Nation Building. A new way to play CIV 5

Nation building- A new way to play CIV 5


I've been playing CIV 5 since BNW released but always felt that time passed too quickly, my military was never big enough and I yearned for more global realism. After trying mods that didn't achieve my goals I decided to tinker with the XML. The result was an immeasureably better experience. The main objective was to balance tech,gold,culture,great people and AI happiness and use popular mods to achieve realism. While playing I made up some self imposed rules to retain the realism of the game and dubbed it "Nation building". I suggest playing America to get the most out of this mode.

Nation Building.

Nation building- A new way to play CIV 5


I've been playing CIV 5 since BNW released but always felt that time passed too quickly, my military was never big enough and I yearned for more global realism. After trying mods that didn't achieve my goals I decided to tinker with the XML. The result was an immeasureably better experience. The main objective was to balance tech,gold,culture,great people and ai happiness and use popular mods to achieve realism. While playing I made up some self imposed rules to retain the realism of the game and dubbed it "Nation building". I suggest playing America to get the most out of this mode.

Mods

--------------
MODS:
------------------------
Ingame Editor (IGE)
MAP(optomized for America) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2016636953
InfoAddict(optional)
R.E.D Modpack(optional)
No futuristic units(optional)

Game mode rules.

-------------------------------------
NATION BUILDING SELF IMPOSED RULES:
----------------------------------------------------

Strong Borders:
-Beginning in the Classical Age roads grow your borders by 1 hex on each side after being connected to the capital. Use IGE painter to grow your borders with right click.
-Beginning in the Classical Age no other civilization may send settlers into present day America, if they do simply use IGE to teleport them home, delete them, or delete their city.
-If a luxery or strategic resource is outside your cities working range by 1 hex you can move it into the cities range. Use IGE edit to move the resource.
-Beginning in the Industrial age your borders grow massively to include all of present day America minus Alaska, Hawaii and territories. This applies to all coast tiles as well. Use IGE painter to grow your borders with right click.
-America does not share islands. If you are the first civ to settle an island your borders grow to encompass the entire island, minus the coastal hex's.

Overwhelming force:

-Beginning in the Classical Age you or your allies retain the territory of razed cities.
-If you capture a city you CANNOT build a courthouse unless the city is in North America, Western Europe, or the South Pacific.
-After negotiating for peace, you may redraw the borders of combatants along geographical lines like mountains, rivers and lakes. Open IGE >> right click on the IGE button >> ENABLE Safe Mode >> switch players >> paint borders >> switch back to Washington >> DISABLE Safe Mode


Little things:
-Once the player reaches the Information Age all civs advance to the end of the Industrial Age. Do this by enabling Safe Mode and using IGE to give techs to the AI.
-Don't let your allies armies or civilians get in the way of your experiance, if they are in the way of progress move them with IGE.
-You should attempt to retain the realism of the world by fighting dangerous adversaries or warmongers and liberating or gifting cities to friendly nations rather than capturing them. Remember even if the AI razes the city they retain the borders.
-I removed AI great prophets from my borders as well. This is completely optional.
-Remove unused/unwanted tile improvements from your and your allies conquered territory using IGE edit function. Failure to do this will cost you or your allies lots of unneeded improvement costs.

Changing the XML

----------------
CHANGING THE XML
---------------------------
This is the part that balances out the experiance. Changing the XML is super easy and you can always make backups or reinstall the game if you dont like these changes.

Follow this path and right click Technologies.xml. Click edit.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\Assets\DLC\Expansion2\Gameplay\XML\

Each technology has a <COST>. Increase the cost by 3x.
WAS
<ID>0</ID>
<Type>TECH_AGRICULTURE</Type>
<Cost>20</Cost>
NOW
<ID>0</ID>
<Type>TECH_AGRICULTURE</Type>
<Cost>60</Cost>

When you reach TECH_INTERNET add 2 trade routes to The Internet tech by adding this line under the <Era> field. <InternationalTradeRoutesChange>2</InternationalTradeRoutesChange>

WAS
<Type>TECH_INTERNET</Type>
<Cost>8800</Cost>
<Description>TXT_KEY_TECH_INTERNET_TITLE</Description>
<Civilopedia>TXT_KEY_TECH_INTERNET_DESC</Civilopedia>
<Help>TXT_KEY_TECH_INTERNET_HELP</Help>
<Era>ERA_FUTURE</Era>
NOW
<Type>TECH_INTERNET</Type>
<Cost>26400</Cost>
<Description>TXT_KEY_TECH_INTERNET_TITLE</Description>
<Civilopedia>TXT_KEY_TECH_INTERNET_DESC</Civilopedia>
<Help>TXT_KEY_TECH_INTERNET_HELP</Help>
<Era>ERA_FUTURE</Era>
<InternationalTradeRoutesChange>2</InternationalTradeRoutesChange>


Click Save As.
Remember to include your .XML tag.


Follow this path and right click CIV5Policies.xml. Click edit.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\Assets\DLC\Expansion2\Gameplay\XML\GameInfo\


Each policy has a <COST>. Increase the cost by 3x.

WAS
<Type>POLICY_COLLECTIVE_RULE</Type>
<Description>TXT_KEY_POLICY_COLLECTIVE_RULE</Description>
<Civilopedia>TXT_KEY_CIV5_POLICY_COLLECTIVERULE_TEXT</Civilopedia>
<Help>TXT_KEY_POLICY_COLLECTIVE_RULE_HELP</Help>
<PolicyBranchType>POLICY_BRANCH_LIBERTY</PolicyBranchType>
<CultureCost>10</CultureCost>
NOW
<Type>POLICY_COLLECTIVE_RULE</Type>
<Description>TXT_KEY_POLICY_COLLECTIVE_RULE</Description>
<Civilopedia>TXT_KEY_CIV5_POLICY_COLLECTIVERULE_TEXT</Civilopedia>
<Help>TXT_KEY_POLICY_COLLECTIVE_RULE_HELP</Help>
<PolicyBranchType>POLICY_BRANCH_LIBERTY</PolicyBranchType>
<CultureCost>30</CultureCost>

Click Save As.
Remember to include your .XML tag.

Follow this path and right click specialists.xml. Click edit.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\Assets\DLC\Expansion2\Gameplay\XML\GameInfo\


Each specialist contributes great person points. This is displayed as <GreatPeopleRateChange> in the XML. Decrease this value by 2 for each of the specialists.

WAS
<Type>SPECIALIST_WRITER</Type>
<Description>TXT_KEY_SPECIALIST_WRITER</Description>
<Strategy>TXT_KEY_SPECIALIST_WRITER_STRATEGY</Strategy>
<GreatPeopleTitle>TXT_KEY_SPECIALIST_WRITER_TITLE</GreatPeopleTitle>
<Visible>true</Visible>
<Cost>0</Cost>
<GreatPeopleUnitClass>UNITCLASS_WRITER</GreatPeopleUnitClass>
<GreatPeopleRateChange>3</GreatPeopleRateChange>

NOW

<Type>SPECIALIST_WRITER</Type>
<Description>TXT_KEY_SPECIALIST_WRITER</Description>
<Strategy>TXT_KEY_SPECIALIST_WRITER_STRATEGY</Strategy>
<GreatPeopleTitle>TXT_KEY_SPECIALIST_WRITER_TITLE</GreatPeopleTitle>
<Visible>true</Visible>
<Cost>0</Cost>
<GreatPeopleUnitClass>UNITCLASS_WRITER</GreatPeopleUnitClass>
<GreatPeopleRateChange>1</GreatPeopleRateChange>
Click Save As.
Remember to include your .XML tag.


Follow this path and right click GloablDefines.xml. Click edit.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\Assets\DLC\Expansion2/Gameplay/Xml

Each trade route has a base gold that is multiplied by other factors. The base is displayed as INTERNATIONAL_TRADE_BASE in the XML. CTRL-F to find this value and increase it by 3x.

WAS
<!--International Trade-->
<Row Name="INTERNATIONAL_TRADE_BASE">
<Value>100</Value>
NOW
<!--International Trade-->
<Row Name="INTERNATIONAL_TRADE_BASE">
<Value>300</Value>
Click Save As.
Remember to include your .XML tag.

Follow this path and right click CIV5Buildings.xml. Click edit.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\Assets\DLC\Expansion2\Gameplay\XML\Buildings

Scroll to the bottom of the XML document. Each building has a <YIELD>. Increase the value by 25 for Market, Bazaar, Satraps Court, and Bank. Increase the value by 50 for Stock Exchange.

WAS
<BuildingType>BUILDING_MARKET</BuildingType>
<YieldType>YIELD_GOLD</YieldType>
<Yield>25</Yield>
NOW
<BuildingType>BUILDING_MARKET</BuildingType>
<YieldType>YIELD_GOLD</YieldType>
<Yield>50</Yield>
Click Save As.
Remember to include your .XML tag.

--------------
UNTESTED IDEOLOGY BALANCE
-----------------------------
Follow this path and right click HandicapInfos.xml. Click edit.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\Assets\DLC\Expansion2\Gameplay\XML\GameInfo\HandicapInfos.xml


AI Civs recieve an unhappiness modifier that makes them resistant to ideological pressure. Change their unhappiness modifier to King levels (95). This is represented by <AIUnhappinessPercent> in the XML.
Find your prefered difficulty level. I play on Emperor so I will edit the Emperor handicaps.


WAS
<Type>HANDICAP_EMPEROR</Type>
.
.
.
.
.
<AIUnhappinessPercent>90</AIUnhappinessPercent>


NOW

<Type>HANDICAP_EMPEROR</Type>
.
.
.
.
.
<AIUnhappinessPercent>95</AIUnhappinessPercent>
Click Save As.
Remember to Include your .XML tag.

Game settings and Start-up.

------------------
SETTINGS
-----------------------------------

I recommend playing with 13-16 other civs and at least 10 city-states. Some will surely be eliminated from the game or absorbed into more powerful nations. I also recommend using America as the map is optimized for them to excel.

I recommend:

America
Russia
China
2 South American civs
3 African civs
3 other European civs
2 other Asian civs
2 Middle-eastern/southern asian civs


MAP : CUSTOM -- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2016636953

MAP SIZE: HUGE

GAME PACE: STANDARD

VICTORY CONDITIONS: ALL OFF

RAGING BARBARIANS: ON


---------------------------
START-UP
-----------------------------------------
Technologies are so expensive that you MUST use IGE to take away any technologies that the AI starts with. I usually leave Indonesia with the sailing tech so they can colonize surrounding islands.

Use IGE to place the civs in the their true start locations around the map. I recommend setting them next to a fresh water source. Try not to look around too much if you dont want to spoil the map.

After you have distributed the civilizations, distribute the city-states where you see fit. There is a plot with ~15 oil in the middle east. I recommend placing Kabul or another middle eastern city state here, this can create a fun scenario. I also recommend you make sure no city-states settle Greenland or Hawaii.

SAVE THE GAME before pressing next turn.

Press next turn, if you are satisified with the results, save and reload(to hide the mini map). ENJOY I know I did!

[Teknorat]

Sounds awful.

[Pinhead Larry]

yep just like real life. you will find that at least china and russia are worthy adversaries.

[connormacaulay]

So OP america the game