[WIP] The Test of Time

[Cyphose]

The Test of Time
Beginning Stages of WIP | No Testable Downloads Available​

Overview

The Test of Time is a mod focused on modifying (and adding to) existing Civilizations to make them more thematic and distinct from one another while attempting to preserve their initial niche within the base game (i.e. ideally maintaining their general playstyle). Generally, this is done through the modification of a given Civilization's unique abilities, buildings, units, etc. The mod's namesake, is of course, the challenge to build a Civilization that will stand the test of time.

...But what does "standing the test of time" mean?​

Background

The genesis of the mod came from a thematic issue I had with Civilization V in general: for presenting so many choices in civilizations and leaders that are diverse in history and culture, too many times the uniqueness of the Civilization was lost as the game progressed and, as a whole, any particular in-game Civilization felt... same-y (with some exceptions). This was likely done in the pursuit of game balance, as diversifying Civilization effects and abilities too much raises balance issues very quickly, and it's understandable that the base game sacrificed, perhaps, a bit of diversity in exchange for balance. Luckily, Firaxis was also kind enough to provide tools with which we can exact our own fantasies...

And so we come to The Test of Time, an analysis and examination of what makes a Civilization worthy of its place in the game and in history, and a subsequent execution of delivering on that fantasy so that one can, indeed, build that Civilization that, after so long, has stood the test of time and made its mark on history.​

Focus

As of the time of making this post, the mod is heavily a WIP. Not only is this an ambitious project for a relatively new modder such as myself, but it also comes with the added hassle of researching and developing themes for each Civilization so that I can best deliver a unique playstyle. Some pass with minor changes, others are completely re-done. Combine this with the fact that coming up with all of these ideas on my own is most likely beyond my abilities... I'm partly posting this to open up the forum and allow input when necessary, because while I don't have an issue with it being a one-man project, I sure know my limitations.

So far, here's the checklist for what I aim to do:

1. Develop a consistent phrasing/wording scheme with that can be used in the tooltips of units, buildings, abilities, etc. This is mostly for clarity's sake, but also to satisfy my own obsession with consistency. So far, this is being done in a side-project of mine, Improved Tooltips, the system for which will be used for The Test of Time, but will also be released separately as an optional answer and consistency pass to the tooltips of the base game, because I think the base Civ5 tooltips are pretty terrible.
   
   
2. Research given Civilizations for historically distinct characteristics to narrow down possible abilities, buildings, units, etc.
   
   
3. Expand and rebalance (as necessary) a Civilizations' bonuses to fit a particular theme. Often, the themes the base game was going for (but didn't necessarily execute well) will suffice, but not always. This rebalancing will be accomplished by adding to or changing the Civilization's uniques--their ability, units, buildings, etc. Note that in order to deliver on a distinct Civilization, many of these will be boast quite a bit of strength and be potentially gamechanging in many aspects; this is intended, and while it may be a bit rough before examining balance tightly, is necessary to make sure each Civilization is distinct from any other.
   
   
4. Add additional mod support where relevant. Simply due to the nature of the mod, it will thankfully, by default, be compatible with many other mods (since it's simply a rebalance of existing Civs). However, there may be necessary changes based on an overlap with mods like, say, Events and Decisions or 3+4UC that use buildings or Decisions to simulate something similar to what I add. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

If you're wondering what changes I intend to make: have no fear, I will list all the ones that I've gotten around to theorycrafting or have already implemented in the next post!
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Credits

So far, only me. If you want it in list form:

• Cyphose (me)

That's rather sad, isn't it? I'm putting this here because in case it has reason to grow as time goes on. If you'd like to help in any way, shape, or form, you will be credited (even if all you do is pose an idea I end up using)! I'm still learning the ins-and-outs of Lua but I'm fairly confident I can do most of it on my own (albeit after a lot of work, trial, and error). I suspect the part I'll need the most help with is the art assets: icons, new units, etc. because I know absolutely nothing about the artistic end of the modding spectrum.​

 

[Cyphose]

Tentative Civilization Changes​

(subject to change)​

Only Civs that I have changed or am working on changing are listed. Similarly, I've started changing some Civs but not finished them, so I only list aspects that I've considered. Lastly, at this point I'm still largely just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks; I'm not entirely sure how many of these could be implemented. As such, everything here is subject to change!

Abandon all hope, ye who enter this spoiler:

Spoiler :

Morocco (Gateway to Africa) Changed Non-internal Trade Routes generate +2 Culture and +1 Golden Age Points per Era. Customs Houses yield +1 Production and Gold for every two active Trade Routes. Upon entering a Golden Age, a free Great Merchant appears.

Changed Berber Cavalry (Unique Unit) Now also moves twice as fast in Desert, generates Golden Age Points upon defeating enemy units, and can benefit from defensive terrain.
New Zellige Medersa (Unique Building) Replaces the University. +1 Culture, +2 Faith, and +10% Faith generation in the City compared to the University. +2 Science from Desert tiles (instead of Jungle).
Changed Kasbah (Unique Improvement) Now benefits from Fresh Water (+1 Food, just like Farms) and also yields +1 Culture upon researching Architecture.​

Greece (Hellenic League) Changed Upon entering war with another Civilization, Friendly and Allied City-States may immediately gift a military unit. Allied, non-Militaristic City-States may gift military units passively.

Changed Companion Cavalry (Unique Unit) Now also gives its Movement to a Great General that shares its tile (a la Hakkapeliitta), and new Great Generals spawn on the nearest Companion Cavalry (instead of in the Capital).
Changed Hoplite (Unique Unit) Loses -1 Combat Strength compared to the base Hoplite, but now has the unique Phalanx promotion, giving it +20% Combat Strength while adjacent to at least one other friendly unit.
New Agora (Unique Building) Replaces the Market. +2 Culture compared to the Market. For every four controlled Agoras, City-State Influence decays 25% slower.​

Assyria (Treasures of Nineveh) Changed Upon conquering a City for the first time, gain a free Great Work of Writing (or a flat Culture boost if no slot is available). All Great Works generate +1 Science per Era.

Siege Tower (Unique Unit) Unchanged.
New Heavy Chariot (Unique Unit) Replaces the Horseman. Costs 2 Horses (instead of 1). +3 Combat Strength compared to the Horseman, adjacent enemy units lose -10% Combat Strength, starts with Shock I, and does not use Movement to Pillage.
Changed Royal Library (Unique Building) Now gives +15 XP (up from +10) when its Great Work slot is filled.​

Songhai (Rivers of Gold) Changed Tiles adjacent to Rivers yield +2 Gold; Cities adjacent to Rivers give +1 maximum Trade Route. Units move twice as fast along Rivers, and Rivers can be used to establish City Connections upon researching The Wheel.

Changed Mandekalu Cavalry (Unique Unit) Now also uses no Movement to Pillage and plunders Gold when attacking a City based on how much damage it did.
Changed Mud Pyramid Mosque (Unique Building) Now also starts a one-time We Love the King Day in the City.
New Treasury (Unique Building) Replaces the Mint. No longer requires nearby Gold/Silver (but still increases their Gold yield if they're present). +1 Gold in the City, +2 Gold in the Capital. Trade Routes sent to a City with a Treasury generate +2 Gold for the City owner and +1 Gold for the owner of the Trade Route.​

The Huns (Scourge of God) Changed Capturing Barbarian encampments and conquering Cities generates triple Gold. Raze Cities twice as fast and generate Culture for each Population Razed. All Mounted units do not use Movement to Pillage.

Removed Battering Ram (Unique Unit)
Changed Steppe Horde (Unique Unit) Renamed from the Horse Archer. Now consumes 1 Horse; moved to require Horseback Riding (from The Wheel). Now also gains +20% Combat Strength against Cities.
New Nomadic Host (Unique Building) Replaces the Stable. No longer requires nearby Cattle/Horses/Sheep. Automatically claims and improves all nearby sources of Horses; if none are available, may instead reveal and improve a new source of at least two Horses near the City. Costs no Gold to maintain compared to the Stable, and new Mounted units trained in the City start with +15 XP.
New Yurt (Unique Improvement) Available at Animal Husbandry. Can only be built on Grasslands or Plains, not adjacent to another Yurt. +1 Food for the tile, and +1 additional Food for the tile for each adjacent Pasture. Each adjacent Pasture gains +1 Production.​

Rome (Where All Roads Lead) Changed The Capital gains +5% Production for each City Connection, and when it finishes constructing a building, other Cities gain a flat Production Boost (Cities with City Connections get a larger boost). Roads cost 50% less Gold to maintain.

Changed Legion (Unique Unit) Now also starts with Cover I, but costs more Production than the base Legion.
Changed Ballista (Unique Unit) Now no longer requires set-up before attacking.
New Praemia Enclosure (Unique Building) Replaces the Courthouse, but can be built in all Cities (instead of just Occupied ones). Removes the Unhappiness penalty of having a City occupied. Costs -2 Gold maintenance and reduces the Culture cost of acquiring new tiles in the City by 50% compared to the Courthouse. Upon concluding a war with another Civilization, the City enters We Love the King Day.​

 

[RushSecond]

That's quite an undertaking, but sounds like worthwhile one. I'm worried that some of the changes can't be done through lua or xml; you would instead of to change the source code and create a custom dll, making this incompatible with some mods. For example, +% to faith doesn't work with xml even though it appears that it should.

 

[Cyphose]

you would instead of to change the source code and create a custom dll, making this incompatible with some mods.

Though this wasn't in the original post, I've since decided to adopt the Community Patch DLL as a dependency. It offers a lot of QoL changes for getting stuff like this done, and though it's slightly inconvenient to have to install it, it's also the most popular DLL mod and as such won't cause many compatibility issues--at least not as much as, say, a custom DLL mod made specifically for this project.