The IceBreaker Mod - dynamic icecaps and ice-breaking vessels!

[Optimizer]

This mod makes the polar icecaps dynamic. Ice can occasionally grow and disappear, so that arctic passages can be open during one turn and closed during another.

The ice can be crossed by Workboats and Destroyers, but the high movement cost allows them to move only one tile a turn through ice.

With Combustion, Workboats and Destroyers will become able to break the ice. This will be useful for opening passages.

 

[The Great Apple]

That is such a cool idea - good job!

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

awesome!

edit: message lenghtened to reach 10 letters.

 

[Exavier]

I definatly like this idea... any known bugs yet?
*wants to merge it into Composite Mod*

 

[woodelf]

Incredible idea. Any chance that icebergs can wander a bit as well?

 

[Optimizer]

I have had some problems with balancing - please tell me if there is too little or too much ice in the endgame.

I will also try to do land glaciers.

 

[Exavier]

I will test it when I get home tonight

 

[tableist]

Sweet idea, gonna try this out tonight!

 

[KGrevstad]

I'd love to include this mod in my mod, but it's nigh onto impossible to identify what changes you've made. Whatever editor you're using has just totally messed things up as far as a diff is concerned, introducing a zillion textual changes that have no semantic value.

Like changing

<UnitClassUpgrades/>

to
Like changing

<UnitClassUpgrades>
</UnitClassUpgrades>

and apparently encoding the CIV4GameTextInfos.xml into a different encoding.

Those of us who live and die by diffs are and will be overwhelmed by this problem. If I'm missing something, I'd love to know what it is.

--Kristine

 

[Optimizer]

I have used Open XML Editor by Dieter Köhler, mostly because that was the first one I found. Maybe you could suggest another editor?

 

[KGrevstad]

I have used Open XML Editor by Dieter Köhler, mostly because that was the first one I found. Maybe you could suggest another editor?

Well, the only editors I use are vi and emacs, so they're probably not real acceptable suggestions, except I did use XMLWriter once to reformat the CIV4UnitInfos.xml file. As delivered from Firaxis, it contains no newlines. And I'm sorry if I came across a little strong. I do like the mod idea and would like to include it.

--Kristine

 

[Zuul]

Very nice .

What happens if a unit (that cant break them) is on a tile that becomes icecap? Trapped? Dies? Nothing?


Now if someone made a forrest change mod, lite forest fires and more commonly spread.
And maybe same for dessert, grassland and other things .

 

[s3d]

I don't think AI will be able to use icebreakers competently. May be all ship should be able break ice after Combastion ?

 

[Optimizer]

What happens if a unit (that cant break them) is on a tile that becomes icecap? Trapped? Dies? Nothing?

Gotta try that. My guess would be that it would be able to get out if there is an adjacent open sea tile.

 

[noid]

just a thought :
-subs should be able to go under the ice
-a promotion for naval units that allows them to break the ice (after Combustion ofcourse)

 

[Exavier]

-subs should be able to go under the ice

Um this is already possible in the vanilla game

 

[noid]

never tried it sry

 

[Optimizer]

A new version is coming up, including these changes:

* Some renamings to avoid confusion and increase realism. Ice (the feature) renamed to "Icecap". Ice (the base terrain) renamed to "Permafrost". Tundra renamed to "Moraine".
* Icecaps can grow on Permafrost and Moraine.
* Icecaps are passable by most ships, but the movement cost is high.
* Icecaps give zero food, production and commerce.
* Icecaps provide fresh water.
* Moraine gives 1 production.

 

[Impaler[WrG]]

I would recomed that Tundra remain Tundra, Ice on Water becomes "Pack Ice" or "Ice Sheet", Ice on land could be "Glacier".

A Moraine is a very specific localized feature created from bits of rock a Glacier breaks off and carries with it. At the Glaciers melt point the stones are droped in a pile that grows to become a hill/ridge. I would only call Ice Covered Hills Moraines, is it possible to do that?

 

[Optimizer]

Maybe till is a better translation of the landform I am referring to. (The Swedish word "morän" translates to both "moraine" and "till".) It consists of a mixture of rocks, rough gravel and clay, left from the Pleistocene ice age. Most of this land is covered by forest, because of the low evaporation and the hard labor needed for cultivation.

The Tundra in Civ 4 is very similar to the land I see outside my window, in a Stockholm suburb. The trees grow tall, but our forefathers had to struggle for centuries to clear away the rocks so they could grow some crops.

The Ice (land terrain, called Snow in the files) in Civ 4 is much like the real world tundra. You can walk on it, but no trees grow there, even less cereals, due to the permafrost. (I like cloudberries though...) The land is not economically productive at all, unless you find some valuable animals or minerals.

When the Ice (terrain feature) grows onto land, it becomes like a real world glacier. Only foolish adventurers would try to climb it.