Updates

I’ve put out a new release, which you can find under “Thals Balance Mods – Combined” on the mod browser.

This combines everything into one download, with individual mods as sub-folders of the package. This is to make it easier for people downloading more than one of these mods in the mod browser. Individual mod sub-folders can still be deleted to go without them, if desired.

It replaces all previous Balance mods made by me, and as part of the unofficial patch also includes the following mods (for compatibility reasons) by authors fixing more bugs and critical user interface issues:

• Attila’s Mods (UI)
• Copasetic Tweaks (UI)
• Dan’s Capital Railroad Fix
• Flag Promotions (UI)
• Seek’s Free Research Balance (UI)

Since many of these alter the user interface, if you encounter any interface errors please report them on this thread here. Most errors will probably be due to compatibility issues with other UI-altering mods.

Version 4 on the ModBrowser (or download link at right) should have the two recent bugs hotfixed (from v2 and v3). These bugs were issues with dead citizens still around after city capture, and unit icons disappeared after combat.

City Development – Highlights (see readme for details)

• To improve balance between resources and regular improvements, I included a few new resource bonuses on buildings (like the Smokehouse did).
• Balancing specialists: instead of nearly removing specialists from the early game (as was done in a patch), I prefer to balance Great Scientist lightbulbing instead (which is the real problem). Each type of specialist now has 1 slot available on some building in the Ancient/Classical period.
• National Wonders: to improve the competitiveness of small cultural-victory empires compared to large conquest empires, I buffed several national wonders and adjusted their cost-per-city values.
• To further balance infinite city sprawl, I slightly reduced gold on city tiles, and restored happiness changes from earlier versions favoring scattered, high-population cities.
• Smoothed AI production modifier curve increase for King ? Emperor ? Immortal ? Deity.
• Slightly lower unit costs on Epic and Marathon gamespeeds.
• Adjusted several production modifiers for buildings.
• Moved two national wonders off Construction, since the Inca DLC adds stuff there.
• Buffed several Cultural buildings.
• Re-added change to golden age durations, to make excess happiness more useful. Cost of happiness golden ages increases -40% slower.
• Jungle boost moved from University to Research Lab, and doubled effect of terrain-type bonuses on the Research Lab.
• Renamed “Floating Gardens” to the more accurate local name “Chinampa.”
• Miscellaneous balance adjustments.

Combat – Highlights (see readme for details)

• AIs build units in the modern era much more intelligently.
• AIs start with more defensive units on high difficulty settings.
• Balance between raze/puppet/annex improved, with a buff to annexation and nerfs to puppets and razing.
• Rewards from capturing city-states buffed.
• Refugees flee captured cities.
• Military units cost more to instant-buy, maintain, and upgrade.
• Fortification bonus reduced, flanking bonus increased.
• Several more modern units use Oil.
• Siege units no longer require iron.
• Strategic resources 25% scarcer.
• Tech links changed slightly to adjust balance of Catapults, Longswords, Knights, and Mechanized Infantry.
• Archers and Spearmen slightly buffed.

Diplomacy

• Slightly adjusted from several sources to try and prevent “gained alliance” “lost alliance” situations on consecutive turns.

Leaders

• Added Pioneer, Shinto Shrine, and Steam Mill.
• Babylon: 67% great person rate (was 50%)
• Ottomans: Lawmaker trait name changed to “Governance.”
• Ottomans: Removed ocean start bias.
• Washington: -50% tile purchase cost (was -33%)
• Washington: Replaced 50% Minuteman cost with Drill promotion (guerrilla fighters).
• Washington: Removed river start bias.
• Elizabeth: Removed Longbowman buff.
• Elizabeth: Longbows now have 3 range, instead of a +1 range promotion (different when upgraded to rifles).
• Removed (included in patch 1.0.1.135)
  • Alexander now befriends city-states instead of conquering them, to properly utilize his unique ability.

Policies

• Tradition
  • Legalism: Reduces from in the Capital by 50% (was 33%)
  • Monarchy: +1.5 from each in the Capital (was 1 per 2)
• Liberty
  • Removed previous Citizenship buff.
  • Removed Representation change (from culture to land-buy reduction).
  • Collective Rule: Cities start at 2.
  • Citizenship renamed Meritocracy.
  • Liberty left ? Citizenship: 2 workers appear outside the .
  • Liberty right ? Republic: +1 per city.
  • Representation: +2 per city.
• Piety
  • Theocracy requires Mandate of Heaven.
• Patronage
  • Patronage center ? Patronage: -25% loss per turn. (reverted to vanilla)
  • Patronage left ? Aesthetics: 20 minimum .
  • Patronage right ? Philanthropy: +25% from .
  • Populism: Units gain +1 extra health per turn when healing.

Research

• Removed changes to Research Agreements, since it was discovered the variables are bugged and have no effect if changed. Research agreements are now balanced separately in Seek’s Free-Research Balance Mod.

Terrain Improvements

• Removed +1 on freshwater farms with Fertilizer. Split yield bonuses based on farm precedent.
• Access to water for irrigation, trade, or water-powered machinery benefits improvements in the Medieval era.
  • +1 on freshwater Farms with Civil Service.
  • +1 on freshwater Trading Posts with Compass.
  • +1 on freshwater Mines and Lumbermills with Machinery.
• Improvements without water access advance at the start of the Industrial Revolution.
  • +1 on non-freshwater Farms with Civil Service.
  • +1 on non-freshwater Trading Posts with Economics.
  • +1 on non-freshwater Mines with Dynamite.
  • +1 on non-freshwater Lumbermills with Steam Power.
• 12 on “coast” water tiles (was 1, 1).
• +1+1 from Fishing Boast on Fish (was 1, 2).
• +4 on Oil Wells and Offshore Platforms with Combustion.

Unofficial Patch

• Autotips
  Building tooltips now automatically read information from the game files (click here for details). This should fix all current and future building tooltip bugs. I will extend this to units, promotions, and other tooltips in the future.
• The Woodsman promotion was listed in the Civilopedia under the nonexistent Terrain promotion category, and has been moved to the Melee category.
• Integrated several UI-fixing mods into the Unofficial Patch, for compatibility reasons.
  • Unofficial Patch (Core Mod)
    Primarily includes the autotip system, upgrade promotion matching, and unit attribute matching.
  • Attila’s Mods
    by Attila the Hun
    Fixing bugs and missing information with the UI top bar.
  • Copasetic UI Tweaks
    by Cope
    Fixes various bugs and missing information with the user interface, primarily city banners.
  • Dan’s Railroad Boost
    by Dan
    Fixes a bug with the Capital and trade networks.
  • Flag Promotions
    by Erendir, with contributions from Xienwolf, Kael and Thalassicus
    Each unit’s best promotions display as small icons over their head, custom-designed with careful detail to blend in with the existing user interface.
  • Seek’s Free Research Balance
    by Seek and Alpaca
    Fixes the overpowered instant tech ability of great scientists.
  • Thal’s Utilities
    Tools used for several mods, such as a Lua message logger.

January 28, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 2 Comments