So the new version of Civilization is just around the corner and I trust most of the folks around these parts are looking to get into that - perhaps to never look back at CivIV. But I sincerely hope that the RFC community will keep thriving - at least once the initial allure of all things new and shiny wears off.
While making a Rise-and-Fall mod like the one Rhye did for Civ4 (and also for Civ3) for Civ5 is a real possibility - someone just has to do it - this is not what this thread is about. I would instead wanna share with you my own vision for the future - of RFC for CivIV.
Rhye has officially retired from CivIV modding leaving a final version of RFC for the community to enjoy. And embryodead has answered many-a-prayer for a Marathon speed implementation of the mod - also available in a finished version. My first proposition is that any further development or work put into RFC should be done to the RFC Epic/Marathon version of the mod, because it includes everything that Rhye's official version does and only adds new game speed options and speed enhancements. Because I don't think anyone in their right mind would wanna be without either feature.
Also, I believe there are already some bugs and other things that needs fixing in the "final" RFC version, some of which might already be fixed with the Marathon version. But new issues may arise with time that needs to be dealt with, and AFAIK embryodead hasn't committed to update his version for the rest of eternity. So I do think that the community should strive for compiling fixes into unofficial patches of sorts, preferably in a ordered manner so that one fix doesn't exclude another.
Fixes aside, the source code for RFC could be made more accessible for modders. Because I think that the core of the RFC community is the mod-modders and scenario makers, rather than the fans who only wanna play the official patch in order to complete UHVs or whatever. I guess these players will be the first to move over to Civ5 completely and also be less inclined to participate in any community efforts going forward.
So by pulling together and encouraging mod-modding we can strengthen this community of ours. My own contribution would be the PyScenario application that allows for easy scenario making using some of the power offered by CivIV Python. By reworking the source-code into a more accessible setup it will also be possible to add more functionality to PyScenario - as well as offer better entry points for modding for those who dare take the plunge into programming. (If I ever get the time I will probably be writing a comprehensive guide to mod-modding RFC. And then the entire community could be hacking into the code! If...)
So what I propose - and I believe this is originally embryodead's idea - is that we have our sights on our very own "community version" of RFC in the near future. My proposed title would then be "Rhye's Legacy of Civilization" in celebration of the community member who started the whole thing.
The idea would be to keep true to the core design principle of Rhye - that RFC should basically play as an Earth Map scenario with the addition of historical spawn dates, rise-and-fall and the new victory condition - but not become a complete re-envisioning of Civilization as a game. So we wouldn't be looking to change how the mod plays, what contents are there in regard to Civs, units, wonders and so on - or to add historical "events" as such (like the Conquistadors already present). Instead, the focus would be on fixing any issues and improving the underlaying source code. With the aim of promoting mod-modding and scenario making with RLC as a basis. Well, creativity, debate and participation in general.
I do of course realize that we all have our pet pee-wees and new features we'd like to add (I know I have), but thats for everyone to mod-mod themselves! So we could have a multitude of mod-components coming out where everyone would be able to pick those parts that they wanna add to their own private game or scenario. Because trying to force your own ideas of how RFC could or should play will never work, and the ensuing arguments would only serve to rip this community apart. So I think the best approach is to simply not be open to changes in the mod, period.
Assuming that we can agree on the fundamentals of how to move forward - and the discussion hasn't even started yet - there is one vital piece missing. Namely someone to step into Rhye's shoes and take point on this thing. We'll just have to see if anyone steps up to the plate!
What do the rest of you think about the future of RFC? Should we move forward with Rhye's Legacy of Civilization once the dust settles in the aftermath of Civ5? Who feels comfortable with keeping all of the code in check and leading development?
While making a Rise-and-Fall mod like the one Rhye did for Civ4 (and also for Civ3) for Civ5 is a real possibility - someone just has to do it - this is not what this thread is about. I would instead wanna share with you my own vision for the future - of RFC for CivIV.
Rhye has officially retired from CivIV modding leaving a final version of RFC for the community to enjoy. And embryodead has answered many-a-prayer for a Marathon speed implementation of the mod - also available in a finished version. My first proposition is that any further development or work put into RFC should be done to the RFC Epic/Marathon version of the mod, because it includes everything that Rhye's official version does and only adds new game speed options and speed enhancements. Because I don't think anyone in their right mind would wanna be without either feature.
Also, I believe there are already some bugs and other things that needs fixing in the "final" RFC version, some of which might already be fixed with the Marathon version. But new issues may arise with time that needs to be dealt with, and AFAIK embryodead hasn't committed to update his version for the rest of eternity. So I do think that the community should strive for compiling fixes into unofficial patches of sorts, preferably in a ordered manner so that one fix doesn't exclude another.
Fixes aside, the source code for RFC could be made more accessible for modders. Because I think that the core of the RFC community is the mod-modders and scenario makers, rather than the fans who only wanna play the official patch in order to complete UHVs or whatever. I guess these players will be the first to move over to Civ5 completely and also be less inclined to participate in any community efforts going forward.
So by pulling together and encouraging mod-modding we can strengthen this community of ours. My own contribution would be the PyScenario application that allows for easy scenario making using some of the power offered by CivIV Python. By reworking the source-code into a more accessible setup it will also be possible to add more functionality to PyScenario - as well as offer better entry points for modding for those who dare take the plunge into programming. (If I ever get the time I will probably be writing a comprehensive guide to mod-modding RFC. And then the entire community could be hacking into the code! If...)
So what I propose - and I believe this is originally embryodead's idea - is that we have our sights on our very own "community version" of RFC in the near future. My proposed title would then be "Rhye's Legacy of Civilization" in celebration of the community member who started the whole thing.
The idea would be to keep true to the core design principle of Rhye - that RFC should basically play as an Earth Map scenario with the addition of historical spawn dates, rise-and-fall and the new victory condition - but not become a complete re-envisioning of Civilization as a game. So we wouldn't be looking to change how the mod plays, what contents are there in regard to Civs, units, wonders and so on - or to add historical "events" as such (like the Conquistadors already present). Instead, the focus would be on fixing any issues and improving the underlaying source code. With the aim of promoting mod-modding and scenario making with RLC as a basis. Well, creativity, debate and participation in general.
I do of course realize that we all have our pet pee-wees and new features we'd like to add (I know I have), but thats for everyone to mod-mod themselves! So we could have a multitude of mod-components coming out where everyone would be able to pick those parts that they wanna add to their own private game or scenario. Because trying to force your own ideas of how RFC could or should play will never work, and the ensuing arguments would only serve to rip this community apart. So I think the best approach is to simply not be open to changes in the mod, period.
Assuming that we can agree on the fundamentals of how to move forward - and the discussion hasn't even started yet - there is one vital piece missing. Namely someone to step into Rhye's shoes and take point on this thing. We'll just have to see if anyone steps up to the plate!
What do the rest of you think about the future of RFC? Should we move forward with Rhye's Legacy of Civilization once the dust settles in the aftermath of Civ5? Who feels comfortable with keeping all of the code in check and leading development?
I guessing there is a good reason for this, however...
And did you just ask me to repeat myself? 
