.

1. Build several Archers and/or Axemen.
2. Position said Archers/Axemen on hills with forests and fortify.
3. Watch the barbs come at you.
4. When a Barbarian city appears, position a stack of troops right next to it.
5. Watch the GGs roll in.

The AI is "unable" to do this. That is, they're unable to farm barbarians into huge bonuses. Whenever you give the players an easy 'path of least resistance', they'll always take it, and do it every game, and use it to make huge gains over the AI...

... making cheap game calculus more important than strategic thinking.

 

[DrJambo]

In answer to that dh_epic, I'd say that wholeheartedly depends on the player and not this mod. The Lopez has just enabled the possibility, it's then up to the player to decide how they (ab)use it. By all means exploit the feature as you will, but to a certain extent this is already possible getting units to 10 XP fighting animals and barbs.

Nice addition though. GG are fun things and the more the merrier as far as I'm concerned.

 

[dh_epic]

In answer to that dh_epic, I'd say that wholeheartedly depends on the player and not this mod. The Lopez has just enabled the possibility, it's then up to the player to decide how they (ab)use it. By all means exploit the feature as you will, but to a certain extent this is already possible getting units to 10 XP fighting animals and barbs.

(Emphasis added.)

You can already see that Firaxis has thought ahead. The reason you can only reach 10XP fighting animals and barbs? Because -- I bet you ANY amount of money -- Firaxis probably playtested games where players had 30 or 40 XP units who camped outside barbarian cities until it was time to attack another player.

I'm a big believer that you shouldn't tear down a fence in the woods until you know why that fence was built in the first place.

... but like you said, some players will abuse this more than others. It's up to them -- some people enjoy a lopsided game, because it means they can turn their brain off.

 

[Jeckel]

I don't know about the lower difficulties, but on the upper ones, fighting barbs is just like fighting any other unit, so I don't see how "farming" barbs is any different then sitting outside an AI city and killing the units as they come out.

As TheLopez has said and many of us agree, the barbs were nerfed to much and should be as much, if not more, of a threat then any single AI. This mod helps to accomplish that.

If some players want to download this mod and use it to power game themselves a bunch of xp, that is there decision and isn't much different then useing the worldbuilder to give there units tons of xp.

I'm all for giveing your opinion of a mod or debating the mechanics of it, but to complain that players /could/ use it abusivly if they desired is kinda nonconstructive.

Again, great mod TheLopez and keep the barbarian unnerfs coming.