TL;DR: Civ 6 is looking promising, but I'm not done with History Rewritten yet.
As I imagine is the case for many modders, the announcement of Civ 6 has got me pondering the future of my mod and of Civ 4 as a modding platform and community.
I really disliked Civ 5. They stripped out too many systems in order to force the series into into something it was never intended to be. Despite adding dedicated tools they actually made modding much more inaccessible, especially to Mac users. GAK and BNW were massive improvements, steering the game back on path, but the fundamental flaws remained unsolved. History Rewritten was in its infancy at the time, the Civ4 community was vibrant, so sticking with Civ4 was an easy choice that I've never regretted.
Civ 6, however, is looking a lot more promising. It's made by the same team that made GAK and BNW, and this time they'll be able build the foundation, rather than trying to cover its inadequacies. It'll still have 1UPT (improved implementation, but still not a fan), but everything else announced sounds quite interesting. Three things in particular have caught my attention:
These are hugely significant. They mean bigger maps, faster turn times, and (hopefully) more accessible graphics modding. They mean actually taking advantage of the power of modern computers. Lack of this is why Civ4 is still so slow and crash prone despite computers having improved considerably in the years since release. All in all it sounds like Civ 6, regardless if it turns out to be a great game in itself, is likely to be a much more stable and modern platform for modding.
So will I be jumping ship to Civ 6? Maybe. The biggest unknown factor is how the Mac version turns out. I expect, as with both Civ4 and Civ5, that Mac version will not support DLL modding. I'm okay with this so long as similar amounts of changes can be made via XML and Python/LUA (or whatever scripting language Civ 6 ends up using), as can be made in Civ4. As mentioned, graphics modding sounds like it will much more accessible than it has been (it was extremely limited in Civ 5).
Something else on my mind is that the Civ4 modding community is winding down. Many mod creators are soldiering on and making some great changes, but most of the graphics modders are gone now. Very few leaderheads, buildings, units are being produced nowadays. We mod makers are reliant on graphic modders, without them we can't add the civs and other such content that we'd like. I can do (and have done) a fair bit amount of graphic modding myself, but it makes updates take much longer and, more significantly, it makes modding feel like a solo endeavour. Part of the joy of modding is seeing what others release and being inspired to incorporate it into your own work.
The Civ4 modding community isn't going to die (the Civ3 modding community is small but still going strong), but the release of Civ 6 will certainly diminish it further. And this time around, History Rewritten is a mature mod with the majority of things I hoped to do accomplished.
So does this mean the end of History Rewritten?
No, not yet. I'm now kinda regretting making the Corporations changes as ambitious as I have, but I'm committed to getting them finished (in some form at least), and the rest of 1.24 as well. Here's a brief (likely incomplete) summary of what's coming for those unaware:
Also, there will definitely be a 1.25. It will be dedicated to going through the mod with a fine tooth comb, fixing and finishing anything that still needs it. I have a bunch of building art I haven't used yet, so I'll definitely be reviewing that too. Beyond that, I don't know. Looking at my wishlist, the major things on it that I'd feel unhappy about not doing are improving/extending the Climate Change mechanics, and filling up the remaining civ/leader slots. I know that that latter in particular is important to many here (and to me), so I'll do my best. It's getting pretty hard to source and create the needed art though.
Anyway, just wanted to let you all know what I'm thinking. Early days yet, things may change as more info becomes available. No timeframe or deadline, but if I do jump to Civ 6, I promise to leave History Rewritten in the best condition possible and to still provide support, even if I'm no longer actively developing it.
As I imagine is the case for many modders, the announcement of Civ 6 has got me pondering the future of my mod and of Civ 4 as a modding platform and community.
I really disliked Civ 5. They stripped out too many systems in order to force the series into into something it was never intended to be. Despite adding dedicated tools they actually made modding much more inaccessible, especially to Mac users. GAK and BNW were massive improvements, steering the game back on path, but the fundamental flaws remained unsolved. History Rewritten was in its infancy at the time, the Civ4 community was vibrant, so sticking with Civ4 was an easy choice that I've never regretted.
Civ 6, however, is looking a lot more promising. It's made by the same team that made GAK and BNW, and this time they'll be able build the foundation, rather than trying to cover its inadequacies. It'll still have 1UPT (improved implementation, but still not a fan), but everything else announced sounds quite interesting. Three things in particular have caught my attention:
- It will be 64bit
- It will have multi-threaded AI
- They're building their own graphics engine instead of using a proprietary one (Gamebryo, etc)
These are hugely significant. They mean bigger maps, faster turn times, and (hopefully) more accessible graphics modding. They mean actually taking advantage of the power of modern computers. Lack of this is why Civ4 is still so slow and crash prone despite computers having improved considerably in the years since release. All in all it sounds like Civ 6, regardless if it turns out to be a great game in itself, is likely to be a much more stable and modern platform for modding.
So will I be jumping ship to Civ 6? Maybe. The biggest unknown factor is how the Mac version turns out. I expect, as with both Civ4 and Civ5, that Mac version will not support DLL modding. I'm okay with this so long as similar amounts of changes can be made via XML and Python/LUA (or whatever scripting language Civ 6 ends up using), as can be made in Civ4. As mentioned, graphics modding sounds like it will much more accessible than it has been (it was extremely limited in Civ 5).
Something else on my mind is that the Civ4 modding community is winding down. Many mod creators are soldiering on and making some great changes, but most of the graphics modders are gone now. Very few leaderheads, buildings, units are being produced nowadays. We mod makers are reliant on graphic modders, without them we can't add the civs and other such content that we'd like. I can do (and have done) a fair bit amount of graphic modding myself, but it makes updates take much longer and, more significantly, it makes modding feel like a solo endeavour. Part of the joy of modding is seeing what others release and being inspired to incorporate it into your own work.
The Civ4 modding community isn't going to die (the Civ3 modding community is small but still going strong), but the release of Civ 6 will certainly diminish it further. And this time around, History Rewritten is a mature mod with the majority of things I hoped to do accomplished.
So does this mean the end of History Rewritten?
No, not yet. I'm now kinda regretting making the Corporations changes as ambitious as I have, but I'm committed to getting them finished (in some form at least), and the rest of 1.24 as well. Here's a brief (likely incomplete) summary of what's coming for those unaware:
- K-Mod integration for Windows users
- Corporations will spread independently
- Players and Corporations can buy and sell shares in Corporations
- Syndicates (organised crime)
- Dissent will be reduced by Espionage and increased by starvation
- World Wonders capped by culture level
- 2 new Aztec leaders and 1 new English leader (Aelfred)
- 4 new resources: Bitumen, Hemp, Opium, Saltpeter
- A ton of bug fixes, UI improvements, and balance tweaks
Also, there will definitely be a 1.25. It will be dedicated to going through the mod with a fine tooth comb, fixing and finishing anything that still needs it. I have a bunch of building art I haven't used yet, so I'll definitely be reviewing that too. Beyond that, I don't know. Looking at my wishlist, the major things on it that I'd feel unhappy about not doing are improving/extending the Climate Change mechanics, and filling up the remaining civ/leader slots. I know that that latter in particular is important to many here (and to me), so I'll do my best. It's getting pretty hard to source and create the needed art though.
Anyway, just wanted to let you all know what I'm thinking. Early days yet, things may change as more info becomes available. No timeframe or deadline, but if I do jump to Civ 6, I promise to leave History Rewritten in the best condition possible and to still provide support, even if I'm no longer actively developing it.
