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I've been working on my very own patch for some time now, the purpose being to change the focus of non-EL games away from ICS to a more balanced approach. The main changes include:
1) Settlers & engineers are much more expensive.
2) All buildings require a higher upkeep, typically requiring a 40% tax rate just to break even
3) All citizens eat one unit of food
4) Settlers cost 2 food to maintain under monarchy and lower, 6(!) under communism and higher form of government
5) Only 1 free unit for monarchy
6) Unit values and abilities changed completely around: warriors are 6/2, phalanx are 5/3, archers are 6/3 with pathfinding, catapults, cannons and artillery all ignore city walls; legions and musketeers are amphibious; lots more
7) Cost and upkeep of city improvements changed around as well
8) Terrain improvement takes more time, especially irrigation of grasslands and mining on hills and mountains.
9) Grasslands give 1 food, +2 for irrigation; mountains give +3 shields with mining; ; swamps and jungles give 2 trade
10) Production rows are now 6 shields each instead of 10. This gives the AI another advantage, 33% discount as opposed to 20% (it goes from 6 > 4 per row instead of 10 > 8)
11) Pioneers added with Bridge Building as a prerequisite. They're faster settlers at a discount, and are not made obsolete by Explosives.
Additional rules include:
1) You may only establish trade routes with your own cities where the commodity is demanded AND the receiving city supplies a commodity that is demanded in the other city (doesn't matter if it's actually used).
2) You may not buy any city production ever. This creates a distinction between production and economy.
3) You may not bribe enemy cities (units are still okay). 4) You may not accept or demand tribute of the AI.
5) You may not share maps with the AI.
6) You may not use caravans to help wonder construction along (regular units are okay)
7) You must have both Monarchy and Republic before switching to to Monarchy; you must have both Democracy and Republic before switching to Republic; you must have all government techs before switching to Democracy; Fundamentalism and Communism not allowed.
All of this creates a need to reconsider your strategies, hopefully providing a whole new gaming experience. For one thing, terrain improvement is now an important factor in determining whether it's worthwhile to launch an invasion force. Conquests will also more often prove to be a sound alternative to colonization or infrastructure from an economic point of view.
The scenario isn't really one, you start out with a couple cities and units and the computer starts out with a bunch of cities [and possibly Vendettas against you
] Please don't dismiss all of this as a newbie's nonsense at first glance just because it's different, you just might end up enjoying it.
EDIT: Ideas and suggestions are more than welcome.
1) Settlers & engineers are much more expensive.
2) All buildings require a higher upkeep, typically requiring a 40% tax rate just to break even
3) All citizens eat one unit of food
4) Settlers cost 2 food to maintain under monarchy and lower, 6(!) under communism and higher form of government
5) Only 1 free unit for monarchy
6) Unit values and abilities changed completely around: warriors are 6/2, phalanx are 5/3, archers are 6/3 with pathfinding, catapults, cannons and artillery all ignore city walls; legions and musketeers are amphibious; lots more
7) Cost and upkeep of city improvements changed around as well
8) Terrain improvement takes more time, especially irrigation of grasslands and mining on hills and mountains.
9) Grasslands give 1 food, +2 for irrigation; mountains give +3 shields with mining; ; swamps and jungles give 2 trade
10) Production rows are now 6 shields each instead of 10. This gives the AI another advantage, 33% discount as opposed to 20% (it goes from 6 > 4 per row instead of 10 > 8)
11) Pioneers added with Bridge Building as a prerequisite. They're faster settlers at a discount, and are not made obsolete by Explosives.
Additional rules include:
1) You may only establish trade routes with your own cities where the commodity is demanded AND the receiving city supplies a commodity that is demanded in the other city (doesn't matter if it's actually used).
2) You may not buy any city production ever. This creates a distinction between production and economy.
3) You may not bribe enemy cities (units are still okay). 4) You may not accept or demand tribute of the AI.
5) You may not share maps with the AI.
6) You may not use caravans to help wonder construction along (regular units are okay)
7) You must have both Monarchy and Republic before switching to to Monarchy; you must have both Democracy and Republic before switching to Republic; you must have all government techs before switching to Democracy; Fundamentalism and Communism not allowed.
All of this creates a need to reconsider your strategies, hopefully providing a whole new gaming experience. For one thing, terrain improvement is now an important factor in determining whether it's worthwhile to launch an invasion force. Conquests will also more often prove to be a sound alternative to colonization or infrastructure from an economic point of view.
The scenario isn't really one, you start out with a couple cities and units and the computer starts out with a bunch of cities [and possibly Vendettas against you
] Please don't dismiss all of this as a newbie's nonsense at first glance just because it's different, you just might end up enjoying it.EDIT: Ideas and suggestions are more than welcome.
You will be challanged.
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