27-05-2005 23:34									#1
	Firaxis and the Community working in harmony Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

quote: Hopefully there will be a way found to enable modders to insert ADDITIONAL material into Civ 4 rather than merely substitute existing Firaxis material with their own creations. This would be truly awesome .... an expandible strategy game (like "The Sims", "Sim City" and "Zoo Tycoon"). Also, in this vein, it would be brilliant if several of these mods (additions) were to be designed to be FULLY compatible with one another. With Civ 3, most of the mods were designed in an extremely random fashion .... maybe Apolyton can try to integrate the mods a bit so that the fans can actively help Apolyton to create a "true legend of our times". "Firaxis and the Community working in harmony".

This is a copy of an earlier reply I posted in my "other" thread dealing with the possibility of an MSP (Massive Single Player) scenario in Civ 4.


In order to maximise the massive (and potentially even overwhelming) moddability afforded by Civ 4, would it not be appropriate for some of the established (and highly regarded) modders in this community to form some sort of committee to oversee the modding process?

This would permit the following:

# Some type of unified strategy so that the Civ 4 mods might not be quite as haphazard as the Civ 3 ones tended to be. After all, there are many cases of people needlessly "reinventing the wheel". Perhaps established modding teams could "collaborate" insofar as their mods (especially if they cover different eras or different aspects of the game) might be designed to be potentially compatible with each other.

# Perhaps it might be possible for modders to separately add new resources and new structures to the game (independent of their mods) so that all users would have the opportunity of adding these items to their game? Obviously some degree of quality control and classification (graphics identification numbers, etc.) would be required in order to prevent compatibility issues. [This is certainly a potentially major problem that needs to be suitably addressed if it is indeed possible to actually add new material to Civ 4].

# Other functions.


Just imagine the massive potential for Civ 4 if the community were indeed able to fully optimise their modding contributions!!!! Civ 4 (via the Apolyton forum) could potentially have the same extensive range of extra structures made available for SimCity 4 (at the Simtropolis forum) and the same range of extra units made available at a host of The Sims-related exchanges.

All this in addition to the greatest strategy game ever invented .....

	27-05-2005 23:52									#2
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Firstly, it's still too early. No one here has played Civ4, so no one has any idea of what needs to be modded in and so on.

Secondly, there will definitely be some freelance modders who will anyway mod whatever they want and whatever they feel like. I know I will myself be changing a few numbers, if I find them to be bad for game balance.

However, overall I'm sure that there will be some coordinated mod projects that will not only do relatively minor stuff such as adding new units, but will also accomplish much more - since the SDK of Civ4 will contain the game and AI code, tha will make Civ4 the most moddable Civ game yet. So, ther ewill definitely be some good coordinated overall game improvement going on, and that is indeed very exciting .

	28-05-2005 01:22									#3
	Re: Firaxis and the Community working in harmony Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Originally posted by Son of moose Civ 4 (via the Apolyton forum) could potentially have the same extensive range of extra structures made available for SimCity 4 (at the Simtropolis forum) and the same range of extra units made available at a host of The Sims-related exchanges.

Well, they'd need to buy an extra server or two if that were the case.



As far as structured modding... I'm sure something will form eventually, but really, I think creativity is better left flowing without boundaries put up by some rules, and that's how it will probably be for some time. People will just kind of make things they like and post 'em.

I am really excited about the opportunities that seem to be possible for the game now.

	28-05-2005 01:45									#4
	Tired of ads?

I don't listen to anyone who was born a son of a moose.

	29-05-2005 02:00									#5
	Remove this text

You had a bad moose experience once?

	29-05-2005 02:21									#6
	Got spare money?

Its actually a long story.

I think that I explained it somewhere in the official CotN forum.

	29-05-2005 03:01									#7
	Put an end to popups!

CotN?

	29-05-2005 03:55									#8
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by MrFun I don't listen to anyone who was born a son of a moose.

I thought Iowa bordered Canada

	29-05-2005 04:20									#9
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by Dr Zoidberg CotN?

Probably Paradox's Crown of the North.

	29-05-2005 04:56									#10
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

I like Paradox games, but I really hope cIV isn't like them...

	29-05-2005 05:03									#11
	Tired of ads?

Yeah, I love the Paradox games, but civ is civ and EU is EU. Thee has to be a difference.

	29-05-2005 08:55									#12
	Remove this text

quote: Originally posted by Nikolai Yeah, I love the Paradox games, but civ is civ and EU is EU. Thee has to be a difference.

Yes... the difference between good and bad.

	29-05-2005 09:31									#13
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Kuciwalker I thought Iowa bordered Canada

Since when is the US state of Minnesota considered to be part of Canada?

	29-05-2005 09:59									#14
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by MrFun Since when is the US state of Minnesota considered to be part of Canada?

	29-05-2005 11:14									#15
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Self-pwned

	29-05-2005 11:32									#16
	Remove this text

His own state, too

	29-05-2005 11:34									#17
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by MrFun I don't listen to anyone who was born a son of a moose.

Better to be Son of Moose than Son of Squirrel.

	29-05-2005 11:45									#18
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quote: Originally posted by Kuciwalker His own state, too

I was referrring to you. Read the map, dude...

	29-05-2005 13:21									#20
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

It seems that I have missed some quite lively conversation while I was asleep.

CotN is actually an acronym for Children of the Nile .... which is supposedly the new generation city building game developed by Tilted Mill (which includes several of the former Impressions Games staff).

However, many people feel that the decision to focus the gameplay around pleasing ones people (rather than merely building a mighty city) was a bad mistake that led to rather repetitive and boring gameplay. In addition, there was no direct military activity either .... it all happened "off-screen".

It just seems to me that Civ 4 (with some degree of additional modding in order to add an even greater range of functional buildings and more strategic resources as well as being confined to the ancient era) could be the type of game that Children of the Nile so easily could have been.

Incredible cutting-edge 3D graphics do not necessarily make for a classic game.

[Btw: Son of Moose is much better than Son of Sam (remember him?)].

	29-05-2005 14:50									#21
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

quote: CotN is actually an acronym for Children of the Nile....

Aha, an unfamiliar game to me...

	29-05-2005 14:56									#22
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: Originally posted by Locutus I was referrring to you. Read the map, dude...

Another classic self-pwnage by teh Kuci...