Rebalancing Civ4: RtR Mod

[GrafvMonteDisco]

yea but deer is the only resource that's really worth having hunting for early whereas there are 3 different grain resources which can spawn at your starting location plus agri is more expensive and helps getting pottery earlier and not just AH like hunting does. So unless you already know its a deer start agriculture is way better in every category than hunting.
Is it hard to implement different starting techs or what did you mean by saying it is too complicated to re-do?

[Cyneheard]

Re: Starting techs, as a last word by me for now:

If we were doing a comprehensive UU/UB re-work, I'd look at starting techs as well, but almost certainly only in one way: cost of the techs. It's too complicated to re-do because of all of the knock-on effects that changing starting techs does to the game. This may happen a few months from now, but right now the goal's to get the key changes in: the meta-game changes (drafting, corporations, slavery, workshops, etc. etc.) and leaders/traits, because those are easier problems to define and manage.

RB Mod v1.1 (I forgot about version 1.0, which we did a while ago, but we've gone on a different tack from there, which removed corporations). Available here: RB Mod v1.1

RB Mod v0.51 to 1.1 changelog:

Corporations:
Going to give T-Hawk's proposal a try (get an executive when you complete the relevant tech, the Corporate HQ can be built with the appropriate Great Person, HQ bonus is only 1gpt per city, Mercantilism has to lose the Foreign Corps restriction because of the mechanics of that process). This has not been implemented yet; I expect a v1.2 will come out when T-Hawk gets that working.

T-Hawk's No Espionage fix has been included. This means, if No Espionage is checked:
Great Spy points come out as Great Merchant points
Espionage points just don't do anything
Cultural costs of expanding borders are unchanged
Spies cannot be built
Graphs are always visible

Wonders: The Great Wall has been restored to its original version, providing Great Spy points in a normal game.

Spies:
Spies now spawn with an otherwise un-gettable promotion, "Secretive", which makes them blind: they only see the tile they're standing on.

UUs and UBs:
These have been discussed, so here are the final changes:

(Sadly, these all have their original artwork, which isn't always what we want)

American Mall:
Grocer replacement now. Added benefits:
+1 happy from Deer, Sugar, Hit Singles, Movies, and Musicals.

American Minuteman:
Replaces the Rifleman, starts with Guerilla I and Woodsman I

Japanese Pagoda:
Replaces the Observatory, provides +10% hammers

German Assembly Plant:
Standard Factory, but enabled at Steam Power

German Kanone (German word for cannon, unless someone who knows more German than I has a better idea?):
Replaces the Cannon, costs 80h instead of 100h

Russian Research Institute:
Replaces the University, +1 Free Scientist

[regoarrarr]

American Minuteman:
Replaces the Rifleman, starts with Guerilla I and Woodsman I

I thought this was going to replace the musketman?

[Ruff_Hi]

Spies:
Spies now spawn with an otherwise un-gettable promotion, "Secretive", which makes them blind: they only see the tile they're standing on.

I'm assuming this is in a game that does not have spying disabled. Where was the discussion for this promotion. I don't remember seeing it. Does this have any impact on 'city visibility' (you can see the tiles around a city once you have enough EPs as if a unit of yours was standing in the city).

[GrafvMonteDisco]

German Kanone (German word for cannon, unless someone who knows more German than I has a better idea?):
Replaces the Cannon, costs 80h instead of 100h

Instead of just using a cannon that is cheaper I was looking for something that could work as a replacement and has somewhat the same features of a cannon and some historical relevance.

I came up with shock troops:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_troops

That's basically an elite troop for busting enemy defenses and was used during the world wars by the Germans a lot. So just in case someone wants to design another unit that could replace a cannon that would be my idea. A cannon that is cheaper would fit as well I guess since it must be cheaper than building up artillery or something.

Another thing. How about having a grenadier as a unique unit. Is it possible to make them draftable. Otherwise we will have so many rifle- and musketmen as UU. Could possibly mix that up a little and encourage people to research the bottom of the tree earlier and push with grenadiers and cannons.

[Twinkletoes89]

One idea I've just thought of (& feel free to shoot it down) is perhaps a different UU for America.

The Pioneer - basically a Settler with 1 extra movement point. I imagine it would make it possible to move onto a hill & still settle on same turn. I can't see it as remarkably game-breaking but its a bit different to another rifle UU & we have a worker UU so why not a settler UU?

[fire&ice]

Maybe instead of the extra movement which seems weak in most cases.

Give the pionear unit extra sight so that they can travel safer through the wilds. I mean with 3 movement points they travel faster then any unit you can have at the time. (I think)

While the extra sight may seem weak it means you can send settlers out safer in the wilds thus allowing for weaker settle escorts. Or even set up Settler sentry nets.

[GrafvMonteDisco]

I think if you want to use a settler as unique unit you have to have even more improvements because it disappears pretty quickly. Something in the lines of wherever you settle early you need one move and have it cheaper. Otherwise I don't know if you can leverage the unique settler well enough. give 3 moves + mobility or even more moves. But I like this idea very much :D

[fire&ice]

If you wanted some way for a settle UU to be effective. You could simply say each settle when turned into a city gives you a free warrior with 0 movement points, not upgrade, and cost no unit costs.

P.S. If you do descide to use this I have no idea how you could code it.

[Ruff_Hi]

If you wanted some way for a settle UU to be effective. You could simply say each settle when turned into a city gives you a free warrior with 0 movement points, not upgrade, and cost no unit costs.

P.S. If you do descide to use this I have no idea how you could code it.

I think the only coding would be python based. You would need to add the new warrior unit via xml and then use the 'onSettle' (or similar) event to auto create the unit. There are mods about that do this so I know the code has been used elsewhere.