The Mazatl

[BlackArchon]

Sometimes using the ability 'Create swamp' from my workers seems to have not any effect. What are the exact requirements for this ability?

Edit: Ah, now I understand: You cannot create a swamp when there is another resource or improvement.

 

[deadomancer]

Good Afternoon Wildmana team,
I was playing a game as The Mazatl, and I received the random event that allows you to obtain a Elven archer if you are a good race. I noticed the extra defense and the extra long range damage an Elven archer can do, and the thought occurred to me why does The Mazatl ranged units not receive a ranged bonus? It would make since for a jungle dweller to have some kind of poisoned weapon as jungles are filled with poisonous plants and venomous animals.

 

[DonQuigleone]

Just going to say that a lot of Mazatl are visually bland, not a huge priority, I know, but compared to other units all the Mazatl (with a few exceptions) look pretty much exactly the same. The only thing that ever changes is what weapons they're holding. Maybe a color reskin, make them all different colors?

 

[Jabie]

Given the Mazatl are loosely mesoamerican, replacing their theatres with Ball Courts and their granaries with Terraces would help their flavour. Each could have a mild bonus effect such as +1 Culture from Terraces and a small passive training bonus for Recon units for Ball Court. The art can be taken directly from the Bts Art files.

I like the Mazatl in Orbis, where both he Mazatl and the Cualli have been combined and your choice of leader (Good or Evil) affects what units and spells you get.

A third thought, what about Pterodactyl Riders for the Mazatl?

 

[DonQuigleone]

Yeah, maybe furthering the Mesoamerican theme a bit would be good, for instance give them feather headresses and stuff.

Also you could give them more of a sacrifice theme. The Mesoamerican peoples thought it was essential to sacrifice people in order to, basically, stop the world from ending. It seems evil to modern ears but you could get some kind of interesting game mechanic out of it.

Maybe sacrificing population would bring down the Armageddon counter, or perhaps it would grant special abilities to their priests. For instance in Cholula they thought they had to keep sacrificing people to keep a stone in their temple strong that kept a deluge of water back that would drown the city. During the seige by the Spanish/Tlaxcalans they broke the stone in question, but this being the real world nothing happened. You could do something similiar here. Instead it could be about sacrificing the priest unit in question, in return you get something fantastic, the higher level the priest the better.

 

[Valkrionn]

Given the Mazatl are loosely mesoamerican, replacing their theatres with Ball Courts and their granaries with Terraces would help their flavour. Each could have a mild bonus effect such as +1 Culture from Terraces and a small passive training bonus for Recon units for Ball Court. The art can be taken directly from the Bts Art files.

I like the Mazatl in Orbis, where both he Mazatl and the Cualli have been combined and your choice of leader (Good or Evil) affects what units and spells you get.

A third thought, what about Pterodactyl Riders for the Mazatl?

I'd be careful with the Mesoamerican theme, as quite often when people do too much that way it just devolves into stereotypical things like the ball court and sacrifice.

IMO, the Mazatl have a decent Mayan theme, and should be developed along those lines. For instance, Coatlann should be a Quetzlcoatl (see the name similarity? )... And there is indeed VERY good art for it. See this post.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=8962134&postcount=134

I have always disliked combining the Mazatl and the Cualli; The lore does not support it (in doing that, you are completely throwing out all of the Cualli lore; It's not a merge, it's a genocide ), and I think they are different enough that you can have two of them. Which is something that is a good thing... Two elves, two dwarves, two magic civs, two lizard civs... Gives you variety in your play.

Yeah, maybe furthering the Mesoamerican theme a bit would be good, for instance give them feather headresses and stuff.

Also you could give them more of a sacrifice theme. The Mesoamerican peoples thought it was essential to sacrifice people in order to, basically, stop the world from ending. It seems evil to modern ears but you could get some kind of interesting game mechanic out of it.

Maybe sacrificing population would bring down the Armageddon counter, or perhaps it would grant special abilities to their priests. For instance in Cholula they thought they had to keep sacrificing people to keep a stone in their temple strong that kept a deluge of water back that would drown the city. During the seige by the Spanish/Tlaxcalans they broke the stone in question, but this being the real world nothing happened. You could do something similiar here. Instead it could be about sacrificing the priest unit in question, in return you get something fantastic, the higher level the priest the better.

Cualli are the aztecs, they are the sacrificers.

 

[tesb]

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpo...&postcount=134

that looks awesome

 

[Valkrionn]

If you look through the thread, there is an undead, bat-winged variant which I'm adding as a Sheaim Gate unit.

 

[tesb]

Already found it! I am going to use it myself although i have currently problems applying the animations: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=364024

I am doing the retexture myself though.

 

[Valkrionn]

Already found it! I am going to use it myself although i have currently problems applying the animations: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=364024

I am doing the retexture myself though.

Those are the Drakes, not the "Zombie Drake".

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=8962873&postcount=135

No legs, using it as a winged serpent.

As for your animation issue... This thread explains how to use KonverterFM fairly well, should check it out. http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=356101

 

[tesb]

thanks for the link i already found it, but it could not help me (or i have not read it well enough)
as for the drakes, i know, but the zombie drake is "only" a reskinned drake with no legs and the reskinn i want to do myself and the legs i want to keep

 

[Valkrionn]

thanks for the link i already found it, but it could not help me (or i have not read it well enough)
as for the drakes, i know, but the zombie drake is "only" a reskinned drake with no legs and the reskinn i want to do myself and the legs i want to keep

Well, takes a bit of work to remove the legs so it's not just a reskinned drake. Reskinned Quetzl.

I didn't want the legs, as I wanted a Serpent; The Gate summons are representative of sins (the 7 Sins, but I'm expanding it into some of the lesser ones as well to get more units), so I wanted to keep to that. This one is the biblical Serpent, so the sin would be "Willfully leading others into Sin". Some kind of conversion effect.

Yours looks cool too though, hoping you get the rider animated.

 

[tesb]

bah, i am done:

Spoiler :

 

[Valkrionn]

bah, i am done:

Spoiler :

Does the rider move?

 

[tesb]

no sadly not, however he is attached to the head, so whenever the head moves the rider will. in game you will barely notice it. the new position of the rider does a great deal of concealing this fault.


edit: what troubles me more is the alpha texture, it only works for the wings/spikes.

 

[Valkrionn]

Better than nothing, I suppose.

Mind if I use it once you post the files?

 

[tesb]

bah, i am done:

scratch that

i reworked the texture and added an alpha layer so you can only see the bones. it looks awesome now:

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

i need to edit the breath and maybe i find someone who can do some simple animation for the rider. then the dragon rider will be done.

 

[tesb]

added an effect for the wings and the tail and recolored the wings.

Spoiler :

I have to leave him for now, or else i won't find any time to code the xml changes.
Btw does anybody know how to change the appearance of an units when using a spell?
(i.e. as soon as i cast the spell the unit uses a different *.nif)

Edit: found it nvm

 

[deadomancer]

I noticed the posts earlier about a mesoamerican theme, I am not trying to expand upon that but I was watching a program on Spike TV called, Deadliest Warrior and found myself inspired. The program itself compares two warrior groups, heroes, or leaders etc., the program itself is not a reliable comparison system but It is factual in the weapons it presents from each culture and in one episode it compared the Aztec Jaguar Warrior to an African Tribesman in one on one combat. One of the Jaguar warrior's weapons was a Maquahuitl, It is a club sword made of Obsidian. http://www.precolumbianweapons.com/swords.htm

This weapon i thought would be a fairly reasonable weapon for the Mazatl warriors to carry, at first i thought giving a swordman this in place of iron weapons would be a better weapon, but then i did my own research to find that this weapon was a great weakness against the Spanish Conquistadors. So I had several ideas after brain storming. This weapon should at least be used in replace of a warrior's club, giving them a boost since this sword club is superior to a club. The Maquahuitl was so sharp it was able to server a horses head, Obsidian can be made sharper than steel but it dulls much easier and faster. This would make a fine resource to maybe replace Bronze weapons, or if that seems extreme be an extra resource maybe with a high strength bonus but with each turn a certain percentage that the weapon will lose it's sharpness. Perhaps a unit with the Maquahuitl could have a combat bonus against mounted units. Since it is sharper than steel maybe +3 to strength and it maybe stop at +1. It could also be used as a random event because obsidian is a volcanic rock so maybe a discovery could be a result of a volcano. Perhaps not just to the Mazatl but to other civs it could replace a resource, or just be an auxiliary resource. If obsidian it'self is not considered for this mod, perhaps just give one of the units a sword club for a flavor appeal.

 

[Folket]

Seems like Mazatl are lacking graphics for chariots and crossbowmen.

I also found that if I play in a team I can have an ally build a temple of the order in my city then I can build acolytes and move them to my allies city and upgrade them to confessors.