PTW Maps: The Star Series

[Quasar1011]

Hello all! I had posted a series of maps that I have made over at Apolyton, and I will post the same maps here at CivFanatics. All of these maps are named after stars. So, they are not maps of Earth, but fantasy maps. Think of it as starting on a planet which is "the 3rd rock from Vega", etc. These maps are also climatologically correct. All maps are standard sized, unless otherwise noted, with 25-31 civs playable. Some maps use the rules from TeTurkhan's PTW mod, so hats off to him. Also, the 25th (or 31st) civ is my own, the Sylvanians. If you don't want to play with them in the game, then just nix them on the game set-up menu.

My earlier maps had lots of resources. These PTW maps generally don't. If you are tired of not bring able to build iron works though, there is at least one, and sometimes a few places on each map where iron and coal and near to each other. Some maps contain extra resources, such as tobacco, rice, pearls, etc.; and some of these are set as luxuries, but don't show up until a certain tech is researched. For example, pearls show up with navigation.

I have restricted the terrain on which cities can be built. No tundra, hill, jungle or desert cities on these maps! In several places, these terrain types are clustered together. This will force both human and AI to build more colonies, therefore increasing
the strategic value of more remote areas.

I will post of screenshot of each map. The zip file will contain the map, plus a short readme.txt file. Enjoy these maps!

 

[Quasar1011]

The first map I am uploading is Arcturus, which is a star in the constellation Boötes, the Oxherder. Arcturus is a pangaea, with 25 civs playable. The land form is made up of many peninsulas, so no city will be too far from a coastline. I have attached a screen shot of Arcturus here:

 

[Quasar1011]

I placed 5 of each resource on Arcturus. 5 oil, 5 fish, 5 silks, that's it. With 25 civs, that means each civ has a 1-in-5 chance of finding a given resource nearby. Grabbing key strategic resources will be the key to winning on this world! When I play-tested it, I only won by having the top score when time ran out, so it can be challenging. Here is the zip file for Arcturus:

 

[Quasar1011]

Here is my Canopus map. Now, Canopus is the 2nd-brightest star in the sky, located in the ancient large constellation Argo. My thanks to TeTurkhan for the basic rules. I have made the Canopus map playable with 31 civs. Here is the Canopus file:

 

[Quasar1011]

Canopus has more than 8 luxury and bonus resources, including coffee, tobacco, rice and pearls. I have set these resources to appear with certain technologies. I have also set 7 victory point locations, which are guarding some of these resources. Canopus has 3 main continents, but 4 decent-sized offshore islands too. In fact, some resources are found exclusively on these islands. Here is a screenshot of Canopus:

 

[Quasar1011]

Another map I am submitting today is Diphda. It is a bright star in the constellation Cetus, the sea-monster. In keeping with the naval theme, there are 8 continents on Diphda, with 4 starting locations each. This means there will be 4 civs per continent, except one which will have 3 civs (the barbs are "civ" #32).

Naval technologies will be important on Diphda, and trading will be too. Some resources are exclusive to some islands. Seals, pigs, sheep and crabs are some additional resources. The Americans are not in this scenario, but several other civs are. Again, this map is based on TeTurkhan's Test Of Time mod that came with PTW. Here is a screenshot of Diphda:

 

[Quasar1011]

And here is the file for Diphda:

 

[Quasar1011]

The 4th file I will submit today is my Dubhe map. Dubhe is a star in Ursa Major, the Big Bear; which also makes it part of the most famous "asterism" (visibly recognizable grouping of stars)- the Big Dipper.

Dubhe is a pangaea on a standard-sized map. Its outer coastline is rugged; however, there are 3 great seas in the interior. Of 25 starting locations, 1 is in a position to connect a sea to the ocean. Resources are limited on Dubhe, though there are plenty of rivers. Enjoy Dubhe! Here is the file:

 

[Quasar1011]

You can see a screenshot of Dubhe here. When I play-tested it, the Celts had the "canal city" as their capital, in the northwest part of the landmass.

 

[Quasar1011]

I have updated some of my vanilla civ maps, to reflect some changes in my PTW mod. I will post my Aldebaran map first. The file will include a list of changes in my "Quasar mod". It is not totally finished, but it is playable. I thought I'd go ahead and post it, and perhaps some play-testers can catch something that I have missed.

 

[Quasar1011]

Here is the zip file. It includes the map, the short description, plus a description of my "Quasar mod". I will post this description next.

 

[Quasar1011]

Hello to all of you in the Civ community! I present to you the "Quasar Mod", which I will submit with some of my "Star Series" maps. This mod focuses on new resources and buildings. There are several additions and changes to the rules.

18 NEW IMPROVEMENTS
I have added several buildings and small wonders. Most of these will require at least one of the new resources which I have placed in the game. Some of these resources must be within the city radius, in order to be built; while others simply need to be in the city's resource box. Here is a list of the 18 new buildings, all of which cost 1 gold per turn to maintain, and what is required in order to build them:

Brewery- chemistry; tea, coffee; build cost 6
Bakery- chemistry; olives, fruit; build cost 6
Museum- education; relics; build cost 16
Shrine- monotheism; marble, incense; city must have temple; build cost 12
Festival Square- masonry; silks, stone; build cost 6
Brickworks- clay; must be near a river; build cost 10
Tinsmith- tin within city radius; build cost 10
Coppersmith- copper within city radius; build cost 10
Diamondcutter- diamonds within city radius; build cost 8
Marble Quarry- marble within city radius; build cost 8
Rock Quarry- stone within city radius; build cost 8
Clay Pit- clay within city radius; must be near a river; build cost 8
Textile Mill- cotton within city radius; build cost 16
Florist- flowers within city radius; build cost 8
Greenhouse- fruit within city radius; build cost 8
Olive Press- olives within city radius; build cost 10
Synagogue- monotheism, marble, relics; build cost 16
Nature Center- ecology; flowers within city radius; build cost 12

Here is a list of the benefits of each of the 18 new buildings:
Brewery- commercial building; +1 culture, +1 happy face
Bakery- commercial building; +1 culture, increases luxury trade
Museum- scientific building; +2 culture, +50% research output
Shrine- religious building; +3 culture
Festival Square- commerical building; +2 culture, +1 happy face
Brickworks- expansionist building; +2 production
Tinsmith- militaristic building; +2 production
Coppersmith- militaristic building; +2 production
Diamondcutter- commercial building; +1 happy face, +50% luxury output
Marble Quarry- industrious building; +1 culture, +1 production
Rock Quarry- expansionist building; +2 production
Clay Pit- expansionist building; +2 production
Textile Mill- industrious building; +1 culture, +2 production, +1 happy face
Florist- religious building; +1 culture, +1 happy face; increases luxury trade
Greenhouse- scientific building; +1 culture, +1 happy face
Olive Press- industrious building; +1 happy face, +2 production
Synagogue- religious building; +1 happy face, +1 culture; +50% luxury output
Nature Center- scientific building; +1 happy face, +1 culture; reduces building pollution

All told, here is the breakdown of new buildings, by trait:
4 commercial
3 scientific
3 religious
3 expansionist
2 militaristic
3 industrious

When Conquests comes out, I will look for other buildings to add, to give seafaring and agricultural civs a boost.

There are also some changes to existing city improvement buildings. These are listed here:
Barracks now requires both tin and copper (to simulate bronze)
Granary requires clay
Walls require clay
Aqueduct requires stone
Bank requires silver
Factory requires iron
Hydro plant requires copper
Research lab requires copper
Mass transit system requires rubber
SAM missile battery requires aluminum
Solar plant requires copper

Also, I have set 1 great wonder, the Great Wall, to require stone.

13 NEW SMALL WONDERS
Speaking of wonders, I have added several small wonders. Here is a list of the 13 new small wonders (5 of which are palaces), and what is required in order to build them:
Culinary Art College- free artistry; olives, spices; build cost 40
National Gallery- free artistry; relics, clay; build cost 50
National Repository- nationalism; relics, must have 5 museums; build cost 60
Prince Henry's College- magnetism; timber, silks; must have 5 harbors, must be near coast; build cost 60
National Trade Center- silver, diamonds; Wall Street must be built; build cost 30
Cable TV Network- radio; copper; build cost 75
Mint- copper, silver; must have 5 stock exchanges; build cost 75
Grand Canal- stone; must have 10 aqueducts, must be near a river; build cost 50
Ancient Palace- stone, timber; build cost 25
Seaside Palace- pearls, rubies; must be near coast; build cost 20
Honeymoon Palace- marble, diamonds; must have 5 hospitals; build cost 20
Summer Palace- silver, marble; must have 5 banks; build cost 20
Winter Palace- marble, stone; city must have a barracks; build cost 20

Here is a list of the benefits of each of the new 13 small wonders:
Culinary Art College- commercial building; +2 happy faces, +4 culture; doubles city growth rate
National Gallery- industrious building; +2 happy faces, +4 culture; +50% tax output
National Repository- scientific building; +5 culture; +50% research output
Prince Henry's College- expansionist building; +2 culture, +1 ship movement
National Trade Center- commercial building; +1 happy face, +2 culture; +50% tax output in city; treasury earns 5% interest
Cable TV Network- commercial building; +1 happy face in all cities; +3 culture
Grand Canal- industrious building; +2 production, +1 trade in each trade-producing tile
Mint- industrious building; +3 culture, +50% tax output
Ancient Palace- expansionist building; +2 culture, +3 happy faces; center of empire/reduces corruption
Seaside Palace- commercial building; +2 culture, +3 happy faces; center of empire/reduces corruption
Honeymoon Palace- expansionist building; +2 culture, +3 happy faces; center of empire/reduces corruption
Summer Palace- industrious building; +2 culture, +3 happy faces; center of empire/reduces corruption
Winter Palace- militaristic building; +2 culture, +3 happy faces; center of empire/reduces corruption, resistant to propaganda

Note that the palaces do not require advancements; they chiefly are buildable upon acquiring the right resources, but also have other requirements.

TERRAIN
In order to increase overall strategic value of some areas of the maps, I have restricted the types of terrain that can support cities. Cities may only be built on flood plain, forest, grassland and plains squares. This will increase the appearance and value of colonies. In the below screenshot, note that the AI will build many colonies in remote areas, to include the new resources. I have not fixed the "small colony icons", but you can see the tea and timber colonies are indeed located over timber and tea icons:




ADVANCEMENTS
At this time, the only advancement I have added is 'refrigeration'. This advance requires electricity. Though it is a research dead-end, refrigeration is beneficial, because it reveals several additional resources on the map, some of which are tradable luxuries.



However, I have increased the value of some existing advancements, by allowing new buildings to be constructed upon their discovery. These include chemistry, education, monotheism,
masonry, and ecology. For example, on the science advisor screen, you can see how monotheism now allows the construction of shrines and synagogues; while chemistry allows breweries and bakeries.



New small wonders are buildable upon the discoveries of free artistry, nationalism, magnetism, and radio. For example, nationalism allows the construction of the National Repository small wonder; while radio allows the Cable TV Network small wonder. See the lists in the section above for more details. Most of the new resources show up with certain technologies. A list of these 42 new resources follows. Yes, the game works with 64 total resources!

6 NEW STRATEGIC RESOURCES
Clay- shows up with pottery
Copper- shows up with currency
Silver- shows up with currency
Stone- shows up with ceremonial burial
Timber- always visible on map
Tin- always visible on map

12 NEW LUXURY RESOURCES
Coffee- shows up with feudalism
Cotton- shows up with engineering
Crabs*- shows up with refrigeration
Flowers- always visible on map
Fruit- shows up with refrigeration
Marble- shows up with ceremonial burial
Olives*- shows up with refrigeration
Pearls- shows up with astronomy
Relics- shows up with ceremonial burial
Rubies- shows up with engineering
Tea- shows up with chemistry
Tobacco- shows up with chemistry
*Bonus resources which become tradable after the discovery of refrigeration

24 NEW BONUS RESOURCES
Buffalo- shows up with ceremonial burial
Champagne- shows up with sanitation
Citrus- always visible on map
Coconut- always visible on map
Corn- shows up with code of laws
Crab*- shows up with navigation
Herbs- shows up with medicine
Honey- shows up with philosophy
Jade- shows up with polytheism
Jungle Falls- always visible on map
Natural Gas- shows up with refining
Oasis- always visible on map
Olive*- always visible on map
Pheasants- shows up with warrior code
Pigs- always visible on map
Pineapple- always visible on map
Potatoes- always visible on map
Rice- always visible on map
Salt- shows up with ceremonial burial
Seals- always visible on map
Seashells- always visible on map
Sheep- always visible on map
Sugar- shows up with chemistry
Tropical Fruit- always visible on map

Note about crab/crabs and olive/olives: crab shows up in coastal squares with navigation, as a bonus resource. Once refrigeration is discovered, crabs shows up along coastlines in grassland tiles. You can then build a road connecting the crabs, and use or trade them as luxuries. Note that crab is the bonus, and crabs are the luxuries. Olives are always found on plains. Olive as a bonus is always visible on the map. After the discovery of refrigeration, olives as luxury resources show up, usually near the olive bonus tiles. Olive is the bonus, and olives are the luxuries. I did this to simulate the exporting of food via road and rail over great distances, once refrigeration is discovered. The crab icons are exactly the same; the olive icons are slightly different. As luxuries, crabs and olives have higher tile commerce values than do the bonus crab or olive.

EXHAUSTION OF RESOURCES
Of the new strategic and luxury resources, these may be exhausted: Copper, Silver, Tin, Marble and Rubies
These strategic and luxury resources will not disappear:
Clay, Stone, Timber, Coffee, Cotton, Crabs, Flowers, Fruit, Olives, Pearls, Relics, Tea and Tobacco

GRAPHICS FILES
In order for building graphics to show up in the game, you will need to download some of these files. The only lack of files which actually makes the game crash, are the wonder splashes. Scroll down to see where I've posted links to these files, or from where you can download them. Remember to keep original copies of all your files!

You can download the brickworks graphics by Kenta'arka, from this thread:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58415

TEXT FILES
You will need the Civilopedia.txt file, and the PediaIcons.txt file, for this mod to work. These files will be posted next...

 

[Quasar1011]

Here is the PediaIcons.txt in zip format:

 

[Quasar1011]

The Civilopedia is a bit bigger, 162KB, and I am still adding to it. Find it here:

Civilopedia-Q: The Quasar Mod

 

[Quasar1011]

Another one of my new maps that uses the Quasar mod is my Mintaka map. As you can see from the screenshot, Mintaka has 5 main continents. However, each civ starts off on the continent in the middle of the planet. Be advised that in the Quasar mod, you cannot build galleys or caravels without timber. If you can make it to one of the 4 virgin continents first, you will have only barbarians to compete with. To deal with corruption, the Quasar mod has 5 new palaces; bringing the total to 7, if you include the original palace and the Forbidden Palace. Here is the screenshot of Mintaka:

 

[Quasar1011]

Mintaka is a star in Orion, the Hunter. 25 civs on a huge map, with many extra resources. A few new buildings and small wonders too. Some new resources are required to build these. Some older units require new resources; such as, the catapult needs stone, the galley needs timber, etc. Some luxury and bonus resources will not appear until certain techs are discovered. Finally, some food bonus resources become tradable luxuries after the tech of refrigeration is discovered. Enjoy Mintaka!

 

[Quasar1011]

This is the map I used to play-test my Quasar mod. Thuban is a star in Draco, the Dragon. 25 civs on a huge map, with many extra resources. On this planet, 2 of the civs start in the polar regions; while one continent is almost exclusively jungle, with no civ starting locations. First I'll post the file, then the screenshot.

 

[Quasar1011]

Here is Thuban. Keep in mind that while most of my maps are standard-sized, Thuban is huge:

 

[Quasar1011]

With 13 new small wonders in this mod, you will need the proper wonder splashes, or the game will crash. I have collected these all in a large file. My thanks to Ukas, Kal-el, Harlan, and GIDustin, for all their great work!

Quasar mod Wonder Splashes

 

[Quasar1011]

By the way, if you are wondering, does the AI build the new improvements? The answer is yes. In this screenshot, you can see marble near the city of Hippo. One of my bombers destroyed the marble quarry of Hippo:



Note the destruction of the tinsmith in the enemy city of Theveste (this was also done by a bomber) in this screenshot: