Tolkien

It should be flat earth, but i don't believe there is any option. Although that would limit the use of naval units, but then again the oceans don't play as major of a role as in other worlds. Most of the stories and adventures were far inland.
 
I just saw the movie! It is so good go see it right now! If you can't, read the books.

But anyway.... For a Tolkien scenario I would envision replacing every civ, tech and unit. It would basically be a whole separate game. "Hero"-type ultra-rare units (Balrog, Sauron, Saruman, Gandalf etc.) would be good, each civ could get only one at the beginning of the scenario. Also, techs could be replaced by some sort of magic or give bonuses to your civ. I like the idea of evil races having huge armies of cheap units while the good races get stronger, more expensive units. These would have to be a lot more expensive and not overpoweringly good or the good forces would definitely win fast.

I see this scenario having no Ancient - Modern Eras, only one huge era (since the armies and technology don't change from First to Third Age too much from what I can tell).

Just my ideas...

P.S.
Uruk-Hai replaces Aztecs
Gondor replaces Babylonians
etc.
 
Try putting two layers of mountains with coastline between them-

(Mountains)-(Sea)-(Mountains).

Units can't go right round unless they can build cities on mountains, but they can't so there's no problem. Its an interim solution.
 
Where would I find "Gramphos' C3CT"
 
creation and customization > completed modpacks > civ 3 copy tool thread dunno the url right now but it's not hard to find
 
Heya Folks,

Idea for making a flat map,

at the eastern/western borders put three-four deep high mountains increase the movement rate of the terrain type to 6 or seven, (mostly for later high end units), then put a strip of ocean on either far (outer) end of the mountain strip, along with another 3 or 4 deep verticle (north to south) row of mountains.

Since cities can't be built in mountains, and there owuld be no other access to these 'ocean' strips, you would effectivly make it a east-west bound map, because you couldn't built ocean vessals on the ocean (no city viable in the mountains) and no land units can cross oceans and the mountain 'range' would be deep enough air units could not effectivly cross them to bomb the other side.

so you'd end up with this config.


MMMOMMM MAP MAP MAP MMMOMMM
MMMOMMM MAP MAP MAP MMMOMMM
MMMOMMM MAP MAP MAP MMMOMMM

Obviously M = mountains, O = ocean and MAP being the actual tactical map of the mod.

Do the this whole block from North to South and you got a cool way of forcing both AI and human players to go east-west without doing the whole magellan thing.
 
Heya again,

I'm not sure it would be possible to do a 'quest' type of thing with Civ3 under it's current limitations in editing. However you could build a mondo middle earth war zone.

(by the way several years ago someone did a great quest with frodo and middle earth, I thought it was for civ 2, whoever that was should be get bee--- err cokes bought for 'em)

If you took a pre-ring war idea, maybe even going into the wars of mirkwood and the necromancer of um..gosh the name escapes me, (I hang my hobbit head in shame).

A couple of ideas for the map,

Use Gondor as the key to the halves of the maps. Meaning draw an ocean line (as in the previous post) down the center of the map, and only have one square join both halves. Put the starting location for one of the factions right on this square (then the AI will build there 1st turn) so whoever controls gondor can cross the "river" without the expense of boats, problems with loading unloading ect.

On the eastern side build Mordor maybe with a few lesser nations (controlled through the kind of territory you give them, making mordor rich in food/rivers/production squares and the lesser fiefdoms a little poorer, (like bonus grasslands with rivers vrs plains without.)

On the western side, build Lori..um, Lorie..gosh my speller is going on me, St. Nick must nicked it from me :), Galadriel's Digs as one nation, set in a high productive forest (change the food/production rates of forests in the editor) the shire as another, the dwarves as another etc etc.

With diplomacy I'm not sure there is a way to limit or force alliances, though if you want to apply a little alternative history to Tolkien (I know don't throw rocks it's just an idea) with the attitudes of the folks in Gondor them siding against the Lady of the Golden Wood isn't inconcievable.

Next idea is let the unit created during battle be great, not just an army builder/production hurrier, but give it enough pop in defense/attack to let it make a real difference, OR let it only hurry improvments then make HIGH cost special units...like the balrogs that were talked about, that do all sorts of nifty stuff from build armies to be able to shoot lightning bolts out their bums. make the cost so high that only the sacrifice of a 'winning battle unit' can build it, to limit them.

and lastly you get into the modern era, someone mentioned Grunts, but combine 'magic' with tech, (mostly visible in the unit animations looks.) so you get things like
High Elven Mech Archer, which shoots flaming thunderbolt-arrows that exlode in the animation on contact. A good artist could have a lot of fun with this, assuming they never wanted a job, wife, or social life.

I'm not sure the AI would use the special battle unit to build the expensive units though, they might waste them on wonders or something. In multiplayer it'd be kinda neat cuz then folks would be investing thier battle-ribbons in building gandalfs and ring wraiths.

Post script idea. Use barbarians, give them a great unit, make the odds even in the barbarian handicap system they installed with the patch, and then give barbarians a real nicely designed couple of units, like um, dragons. You could even make (if you were drawing the map by hand) one terrain type (like swamp or sumthin you don't wanna use elsewhere) HIGH in defense put the barbarian camps on these, making it harder to clear the pesky things out. whcih could backfire if the AI cleared out the camp, then built a city on the terrain type (I'm assuming the terrain bonuses transfer to a city too)

But it'd suck to be a little hobbit starting out your third city of Tookland and have three all-terrain dragons (equaling like modern armor) come flying in with throats blazing. Sucks, but in sorta neat way. Esp. if you were playing the dwarves.
 
I think that if an Lord of the Rings scenario its made u should try to let Frodo and the One Ring play a small part. The One Ring should be some unit that u can capture , and if u got it it gives u some Production Bonus but some commerce penaly (or something like that).

A Better Scenario u could Make From The Silmarillion.
 
But then you would need to make Beleriand and Valinor and the north where Angband is and maybe the east because thats where the elves came from.
In other words the whole planet:crazyeyes
 
hey there's no way to do scenarios in civ3 as in civ2?

i have an idea (but i dont know if there's way to do it): change the palace for either bilbo's house, or saruman's tower or sauron's tower... it could be so :goodjob:

i just saw 2day the movie and. . . WOW!
 
Originally posted by JarHead
I've started a map (only, no rules) based on my copy of "Atlas of Middle-Earth".
Two problems:
1) Maps always wrap around? Tolkien only alluded to the rest of the planet, I'd hate to do that much guess work.
2) Swamps/Marshes. I'm using Tundra for the Dead Marshes, any ideas?

attched is my map so you know what I'm talking about.
(ITS PRE PRE-ALPHA; really only 10% done)

:goodjob: Nice Map ! im also Working on a 180X180 map of the 3rd age Middle Earth.

i was thinking of making great Rivers like the Anduin Coast since its an very wide river ,(only by Minas Tirith & Pelargir the two sides touch each other) what do u think about that?
 
You should definitely look at the LotR scenarios available for Civ2. Unfortunately, Apolyton is down or I'd give you a link, but when it's back up it should be easy to find the scenarios in the Civ2 section. There were a lot of interesting ideas, some of which aren't possible with the current Civ3 scenario editor. The one I liked best had a Ring unit - it was a nuclear unit that could only be carried by the Frodo unit and several other units. The game ended if you bombed Mount Doom. There were also some very good maps.
 
1st) Feanor; I will get back to you. ;)
(how do you do that e character in your name?)

2nd):goodjob:
YOU MUST SEE THE MOVIE!! Just saw it today, The scenes were just what I imagined when I read the books! Awesome, (I wouldn't take a kid under 6) it was one of the few movies that due justice to the book. There are a few (very few) differences, but I feel these help keep the movie down to THREE HOURS.
A must see.

3rd) I created a flat map with no ice caps using the CivCopyTool,
but when I approached the edge of the map I got "Blue Screen of Death" I'm using Win98, anyone else have this problem?
 
Unfortunately I think that the flexibility offered in the current Civ3 Editor is insufficient to make a decent LotR scenario. I think we'd have to wait until it's improved (assuming it is going to be improved).

JarHead: Although I thought it was a pretty good movie, there are numerous, not "very few" things that were left out, or just plain different from the book; a less-than-exhaustive list is:

(1) Gollum didn't get the Ring from the river bed, his friend did - who he murdered and took the ring from. Also, he was just "Smeagol" at that time and was a hobbit - it wasn't until after he became obsessed with the ring that he became "Gollum".

(2) in the book, it is years (17 I think but I'm not sure about that) after Bilbo's party before Frodo began his Quest; it was also several months after Gandalf specifically told him to go.

(3) Gandalf and the Elves captured Gollum and interogated him; later he escaped with help from Orcs - something that wasn't shown in the movie.

(4) Meriadoc and Peregrin joined Frodo in a very different manner to what is portrayed in the movie.

(5) The whole farmer Cotton thing was totally different in the book .

(6) The Dark Rider passes after sniffing around for the Ring, rather than the Hobbits having to distract him then run.

(7) The Dark Rider isn't right on the heels of Frodo as he gets on the ferry; the ferry boarding is completely different in the book.

(8) The Hobbits stay a night by the Brandywine

(9) The Great Forest is omitted

(10) Tom Bombadil is omitted

(11) The Barrow-Wights are omitted

(12) The incident at the Prancing Pony happens much differently in the book; Frodo is meant to dance a jig on the table, then fall over and accidentally slip the ring on, and then immediately take it off after just a moment. There is meant to be a big commotion about it.

(13) The innkeeper is also meant to have a long conversation with the Hobbits. He is meant to forget to pass on the message left by Gandalf.

(14) The purchasing of Bill the pony is omitted; Bill is also only shown in any detail at all when they let him run free at the entrance to Moria

(15) Gandalf flies to Rohan and has to beg Theoden King for a horse - and obtaining Shadowfax he rides it to Bree, then passes the party in the wilderness arriving at Weathertop where he is attacked by the Riders. The party sees flashes of light and are confused as to what it is - but later realise it was Gandalf fighting. Gandalf also leaves runes for them to show he was there on Weathertop.

(16) The period of travel after Frodo is stabbed has been shortened significantly from what is described in the book; the stone trolls are omitted.

(17) It is Glorfindel, and elf Lord that meets them - not Eowyn.

(18) It is Frodo who confronts the Riders at the river, not Eowyn; Frodo falls unconcious after doing this. This is one of the most significant omissions in my view, as it is a significant part in the development of Frodo's character.

(19) The stay at Rivendell is alot more detailed in the book (although this omission is quite understandable).

(20) The snowstorm at Caradhras has nothing to do with Saruman in the book; the movie shows him conjuring a spell to cause the snowstorm to occur.

(21) The attack of the wolves is omitted.

(22) It is Gandalf who works out the password to enter Moria, not Frodo.

(23) They do not find that Moria is a tomb as soon as they enter.

(24) The orcs do not completely surround them before the Balrog comes.

(25) The night in the woods of Lothlorien is omitted.

(26) The bit about getting across the river using the rope is omitted.

(27) The blindfolding insisted upon by the elves of Lothlorien, with the accompanying protests by Gimli is omitted.

(28) The time at Lothlorien is greatly shortened. (Side note: In my opinion Galadriel is portrayed extremely poorly). This ommission is fairly understandable though.

(29) Gimli's interactions with and respect for Galadriel is not portrayed

(30) The initial rivalry followed by the blossoming friendship between Gimli and Legolas is hardly touched upon in the movie.

(31) The sailing down the river is greatly shortened.

(32) Frodo doesn't simply "wander off" in an unexplained fashion, rather he is asked to make a decision as to the destination of the Ring, and he wants to be alone to make the decision.

(33) Aragorn does not encourage Frodo to go to Mordor alone; Frodo makes the decision of his own volition.

(34) The movie portrays the orcish archer who shoots Boromir as being some kind of "special" fighter, since all the other orcs just have melee weapons; however the book portrays orcish archers as being very common. (Yes, this one can be taken as more of a quibble than anything else).

All that said, I do think the movie was pretty good; and many of the ommissions (not so much the changes) are necessary and understandable. However, there is a very noticable amount of divergence from the book.
 
Sirp:
I bow to you anality,:rolleyes:
I really don't think we should be mentioning specifics yet (some may not have seen the movie) If you don't like it, let's not get into a discussion on my definition of the word "few."

- They never said Gollum retrieved the ring, only that it was retrieved and "ended" in Gollum's possesion.
- Thankfully, IN MY OPINION, Bombadil WAS ommitted.
- The Stone Trolls were there! Check the background scenery at the campsite.
- you're right, I wish they showed more Orcish Archers (they are, afterall, elves) I also wish they'd shown more about the Pits where Orcs are born.

Yes, there are differences. I was only trying to downplay them because they do not detract from a GREAT movie.
 
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