Another idea that was sitting on my todo list for a while.

What?
A passive ability for units that makes the tile they are standing on untargetable by hostile overland spells.
(definitely not in combat though, that would be almost as good as magic immunity)

Why?
Because it's difficult to protect ores or other resources as is. Your only options are diplomacy (not go to war with anyone that has chaos books), denial of scouting, and corrupting your own resource until the end of the war then cleaning it up.

Why not?
Because it could also protect armies from Fire Storm, or cities from city curses. However we can easily circumvent this if we make the ability only affect "terrain altering spells".

Which unit?
I see several possible viable routes.
1. None. It would be a mod exclusive ability that's not on units by default.

Otherwise, Life benefits by far the most from the spell (as it relies on normal units a lot) and Nature the second most (as it can create them by Trransmute) which means...

2. Fire Giant. Chaos is already kinda assigned to be the realm to protect resources through Corruption and an uncommon creature in the same realm makes sense, this being the only one that wields magic already (fireball spell).

And finally the not so good options :

3. Unicorns. Traditionally associated with protection and being reliant of clean, pure environments. However this is bad for game balance, and should be avoided as it's a Life spell.
4. Water Elemental. Makes very little sense why they'd do it but it's the only uncommon Sorcery creature and Sorcery is the "protection from bad magic" realm.

Of course, not implementing this ability is also a possible outcome as we've already discussed many times that the destruction of these resources is intended to happen frequently as an indirect balancing mechanic (ultimately the ores are a major luck factor in the game, they shouldn't be too reliable and should require effort to keep protected)

Here is my proposal on how to improve Power Link.

Current text :

Quote:Whenever another player casts a weak overland spell, if the base cost of that spell is below 100, gain 4 times that much power at the end of that turn, or if the cost is below 500, gain 500 minus the cost. The link misdirects the effect of Drain Power and Spell Blast, countering those spells, and has no effect on spells costing 500 or higher, or during Time Stop.

Quote:Whenever another player casts an overland spell, the smaller of 500-x or 4x power is generated in your linking pool four times, where x is the base cost of the spell. The linking pool can hold at most 10000 power and each turn, one third of the stored amount can be extracted as power income. Power Link has no effect during Time Stop and counters Spell Blast and Drain Power.

Quote:Whenever another player casts an overland spell, the smaller of 500-x or 4x power is generated in your linking pool four times, where x is the base cost of the spell. The linking pool can hold at most 10000 power and each turn, one third of the stored amount can be extracted as power income.

Hello, I am going to be on a trip and away from internet from May 25 - 30 and am looking for someone to cover my turns for PB69 during this time.  You'll be playing Pacal of Mali.  In general players have empires with city-counts in the low teens and tech era is somewhere around Medieval tech era.

I'll have instructions for what to do as we get closer, but I'm just looking for someone to hold the fort down until I get back.  

Thanks in advance!

Introducing - Caster of Magic Uncluttered
https://www.moddb.com/mods/caster-of-mag...ttered-mod

version  1.3.2  


Summary
Have you ever noticed that Caster of Magic heavily encourages mass-recruiting mediocre cheap units and allows AI to have extreme army sizes blanketing the entire strategic map and leading to numerous inconsequential battles?

This mod attempts to minimize 'war of attrition' gameplay via economy and military rebalancing, particularly aimed at AI, resulting in a significant reduction of recruitable units in the late game.

City production maximum potential is lower, with top productivity building emphasizing production of building bonuses. 

Gold maintenance of economy buildings much lower, but overall gold income reduced and unit upkeeps increased. What makes you or other wizards poor is not your own cities simply existing, but having an excessive number of units.

There's a handful of balance changes and spell redesigns unrelated to main goal of mod, for personal enjoyment.

Capital cities are far more productive, gaining the following benefits over all other cities:

• +25% max population (note that overall terrain gives less max pop)
  
• +1 food per farmer
  
• +0.5 production per worker
  
• +0.25 gold per citizens
  
• +4 research
  
• -1 unrest
  

• Each worker past 2 will lose 25% of its base production (usually penalty starts with 4th worker).
  
• Each worker past 7 will lose 37.5% of its base production.
  
• Farmers stop giving production (hammers) after 9 of them
  
• Loss summarized by grey hammers and 'overproduction penalty' label
  

• Plains have 1 max pop (from 1.5)
  
• Rivers, lakes, rivermouth shores have 1.5 max pop (from 2, 2, and 2.5)
  
• Mountain terrain have a 6% production bonus (instead of 7%). Volcanic terrain retain their 7% bonus.
  
• Coal is far less likely to appear. Iron is more likely to appear.
  
• Gold and gems grant weaker gold bonuses
  

• Magic weapons only grant +5% to hit (from +10%)
  
• However, physical attack oriented units have base +5% to hit, balancing out units with magic weapons. Exceptions to hybrid attackers and the lowly spearmen
  
• Ultra Elite grants +1 breath/thrown
  

• Distinct bottom tier of 15-20 cost units.
  
• Distinct basic tier of 50-60 cost, 2 upkeep units.
  
• Distinct mid-tier of 80-140 cost, 4 upkeep units. Ones from fighter's guild get further improvements from having Armorer's Guild built (at an added cost).
  
• Spearmen: +5 cost (+50%) 6 figures, 3 melee, 2 armor, -5% to hit relative to other units.
  
• Bowmen: -10 cost, 5 figures, -1 resistance
  
• Swordsmen 5 figures 5 melee 4 armor 4 resist, 3 movement 50 cost
  
• Halberdier 55 cost
  
• Cavalry: +1 armor, +1 resist, 55 cost 
  
• Catapult: +1 attack, +1 armor, +2 resist, +18 cost (+29%)
  
• Mid-tier fighter's guild units have added stats, generally cost 100
  
• New klackon warriors – 110 cost fighter's guild unit with stats higher than a halberdier but no abilities
  
• High Men base resistance is -1 (from -2), but mid-tier units less cost effective
  
• High Men crusaders now a top tier 200 cost unit.
  
• Gnoll wolf riders cheaper.
  
• Nomad base resistance is +2 (from +3), but city gold trade bonus is more substantial for smaller towns
  
• Fighter's Guild units had cost increased, stats upgraded, 3-4 upkeep.
  
• Upkeep Costs generally increased: cavalry 2, priest 3, catapult 3,
  
• Barbarian gladiators slightly buffed, race fell behind due to changes elsewhere
  
• Barbarian units no longer have resistance penalties, but their to hit bonus now matches the lower +5% of magic weapons
  
• Barbarian ships begin with +10% to hit (they are supposed to rule the seas but without magic weapons they clearly don't)
  
• Galley and Warship now have upkeep cost
  
• A few minor tweaks here and there
  

• Distinct upper-tier of 240+ cost, 6-9 upkeep units (double food upkeep).
  
• Top tier units significantly stronger across the board and may have additional abilities.
  
• Jackal Riders now require fighter's guild. Armorer's guild will buff these units.
  
• Beastmen have manticores replaced by Gorgons (original graphics, stats balanced around being a normal unit)
  
• Nightmares cost more, can cast terror spell
  
• High Men crusaders now a top tier 200 cost unit, can cast  holy armor instead of healing.
  
• Golems cost far more, require Armorer's Guild, lose some durability stats, but gain magic immunity.
  
• Horde cost and stats increased, but not to the level of other top-tier units.
  

• No longer cheats with steep upkeep cost reductions (smaller reductions still present)
  
• gains stronger gold, city growth, and production bonuses
  
• Higher priority to recruit top-tier units over mid-tier
  
• Some other minor prioritization tweaks
  

• Starting wizards begin with 5 fewer power and skill points.
  
• Selecting fewer than 4 books of a realm no longer robs you starting power or skill
  
• All wizards start with 4 research points in capital
  
• Channeler makes monuments and linking towers towers 20% cheaper to build
  
• Spellweaver makes amplifying towers 25% cheaper to build.
  
• Artificer grants regular magic weapons to mechanical units even if alchemist guild is not present
  
• Charismatic halves race relations unrest penalty.
  
• Selecting 10 books of a realm grants you an additional starting common spell
  
• Sage Master can build research structures faster (20% bonus) but has a weaker +10 research.
  
• Guardian can build city walls twice as fast, but max pop bonus is +5
  
• Omniscient Chaos now also applies to combat skill (monument, linking towers) because of magic market being made weaker.
  
• Warlord can build coliseums faster (25% bonus)
  
• Some common-tier spells have research cost reduced by 10-20%. Some uncommon-tier spells have research cost reduced by 5-10%
  

• Some unit buff spells gain +1 upkeep costs
  
• Summons may have increased upkeep, most notably rare and very rare tier summons
  
• Some of the weaker uncommon summons have slightly decreased cost to compensate for upkeep increase.
  
• Zombies have +1 movement.
  
• Some summons have +1 movement, +1 armor and/or resistance, slightly modified stats and costs
  
• Abundance grants slightly less max population
  
• Holy armor and weapon cannot be cast on heroes (they have their own weaponry, balance change)
  
• Life Force grants 25% more per population (given lower max pop in non-capital cities)
  
• Evil Presence Buffed: prevents Doom Mastery for cursed city and it is impossible for new units to start with magic weapons in cursed city (overrules all game rules on this aspect).
  
• Spell Redesign: Altar of Peace renamed to Altar of Duality. Research effect weakened but grants production bonus the more negative wizard relations are – you gain a bonus regardless but benefit most on the extreme ends of relations – does not limit you to peaceful gameplay.
  
• Spell Redesign: Inspirations grants only +75% production (from 100%) but outright eliminates overproduction penalty mod element from city.
  
• Spell Redesign: Focus Magic is now uncommon, counter magic is common, cheaper/weaker
  
• Spell Redesign: Flame Strike now acts like the original Master of Magic (15 attack to all figures)
  
• Spell Redesign: Shatter now costs 10, has -3 resist modifier, and permanently removes magic weapons and orihalcon if successful.
  
• Spell Redesign: Blazing March now grants only +2 attack, but also adds +1 movement.
  
• Spell Buff – Divine order costs more to cast and maintain, but it unleashes minor economy penalties on wizards depending on how much life books they have (most severe when 0 life books)
  
• Discipline removed as researchable.
  
• New Spell – True Light restored from original Master of Magic. The bonus granted to life creature is also extended to normal units with healer trait (mainly shamans and priests) and sanctified units.
  
• New Spell – Chaos Embrace replaces Inner Fire (removed). Arbitrarily granting buffs to a selection of units is not a design I like. This new global enchantment taking its place grants you power points based on unrest inflicted by spells (dark rituals, pestilence, Armageddon, etc) and coliseums.
  
• Several spells have cost changes and slightly modified damage or resistance modifiers, including a buffed warp lightning that costs more than efreet's caster points.
  
• Final Wave has -1 resist modifier and costs more (to account for top tier units having high resistance)
  
• Some arcane spells have lower research cost.
  
• Tree of Knowledge has a higher research cost, appears on year 7 (from year 6)
  
• Spell of mastery research cost reduced
  

• Some unit buff spells gain +1 upkeep costs
  
• The + mana ability in items/artifacts cost a bit more to produce (too much of a bargain)
  
• The + hp ability in items/artifacts cost less to produce
  

1. Uninstall/unload old version of mod (see below) ****
   
2. Create folder “Master of Magic Caster Windows 1.5.11”.
   
3. Copy all content inside folder “Master of Magic Caster Windows” to “Master of Magic Caster Windows 1.5.11”
   
4. Install patch of Caster of Magic for windows version 1.5.11 (which could be found here:
   Realmsbeyond.net) by copy content from folder “CoMWin1511” inside the zip file into folder folder “Master of Magic Caster Windows”.
   
5. Unpack into "...\Master of Magic Caster Windows\Mods" folder.
   
6. Run caster of magic for windows 1.5.11 from folder “Master of Magic Caster Windows” until reach main menu.
   
7. Choose the "Load Mod" option on the lower right corner.
   
8. Type mod name "UNCLUTTERED" and enter. This will automatically load mod files into the data folder while original file in data folder would be backup for sake of later reversion.
   
9. Once the process is completed, game will automatically exit.
   
10. Run caster of magic for windows again, now game would become Caster of Magic for Windows: Uncluttered.
    
11. Please play the game with these setting…
    - Pick “Use Legacy Tileset”
    

Attached Files

Thumbnail(s)
   

FFH Adventure X: On Erebus as it is in Hell



Agares whispered to you, promising your wildest dreams - access to the gems of creation, to shape your land as you wish. But he demanded a price - isolation, limiting your ambitions to one city. You yearn to demonstrate your mastery from this ivory tower, to utterly surpass the sprawling civilisations around you.




Special rules:


This scenario is a one city challenge where you get to choose your land. You may design the 3-ring city radius of your starting location as you desire, with just a few limitations.

1. You're designing only the base land, not any improvements like farms or towns. That includes unique improvements!
   
2. Flood plains or oasis may only go on underlying desert tiles. (No 5 food grass floodplains or oasis on turn 1.)
   
3. Flood plains or oasis may not contain a resource, unless that resource would normally appear in the desert (gold, incense, salt, copper, iron etc. - but no corn or wheat!)
   
4. No forest on water tiles. Forest may go on any land tile. Not ancient forests though!
   
5. No goody huts.
   

• Don't forget the city centre square.
  
• Other than flood plains/oasis, there is no limitation on resource placement.
  
• You may choose water to make your city coastal. (One water tile diagonal from the settler will make a lake, not ocean.)
  
• You may also choose lakes (remember a water tile orthogonally touching ocean will become ocean itself, not lake.)
  
• Every tile is riverside. If for some reason you don't want rivers, you can remove them.
  
• Outside the city's fat cross are available certain strategic resources: gunpowder, mithril, four mana, typed metamagic mana, reagants.
  
• No other resource is reachable, so what you choose is what you get. Remember that some late-game units can require unusual resources! Note: on Extramodmod some towers take five mana - so plan around where you'll get your fifth from if you're aiming that way.
  
• This game is played on ExtraModMod, which incorporates Multiple Production Mod, meaning that more than one unit/building can be built in a turn by a high-production city.
  

• +1 point for every technology you know that nobody else does.
  
• -1 point for every technology known by any other civ but not by you
  
• +10 points for winning the game, or otherwise 5 points for playing to completion (if you lose) or for 200t
  
• +5 points for fastest victory of each type, and a further +5 points for the fastest victor of any type
  
• +2 points for rescuing Brigit
  
• +8 points for winning by conquest without ever capturing or razing an opponent's city
  
• +1 point for every resource your city has access to on a turn of your choice - whether provided by tiles, buildings, or acquired through trade
  
• +1 point for every religion your city is the Holy City of
  
• -8 points for each edited tile that accidentally violates the rules above. It's not expected that anyone will incur this, but this allows a remedy for scoring without disqualifying an entire game.
  

Attached Files

  FFH Adventure X - saves TURN-0001.zip (Size: 175.72 KB / Downloads: 7)

long time no see. I recently picked up civ 6 on sale and found the gameplay fun and the AI weak, either effortless or tedious on high difficulties. i'd be interested in a game against other players, preferably greenish. i can possibly draft a friend to play but his presence would be unreliable and also i dont think he'd be very competitive unless he was on my team and i was giving advice

signups so far:
greenline
ljubljana

proposed settings
script: pangaea, map balanced to the extent any mapmaker willing to put in
world age: new
rainfall: standard
resources: abundant
no city states
barbs on
3-5 players
pick selection: randomized groups of three, with dumb civs (scythia) excluded. plus 1-2 allowed rerolls

- DoF blocking allowed with no restrictions
-- Embarked units supporting naval fights - no restrictions
- - Banned wonders: Venetian arsenal, Statue of Zeus
- Banned pantheons: Religious settlements
- When a DoF is offered it must be accepted or rejected on the same turn. This is because there is no way to retract a DoF and the player who received the offer can hold it and accept it at a later turn, which will start the 30 turn timer from that point - something that the sender may no longer wish.
- No tactical DoWs regarding Australia, Persia, and India.
- Ending turn with shift-enter is not allowed.
- Work ethic - banned completely

- Banned civs: Sumeria, Maori, Scythia

For AI Survivor, there's been some interest in how AIs pick there tech. This thread is an attempt to make this slightly more comprehensible. However, this calculations is VERY VERY long and complex and also very abstract - because Civ 4 was heavily designed for modding and the tech valuation has to consider that.

Here's what I plan to do:

• Part 1: The first posts will be raw bits of the formula translated into something most people can probably understand. They will reference things from the various XML files, largely. I will put these up a few at a time as I dig into specific sections of the function. This will provide a method for following along with the AI, but you won't see things like "How much is pottery worth to the AI?"
  
• Part 2: After that, I will follow on with listings of interesting techs in situations people are interested in - like early tech choices and worker paths. Here the idea will be to provide an actual number for the game techs, or at least a simple way of calculating it based on the AI's situation. This section might include intermediary values for things like Improvements.
  

@Seravy, just a question.  I see that Slitherine has continued to work on MoM and has released a 'modern' version that includes a lot of graphical updates as well as hex maps and a few other things.  Just wondered if you were involved with that at all, and if they'd included your improvements to the mechanics?  Because if they just did a graphical update to the original game, it's just going to be prettier but have all of the old game-breaking mechanical issues.

Edited: See signup post below or here: https://www.realmsbeyond.net/forums/show...#pid830432

Original post below.

-------

I’ve been thinking a little bit lately about how I’m sort of not crazy about the range of PB games that get launched lately. They almost exclusively fall into one of two buckets:

1. Semi-mirrored ancient starts with a balance mod
2. Pure random ancient starts with a balance mod


It’s sort of a shame that more elaborate setups have gone by the wayside  - either later era or variants. So I’m going to toss one out there and sort of gauge interest. This isn’t necessarily a signup thread (yet) as I don’t really have the bandwidth yet to play one of these solo, although I would happily team with someone. But I’m curious if there’s interest in a Variant Pitboss - either now or in a few months when another game or two ends. It can still be somewhat competitive, but with some sort of special ruleset borrowed from a previous RB Adventure/Epic/SG. The goal here would be a serious attempt to play out and showcase the variant first and winning second, but by all means try to win.

As it happens, I have a wild one in mind.

https://www.realmsbeyond.net/civ/c4tourney/adv19.html

Mao’s Muse

This was an extremely cool Adventure from ages ago with a very seemingly simple premise.

Quote:Scenario Rules: You may select one extra starting tech. You may choose any technology; however, you will not receive any "first to" bonus as the tech is NOT discovered. (For example, Liberalism will not grant an additional free technology.)

I've been casually watching the World Chess Championship, though I'm several games behind the current result (I've alread been spoiled on results so no worries there), so I'm going to use Ding Liren being invited to play due to Magnus Carlsen backing out as a close enough analogy to me getting to play here due to mackoti finding himself unable to play.  Though I mean no insult to Mr. Liren by my self comparison.  So I think something chess-related for a naming theme.  Top FIDE ranking individuals, or past World Champions, or something along those lines.  Named openings perhaps?

As for the game itself, lately I'm less about "playing to win" and more about exploring different ways of playing.  Not blazing any new ground or looking for anything radically different, but just stretching my own limitations and looking for new ways to think about the game.  I think random games fit in nicely with that since they force you to adapt to a new situation and less into the well-treaded ground of the usual RB opener.

In any case, I'm looking forward to a new challenge.