RFCCW-mod-mod-mod?

[Crossphazer]

I was contemplating making a mod of the RFCCW modmod ((so many levels!), covering the years 1470-320 (thus another 1150 years at 1.5 years/turn), to tie in nicely with the timeline of RFCCW. I was wondering if I should use the SoI engine you had made, or to work with a baseline version of RFCCW, since they will inevitably end up sharing many aspects.

 

[srpt]

Great idea! I hope it gets done.

I think you could go either way. The biggest difference between the 2 is that in the SoI engine version the provinces, settler maps and other civ data is all in python whereas in the older version that RFCW is based on has most of that data in the C++ files. since you will have to do lots of compiling anyway it may not end up making much difference.

 

[Crossphazer]

I've done a lot of research into the period and am currently working on a gigantic map of the Levant + Greece. Mesopotamia is a nightmare to get mapped properly given there's no easy mode bodies of water to shape it like Greece or something.

 

[DC123456789]

This might come in a bit useful.

 

[srpt]

two questions:

why did you choose 1470BC?

do you have a civ list?

 

[Crossphazer]

This might come in a bit useful.

Some nice civ references. Shame that died.

two questions:

why did you choose 1470BC?

do you have a civ list?

I choose 1470 BC because it would allow a playable Minoan civilization, after the Thera eruption but before the Mycenaean takeover of the island in 1420 BC.

Also, 1470 BC - 320 BC finishes just as your mod starts, and is 1150 years, which allows me to follow the exact same turn length scheme as you if I'm not mistaken.

The focus of the mod will be the Levant and the Greek world.

"Major players" civ list:

Egypt (New Kingdom) 1470 ~ whoever conquers it
Minoans 1470 ~ 1420
Troy 1470 ~ Bronze Age Collapse circa 1250-1150
Elam 1470 ~ neo-Assyrian conquest 7th century
Kassites 1470 ~ Bronze Age Collapse circa 1250-1150
Hittites 1470 ~ Bronze Age Collapse circa 1250-1150
Mitanni 1470 ~ 1300
Mycenaeans 1420 ~ Bronze Age Collapse circa 1250-1150
Assyria (Middle and Neo) 1390 ~ (910) ~ 630
Colchis 13th century BC ~ Cimmerian Invasion 730-720
Phrygians 12th century BC (post Bronze Age Collapse) ~ Cimmerian Invasion 690s
Dorians -> Sparta 12th century BC (post Bronze Age Collapse) ~ endgame / Macedonian Conquest
Phoenicia 12th century BC (post Bronze Age Collapse) ~ whoever conquers it
Israel 1020 ~ neo-Assyrian conquest (no getting around this in-game, really) (real conquest by neo-Babylon in 6th century)
Athens 900s ~ endgame / Macedonian Conquest
Urartu 860 ~ 590
Macedon 800s ~ endgame
Cimmerians 720 ~ 620
Lydians 650 ~ Rise of Persia 550-500
Medes 678 ~ Rise of Persia 550-500
Neo-Babylon 626 ~ Rise of Persia 550-500
Persia 550 ~ endgame / Macedonian Conquest
Epirus 370 ~ endgame

Independent 1
Independent 2
Independent 3 and/or Greek Independent

Civs to be added or removed, or spawn dates changed, based on how exciting, alive, and populated all the regions are when a playable release is made (in a long while). If there are large periods of time where the same region remains independent, or it's all conquered by one civ and nothing is happening for very long periods of time, I'll try do to something about it if I can. The map I'm working on is pretty huge (the size of the RFCCW map), so there's room for any minor civ one could bring up, in theory.

I'm guessing I'll end up adding a ton of little Greek civs because of their presence all over the Black Sea and the Med.

Very unfinished world map as an indication of scale:

Spoiler :

~~~

I will probably put work into this after this semester is over, during the winter break.

 

[DC123456789]

Civ list looks fine. Good luck!

 

[merijn_v1]

I think you should announce in the SoA thread that you are working on this. The people of that thread might not know you are working on this. And as this is very similar to that, I'm sure they would like to help.

 

[Crossphazer]

Yeah, I'll do announcements here and there if and when I get a rudimentary version of the thing working. Wouldn't want to start any hype or anticipation for nothing.

 

[srpt]

that map looks great. how did you make it?

 

[Crossphazer]

Took a topographic map of the area, put it in photoshop, scaled such that 1 px = 1 square in civ. I then painstakingly made a binary sea/land layer on top of it, then made a river layer. Then, using a tool, I made a civ4 map with the same land/sea coordinates, filled the rivers, and now I'm detailing the landscape (mountains, peaks, etc) based on visual inspection of topographical maps, using the rivers as a rough guide.

 

[DC123456789]

I think it would be nice if you included more of Egypt, perhaps all the way down to Thebes. Otherwise, map looks nice and quite ambitious.

 

[Crossphazer]

Unfortunately, if I go further down the Nile, the map would include a ton more of the Saharan and Arabian desert, which is why I ultimately left it out. I feel this is acceptable because in the period of Egyptian strength in the New Kingdom, they have Levant cities to help boost their economy and compensate for the loss of a lot of Upper Egypt.

 

[DC123456789]

I think that you could expand it maybe 5 or 6 tiles to encompass the whole Sinai, which wouldn't add too much desert overall.

 

[Crossphazer]

Perhaps... I'll look into it when I've completed the map in its current size and populated it.

 

[utahrapter3]

You don't know how long I've waited for an ancient world RFC...

 

[merijn_v1]

You don't know how long I've waited for an ancient world RFC...

You didn't had to wait so long. The mod does exist for 2 years now.

 

[Crossphazer]

I think he's referring to my pre-Alexander RFC scenario. Still in mapping and research phase, so it may take a while!

 

[Rod]

Hi,

rather than an own mod , wouldn't it be good to extend the current mod and to add a 600 BC start ?

I don't know whether there are any free slots, but if you have an 600 BC start then you need a maximum of 3-5 more civs.

1) New Babylon
2) Greece (Athenian league) - there is no room to simulate the Peloponnesian Civil War.
3) Persia (spawning arround 550)

Egypt, Hittites, Lydia, Etruscans, Kush and the remnants of Assyria can be represented as independents as they had no role in this time.

4) Macedon (not playable) would spawn in Pella and could automatically take over the territories of Alexander in 333 BC , just to be succeeded by the Antigonids, Seleucids, Ptolemaics 1 turn later

5) Maybe Media - but their core territory is poor.

 

[Crossphazer]

Extending it is troublesome for me, as the RFCCW mod is constantly changing, and also it'd involve extending the tech and unit trees backwards, and adding more civs to a civ list already at capacity (afaik), which puts... severe strain on the mod. I don't dislike the idea, but I don't make RFCCW...

@srpt, thoughts?


As an update on the mod's progress, it is slow and tedious at the moment. Getting a map of a comparable size to RFCCW to look and play decently is a big challenge, and the civ mapping tools are good, but not ideal. Then will follow thousands of lines of XML editing, then the python, etc. I will probably get a few civs done with enough RFC mechanics to be functional as a first release. I make no guarantees on the date this will get done.