Zombie Invasion

[fromAustria]

Zombie Invasion Beta

planned for 1.0:
- bug fixxing
- new map(s)
- multiplayer
- finishing the text files
- more athmosphere (better textures, backgrounds)

size: 82 MB, packed 29 MB
Uploadlinks:
Gamefront: http://www.gamefront.com/files/23630471/Zombie+Invasion.zip

This mod is a little bit different as the most other mods. You dont play in a world and build up your empire. You play in a city, and try to defend your positions against hordes of zombies.

It´s a Beta, so the most text files aren´t are missing, like civilopedia and strategy hints. therefore please tell me every bug or exploits. And please tell me what you think about the mod.

Cities in this mod are only important buildings, like airports, hospitals or barracks. The most of the commerces are not integrated, like culture. They´re only supplies (money) and army points (science). And one special city can build the "space projects". Your Army and cities dont need any more upkeep, the "money" is for defensive fortifications. You can get new Units threw science. And also some good promotions, like blitz or an experience boost per combat.

There two victory conditions: first is the "space victory" (you dont travel into space, you will find and produce a cure) second is the time victory. This will count for 200 rounds, and is optional.

nearly every army unit can use range attacks, which is save, but they don´t give experience, so choose wisely. Also every zombie unit determine collateral damage, so look that you dont stop your movement infront of an horde if you stack. Also an important note is that trucks/armoured cars can upload and unload infantry units even if they have no movement points left. This is actualy not intended, but i haven´t found a way to stop this, so its a good tactic to save your units in danger. It´s also not possible to heal your units without a medic on the same tile, or in a hospital-city.

also a good hint is to use ctrl + the arrow keys (< >) to switch in 45° degrees, to look behind of some big buildings.

Spoiler :

 

[Jarrema]

I'll try it, seems interesting!

 

[TrentonC]

I like this mod a lot! The gameplay is very fun and refreshing, collateral damage is a great idea because it adds a lot to the enjoyment. On a side note there are small grammar mistakes in the text such as "an howitzer", the errors don't really annoy me as much as the lack of capitalization though .

Just a couple suggestions though:

• You should change the camera angle or get new graphics for the buildings; I imagine changing the camera angle would be easier than new graphics.
  
• Multiple civs and replace Lincoln (There is a good Marine Leaderhead somewhere on the forums).
  
• Give survivors (more) of a purpose. Maybe make them something like a great people?
  
• More improvements for your territory.
  
• Scavengable buildings and the ability to build settlements if possible.

Really good mod though, great concept

 

[fromAustria]

On a side note there are small grammar mistakes in the text such as "an howitzer", the errors don't really annoy me as much as the lack of capitalization though.

Yes, my mother language is german, and my english isn´t the best. So thy´re some grammar errors, sorry for that. Capitalization is a word i´ve never heard before, leo.org means it means the upper case for words? For that i´m sure i have done some faults, but i tried to make it like in the vanilla Civ, where the most nouns are "big" (dont know if big is the right word, in german its just the word "Groß" for great, big, and some others, like upper case). And to the "an howitzer" i think thats actually right, cause you say "an hour" and wikipedia says also:

An howitzer is a type of artillery piece...

so what i understand a h followed by a vowel goes to "an"

• You should change the camera angle or get new graphics for the buildings; I imagine changing the camera angle would be easier than new graphics.

What do you mean with new graphics? lower, or smaller houses? Cause i think you mean with "a new angle" to look behind the block of buildings? I´m not sure if i can easily change the angle. But to change it 45° degrees wouldnt be bad, thats right.

• Multiple civs and replace Lincoln (There is a good Marine Leaderhead somewhere on the forums).

Both is planned. I want to make multiplayer scenarios for up to three players, and for this at least three different civs with there own leaderheads. (one american style, one russian, and one chinese or arabic or something else). I havent found another suitable leaderhead, and you see him just one time, thats why lincoln is in the beta the leader. And somehow i liked him. but in the next version he will be out.

• Give survivors (more) of a purpose. Maybe make them something like a great people?

This brings me to the question: what should they do as great peoples? I mean at the moment they´re only "science" which represents somehow the strenght of your troops and the logistic, and supplies, which represents your supplies. I mean would it make sense that survivors supplying the military with ammo, guns, or what else. Or if they would regulate the logistics? So if you have an idea please tell me, but i see no at the moment no good and comprehensible possibility.

• More improvements for your territory.

Which improvements do you mean, some like the pioneer walls? Cause cities dont have cityrange so they´re only defensive improvements that make sense.

• Scavengable buildings and the ability to build settlements if possible.

to the first: The Buildings in the mod are improvements, and the "impassables" features. to add scavengable buildings i would need to make a new dummy feature. so then they´re two options. first is to place it into the building, and make it passable, which would look like this:
The second would be to place it infront of the buildings on the street. Then the next would be what they bring. The only thing i could do with xml would be to make it cutable like the vanilla forests, which would give the cities , but there is nothing to build, except the space race, and this just in one city. I could maybe add it with the process, if this would convert 100% to or , maybe it would convert the "remove_forest" boni also. No idea, have to test that.

To the second: building settlements wouldnt make much sense, i mean, who wants to build an entire building next to the zombie apocalypse? The only thing i could imagine would be precast locatians where you can build something like a base. But its a realy interesting suggestion, and i will look what´s possible with my know-how.

And thanks for your suggestions/critique.

 

[TrentonC]

What do you mean with new graphics? lower, or smaller houses? Cause i think you mean with "a new angle" to look behind the block of buildings? I´m not sure if i can easily change the angle. But to change it 45° degrees wouldnt be bad, thats right.

By new graphics I meant higher quality textures, I don't think you should even but effort into making entirely new buildings because that would take a while . If it's possible to raise the camera angle in a mod that would simulate higher quality textures (since you are zoomed out).

Which improvements do you mean, some like the pioneer walls? Cause cities dont have cityrange so they´re only defensive improvements that make sense.

I meant things to be built inside of cities because it, although I acknowledge they are meant for defense, it seems odd that nothing would be happening within them beyond military defending them.

This brings me to the question: what should they do as great peoples? I mean at the moment they´re only "science" which represents somehow the strenght of your troops and the logistic, and supplies, which represents your supplies. I mean would it make sense that survivors supplying the military with ammo, guns, or what else. Or if they would regulate the logistics? So if you have an idea please tell me, but i see no at the moment no good and comprehensible possibility.

Yeah, I was thinking something like an engineer or merchant (but I would be really dangerous for that merchant)

Scavengable buildings and the ability to build settlements if possible.

I thought building new settlements would simulate something like falling back to different buildings. When I last played the mod I eventually lost two cities and I would have liked to build new ones in strategic areas.

 

[fromAustria]

By new graphics I meant higher quality textures, I don't think you should even but effort into making entirely new buildings because that would take a while . If it's possible to raise the camera angle in a mod that would simulate higher quality textures (since you are zoomed out).

ah, higher quality, dont know. i can only do basics at this. same at the angle.

I meant things to be built inside of cities because it, although I acknowledge they are meant for defense, it seems odd that nothing would be happening within them beyond military defending them.

that sounds logic.

Yeah, I was thinking something like an engineer or merchant (but I would be really dangerous for that merchant)

i dont know, i will think about whats possible, and what´s comprehensible. The survivors where only imagend by me to represent some survivors, not more. but maybe i find something.

I thought building new settlements would simulate something like falling back to different buildings. When I last played the mod I eventually lost two cities and I would have liked to build new ones in strategic areas.

Maybe some specific places to build settlements (regulated threw the terrain), builded threw limited units, gotten by techs.. I like the idea, but there are some technical issues, like buildings (with buildable buildings, you could build every of this buildings in one city, but one city represents just one building, so that would be a little bit strange).

 

[Jarrema]

Maybe some specific places to build settlements (regulated threw the terrain), builded threw limited units, gotten by techs.. I like the idea, but there are some technical issues, like buildings (with buildable buildings, you could build every of this buildings in one city, but one city represents just one building, so that would be a little bit strange).

Maybe a settler would be un-buildable unit that you get for free at certain techs?

or you can 'exchange' few refugees for one settler

 

[Mr.WorldWide]

Any chance you can upload the mod to civfanatics? Gamefront is acting stubborn and refusing to allow the entire file to download for me, cuts off after about 3 megabytes.

 

[Tschuggi]

interesting, I will try this... love the walking dead and never thought that could be brought in this way to cIV. Very cool!!

 

[Lib.Spi't]

First up just wanted to say WELL DONE!

This is great, very good use of the map to make a detailed city concept.

I woke up this morning and watched Walking Dead with my brother and then started thinking about ways to make a zombie mod (Despite already being up to my eyeballs in one mod!)

Then I stumbled across this and you have already done like 90% of the work... great!

Now I have only played a few turns, but I already have a lot of thoughts/ideas/etc. so I apologise for the word bomb I am about to drop, I will make it as simple and well formatted as I can!

Oh the other thing I had to say was I really like the idea of only the one faction, or 1 faction per player for multiplayer. As this gives you so much freedom to add things, as you do not have to worry about the dreaded AI!!

Here goes:
Survivors:

1. Immigrants: Using Orions Python Code, that allows a unit to join a city to add population. This can have multiple benefits, such as allowing you to have more specialists in a base to make more supplies, being absorbed and trained by the military stationed there, recycling bullets, making armour, fixing barricades, making dinner etc. etc. I will talk later about what other benefits can come from increased base population.

2. Upgrades: Now I did not get far into the game, and I don't think I managed to get any survivors to safety yet, so you may already have this feature. Upgrade survivors to combat troops, these could be rookies/trainees/militia or whatever, it can really be as detailed or simple as you like, these could then be upgraded again to infantry, or any other kind of unit/units you feel like.

Terrain:

1. Open Buildings: So in the game currently all buildings are impassable, which was a great idea for making streets etc. I would suggest making another Terrain building that is passable, and scatter them throughout your city blocks.

This gives you the ability to do a few things:
A. Defensive Locations: You can give different buildings different terrain defense values or simply make all buildings the same.
So 25% or 50% defense bonus or whatever, this allows your people to duck and cover when a zombie horde is spotted near by. You can even give promotions that allow units to get attack/defense bonuses for buildings.

B. Scavenging: No Zombie Apocalypse would be complete without some good old fashion scavenging!
Simply place an 'improvement' (You could even have different improvements that give more or less supply income) inside the building, and then the first person to come along can 'pillage' and you get supplies (supplies is just gold right?) the mechanic is already in the game for you to use!
There are even some mod comps about that allow you to expand the rewards from pillaging, or give promotions that do it. (I don't know if these are just SDK ones or if there is a python version of these) (I have been using a modified .dll for so long I forget what is available in different forms sometimes ) So pillaging can give gold/science/production/food/espionage/maps.

C. Occupation: I have some python code that I can make available that would allow you to limit where 'settlers' can settle to just those tiles with a particular feature like a 'defensible position' lets say, that you could put (like any feature) In buildings (because this is now a base terrain right?) or on top of hills or anywhere you please.
You can even have different buildings/features that would give a different kind of Base. Like you have Hospital/Airport/Barracks now, you can have a feature that when you found a base it gives you a building in your 'city' like Hospital, for example, which then give you a string of buildings that need a Hospital to be built, thus you can have Military bases, Medical bases, Supply bases, Fortified bases, or any other kind of base your heart desires! (I will talk more about 'buildings' in Bases(cities) soon)

Bases(Cities):
So quite a bit we could discuss about Bases, You could 'reintroduce' some of the base game concepts back into these to make it more interesting (Totally up to you) City radius would be a nice one to have back as you could do some stuff with that, you may be able to find a python person that could perhaps link it to city size, so a size 2 city gets a radius boost, and then a size 3 gets a full radius boost (the fat cross). This would give you the following things to play with.

City Radius:
A. Improvements: These could do all kinds of clever things:

1. Income: Now a unique concept for your mod could be 'stockpiling' (As you don't have an AI to worry about) So your Worker/Pioneer builds a 'Stockpile' Improvement for X turns, then you 'pillage' it and gain supplies, giving you a unique Production/'Farming'/Income system. More Workers and Radius Squares mean more Supplies!

2. Unit Production: Again I can make available some python I have (just to note none of this stuff was made by me, I just use it in my mod!) that does 2 things (2 bits of python) 1 spawns a certain unit when certain improvements are built and you have a certain civic active. The other allows certain units to spawn every once in a while from a certain improvement. So for example you could build a 'motor pool' or 'garage' improvement that would spawn trucks or cars or jeeps or whatever you like.

3. Improvement Requirements: Platy just recently released some rather nifty building requirement code that does the following:

Spoiler :

## <Item> Building or Unit
## <PrereqCivic> Requires Civic
## <iMinPopulation> Requires Minimum Population
## <MinCultureLevel> Requires Minimum Culture Level
## <iMinNationalityRatio> Requires Minimum Nationality Ratio
## <bWar> Requires Team to be at War
## <bPeace> Requires Team to be at Peace
## <bBuiltOnHills> Requires City to be Built on Hills
## <bVicinityHills> Requires Hills in City Radius
## <bVicinityPeak> Requires Peak in City Radius
## <PrereqVicinityTerrain> Requires Terrain in City Radius (AND)
## <PrereqVicinityORTerrain> Requires Terrain in City Radius (OR)
## <PrereqVicinityFeature> Requires Feature in City Radius (AND)
## <PrereqVicinityORFeature> Requires Feature in City Radius (OR)
## <PrereqVicinityBonus> Requires Bonus in City Radius (AND)
## <PrereqVicinityORBonus> Requires Bonus in City Radius (OR)
## <PrereqVicinityImprovement> Requires Improvement in City Radius (AND)
## <PrereqVicinityORImprovement> Requires Improvement in City Radius (OR)
## <AntiBuildings> Cannot have X in City (OR)

So this could allow you to have improvements like let's say a Generator, which would then allow various kinds of 'powered' buildings or units. So if you want to make a unit or building that needs power tools, you would need to have a generator and you would have to keep it protected from pesky zombie hordes that might try to throw a spanner in it! You could also have it for things like the 'garage' above that would then let you build vehicles in your base, all the while being uniquely vulnerable to destruction from the zombie hordes. (I will talk more about unit 'production' later)

 

[Lib.Spi't]

Buildings
(by buildings I mean Buildings that you make in cities(bases) not buildings as in terrain)
so the first thing to do is think about buildings not as buildings in buildings, but rather as rooms/upgrades/equipment/items.

So for example you could have, in a Medical Base, a Lab, then once you have a Lab, you could build a Centrufuge, or a Microscope, or a Samples Fridge, etc. that allow you to boost your Science Output.
In a Military base you could have a Field Hospital (boost to healing) that can then be upgraded with Extra Beds, Medical Supplies, Clean Sheets, etc. and then these can boost both supply(gold) and science rate or anything else that you want to reintroduce.
I could throw out a whole bunch of specific examples, but I will leave that for now.

Production: Units/Buildings
Another unique feature of the mod (again because no AI to worry about) could be the way in which you build units and 'buildings'.
If you set gold rushing to on all the time, you can then make buildings and units available to 'buy' with supplies (which sort of represents what you have managed to find and scavenge and the priorities that you have set when you order your boys to go looking for stuff)
You cannot build stuff normally as there are no hammers in the game(unless you decide to bring them back) so all productivity is controlled via your supply rate. You can further limit what can be built when and where using the stuff I have mentioned above as well as by what bonus resources you have, or any of the normal bts concepts. Resources could be claimed from the terrain, or 'produced' through certain buildings. There is even some code (can't remember if it is python or SDK. We are about to start looking into integrating it in our mod soon) that allows you to limit units by resources so for example 1 iron allows say 5 swordsman, etc. So again the kinds of buildings improvements or resources you have could effect troop/vehicle quantities.

Factions
As I said at the top I think this mod would be great if it just has one faction, or one faction per human player. As this frees you up to do all kinds of stuff without worrying about AI. (Like your land transports)
However I think you can set a limit on the number of factions on a map by size so multiple factions is not a problem, as you can choose just one to play or pick a scenario or mod version with more for MP.

So I had some rough thoughts on some faction ideas: (Based on an America Scenario, but you could make National scenarios with different countries having different strengths and weaknesses)

1. US Marine Corp: Best Troops, Lower Supply and Research Rates (representing an overall smaller man power pool, but high end military training)
2. National Guard: Well Armed Troops and equipment, but lower training than Marines, larger man pool than Marines, potentially with some special civil benefits from having an army made of people with a civilian job as well)
3. Civil/Emergency Services: Weaker Units generally, with special support units like ambulances, fire trucks, well protected melee units with fireman in full fire suits swinging fire axes etc.
4. Private Company (Mega Corporation type with fingers in all kinds of pies including Research, Defence and Private Military Companies): Powerful and generally speaking pure evil, it wouldn't surprise me if they were responsible for everything in their pursuit of a quick buck!
5. The Band of Survivors: This would be like the hard core mode! Where you get to live the life of a Band like all the great Zombie Movies and TV Shows.

The Details of these would obviously be subject to what the game is like overall.

Ok I think my brain is spent... For Now! I may well be happy to help you out with all this (Why...Why are you saying this you fool!!!) Because I think you have a great concept here.

 

[The_lol]

Please upload the mod to somewere else because I can't download it. I created this account just to say that the mod looks different and cool, but I can't try it

 

[Lib.Spi't]

Here:

Zombie Invasion Download

 

[The_lol]

Thanks. Playing right now

 

[WilliamOfOrange]

Dude! This is awesome! I love the city terrain and how you've done the improvements....exactly how I was planning on doing a mod. Would love to figure out the scales and what not, but might just use some of these graphics. And the game play, is great!

 

[Necratoid]

Played a Hollywood map (Hidden map), on default difficulty and quit in 8 turns. For reasons based entirely on frustration. I didn't have fun... mostly because I felt like I was Custer. Specifically the part were he showed up at the battle to discover he had painfully green troops that were doing everything possible wrong and had to try and turn a rout already in progress into military gold in negate 45 minutes. Seriously, the battle reads like his writer rage quit and was making a literary rude gesture the size of a city at his ungrateful readers, out of spite.

What I mean is that there doesn't seem to be any real point in holding buildings. In fact if I leave the survivors stationary or more them around the fair better than those idiots in the buildings. Those things attack zombies like fish to a dolphin mad scientists magnet. They are useless to have as well. The best idea I can find is to just least the useless things alone. In a game where the point is to hold them.

I say useless as they attract zombies while providing no benefit that matters. I think I get some supplies and :Science: points each turn. Supplies are only used to build +20% and +40% fortifications... meaning an empty field is more defensible than these useless buildings I'm suppose to be building. That second turn starts with me being actively forced to select build Nothing on all buildings I control... or examining the buildings do nothing. That seemed like rubbing it in to me.

That my units don't heal except for in cities/ with a medic I get... but considering I can't fortifiy (I need to shoot the zombies to weaken them or My unhealing, unskilled guy die comically faster. If a Fleshbeast doesn't pop in existence and kill the 4 at a time on its first turn anyway. Did I mention the safest thing for survivors in to sit down and knit where they started?

---
What you need to do is provide a point to this game. I can't see any reason to go into the city or a point to getting survivors into those comically indefensible lunch boxes you call buildings. Rather than only whine about it I have actual suggestions.

First, Decide on a story plot. Are you sent in to save the living? Is this a local issue or national? Global? Is this some spiteful, alien, film critic's attempt to get its money back (pounds of flesh) from Hollywood for some terrible movie? This kind of thing effect game mechanics.

Second, have zombies drops when you kill them. More kills mean more . This is because your gaining experience killing them and convincing your superiors that your worth sending resources to help. It'd be better to have you buy troops with supplies at say, the airport and the harbors (or buildings with helipads or something.)

Third give me useful starting buildables. I'd suggest generic ones like:
a) Secure the doors (fortification increase)
b) Board up the windows (fortification increase)
c) Roof spotters (fortification increase and + Line of sight for that building)
d) Second floor sniping positions (Increases damage from shooting while in the building)
e) Field clinic (Requires medic on site to build units heal an extra 5% a turn on square)
f) Activate the emergency generator (costs supplies to do, but provides local power)

As buildings are set, also make location specific buildings. I'd suggest contacting the C2C guys or something for how to do this part, basically make each building of a certain 'culture type' and make that determine what each building can make:
Airports can make things like:
-Man the tower (LOS range boost)
-Secure/ fix the Helipad/runway to allow unlock units to be spawned as a built unit costing supplies

Harbor:
-secured docks (can build units for supplies)

Hospital:
-operating room (Healing boost for the tile

 

[cool.sound]

they have a similar mod/scenario for civ 3

might want to check it out for ideas

downloading now...waiting for PAE5

 

[cool.sound]

hey do not get discouraged!!!

it is fun and a great idea!!!

keep working on it please

 

[donalpanko]

awesome im downloading it right now

 

[norms29]

is it intended that all the UI (unit stats, minimap, the examine city screen) be missing? or is that a glitch that's happening to me?