[PIE's Ancient Europe;(PAE)] - Let the animal inside loose!

[Manco Capac]

Let the animal inside loose on PAE​

Greetings bots,

A new adventure will commence at this moment.
The human armies are swarming just like ants
A bloodlust rage those soldiers want to vent
They slash the foes' head as they chant
Under the command of their tyrant!

​

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Those tyrants are YOU.

We need vile persons with psychopathic and narcissistic personalities to rule over a nation and have no fear to crush everyone.

The mod for this PBEM will be played on what is called PAE, that is PIE's (the creator) Ancient Mediterranean. Basically a historical recreation (in terms of a tech tree) of the evolution of neolithic people to middle ages.

Played on large size amongst several AI's to separate cruel people we are from each other, we are on going to use this recreation of the fertile crescent...

​

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MAP​

PAE Orient: A huge sized map where the game focuses on the Crescent Fertile to India with interaction with the Greeks as sole ancient european nation.

The good side of a huge mapscript is the decent amount of good city sites for even the worst civs. As we know, the smaller is the map, the more horrible it can be for civs located in dried regions.

Here are nice animations of the map:

​

 

[Manco Capac]

Settings​

PAE is about ancient times. And in ancient times, there is no place for the weak of heart. Flatten them out, crush them, impale them! Yes, until the rules be completely cimented, this is rather a domquest type of game. Anyways, is there another way? We're bloodlust psychopaths!

Given the popularity of historical simulation, the chosen map is what most classical for PAE, an europe map.

Spoiler :

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You can more or less see where your location would be....after incarnating a ruler:

Spoiler :

​

Now let discussing the settings. Now was the most difficult part. I know if I dare to say out loud deity difficulty, I will subjected to a civil disorder.
But the fact is, on PAE, the AI's are simply not adapted and at some point, they lag behind. And, in the barb department, it doesn't change their behaviour.
And, on deity, huts don't give free techs, thus won't give an unfair edge to one team.

For now, I'm sticking with IMM and Epic. Epic is interesting in how it was set up. It has the same unit cost as normal speed, but we have more time for warfare. Less obsolescence. What better for MP than cheap units worth for a long period.

At last, without core changes, I can't make further changes over a scenario without forcing you into soft modding.

N.B. Use your mouse wheel to fit the screenies to your size taste. I preferred to keep the original size for show.

 

[Manco Capac]

Life.

 

[Manco Capac]

Gathering several mechanics proper to PAE for future players joining the roster​

Understand how the game works is best to make decisions.


Compendium on how PAE works

PAE is a simulation of ancient times. We start at the neolithic and ends at the beginning of Middle Ages. As we progress through techs, the immediate assumption is how exponential the tech costs are: at the end near the AP tech, on epic, that can be near a million beakers, sorta 5 times the last tech of FTech in regular BTS.

We start at the neolithic, then enters Bronze Age, then Iron Age, then Classical Age and at last, one I never reached yet, Middle Ages, which I think starts with the worst tech of the tech tree, being Heresy (a huge tech and development drawback by many buildings obsolescence; probably a sim of Dark Ages).

The most notable era is the neolithic for being stuck with OCC-like play. Until Internal Colonization tech (Bronze Age) where Settlers are available for expansion, all tribes start with one city (on deity, two tribes). Early game is noticeable with complete lack of control with animals much stronger, FOW constantly coming back, lack of gold and even workers being attacked by outside animals inside the culture.

For a huge part of the game, animals are the only enemies. Around 450 turns on epic with them. I can assure you with even strong army, they are a pain and can spawn at one tile away, meaning the classical fogbusting tricks only work on regular barbs and barb cities.

PAE is mainly python and XML changes, thus is not a profound change in how the AI behaves. It's a heap of python-based events like the tax revolts, city capitulation, easy capitulation (an AI with 4 cities and less will capitulate instantly once you captured one city), etc.

The monolithic mechanics that needed to be observed throughout the game are:

Tax slider​

Tax slider (gold slider) must be 50% or less. For each additional 5% increment, each city gains 1% odd of expensive (in money) revolt. That situation happens when you get equal number of happy faces and unhappy ones. For each spare happy face, you can creep the tax slider for a 5% more without any chance of revolt. It's like dozing the population with entertainment in such a way they accept more readily abuses.

Unhappiness and Unhealthiness​

Another important notion is how important to keep people healthy and happy.
Once you get unhappiness, that leads to some odd of emigration (-2 pops+emigrant) and possible revolts. Once you get sickness, that leads to some odd of emigration (-2 pops+emigrant) and another simultaneous odd of disease outbreak, which can lead to 5 pops and more lost.

Food bin​

The particularity of PAE is how long it takes for growing. For bins can be like 3 times bigger to fill. Nevertheless, there are many forms of granaries, totalizing 75% filled after growth, making the balance a bit. Slavery is thus weaker early.

Improvements​

They cost cash! Don't spam them.

Ultra defense​

This mod highly favors defense over offense, until sieges and lots of bombardment units (think of CivIII catapults in various forms like chariots, archers, sieges, etc.).

If you got more question, feel free to ask them while playing. Because there is a multitude of details to be learnt while playing and too long to ennumerate.

Hey, I discovered this; that was PAE_V patch 4 though, not sure it still stands:

-) dense forest gets to normal forest in deforestation due to unit production

Thus deforestation could help us to transform some of those heavy forests into normal forest, which equate a free +0.25 each. Trading strong outputs for bigger capital...hmmm...still looking how to deactivate deforestation though. Still, we got normal forests in the BFC, which means they are endangered before the dense forests...hmmm.

Found this too:
Important info for incoming players...if they accept:

ineName>MIN_ANIMAL_STARTING_DISTANCE</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>1</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>
<Define>
<DefineName>MIN_BARBARIAN_STARTING_DISTANCE</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>2</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>
<Define>
<DefineName>MIN_BARBARIAN_CITY_STARTING_DISTANCE</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>3</iDefineIntVal>

What do you think changing wealth and research processes to higher outputs? Right now, it's a ugly 25% both. I think it's rather crap...

Another interesting info...I shall perhaps group them in the early posts soon.

<Define>
<DefineName>ANIMAL_MAX_XP_VALUE</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>20</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>
<Define>
<DefineName>BARBARIAN_MAX_XP_VALUE</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>50</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>

<Define>
<DefineName>FEATURE_GROWTH_MODIFIER</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>25</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>

Define>
<DefineName>PEACE_TREATY_LENGTH</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>20</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>

<Define>
<DefineName>BASE_FEATURE_PRODUCTION_PERCENT</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>67</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>

<Define>
<DefineName>MAX_EXPERIENCE_AFTER_UPGRADE</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>20</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>

<Define>
<DefineName>WE_LOVE_THE_KING_POPULATION_MIN_POPULATION</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>8</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>

<Define>
<DefineName>GOLDEN_AGE_LENGTH</DefineName>
<iDefineIntVal>14</iDefineIntVal>
</Define>

Not sure I know what you mean. Are you talking about converting hammers?

Found it! CIV4ProcessInfo.xml

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!-- edited with XMLSPY v2004 rel. 2 U (http://www.xmlspy.com) by Jesse Smith (Firaxis Games) -->
<!-- Sid Meier's Civilization 4 -->
<!-- Copyright Firaxis Games 2005 -->
<!-- -->
<!-- Process -->
<Civ4ProcessInfo xmlns="x-schema:CIV4GameInfoSchema.xml">
<ProcessInfos>
<ProcessInfo>
<Type>PROCESS_WEALTH</Type>
<Description>TXT_KEY_PROCESS_WEALTH</Description>
<Strategy>TXT_KEY_PROCESS_WEALTH_STRATEGY</Strategy>
<TechPrereq>TECH_CURRENCY</TechPrereq>
<ProductionToCommerceModifiers>
<iProductionToCommerceModifier>25</iProductionToCommerceModifier>
<iProductionToCommerceModifier>0</iProductionToCommerceModifier>
<iProductionToCommerceModifier>0</iProductionToCommerceModifier>
</ProductionToCommerceModifiers>
<Button>Art/Interface/Buttons/Process/ProcessWealth.dds</Button>
</ProcessInfo>
<ProcessInfo>
<Type>PROCESS_RESEARCH</Type>
<Description>TXT_KEY_PROCESS_RESEARCH</Description>
<Strategy>TXT_KEY_PROCESS_RESEARCH_STRATEGY</Strategy>
<TechPrereq>TECH_MYSTICISM</TechPrereq>
<ProductionToCommerceModifiers>
<iProductionToCommerceModifier>0</iProductionToCommerceModifier>
<iProductionToCommerceModifier>25</iProductionToCommerceModifier>
<iProductionToCommerceModifier>0</iProductionToCommerceModifier>
</ProductionToCommerceModifiers>
<Button>Art/Interface/Buttons/Process/ProcessResearch.dds</Button>
</ProcessInfo>
<ProcessInfo>
<Type>PROCESS_CULTURE</Type>
<Description>TXT_KEY_PROCESS_CULTURE</Description>
<Strategy>TXT_KEY_PROCESS_CULTURE_STRATEGY</Strategy>
<TechPrereq>TECH_DIONYSOS</TechPrereq>
<ProductionToCommerceModifiers>
<iProductionToCommerceModifier>0</iProductionToCommerceModifier>
<iProductionToCommerceModifier>0</iProductionToCommerceModifier>
<iProductionToCommerceModifier>50</iProductionToCommerceModifier>
</ProductionToCommerceModifiers>
<Button>Art/Interface/Buttons/Process/ProcessCulture.dds</Button>
</ProcessInfo>
</ProcessInfos>
</Civ4ProcessInfo>

 

[Tigranes]

Did you follow my advice?

Anyways, why random maps? The diadochi war scenario looked pretty cool. Preplaced units and all that... Imagine human Punic War!

 

[Manco Capac]

Are you gonna join?

 

[Tigranes]

Sure, if we go historical. But please answer and then ask

 

[Luthor_Saxburg]

Interesting... but I would prefer an historical map...

I've only played the MOD once (and lost very soon) but I am willing to give it try if the map is an earthling one...

 

[Manco Capac]

Why, but why! Why this sick love for earth-like maps?

 

[Monster2821]

I want to play I would prefer an earth-map but i'll play on a random map.

 

[Tigranes]

It simply adds more emotions, more things you can relate to. You can appreciate the beauty of scenario's author's work if you see realistic landscape. What is the point of playing historical mod with fictional terrain?

 

[Manco Capac]

Looks like I'm overwhelmed by earth lovers.
In fact, I understood for quite a time why this love of earth-like maps. Roleplaying, historicity and such.
I prefer random maps because it is different each time (and allows one to use his/her brain to guess what's the best strategy) and particularly the discovery part. Playing a scenario is simply rehashing the same map layout each time and quite often the static unbalances (but it is not like random maps cannot be unbalanced too!).

 

[Manco Capac]

Then, sigh, can we play a map where we start in the neolithic? I mean, I think the animal era is overwhelming fascinating. The most different feeling from regular BTS in PAE.

Suggestions?

Thus the roster is until now:

• Funky
• Potentially Tigranes the proud Armenian
• Monster2821
• Luthor_Saxburg

 

[Tigranes]

Well not always true. Most people never played Diadochi map, for example, I only tried it once, and will go Parthia if we chose it. You still have plenty of things to discover. With human players everything is more unpredictable. And again -- why bother with a mod that puts so much effort in being historically accurate and then use non-historical random map?

 

[Manco Capac]

What about Orient? That map is huge...
The greatest fact about PAE for multiplayer is its beefed up defense. Defensive forces can be cheap and severely tough to break through...thus perfect for multiplayer.

A scenario is fun if played once, but after you know what to expect from the map. Still, human parties will definitely change the whole thing.

 

[Tigranes]

Then, sigh, can we play a map where we start in the neolithic? I mean, I think the animal era is overwhelming fascinating. The most different feeling from regular BTS in PAE.

Suggestions?

Thus the roster is until now:

• Funky
• Potentially Tigranes the proud Armenian
• Monster2821
• Luthor_Saxburg

1) You don't want to relive the Rise of Rome and clash with Carthage or Dacians or land in British Isles?
2) How do you get This is Sparta! smile?
3) Who is Funky?
4) How many players do you want?

Because I am very unfamiliar with a mod -- I inclined to listen to experts and learn from humble beginning, meaning start in Stone Age. Which of the several Public maps do you have in mind --what is the name of that Fertile Crescent one? Do you have a screen shot of Orient map?

 

[Manco Capac]

Funky is the first one who joined. I made the advertisement in Civ4 Discussion too and Pie's thread.

1)Perhaps if two games are played at the same time. I prefer a neolithic start before. The early game is static in expansion but sick in actions outside borders.

2)Internets

3)I made advertisements in Civ4 Discussion subforum and in Pie's thread too. He was the first to join.

4)This is starting to be a nice number...

5)That map is called Orient and includes a great number of civs (like those pseudo-Armenians!) and even Indian nations.

 

[Tigranes]

5)That map is called Orient and includes a great number of civs (like those pseudo-Armenians!) and even Indian nations.

I will check it once I get home from work. I was sure there are no Armenians and was unpleasantly surprised, but unfortunately pie_et did not even bother to comment on it when I asked him in his thread

Anyways, what is the standard number of civs on that map in singleplayer mode? If we have 6 humans we would need to decide if we want any AIs and how many...

 

[Manco Capac]

*Ahem* He commented!
Myself, at this moment, I'm trying to include Ethiopia...

Orient has many player slots. Over 18 I think.

 

[Manco Capac]

The map is too huge for just 6 humans.