Recommend me some mods?

[Thoapzi]

I've been getting the itch to play Civ4 again (BtS), but don't know what mods to use.
I tried Cavemen2Cosmos a while back, but I got tired of it simply because there's far too many buildings, and it's become a tedious construction queue fest, not to mention how incredibly difficult it was to attack.
As for modless, I can play on normal difficulty without much of an issue, in case you are wondering what my skill level is.


So, what mods should I get?

 

[vincentz]

I think you should give Realism Invictus a try. It's imho one of the most detailed and complete mods.
If you want something less resource heavy, though not completely finished, give my VIP a try ;-)

 

[Lemon Merchant]

One mod you should definitely get is the BUG Mod. It provides a lot of information that is normally buried in the interface, and it really improves play. I'd recommend that mod above all others.

If you'd like better graphics than standard BTS, try the BAT Mod. Made by the BUG team, it offers distinct graphics for each civ, as well as some other enhancements, but does not change core gameplay. Its sister mod, Better BAT AI, offers the BAT Mod with an improved AI. Links to both are in my sig.

/End of shameless self promotion.

Two other good mods are KMod, and Vincentz's Infinite Projects (VIP Mod) I'd recommend trying both of those, too.

 

[Thoapzi]

I actually just got Realism Invictus, tho I didn't manage to find any quick start guides or any overviews of what it includes or changes or anything. I guess I'll play with that.

And I remember BUG being in Cavemen2Cosmos... never got the hang of why it was there or what it did.
And I don't quite need improved graphics, I'm happy with the way things look.
I'll check out the AI mod, however.

 

[jackelgull]

Have you tried Fall From Heaven? Great fantasy mod.

 

[Seraiel]

And I don't quite need improved graphics, I'm happy with the way things look.

Really? Take a look at this graphics pack and tell me that you don't want it .

 

[TheMulattoMaker]

I've been playing a lot of RFC (especially RFC Europe) lately. It's... magnificent.

 

[lymond]

I agree that C2C has quite too much going on. Needs some clean up to filter out irrelevant buildings and units. Just way to cluttered. It does have some interesting concepts and runs a bit better than it did in the past.

Been a long time since I tried out RI. I played the old version of it - forget the name. However, it just runs too slow for me even on the best computers. Otherwise, I'd consider it the best of the comprehensive modpacks.

@Thoapzi:

I encourage you to take Lemon's advice on BUG/BULL and BAT. These are related mods that provide unaltered gameplay improvements to the normal game, if you wish to play the normal game - which I highly recommend for now. As for the graphics in BAT, you may not think you want it, but you may be pleased once you have it. Blue Marble can be added as well to BUG/BULL install for improved terrains and such.
(Note: BAT is stand-alone version of BUG/BULL+Graphics. It has everything you need for unaltered gameplay. BUG/BULL can be installed stand-alone, but I recommend installing in Custom Assets w/Blue marble. That way the mod stuff is "just there" when loading BTS normally. Saves generated can be run by other players with no problem. Great option for forum gameplay)

As for other mod's, probably rehash here:

RFC (and modmods) - Nice alternate way to play the game. UHV(unique historical victories) provide a nice and different alternative to standard Civ victories. Some are fun and quick, while others make for a longer game.

Fall From Heaven (FFH) - Probably the most popular mod outside RFC. Fun fantasy game that you can spend 100s of hours on. Mod Developer is a lead designer over at Stardock now working on their own 4X fantasy game.

Pie's Ancient Europe (PAE) - Very nice era focused modpack centered on the ancient world. Lot's of new era specific units, buildings and objectives. Also, includes some unique scenarios. A very well developed mod that is still being worked on today.

Legends of Revolution and Rise of Mankind (plus modmod) - These two modpacks I haven't tried in sometime. I find them similar in some ways, but also in the vein of C2C and RI, i.e., basically large comprehensive modpacks that serve as expansions to the game. Both mods have been quite popular in the past.

 

[Ambidexter]

I like the Rise of Mankind - A New Dawn mod. It strikes me as being a streamlined, less cluttered C2C.