[ModComp] JFort Mod

[Jeckel]

This project is based, in concept, on the RealFort Mod by Bhruic and Great General Amped Mod by TheLopez.
For mod intercompatabaility I use Dr Elmer Jiggle's CvCustomEventManager.
For configurability I use Dr Elmar Jiggle's ini file parser, and to this end I am following the lead of a few others and planning to expose a wide variety of options in a config.ini file. Thanx to these few off the bat as they are the main inspirations for how I am doing this mod.

Basic Idea:
The basic idea is to make forts more useable. One way the mod does this is by bestowing Promotions on units that enter the same tile as the Fort. The other way is the addition of Fort Zone of Control(ZOC), where any unit that moves into a square next to an enemy Fort will lose the rest of their movement points for that turn and will be attacked for a small amount of damage. For more details read the spoilers below.

Fort Zone of Control:

Spoiler :

What is a Fort ZOC?
The eight tiles surrounding a fort is considered its ZOC. If a fort has atleast 1 unit of a civilization then the Fort will fire on any and all enemy units. Enemy units are Barbarians and any unit owned by a civiliztion that you are at war with.

When a Fort fires on a unit in its ZOC it rolls 2 random numbers useing the MP friendly Soren random number generator provided by the vanilla game.
The first number, Num1, is from the range 0 to 20 and the second number, Num2, is from the range 0 to 9. Num2 is then subtracted from Num1 giveing a number, call it Result, in the range -9 to 20. If Result is equal to or less then 0 then the fort misses, if 1-20 then that many hitpoints is removed from the unit.

Forts next to water will fire on passing ships.

These factors are the same for all units, but in play doesn't get over powering but does prove both helpful and annoying for the respective players.

Fort Promotion Giveing:

Spoiler :

Forts bestow Promotions based on several cryterial, the unit's Combat Type, the Terrain, Feture, and Bonus of the Fort's Tile. Based on these factors five kinds of Promotions will be assigned. The Promotion types are Fort Heal, Fort Defense, Fort Move, Fort Strike, and Fort Sight. What each does is in the next spoiler.

All types of units will receive some form of Fort Heal and Fort Defense, while most will get 1 to 3 other Fort Promotions. Once I get the whole Fort Promotion tree layed out I will create a Promotion branch for each unit Combat Type so only one or two promos are given to any single unit at one time.

Last note, when a unit leaves a fort, aslong as it doesn't leave Fort ZOC or enter enemy ZOC, it will keep the Fort Promos it got. This will be changed in the next version so that the unit gets specific promotions in the squares around the fort based on that tiles factors.

Fort Promotions List:

Spoiler :

Fort Heal
This promot increases the healing factor of the unit.

Fort Defense
Gives the unit a percent bonus to strength.

Fort Move
Gives the unit extra movement points.

Fort Sight
Gives greater line of sight.

Fort Strike
Addes more First Strikes and Chance at First Strikes.

Next Version Features

Spoiler :

1)Players will be able to declare a unit as the 'Fort Commander'. The Commander's level, promotions, ect would then effect the combat stats of the fort as related to ZOC.

2)Forts' ZOC combat will be based on the type and strength of units guarding the fort and the stats of the unit being ZOC attacked.

3)Ships will be able to enter coastal forts.

4)More variety in promotions.

5)Terrain around the fort will have more of an impact on combat.

6)Forts will provide culture to their tile and adjacent tiles for the civilization that controls them.

7)Acual ini options.

8)A record will be kept of Fort statistics, ie, when it was built and by which civilization, the win/lose record of the fort, total units kill in and around the fort, ect.

9)Forts will get stronger or weaker based on the winning/losing record of units inside of it and other statics from above point.

10)An optional Fort Upkeep cost.

11)An option to give plus/minus to fort bonuses based on wherether or not the fort is connected to a city.

Known Issues:

Spoiler :

Haven't got the death animations to work when a Fort kills a unit, so they just dissappear.

Need a new icon for the alert button for Fort Events.

Last few things to keep in mind..

Forts next to water will fire on passing ships.
..and..
Enemies in Forts inside your culture get the same benefits and give you sthe same negatives as they would in their territory, and same goes for you in their forts.
..and..
when a unit leaves a fort, aslong as it doesn't leave Fort ZOC or enter enemy ZOC, it will keep the Fort Promos it got. This will be changed in the next version so that the unit gets specific promotions in the squares around the fort based on that tiles factors.[/

Change from v0.3 to v0.31:
Improvements Outside Borders Mod by TheLopez incorportated into JFort Mod, allowing Forts to be built outside your cultural borders.

File: JFort_v031.zip
Compatible: Civ4 v1.61
Mod Folder: Mods\JFort
Released: July 15, 2006
Size: 1.29 Mb

CivFanatics: JFort Mod v0.31 File Now Available

FileFront: JFort Mod v0.31 File Now Available

 

[Jeckel]

Saving this post just incase.

 

[Rabbit, White]

Interesting. I'm not sure how elaborate you're going to make this project, and I don't know if you're going to use SDK for this or just python but maybe you could look into the idea of building forts outside your borders and spreading some culture in the 8 surrounding squares so that they can be used to block off terrain.

Also, unrelated but another interesting thing forts might have is the ability to bombard. TheLopez is working on a civ3 style bombardement implementation and I realize that once that is done one could simply station some artillery inside forts but I think it'd be interesting to have the option of actually forts themselves doing that.

 

[Jeckel]

Rabbit, White
I am not currently planning to do any work with SDK myself, and can only see using someone elses SDK reworked stuff if it would somehow improve the mod.

But SDK aside, I am planning to go as elaborate as python will allow, and I pray to Sid that will be enough to allow improvement building outside your culture. I rant often to my civ opponents about how I can't build more then roads in their territory, the gold I made in CivIII building their whole infostructure for them. Yes, yes I will be trying very hard to include the building of forts and the other tile improvements outside your culture.

I am working on setting up a form of Zone of Control right now, as a way to gaurding and exurting control over the eight surronding tiles, but I hadn't thought about giveing a fort bombard, very cool idea. Can you click on a fort and make it an active target, similar to a unit, anyone? If you can/could wouldn't be to hard to make an action button to do it.. well.. theoretically speaking ofcourse But I will put that in the good idea tray for later use, thanx.

 

[Jeckel]

K, I got the basic structure of the python stuff set up. I am using Dr Elmer Jiggle's CustomEventManager code aswell as the ini file reading.

Fort plans so far: I am going to break units down useing UNITCOMBAT_<blah> and in some cases units specific stats(health, movement, first strikes, ect) may be taken into account. The Terrain(desert, plains, ect) of the fort's Plot, aswell as any Features(hill, forest, river), and to a limited extent Bonuses(horses, iron, ect) will also be considered. Based on these factors units will receive various combinations of promotions.

In adition to units in the same Plot as the Fort getting promotions, some units will also get limited promotions while in the Plots immediatly surrounding the Fort.

For example,
A unit with UNITCOMBAT_ARCHER and full Health standing in a Fort would receive:
Fort Heal 1(+5% healing) for being in the fort
Fort Sight 1(+1 to line of sight range) for being a UNITCOMBAT_ARCHER
Fort Strike 1(+1 first strike and +1 chance first strike) for being a UNITCOMBAT_ARCHER and being at full health

This is what I have come up with so far. If I could get some suggestions of what units should get what bonuses and hinderances that would help. All other suggestions are also welcome.

 

[Jeckel]

Alright, I just linked to the first version of this mod. It is very simple right now. It gives the promotion Fort Heal 1 to any and all units that enter the Fort's tile. This promotion increases the unit's healing rate by +5%.

Don't expect to much from this version, but the next one should have a lot more to offer.

 

[John Stalin]

Jackel, added Druidism and Asatru or the community will be up in arms waiting to kill you. Thank you.

 

[Jeckel]

John Stalin,
I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, could you elaborate?

 

[shivute]

John Stalin,
I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, could you elaborate?

He seems to be a spammer. I would ignore him.
Forts are rubbish. Lets have better forts.
How about +50% to strength? Then a fort on the hill would be as good as a forest on a hill. The incentive to build the fort would lie in your promotion bonuses.

 

[Jeckel]

shivute,

Forts are rubbish. Lets have better forts.

I've thought the same thing, is the main reason I've started this mod.

How about +50% to strength? Then a fort on the hill would be as good as a forest on a hill. The incentive to build the fort would lie in your promotion bonuses.

I agree and am going to give units some kind of strenght bonus as soon as they enter a fort. Since forts give a 25% bonus already, I was going to give an additional 10 to 20 percent bonus via a promotion. I'm also working in line of sight promos and some stuff with withdrawal rates. Most important I want to make forts buildable outside your culture, but don't know about that yet. Anyway, thanx for the feedback, any suggestions on what bonuses units should get and under what conditions would be appriceated.

 

[Padmewan]

This is an idea I flagged in this thread but it may be relevant to your mod if you decide forts have some "bombardment" or Zone of Control effect. I was wondering if the fighter plane's "Interception" ability could be recycled so land units could make use of it, thereby creating a Zone of Control.

 

[Jeckel]

Padmewan,
You should check out the new version of the mod, specifically the Zone of Control feature. It isn't perfect yet, but it does make it more costly to just walk past a Fort. In, but maybe after, the next version of this mod I will be extending this ZOC functionallity to units with tanks and ships as the main focus. Thanx for the input and throw whatever fort/ZOC thoughts you have my way and I see what I can talk the python into doing.

 

[Jeckel]

Sorry been busy working on this release and a few other projects the past few days, but here it is finnally. I updated the first post and put in some info about the mod. I also linked the first post to version 0.4.

I designed this mod with MP games in mind and the computer has no idea about the ZOC or that Forts provide the promotions, but if you play on the highest couple difficulties I've found that a few of these forts can be that one little edge that allows you to survive.

Give it a try and please report any bugs, balance issues, or general ideas/suggestions/complaints.

 

[vanionBB]

Wow you just released v 0.3, you should update your signature

 

[Jeckel]

Sig updated

 

[GIR]

wow, ZOC - that is great!

your ZOC would also work for a coastal fortress city improvement i guess...

 

[chef pablo]

nice work,can you expand this to a groand unit,would be nice to finally be able to have a front.im including a link to my post on this http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=173388

 

[Jeckel]

Thanx GIR and chef_pablo, glad to hear people are using the mod.

This project is temp on hold as I work on my JUnitReligion Mod, this allows me to work out how to do some things that I can then build on in the JFort mod. I should have the next version of JFort out by the mid of July. Right around that same time I am going to release a pure ZOC mod that will have options for city's, buildings, forts, improvements, and units.

 

[mattpilot]

bump!!!


awesome mod!

 

[Jeckel]

Thanx for the compliment mattpilot, I am glad you like the mod.

Unfortunatly, RL has decided that I shouldn't spend all my time modding.

I will be realsing a new version of this mod in a few days. Most importantly, it will have TheLopez's Improvements Outside Boarders Mod integrated into it so that forts can be built anywhere.

Beyound this, I am not going to promise any other changes from the current version, but, time willing, I may include a few other changes(ideally I wil make fort damage and attack based on units fortified in the fort).

Beyond this next release, I am putting this mod on indefinate hold until I get JUnitReligion done to my likeing.



This mod was just my desperation at desiring a ZOC like Civ3, and I am holding out a hope that one of the elite modders will produce an AI compatible version of ZOC at some point. Until then this is somthing and fofulls my MP ZOC needs just fine. Other then the next release, no future releases are planned.

Thanx to all those that downloaded this mod, it was a good learning experience for me and I hope it increased the enjoyablilty of a few peoples's games.