Progress report
Tech tree update:
After my last build that was mostly focused on civilizations and uniques I decided that the core portion of this mod needed to be priority going forward. So I set that one aside for the time being and took the time to assemble a modpack that included a DLL from WHoward, many of his mod components, and other must have mods from other modders. After completing that portion I began implementing my own changes into a separate module. Well the modpack hasn't been cooperating with my new overhaul and I haven't quite figured out why. It works on it's own just fine so if for some reason I decide not to use it I will share it as a separate mod. It's a great modpack, in my opinion. So for the moment my focus has been strictly on my overhaul. My vision is my priority and I will worry about the modpack later. So I'm creating this new module so that it will be playable on it's own.
What you see in the screen shots is my vision that focuses on the core mechanics minus the changes to civilizations like I had in my last build. This is not playable yet. I will not release it until the tech tree is complete and I'm satisfied with my changes. In addition to this core module I will be creating a separate expansion that overhauls civilizations, their uniques, and wonders. So now to what has changed...
Tech tree: I decided to keep the "Ages" theme in the tech tree. Technological progress is represented by what the techs unlock. All techs in each column must be completed before moving to the next column with the exception of the naval themed techs on top of the tree. This forces a more historical accurate progression and removes unrealistic beelines. I have always had an epic vision for this mod and I originally had planned on making an immense tech tree. But with my focus on historical accuracy I decided that creating techs for the sake of creating techs was kind of silly. So I don't create a new tech until I run out of room in other techs. I don't want to add unnecessary fluff to this mod. My goal is to represent everything important is history.
Grand eras: Paleolithic, Neolithic, Ancient, Post-Classical, Early Modern, Industrial, Late Modern, Contemporary, The Future (This may change because the Industrial era is technically part of the Late Modern era. Gameplay will determine this ultimately). These are the macro eras that historians generally agree on for world history (At least according to Wikipedia).
Stone Age: The first two eras are part of the Stone Age. As you can see the tech tree becomes busier as time passes on. I expect the Ancient era will be the busiest era in the entire tree just looking at my notes. The buildings and wonders chosen for the Stone Age are everything important I have compiled from my research. The Paleolithic begins with a Tribe (Settler) unit. It's the only Settler until the Ancient era. The game begins in 20,000 BC. I am aware that most of the Paleolithic took place before that date but I wanted everything to be represented. 20,000 BC is about the earliest time in history for human settlement that we have evidence for. The Hunter (a Scout) and the Gatherer (a worker) are unlocked immediately. The Gatherer can build mines, quarries, camps and forest gardens. Forest Gardens add +1 food to forests and jungles and can not be built by Workers. It's designed to give an early game food boost. Barbarians are animal units like the wolf, lion, and mammoth. They go obsolete around the beginning of the Neolithic when the Warrior is unlocked. City growth in the Paleolithic is designed to go slowly. My goal is to keep populations low in the first two eras. I'm using the demographics info as a measurement for realism. The first two eras have many new wonders. I don't plan on adding more wonders to the Ancient era and beyond until I get to my expansion.
Industries: My goal is to take a more realistic approach to the economy. Industries are buildings that require resources and unlock trade routes. Some buildings produce luxuries and others just generate gold. Industries began to appear in the Neolithic. Examples: Tannery, Loom, Brewery, Jeweler, Apiary, etc. Buildings that are government funded like public buildings will have maintenance costs. Some buildings may generate gold like the Arena. This is still a work in progress.
Growth: Agriculture now spreads more realistically. Workers can domesticate Wheat, Maize, Soybeans, Rice and Potatoes but can't spread the seeds. This is what Farmers do. These resources are now strategic and can be traded. Farmers require one of those resources to be built. This way agriculture can be spread from city to city. This does no apply to luxuries though. That would be too much.
I mostly have growth buildings fleshed out for the entire game. Buildings amplify growth with modifiers instead of giving direct food yields with a couple of exceptions.
Production: Production is also mostly fleshed out for each era. I have taken a hybrid approach to strategic resources. This is based on what I did in a mod for Civ 6 (which is not up to date, sorry). Units require consumable resources like horses, coal and oil. Iron, copper, tin, lumber are examples of strategic resources that are required by factories. Factories speed up the production of units. Units can be built without these resources but have high production costs. The factories are designed to cut unit costs in half. This approach doesn't completely handicap players when they are missing needed resources.
Innovations: Innovations are buildings that represent important inventions. For example Wheeled Carts give a food bonus. Cranes give a production bonus. There are some historical innovations that I wanted to make sure are represented.
Resources: When I set out to create this I didn't want to flood the map with luxuries. Honestly I'm struggling to keep this under control because there are so many resources in history that are important. To that end my plan is to do some serious balancing for happiness. I have also added more strategic resources like Obsidian and Tin. Resources are revealed on the tech tree when they became historically important.
No more mines over nothingness. Mines and Lumber Camps (Lumber Mill renamed) can only be built on resources. Historically entire forests were eliminated. Lumber mills didn't sit in one spot era after era. So if you need that production then you need to chop, chop. Now if somebody can create a mod that prematurely ends the game if too many forests across the map are chopped down that would be fantastic.
So this is where I'm at right now. I'm looking forward to moving beyond the Ancient Era, finally.
