A new mod enters the ring - Introducing "Close to Home"

[Charriu]

And I assume underneath

C:\Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4 Complete

there is

C:\Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4 Complete\Beyond the Sword\Mods

right?

[Charriu]

I think I found the cause for this, civac2.

In the mod you find

/Info/CvAltRoot.py

open this with any text editor. In there stands the following:

## CvAltRoot
##
## Tells BUG where to locate its files when it cannot find them normally.
## This is common when using the /AltRoot Civ4 feature or sometimes on
## non-English operating systems and Windows Vista.
##
## HOW TO USE
##
## 1. Change the text in the quotes below to match the full path to the
##    "Beyond the Sword" folder that contains the CivilizationIV.ini file.
##    Make sure to use forward slashes (/), even for Windows paths.
##
##    Windows XP: "C:/Documents and Settings/[UserName]/My Documents/My Games/Beyond the Sword"
##
##    Windows Vista: "C:/Users/[UserName]/Documents/My Games/Beyond the Sword"
##
##    MacOS: "/home/[UserName]/Documents/Beyond the Sword"
##
## 2. Copy this file to the "Python" folder.
##    When BUG is installed as a mod, the folder is "Assets/Python".
##    When BUG is installed normally, the folder is "CustomAssets/Python".
##
## Copyright © 2008 The BUG Mod.
##
## Author: EmperorFool

rootDir = "C:/Documents and Settings/[UserName]/My Documents/My Games/Beyond the Sword"

[NobleHelium]

Okay, so maybe installing it in the game installation folder avoids this potential problem because it is not using the AltRoot. But installing it in the My Documents folder avoids file permissions issues. So if you run Windows on an administrator account (which I do not recommend), then installing it in the game installation folder is better.

[civac2]

Still doesn't work. Screenshots taken in CTH get saved correctly.

[civac2]

OK, so the turn error message was gone for a while. But I don't understand what I did differently. It's back now. The mod will create the balance and combat log files in the Documents\My Games\Beyond The Sword directory but can't write anything into those files.

Edit: If I run the mod as a local admin and load it directly via setting it as default in the ini the balance log gets written and there are no errors on turn transitions. Combat log does not work even under these circumstances.

[scooter]

I have some thoughts on Inca and India.

Inca UB: Makes city act as a source of fresh water instead of +2 culture

So, I think this makes Inca an extremely weak civ. Part of the thing with Inca is they’ve always been a civ that is purely defined by their UB. Their UU is essentially a null unit against humans because its entire value is rushing high level AIs that get free Archers. Their techs are below average in BtS, although they’re pretty decent in CTH now. But this UB is just kind of a big nothing? Maybe I’m missing something, but what is the scenario in which this is a major benefit? It’ll definitely help the occasional city that needs a farm and can’t get one pre-CS, but surely that’s a very niche benefit with very low utility on most maps. I ask that because while the original UB does need some sort of nerf or change, it does need to be a pretty good UB as long as that UU stays useless. Otherwise, I don’t know why you would ever pick Inca unless you absolutely need Agriculture/Mysticism. In a pure balance mod, I could be talked into dumpstering Inca because the concept of culture on a Granary is nearly impossible to balance. In a mod like this, I’m not so sure? I think this is probably a bottom-5 civ right now, and that feels a bit wrong in a Close to Home mod.


It’s hard for me to make a constructive suggestion though. 70h already seemed a bit tough in the last iteration. What about something like 65h and 1 culture/turn? I just think removing the culture requires a total overhaul of this civ, so maybe we just tune it down a few notches but keep the core conceit? I think it’s either that, or go with your new bonus and rethink their UU.

India UU: movement 2 instead of 3, start with Mobility promotion, Cost 70 instead of 60

This is maybe a hot take, but I think this might make India the worst civ in the game. India’s Fast Workers in BtS are strongest for two reasons IMO: 1) they snowball the early turns hard, and 2) the 3 moves gives them all kinds of options as the game goes on. The fact that no trait in CTH gets a worker bonus already mildly nerfs them, and then the 70h is a big issue I think. So, now the FW only speeds your snowball when chopping or moving onto hills (and a few other edge cases), but it no longer helps things like improving resources 2 tiles away. In addition, the FW will consistently come out 1-2 turns later. What’s the benefit of saving a turn on a chop if you’ve already lost that turn by the time the FW comes out? Of course, you can still “profit” on future uses, but scenarios to take advantage will dry up quickly. The earliest uses of the FW are the most valuable, and they’re completely wiped out with the 70h cost.


The 70h also means you cannot just double whip a FW in any city that can scrounge together 4 pop (or chop/whip post-Maths), so hammer-starved cities stuck at 1-2hpt will flat-out not be able to double whip them for way longer, which is a severe disadvantage over a regular worker. There are now a lot of cases where a regular worker is better than a FW, and like Inca, this FW is the whole civ.

Suggestion: either drop the 70h OR revert to 3 movement (no mobility). I think one nerf or the other is enough, but both in tandem is really punishing. I think one nerf + the removal of the worker trait bonus is plenty, because you can’t just pick the right trait to sidestep this issue. This is in contrast to Inca who are harder to balance because the Expansive Granary bonus is still available.

[Old Harry]

I agree the terrace nerf seems harsh. I think the intention is to make dry corn/rice/wheat cities stronger and allow you to cottage every river tile, so it is pretty map-dependent. I wonder if making it 10-15h cheaper would make it worthwhile?

If not would 0.5 culture per turn work, or is culture rounded?

I want to stick up for the Quechua though - a 15h MP unit available until civil service is great.

[Charriu]

0.5 culture is not possible, because it's implemented as an integer and I don't want to open that can of worms.

I think bringing the FW back to 60 is reasonable.

I will think about the Inca some more. Yes the bonus is rather map dependent. Maybe I go back to the previous implementation for now.

[Hitru]

I agree with Scooter regarding terrace, it's pretty bad UB right now, but OH is right about mp value of Quechua. My initial thoughts re India is heavily map dependent going from horrible to fine. So heavy nerfs to both India and Inca.

[GeneralKilCavalry]

Seconded on the india nerf. I don't think that giving what amounts to free creative to inca is great. +1 culture and 70 hammers makes it just about right, since in our picking methods, inca will be paired with exp. Otherwise, just make it something like 60 hammers no trait boost?