Ragnar's Battlefield Earth Beta Release

R

RagnarD

Hetman
Joined
Nov 8, 2001
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Location
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(no relation to the L. Ron Hubbard series of the same name)

The thread formally known as Another Earth Scenario: Does anyone care?

All the great civilizations for which room can be found, with minimal rule modification. Based upon Teturkhan's Earth (256 X256), with the island/continent/civ of Atlantis added. Also includes the Inca, the Polynesians, Ethiopia, and Poland. 25 Civilizations, in all. This mod is for use with the Play The World expansion pack, only.

****
This thread is for discussion on this mod as a beta. The goal of the testing phase is to correct anything broken or lame. This project is in function freeze, and nothing new will be added until it clears beta. Game play issues (ie. "this UU is too powerful", "this civ is has no resources") are fair game. Please post any comments on this beta to this thread, so we can get everyone cogitating on them.

If you are interesting in testing this mod, please email or pm me, and I will give you the download address. Right now, I'm hosting this pig (124 MB) on my home server, and I want to monitor the impact. I'd like for there to be some crazy downloading going on, for ego's sake, but also want to make sure that I don't dim the neighborhood street lights.

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Atlantis:
Atlantis.jpg

King Atlas:
Atlas.jpg


The basic goal of this mod is to give the player more of what they bought the game for.

The basic rules for this mod are ...

Minimal rule changes: Anyone who has played civ before should be able to play this mod without trying to figure out the impact of invisible settlers or 10 HP barbarians. The original rules were put into place after extensive play-testing, and should be changed only after serious consideration.

More Stuff, but let's not get crazy: 400 luxury resources is interesting, but you can only use 8. And what do you trade if everyone has all they can use? Likewise, 31 civs are possible, but would they all have a chance?

Only the good stuff: Since this mod is somewhat minimalist, we can wait until high quality graphical modifications are available. Nothing is quite so jarring as viewing professional-grade graphics up against something decidedly less so.

Have a little fun: You'll have to play it to understand, but trust me: this mod doesn't take itself too seriously.

Changes in this mod include:

Civs:
Added:
Atlantis (Scientific/Expansionist)
Leader: Atlas
UU: Kraken 2/2/4 Invisible (replaces Frigate)

Poland (Scientific/Religious)
Leader: Kazimierz
UU: Husaria 5/3/2 (replaces Knight)

Incas (Industrious/Religious)
Leader: Atahuallpa
UU: Eagle Warrior 1/1/1 Invisible/No Support (Replaces Warrior)

Ethiopia (Religious/Commercial)
Leader: Zawaditu
UU: Javelineer 3/2/1 No Resource (Replaces Swordsman)

Polynesia (Expansionist/Commercial)
Leader: Liluokalani
UU: Outrigger 1/1/4 Doesn't Sink (Replaces Galley)

Removed: France, America, The Ottomans, and The Celts were removed due either
to a) issues concerning geographical crowding, or b) problems with scenario fit.

Changed: Meso-American Civs get the canoe instead of the galley, to keep them isolated longer.

Units:
Added:
Grenadier - A colonial era defensive unit, between musketman and rifleman.
MKIV - A WWI era tank that upgrades to the basic version.
Trebuchet - An improved upgrade for the catapult, which upgrades to the cannon.
Recon - A powerful modern upgrade for the explorer.
Coracle - An ancient sea unit, to give the island civs a shot.
T-Rex - A barbarian unit, starting units only, to make the jungles interesting (another great Teturkhan idea).
White Dragon - A barbarian unit, starting units only, to make the snowy north interesting.
Kraken - Similar to the Atlantean unit, but barbarian and pre-placed, as above, to make the oceans interesting.
Canoe - A coracle-like transport that replaces the galley for meso-american civs.

Changed:
o All upgrade path units were made available to all civs, whether or not they were replaced for that civ by a UU. This enables civs to upgrade their old units, even if they have betters ones to build from scratch.

Resources:
Added:
Timber - Strategic 0/1/1 (Needed for sailing ships)
Oasis - Bonus 2/0/1
Coffee - Luxury 0/0/2
Tobacco - Luxury 0/0/2
Fruit - Bonus 3/0/0
Sheep - Bonus 1/1/1

Rules:
Cities cannot be built on forest tiles.
Removed Space Race and Diplomatic Victories.

Misc:
Too many minor look & feel issues to list. Try it - you'll like it!

I'd like to thank the academy ....

Contributors:

Teturkhan: the base map, the king icon, and the idea of T-Rexs roaming the jungles.
Scoopy: for the terrain.
Il Mafioso: For Elvis.
Tenaku : For the improved pop-heads.
mizaq : For the wonder splash screens.
Harlan: For resource pedia icons.
MMX: For the cool barb camps.
Colonel Kraken/Winter: For the goody huts.
Piernik: For the Kazimerz and Atlas leader heads.
Veera Anlai: For the Liluokalani leader head.
Sween32: For the Zawditu & Atahualpa leader heads.
Kinboat: For the MKIV, kraken and dragon units.
kal-el: For the recon unit.
Sween32: For the javelineer unit.
JimmyH : For the husaria, eagle warrior, and trebuchet units.
Kilroy: For the trebuchet unit.
Dark Sheer: For the canoe.
Dog: For the coracle.
Marla Singer: The idea for using coracles to give the island nations a leg up.

If I forgot someone, let me know, and I'll add them. After a year of continuous
downloading and idea theft, I don't even know where everything came from, anymore.

Known issues (that will eventually be corrected):

o Civlopedia entries are missing for:
Polynesia
Timber
Tobacco
Coffee
Oasis
Sheep
Fruit
o The Atlantean LH is not era specific.
o The outrigger needs a unique animation.

That's all, for now.

rd

****************************
UPDATE

For info and downloads for the latest update, see the post
Here.
 
Beta testers: PM me if you're having problems with the download. I'm trying it, myself, for the first time from a place other than 5 feet from the server and it seems a tad slow. I turned off my Shoutcast server, so maybe it'll pick up a little. :-)

If my home DSL line, and the 400 mhz POS hosting the FTP server, are not up to the task of distributing a 124 MB file, does anyone else have any good ideas?

rd
 
Okay, feedback time...

1. Polynesia can't build settlers - it's a simple bug, easily fixed

2. Greece doesn't have a King unit in it's entry on the Civilizations tab

3. The Incas could use the Montezuma King unit, and the Aztecs could use the Aztec Monk (see the Unit Library) as their King.

4. For my own personal preference, I would make the following changes to unit stats:

Marine - 10/8/1, +1HP
Paratrooper - 8/10, +1HP

This gives a reason to build them now. And they are supposed to be special forces, after all.

Infantry - 8/10/1
Rifleman - 5/6/1, cost 70
Musketman - 3/4/1, cost 40, -1 HP (rename to Arquebusier)
Grenadier - 4/5/1, cost 60 (rename to Musketman)

A cost of 60 for an Arquesbusier is way too high. European warlords chose early gunpowder units over archers because of their cheap equipment cost and ease of training. Their weapons were, however, prone to unreliability

Knight - 5/2/2

This way, Knight gain their famous offensive power, and still leave a reason to build Pikemen. Pikemen, after all, are supposed to be the mainstay of your army.

Guerilla - 7/6/2, ignore penalties for jungle, mountains and hills

Now the Guerilla is a viable unit, rather than just a poor man's infantry.

5. I would prefer mechanised units to be Wheeled. Thus, civs with oil and rubber won't roll over civs without. And it encourages players to use terrain to their strategic advantage.

6. I would prefer a bombard unit rather than a trebuchet. Historically, gunpowder featured in artillery before hand-held weapons. So the Catapult would upgrade to Bombard, which would upgrade to Cannon. You could use the Japanese Fire Cannon (in the Extras folder) for the Bombard.

7. The Atlantean island - it looks too much like the UK, and it should probably be south a bit. Not because of Geolgogy, but because of design concerns. That area is a bit crowded, aesthetically speaking.

8. Any particularly reason for keeping that really long road? With TETurkhan's map, it's there because his mod starts with some cities already built.

9. The Longbowmen should be the English UU - A/D/M of 4/1/1, a bombard of 4/1/1 and +1 HP, cost 50. Other civs can build Crossbowman (again, see Unit Library) - 4/1/1, no bombard, cost 40.

10. Recommend you rename the Eagle Warrior to Inti Warrior. The graphics don't depict an Inti, but the Incan UU should be the Inti Warrior. Not sure about the stats.

11. Some units are set to ignore move penalty for certain terrain when they only have a move of 1 (such as the Eagle Warrior) - there's no point.
 
Also, the Atlantians should have their culture group be Greek/Roman because that was what they were, Greek. They weren't Eurpoean.

Also, this is a side note. I was playing a s Atlantis and trying to take over the little islands off of it, I forget whay, but one island was so swarmed with Barbarians that I couldn't land my ship! They wouldn't go away! ARGH! They're gonna be around for a while.
Also, is there any unit in your mod that has a Lethal Bombardment checked? IE they can damage or kill (I think) units.
 
Okay - let me address as much of this as I can:

Zulu comments:

1: Polynesian bug - I'll fix that.
2, 3: King units - I don't think that really matters, for this mod, does it? I mean, those units aren't used for anything in the scenario.
4: "Musketman - ... (rename to Arquebusier)" - That's a good idea. I know the colonial looking units were misnamed as "Grenadier", but I couldn't come up with a better one. Makes sense to just rename the musketman.
4 (Other), 5, 7, 9: I'll address rule changes en masse, below.
6: Add a bombard weapon. - Sounds plausible. What stats would you suggest? What techs and upgrade path?
7: Move Atlantis - Now, it's getting personal. Not sure I buy your reasoning for moving or reshaping Atlantis. I put it there because, if it ever existed, that's my best guess of where it was (other popular alternatives, like Minoa or Antartica, would be even worse for game play). Check out these two maps:

Atlantis_floor.jpg

AtlantisSmall.jpg


Based upon maps of the floor of the Atlantic (Marla's map shows this well), the Mid-Atlantic ridge looks like a really good place for a sunken island continent. Paired with Plato's description of it, right outside the straits of Gibralta, and including a string of islands, this location just seems to make sense to me. To say that it isn't aesthetically pleasing is like saying we should stretch the Iberian peninsula out to make room for France. I did, actually, shift it slightly westward to aleviate some of the crowding you spoke of, but to move it anymore messes with the quasi-historical "accuracy" of the mod.

Pardon the religious rant.

8: Now that you mention it, that road has no place in this mod. Consider it erased.

10: Inti? What's that? Someone else suggested Eagle warrior for the Inca. Why is the Inti better? I'm certainly no Incan authority, so I can prolly be swayed on this matter.

11: RE: "ignore move penalty". I did that? More than once? I'll fix the one you mentioned. Let me know if there are others.

About the rule changes - everyone has their favorites, and probably not the same ones. For this mod, however, I'm disinclined to mod a rule unless the status quo is universally seen as flawed in some respect. The basic rule set was assembled and play tested as a whole and modding parts of it threatens to quear the balance built into the stats. I'd also need to be convinced that most players do not prefer mods that are generally in line with the basic rules, so that they don't have to relearn everything they've learned about how to play. I could be wrong, so please let me hear from others on this topic.

Of course, everyone is free to mod my mod (which is, in turn, a mod of the Teturkhan map!)


computerdude comments:

Culture Group: They fought the Greeks (they were pre-Roman), but were not of the same stock. The geography of their continent, and Plato's descriptions, would move them out of the Mediterranean culture group. That said, they prolly would have had architecture similar to that group (and not the Gothic associated with Europe). For game purposes, you may be right. I'll think about that.

Barbarian's - I did that because they have a lot uncontested land to settle. Seemed a little unfair. Did the same thing to the Iroquois. Not a good solution? Got any ideas on to better address that?

Lethal Bombardment: No, I haven't. Any ideas on a good unit for such? Is there a good animation available? How would you imagine it would be used?

Zulu/Computerdude: Thanks for the feedback. Assuming I make the changes I already agreed to, are we ready to move to 1.0? Once that's done, I'd like to start on the 1st upgrade. here's some ideas I have:

1. More flavor units (Eastern Pikeman, Asian Infantry, etc.)
2. Better upgrade paths (right now, I give all units in a path to all civs (minus UUs). By adding UUs to upgrade paths, but setting unit availability back to standard, Knights can upgrade to Cossacks, but only for Russians - all others get cavalry.
3. Add the Mali Civ - Plenty of room in Western Africa, and the LH seems to be coming right along.
4. Add the newly released "Polynesian Voyaging Canoe"
5. Start making the few, well-considered rules mods we discuss on this board. Like invisible hoplites and 40 HP barbarians!

rd
 
Mby you could find a nice plane or ship here and give it that. Mby Dragon King's Assult Ship would work and the B-52. Just suggestions.
Also, the barb thing does mean I'm gonna need to para-drop units onto the island to take it over...
 
I like the idea of flavour units. In addition, I have a suggestion. Give Desert a move penalty of 2, but let desert civs build Camels and Mamelukes - which would ignore the penalty - instead of Horse Riders and Knights. I also really, really think the Longbow should be the English UU and other civs build a Crossbow. It's just way more historically accurate.
 
Also, the barb thing does mean I'm gonna need to para-drop units onto the island to take it over...
Click to expand...

Hmmmm. I've taken that island before with Swordsmen. I just had to wait offshore until a space opened up. If it's the island I'm thinking of, it's the only Atlantean source of rubber, so it's pretty important. Maybe I should add another grid or two to the island?

Mby you could find a nice plane or ship here and give it that.
Click to expand...

Has anyone created any good gunship mods, like an A10 or an AC130? Those are pretty lethal "bombarders". Most things that drop bombs really do "soften" targets, though.

suggestion. Give Desert a move penalty of 2, but let desert civs build Camels and Mamelukes - which would ignore the penalty - instead of Horse Riders and Knights. I also really, really think the Longbow should be the English UU and other civs build a Crossbow
Click to expand...

That's minimal and realistic enough that I just might buy it. The Man O'War is a fairly lame UU. A little bit of work, though, to add in the appropriate units. Might need a "camel" resource, rather civ specific units, so that civs that take dessert areas can move around in them.

rd
 
3 things,
First, the A10 has been made
Second, you need to get that leaderhead for Atlantis, tat looks great!
Third, I've been waiting there, the waiting's not the problem, it's that the barbs keep moving onto all the squares and I can never get on!
 
what was that red element? orichilum (sp)or somthing like that? I think you need to put that in as a resource.
 
the barbs keep moving onto all the squares and I can never get on!
Click to expand...

That cracks me up. I've heard of that as an exploit you can use to keep the AI from attacking your islands, but never as one the AI would use against you.

Finally! A use for Marines!

But, seriously, folks. The smallest island with barbs on it has 6 squares, including the camp. The barbs are covering all 5 of the others? That's just crazy talk!

As for the A10 and Piernik's Atlas, I'll look at the former, right now, and the latter as soon (and I do mean as soon) as it is completed.

bhiita: RE: orichilum - Good idea.

rd
 
First, the A10 has been made
Click to expand...
Any ideas on what stats to use for the A10? It's quite a bit different from most other units. Here's where I've started:

Land Unit (so it can attack land units)
Lethal Bombard
Prereq: Computers
Resources: Aluminum; Uranium (for the bullets)
Cost: 24
Moves:1
OpRange: 4
Attack: 16
Defense: 5
Bombard: 10
BombRange: 2
Rate of Fire: 3

Not sure about those numbers, at all, but need to start somewhere.

Most of the other major major requests are coming along:
* Added A10, and Crossbowman.
* Made Longbowman the English UU. Ditched the Man O' War.
* Lost the Silk Road.
* Added "Orichalcum" as a luxury good found only on Atlantis. Reduced appearance of Gems, accordingly.
* Gave the Polynesians access to settlers.
* Renamed the Musketman and Grenadier.
* Lost the useless movement bonus for the Eagle Warrior- added an HP bonus.
* Made Atlanteans Mediterranian.
* Fixed the upgrade path issue I mentioned earlier, so that no one has units they shouldn't, but everyone can upgrade to their UUs (if appropriate).
* Grabbed that new Outrigger graphic.

Now I need to test it, and see if I broke anything. I still want to make a few more changes before I go final on this.

* Add the new Atlas flcs (if they are ready).
* Add a Mali civ. (Need some ideas for the UU).
* Add some more flavor units.

Enough for now.

rd
 
I've noted before that everyone has a favorite theory. That one is one of my least. South China Sea? How close would that be to "right outside the pillars of Heracles"? How would they be able to wage war on the Athenians.

I suppose some of the clues might point there, just as some might point away from the mid-Atlantic. Still, this is my best guess.

rd
 
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