Nitpicky Things You'd Like Fixed

[Loaf Warden]

And America...should have all white units, then? That's some sticky territory you're marching in, friend.

It's better than Ethiopia having all white units. The point is not to say that every civ is racially homogenized. The point, at least as I understood it, is to make units look culturally appropriate. As it is, all the units except the Unique Units basically look European, even for civs that aren't even a little bit European. Granted the game has always been Euro-centric, but I don't think it's "sticky" to ask that African units look African and Asian units look Asian instead of everybody looking European whether it makes sense or not.

 

[ferretbacon]

And America...should have all white units, then? That's some sticky territory you're marching in, friend.

Sure. They're all currently white anyway.

Obviously there's going to be the same problem with most civilizations in the game. England, France, Germany, Japan, Egypt, you name it, have ethnicities that aren't considered native.

As a good rule of thumb for such a system, make the skin color of the units match the skin color of the civilization's leader.

If America is particularly sensitive, given that it is acutely, and justifiably, associated with its diverse modern form, I suppose a special dispensation may be granted that shows mixed-race units, though this would be odd on the Minuteman, to be honest.

 

[Jabberwockxeno]

Have a unit art style to match the city art styles. And split up siam/india etc from japan/china etc. In fact, just give all non japan asian civs the polynesian art. It fits better. Make african civs have a different art than middle eastern ones.

Have infantry change to look like cold war era infantry, not world war 2, and have great war infantry cover both world wars.

 

[EgyptRaider]

ethnical units and better diplomacy information similar to the R.E.D. mod and Information Addict

 

[PreLynMax]

I want this game to have little empthesis on war, and have diplomacy in equal terms with warring.

 

[Rub'Rum]

Brings up another nitpick. Just get rid of civs asking for free stuff from me. I'd prefer that they tell me why they need +2 gold per turn, and what they are going to use it for; but we know that's not going to happen. So just make it so my friends aren't going to try to mooch off of me. I get enough of that in real life.

They won't tell you why because they have no reason. They ask for luxury resources all the time even though they have + 1,000,000 happiness bonuses. That's why I always sell luxury resources without being afraid of helping the AI, whether you give it to them or not has no effect whatsoever on all the crazy bonuses they have. "Oh look I have 43 extra happiness instead of 39 now, woopteedoo".

That being said, the mechanic isn't there to help THEM, it's actually there to help YOU. If you have the spare and you give it to them, you build relationship and you get green modifiers with them. It's like the game is saying "here's a chance to get closer to that guy". The actual resource you give them is usually useless to them unless it's a strategic resource. Otherwise they're always swimming in happiness and cash anyway. So they're almost doing you a favor by letting you build a relationship by giving them something they most likely don't even need.

The pet peeve comes with the " If you have the spare" part of my post. When they barge in, there is NO WAY to know if you have a spare. You just know that they are asking for one, so you at least have that one... Hopefully it's not your last one.

 

[elder abuser]

Ethnically appropriate units.

oh I agree 100%. Pretty disappointing that we got these units in Civ4's second expansion, too. I don't really mess with mods, but does anyone know if any mod decently accomplishes this feature?

 

[meowschwitz]

oh I agree 100%. Pretty disappointing that we got these units in Civ4's second expansion, too. I don't really mess with mods, but does anyone know if any mod decently accomplishes this feature?

There is indeed. It is called Ethnic Units. It's on the workshop. Info addict, R.E.D., faster aircraft animations, and that are usually necessary foe me.

 

[SamBC]

I keep misreading that as "ethically appropriate units"

 

[Carl5872]

Id be for ethnically accurate units. Im not concerned so much about skin color, throw in whatever you want, but more the uniforms should be accurate. They all seem European/USA for riflemen. Many of these civs that are lumped into groups have very distinct and pleasing architectural styles. Im not a programmer, so I have no idea how difficult it would be to do, but if its easy why not?

Hell with the modding community we have why not outsource it if its too much work for the paid devs? Have a contest - Whoever designs the best functional distinct Indian architecture and unit uniforms gets a free copy of the game and their name in the credits. Virtually no cost to CIV, and bragging rights for the modder.

 

[Silverfuturist]

You could always have to warn the game 10 turns before your DoW that you are going to attack, just like the "wait 10 turns and DoW deal". I was sure it would be in GnK before release.

Now that I think of it it might have been just cumbersome and annoying...

Warning the game turn turns before you attack... that would create some annoying situations, for example:

1. Another player's army shows up on your doorstep and starts positioning their units for war, and you can't even strike at them until they DoW you first because they already told the game 10 turns ago and you didn't.

2. If you have an ally that is attacked (and defensive pact tech not discovered yet) you can not help your ally for 10 turns.

3. You have a worker captured by a barb, and just before you can rescue it, another player takes it instead. You cannot kill their unit and take your worker back, because you would have to wait 10 turns for DoW.

4. At the beginning of the game, you can use a few cheap units (scouts) to block other player's settler, have a unit on the city spot, and then settle the city in their face while they can do nothing about it.

5. Another player can pillage your trade routes (road not in their territory) and sit their scouts there for 10 turns while you bleed gold (and happiness if you have liberty.)

6. Neighbor builds Manhattan Project. Guess what, you will get nuked, and you can't even attack first for 10 turns.

7. Player builds Apollo, UN or the cultural victory project. Game is over in 10 turns you can't even try to stop them.

I am sure there are many other ways to exploit this, these are just some slimy things that I would do.

 

[blackcatatonic]

Tweaks I'd like:

1) Either improve the 'scared worker' feature or give an option to turn it off

2) Automated workers don't automatically embark and head to your other islands/continents if they run out of stuff to do at home

3) AI stops embarking its units near ranged enemy units/outside cities (I've lost count of the number of times I've seen it do this - so stupid!)

4) Features from InfoAddict (which I have, but don't use because mods block achievements) such as the ability to see AI relationships/trade agreements with other AIs, and be able to see what you can trade them as well as vice-versa

5) The ability (for all the good it would do) to demand that an AI either attack or move its units

6) City placement tweaks - increase the minimum distance between cities of two different Civs to 5 hexes to reduce AI grabbing every pointless scrap of land on the fringes of your continent late-game

7) City-States don't clear encampments that they've set as quests for players (I hate this!)

 

[Loaf Warden]

1) Either improve the 'scared worker' feature or give an option to turn it off

Yes! I get so tired of having to tell my Workers to get back to work because the nearest barbarian is still far too distant to do it any harm. I don't mind a Worker being activated when there's a barbarian who could reach it on its next move, but when the barbarian is three bloody turns away and I currently have a military unit engaging its attention, then the Worker has no reason to shirk its duties.

 

[Rub'Rum]

1) Either improve the 'scared worker' feature or give an option to turn it off

2) Automated workers don't automatically embark and head to your other islands/continents if they run out of stuff to do at home

3) AI stops embarking its units near ranged enemy units/outside cities (I've lost count of the number of times I've seen it do this - so stupid!)

4) Features from InfoAddict (which I have, but don't use because mods block achievements) such as the ability to see AI relationships/trade agreements with other AIs, and be able to see what you can trade them as well as vice-versa

5) The ability (for all the good it would do) to demand that an AI either attack or move its units

6) City placement tweaks - increase the minimum distance between cities of two different Civs to 5 hexes to reduce AI grabbing every pointless scrap of land on the fringes of your continent late-game

7) City-States don't clear encampments that they've set as quests for players (I hate this!)

1) I would say improve it instead of make it go. I'd lose a lot of workers if it weren't there. But right now it triggers too easily it seems.
2) That's another infuriating way to automatically lose workers to barbs or enemies but if you want it sure!
4) Yeah, I was hoping they'd inspire themselves from Civ 4's BUG mod a lot more than they did... Disappointed.
5) Yes! I was thinking that the other day. They can force you to declare war on them on their turn and move their units in defensive position, but you can't do that, they always have that free turn. Although I suppose it would be mildly easy to abuse because it's so obvious when they're about to declare war...
7) Wouldn't it be annoying if they cleared them before you could complete the quest for them? It's like the pseudo problems of AI begging for resources I talked about earlier; they do it to give you the opportunity to boost relationship with you. In the case of barb camps, there'd be too many instances of "hey destroy these guys" and after pulling your little troops there, you'd see the City State destroy the camp before your eyes, thus wasting your time.

 

[blackcatatonic]

With 2), I think you misunderstand me... I don't want it; it's something the game currently does that I'd like it to stop doing

Likewise 7). The City-States do this (set quests to clear encampments which they then complete themselves) and I want them to stop doing it.

 

[Rub'Rum]

Derpidity derp! I never noticed the CS taking barb camps that they had quests on! They do that? *grumble grumble* Firaxis *grumble* what were they thinking *grumble*

I never automate workers so I wouldn't know about the other one.

 

[blackcatatonic]

I never used to automate workers. Then one game I tried that, and I lost 2 or 3 of the stupid things to barbarians when they embarked to go and work on my other continent.

Now I don't automate them any more unless all my cities are in the same place.

 

[steveg700]

I never used to automate workers. Then one game I tried that, and I lost 2 or 3 of the stupid things to barbarians when they embarked to go and work on my other continent.

Now I don't automate them any more unless all my cities are in the same place.

Good point. In addition to a checkbox for automated building roads and railroads, have a checkbox for embarkation.

 

[AriochIV]

Unit nitpicks:

• Caravels should have a Move of 5. They should be faster than Triremes, and able to at least keep up with Frigates and Privateers if they are to fulfill their role as Renaissance-era scouts.
• Battleships should have a Move of 4. Battleships are slow, but not slower than a frickin' Trireme.

Technology nitpicks:

• Railroad should be an Industrial Era technology. Railroads started in the 1700's and were well in use by the Civil War.
• Destroyers should be available before Submarines, not after.
• Machine Gun should be available in the first Modern tier, not the second.
• Infantry should be pushed to the Atomic Era. It's silly to have Infantry just one tier after Great War Infantry at +20 strength, and then have weaker Marines and Paratroopers in the Atomic Era.

 

[steveg700]

On the map, have a unit's promotions hover over the unit. This is a decent alternative to naming the unit. This would allow me to, for instance, browse a battleground for my Medic unit, or ensure that I've sent my Dril units to fight in the hills.