MOD: Ten Colonies

[The Rusty Gamer]

Ten Colonies Ver 2.10 with PatchMod 1.07 by Rusty Gamer

A MOD for Civ4:Colonisation

The idea of this MOD is to make it hard, nigh on impossible to win the game with a small number of colonies.

I have comepletely revamped this from previous versionS, so forget about them.

A certain number of settlements are required before you may build certain buildings. See the table below.

Colonies Buildings
-------- ---------
1 dock, church
2 schoolhouse, stable
3 warehouse, carpenter's shop expansion
4 stockade, armory
5 blacksmith's shop, fur trading post, rum distillery, tobacconist's shop, weaver's shop
6 drydock, cathedral
7 college, ranch
8 printing press
9 fort, magazine
10 lumber mill

Most significantly, 10 colonies are required before you can begin building lumber mills. Since many of the more advanced and level 3 buildings require a lumber mill as a pre-requisite, this changes the game in a major way.

Also, once the war of independance is declared, you can no longer build lumber mills. This gives you only a certain window of time.

If you cannot remember all the building requirements while in a game, check the pedia.

Other changes:

All level 1 buildings now only allow 1 worker to begin with, with the exception of the town hall which allows 2. Level 2 buildings allow 1 more. This is an attempt to address the problem that level 3 buildings don't appear to be needed to win and thereby pushing colonists out to found new colonies rather than hanging around unemployed.

** NEW to 2.10 ** Production had been lowered for most buildings in 2.00. After some retrospect, this has now been changed back to the standard game level.
** NEW to 2.10 ** The newspaper (a level 3 building) now requires a lumber mill for consistency with other level 3 buildings.
** NEW to 2.10 ** The carpenter's shop now begins with only 1 worker.
** NEW to 2.10 ** A new building to replace the carpenter's shop, the carpenter's shop expansion, is avalable at 3 colonies or more, costs 50 hammers, and allows another worker.

Wagon trains, as well as the standard 40 hammers, now also require 25 horses. Furthermore, the hurry cost is now rediculously high (1000 times). This is to curtail what some see as an exploit of "infinite" cargo space.

Docks produce +2 fish as per usual, but dry docks now produce an additional fish (+3) and ship yards another one again (+4).

Copied AoD2 1.06 yield info for more balanced adjustments to markets.

Indentured servants, being more aware of their need for freedom than free colonists are, and being more religious (praying for freedom) now have +1 more than free colonists in producing liberty bells and crosses.

Pretty criminals, having more of a bent towards booze and violence, can produce +1 rum or musket more than free colonists.

The reasoning behind the last two is simply that it seems too predictable to just educate those below the free colonist level. Therefore I gave them some superior traits so that you have more strategic choices.

** PatchMod Version Only ** Treasure requires a cargo of 6 but takes up only a berth of 2.

Vanilla version is attached.

PatchMod Version: Download

[The Rusty Gamer]

Version 1.10 is now available, with more building restrictions. See the OP.

[The Rusty Gamer]

Version 1.20 now uploaded with even more building restrictions. Again, see the OP.

I've noticed no-one here has even downloaded my mod. Is no-one interested?

[Dale]

I think everyone is still in shock that there's a mod here instead of only being at that other site.

[The Rusty Gamer]

Thanks for that Dale. At least I'm not being completely ignored in my efforts. I've put a link in my signature - maybe that will give it a boost. Now to go alter my signature at that "other" site.

[Dale]

You'll probably find that the hard-core vanilla / patch players are here, whilst at the other site there's more casual players who like a bit of mod action. There's still an audience here, just sometimes it takes a bit to get them moving.

[The Rusty Gamer]

Thx Dale. So, what do you think of my mod idea? Can you see what I'm trying to do?

[Dale]

Haven't had a chance to play with it yet, been hard at work trying to get achievements done. It's on my list to look at though, definitely.

[N35t0r]

re the indentured servant/slave extra production, I think that's intended... They are meant to be sub-par workers. I don't think there's a need to make them more productive, as the time spent studying already represents an opportunity cost. Maybe they should take longer than free colonists to get educated (not sure if it's already the case, or if it's even possible though), slaves more so than indentures, or require more money, or both.

On the original col it was more noticeable, as you had to spare a professional's production turns.

[The Rusty Gamer]

What I meant was, it's a pretty predictable strategy to train servants and criminals as quickly as possible, so by giving them a little more bite in a couple of areas that a free colonist, you may not be so hasty to train them in the early stages. I did this to give a bit more of a strategy choice.

Actually, I was considering making converted natives more powerful as well, giving them +2 where they have a +1. This is because I tend to find them a bit of a nuisance, I don't know what to do with them because they are still quite inferior to master/experts etc. Once you've got them, why do you need converted natives?

[The Rusty Gamer]

1.30 now uploaded with all building requirements scaled according to map size, including lumber mills!

[The Rusty Gamer]

1.31 now uploaded.

You can no longer build lumbers mills once the WOI has started! You must be very strategic now in building and then planning when you are ready to declare independance.

I've also revamped the readme, removing the mod history clutter.

[Cort Haus]

I'm not experienced enough yet to need to step up the challenge, TRG, but best of luck with your mod.

[Rusty Nail]

I think the basic idea with this mod is excellent because it encourages the player to use all the possibilities and think more strategically. But it is not quite there yet. You can still win (I believe—am currently testing this) with three colonies. I notice that the AI begins buying liberty bells in earnest long before they get to size 10. The problem is that you don't really need those third level buildings at present.

The key change is to FORCE the player to form 10 colonies (standard size) and third level buildings by making a DoI dependent on at least one third level building (factory, etc) in each of 10 colonies. THEN and only then can the player build an "Independence Congress" and declare independence. This is also more realistic historically.

Can you make such a change, Rusty Gamer? Then it would be really great. Some of Dale's ideas could be used also. The two mods togeher, with the above change, would be ideal.

[The Rusty Gamer]

I've got a version incorporating patchmod, which for some reason I didn't put up here but only on another site.

Rusty Nail, to do what you suggest requires some code changing and proabaly compiling a dll which I don't at the stage know how to do.

Dale could probably do this quite easily in his sleep if he was so inclined (hint hint Dale).

Another possiblity is to make the lumber mill required for level 2 buildings or ten colonuies for all level 2 buildings but that might make it just a little too hard to play.

[The Rusty Gamer]

I've just uploaded version 1.33 which alters some costs. Unfortunately, I can't upload the patchmod version here as it is too big.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Pretty criminals, having more of a bent towards booze and violence, can produce +1 rum or musket more than free colonists.

[The Rusty Gamer]

Well PrinceMyshkin, you gotta admit, that's different. And it gives them unqiue abilities.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Nice

[Mortone_DK]

Hi

You mod sounds wonderful, but i have difficulty getting it to work, I have loaded the mod. selected "play now" -> Random player -> Large map.

But when i have foundet my first town, its possible for me to build "lumber Mill" from the beginning, even i only have 1 colony? and that should only be possible after 12 colonies with the mod. What im i doing wrong?

I upper right corner of the mail screen its say "ten colonies 1.33"

Hope that you can help me.

EDIT: I got to work with the "Ten Colonies 1.33 with Patchmod 1.07".
very nice mod. :-)

[Rusty Nail]

Regarding the requirement for 4 colonies (standars size) before you can build a fort and other level-2 buildings, the way it now works is that you can only build ONE fort, etc. for EVERY four stockades, etc. i.e you cannoy have a fort in evey colony. I find this very restrictive, and suspect it was not intnded to work this way. What do you say, Rusty Gamer?

[The Rusty Gamer]

Owch! You're right! That was NOT my intention at all. I didn't know it worked that way. I'll have to rethink the design.

There's a number of cities required variable which I might have to use instead. But it won't scale for the map size in that case. Also, the number of buildings won't be the pre-requisite.

[The Rusty Gamer]

I'm thinking too, maybe since you don;t seem to need level 3 buildings, to curtail the power of all the buildings - say one less slot per bulding and one less thing generated.

[The Rusty Gamer]

Ok, I haven't fixed the BUG of only 1 in every 4 etc (could you verify this please RustyNail); however, I believe I have addressed the problem re not needing third level buildings. Try 1.34 which is now uploaded.

Vanilla is in the OP or, with Patchmod:

Ten Colonies 1.34 with Patchmod 1.07

[Rusty Nail]

I atttach the game file. Notice that I cannot build more forts, nor weaver shops, nor tobacconist shops, as I have one already and only 6 colonies.

[Rusty Nail]

Further in the same game as above, now with 9 colonies, I still cannot build a second fort. However, I can build a second level 2 building where I have one already (confirming 1 for every 4 colonies). Another anomaly, I built a drydock after 8 colonies (should be 14 according to the civilopedia. That must be a typo as you can build a shipyard after 10). Also here, note that I cannot build a second drydock anywhere. (seeme to work like the fort for some reason).

[The Rusty Gamer]

Ok, I dont need to look at the saved file - I'll take your word for it. I'll have to revamp the whole thing, though it might be an advantage to have 1 in every 4 etc. depending on the building.

[Rusty Nail]

Actually, I think you are right. 1 in 4 is not a bad idea for level 2 production buildings, as you don't need more than thast in practice. The problem arises with forts, fortresses and drydocks. Shipyards I haven't thoiught so much about.

[The Rusty Gamer]

Mind you, in my latest version, I've lowered their output and numner of units allowed. Maybe that will help feel the need for level 3s. Have you checked it out?

I've also discovered how to create new buildings. I've been playing around with a carpenter shop expansion and extension idea. I think maybe the expansion should only be available after establishing 4 colonies and brings it up to the level that is given to the carpenters shop in normal game. An expansion might be available after (say) 7 colonies are founded, and is sort-of between a carpenter's shop and a lumber mill. The point is, it will force people to build more colonies. Or maybe (to avoid confusion) it should be expansion I and expansion II.

[The Rusty Gamer]

Version 2.00 is now up!

A major revamp due to an unforseen effect in having a number of buildings as pre-requisites.

Building restrictions are now based on the number of colonies established and have been rearranged. There is no scaling for map size unfortunately.

The power of most level 1 and 2 buildings have been lowered to develop a greater need for level 3 buildings.

There may be more tweaks based on feedback etc.