Should we try to influence the designers to extend the medieval period?

[wodan11]

Are you guys aware you can change the speed of each era with a simple text change in the CIV4GameSpeedInfo.xml file?

If you want Medieval to be 1000 turns long, just go in there and do it.

Wodan

[jkp1187]

Well, those "era" tags don't quite change the speed of each era, IIRC. I think it changes the speed of things if you choose to start in that particular era from the CUSTOM GAME screen.

[wodan11]

They do indeed change the speed of each era. I have changed mine and it works.

Wodan

[jkp1187]

Well then, problem solved, eh?

[snoopy369]

You can change how long each time period lasts. You can't change how long Medieval lasts. Medieval/Renaissance/etc. is defined by the techs you develop, not by a particular time period.

[wodan11]

You're right, Snoopy, but no offense you're nitpicking.

In more detail:

The CIV4GameSpeedInfo.xml file allows you to set the pace of successive "spans" of the game. The default for the Normal speed is that the first 75 turns uses 40 years per turn. The next 60 turns uses 25 years per turn. And so on.

Meanwhile, the Epic speed is 100 for 30/turn, 140 for 15/turn, 70 for 6/turn, 70 for 3/turn, 40for 2/turn, and 240 for 1/turn. As you see, the Modern era occupies a huge percentage of the game.

If you want to redefine your "Epic" speed to have, for example, the 2nd "span" to have 300 turns instead of 140, then go for it. Just make sure and decrease the # years per turn to compensate. The latter is what determines how fast you tech.

Also, it would be a good idea to keep the same # of years in each span. 140*15 = 2100, so if you change to 300 turns, change the 15/turn down to 7/turn.

Bottom line, changing speeds will slow down your tech pace, which will affect how long you are in the medieval period, for example.

Wodan

[jkp1187]

Originally posted by wodan11
You're right, Snoopy, but no offense you're nitpicking.

In more detail:

The CIV4GameSpeedInfo.xml file allows you to set the pace of successive "spans" of the game. The default for the Normal speed is that the first 75 turns uses 40 years per turn. The next 60 turns uses 25 years per turn. And so on.

Meanwhile, the Epic speed is 100 for 30/turn, 140 for 15/turn, 70 for 6/turn, 70 for 3/turn, 40for 2/turn, and 240 for 1/turn. As you see, the Modern era occupies a huge percentage of the game.

If you want to redefine your "Epic" speed to have, for example, the 2nd "span" to have 300 turns instead of 140, then go for it. Just make sure and decrease the # years per turn to compensate. The latter is what determines how fast you tech.

Also, it would be a good idea to keep the same # of years in each span. 140*15 = 2100, so if you change to 300 turns, change the 15/turn down to 7/turn.

Bottom line, changing speeds will slow down your tech pace, which will affect how long you are in the medieval period, for example.

Wodan

Then I misunderstood what you were saying earlier. This doesn't really do much beyond what simply playing Epic or Marathon will do -- other than giving you the chance to tweak the overall speed -- which is not, if I understand correctly, what the OP wanted to do.

[snoopy369]

I'm not nitpicking

The OP wants to have units last longer in terms of their usefulness. Expanding the years does little for that In fact, it's essentially irrelevant, except for a personal sense of realism - so long as there are X turns in the game, who cares what number is next to the turn?

What you are suggesting would accomplish lengthening the number of turns in the game, but would not change the tech rates. You are wrong in believing that years are related to tech rate; they have nothing to do with each other. Your suggestion would have a game that had a longer modern era, in that you would have more turns to get future tech - but not modify the number of turns where Knights and Macemen fight it out.

[joncnunn]

In my own games, the Midevil era is already often 2X as long as most of the other eras. When I complete the Oracle and choose Theology, it skips the Classical era entirely.

[snoopy369]

Why would you choose Theology from the oracle

[wodan11]

Hmm... Let me look into it.

You're right.

I think what would have to be done is to set iresearchpercent as well. Looking in CIV4GameSpeedInfo.xml, Marathon is set so that iresearchpercent is 300, which means it takes 3 times as long to research techs (all techs, throughout the game. By doing this, we would be adding turns to the game, which would normally mean we would research techs way early in time. Except...

In addition, it would be necessary to edit CIV4TechInfos.xml, to make the "medieval" techs require more beakers. With good balancing of the numbers, it would be possible to make this come out as desired.

Wodan

ps Theology is one of the absolute best choices for Oracle. I'm surprised that is even a question.

[joncnunn]

1. It's often the most expensive tech that can be granted by it.

2. It grants a religion. (I play choose relgiions)

3. It allows construction of AP

4. It allows construction of Sistine's Chapel

Originally posted by snoopy369
Why would you choose Theology from the oracle

[Lancer]

Originally posted by jkp1187
And marathon isn't enough????

No, it's really not enough. Sweeping time full of history, strife, beauty and war on a truly epic scale are what we're simulating here, not wham bam thank you maam.

[couerdelion]

Originally posted by Lancer


No, it's really not enough. Sweeping time full of history, strife, beauty and war on a truly epic scale are what we're simulating here, not wham bam thank you maam.

Yes but it does that to every era, not just medieaval.

Just one question though. Is it the Medieaval period you want to extend or the Pre-Industrial or what? Perhaps the problem is that Infantry and Tanks arrive too early.

[jkp1187]

Originally posted by Lancer


No, it's really not enough. Sweeping time full of history, strife, beauty and war on a truly epic scale are what we're simulating here, not wham bam thank you maam.

So what -- one turn per year?