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Showing content with the highest reputation on 2026-05-05 in Posts

  1. I suggest to check this mod by @azayrahmadwhich has many such features.
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  2. In Part I, I mentioned that one civ. bonus was wrongly called Hellenistic Architecture. Now I see it says Hellenic, I’m not sure if this was changed or I misread it (the tooltip explanation is still not right). In Part II, I said that Ship Cladding could be Lead Sheathing, but as I suspected, it should apply only to civilian ships (to make them more profitable, since it reduced maintenance) and not warships (because it would slow them down), which could have instead Pararrhymata (Side Protections), used after some point in the 5th century BC. Now I see Ship Cladding has been removed because the tech tree was too lengthy. In any case, this information might be useful for some (@wowgetoffyourcellphone, I’ve seen DE has a more extensive tech tree, not sure how far do you plan to push that, and for how much historical accuracy you strive for), and it’s my view to have many expensive techs, to penalise blind clicking, and open different ways to play each civ, depending on scenario, enemies, etc, reducing mechanicality and enhancing adaptability. Still, in what follows I’m not really adding techs, just mostly renaming or even removing them. Now, to the last part (planned at least, unless I eventually come across new things). Part III Simple things that should be: -Perioikoi Hoplite/Cavalryman and Skiritai Commando should be Perioikos Hoplite/Cavalryman and Skirites Commando, I think: not to mix plural and singular, if Ancient Greek speakers can confirm (otherwise it reads like Romans Centurion). Simple things that could be: -Hoplite Tradition could be Hoplite Reform: that’s what the bibliography tends to call it. Espionage and Counterintelligence could make use of some Ancient Greek terms (spies is kataskópous, apparently). -In Barracks, Conscription could be State Weaponry: I’d have called this tech Arsenals, but there’s already a building called Arsenal. It doesn’t seem like any change in “conscription” at the time of the game would have sped up troop output. Regarding the “establishment of state stores of weaponry”, in the 4th c. BC it became common for many to have stores with arms and armor, to be distributed to those who didn’t have them. The system of supplying arms and armour to Spartan citizens, helots and former helots was adopted around the Second Messenian War, and from at least 424 BC the state supplied arms and armour to helots and neodamodeis on garrison duty. This was followed by many around this time, like Athens, Syracuse, Carthage and Macedon. In the Early Hellenistic period the system of distribution of arms and armour by the poleis was wide-spread. On the other hand, some detachments like cavalry (at least for Macedon) were expected to provide their own equipment (from The Role of Metals in Ancient Greek History, by M.Y. Treister). -Wicker baskets could be Kalathus: wicker baskets existed for thousands of years. The calathus is a basket that “from the early 5th century [BC] onwards, when women working wool began to be depicted more regularly in Attic vase-paintings and elsewhere, the kalathoi show a more specific shape which would become standardised with remarkable consistency”, “this form which was optimized for wool-work may actually fulfill completely different functions. Among the objects portrayed in the painted architectural illusion decorating room 23 of the Villa A of Oplontis in the Vesuvian region, we see a kalathos filled with ripe fruit. Although there is obviously more to this strange still-life-like combination of a veiled kalathos and an unlit torch, the kalathos in it notably functions as a fruit basket. Using a kalathos for harvesting fruit seems to have been a common thing to do” (A Wool Basket in Clay: Remarks on the Change of Material, the Unusable Object and the Ancient Greek “Culture of Things”, by N. Dietrich). -Regarding the Storehouse, I wonder why all civs (except Carthaginians, for which stone techs are free) have all the techs. Maybe this is a bit provisory anyway, but I guess it would be better to differentiate civs a bit by not giving all of them. Some could have even different costs and benefits (or combined benefits, Archimedes’ Screw should give both farming and mining bonuses). These decisions should be informed by history, and then proper characteristics could be given, and things rebalanced. –Baskets, Wheelbarrow, and Horse-drawn Carts could be Wheel Ruts, Improved Roads, and Logistics: “China had the wheelbarrow over two thousand years ago, but there is no evidence for its use in Europe prior to the medieval period” (Early Metal Mining and Production, by P.T. Craddock). M.J.T. Lewis challenges this (considering a “one-wheeler” mentioned in a list), although concedes that at most it would have been used for light loads in construction sites, while not for farming and mining. Donkeys, mules (particularly on mountains) and oxen would be preferred over horses to draw carts, but had been like that for many centuries. On the other hand, better infrastructure and organisation played a more prominent role at this time. I hope someone will eventually come across better names though. –Wedge and Mallet, Shaft Mining and Silver Mining could be Wind Deflectors, Paired Shafts and Archimedes’ Screw, but not for Sparta: at this time, most mining improvements were on the fields of ventilation and drainage. “The generation of a draught may also have been achieved by means of a wind deflector, as in the case where the wooden shaft lining was used as a forced drain” and the “most original and sophisticated shaft type is that with parallel air ducts”, from The Laurion Shafts, Greece: Ventilation Systems and Mining Technology in Antiquity, by D. Morin, R. Herbach and P. Rosenthal, and “Diodorus Siculus specifically describes the use of the screw in mines” (Craddock). Sparta didn’t engage in large-scale mining, unlike Athens for example. –Servants, Serfs and Slaves could be Crane, Triple Pulley and Compound Pulley, but not for Sparta: the names used right now are not that exclusive of quarrying. “Because most quarries were open pits, prospecting, ventilation, and lighting presented fewer difficulties than in mining, and even drainage was easier to deal with” (Greek and Roman Technology, by A.N. Sherwood). “There is no evidence for the use of cranes or hoists in architecture before the late sixth century B.C., and until then heavy blocks must have been raised by pulling them up earth ramps”, “before the invention of the compound pulley, early cranes must have used a rope passed over a simple pulley”, and “the invention of triple and compound pulleys (trispaston and polyspaston) was a major advance in the design and mechanics of cranes. This has been ascribed, probably erroneously, to Archimedes”. Also, “the earliest secure mention of the compound pulley appears in the pseudo-Aristotelian Mechanics 18 (ca. 270 B.C.)” (The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World, by J.P. Oleson). Sparta probably didn’t use any of these. –Iron Axe Heads, Stronger Axe and Sharper Axe Heads could be Improved Saw, Botany and Hand Plane, but the last one, maybe two, not for Sparta: I’ve read things like “the shape and dimensions of the saws were probably similar to today’s hand saws as early as the 6th c. BC”. Also, “between the third century B.C. and the first century A.D., Theophrastus, Cato, Varro, and Pliny the Elder wrote extensively about silviculture and the uses of various species of trees” (Oleson), and Theophrastus is called the father of botany. Finally, “most of the tools used for working wood were already known in the Bronze Age, and with the use of iron they took on the shapes that, for the most part, are still in use today. The plane, however, which requires a very sharp and durable blade, may have been invented and certainly only became common in the first century AC” (Sherwood), with some saying the Greeks invented it (I’m not sure if when part of the Roman Empire already). I’d remove at least the last one for Sparta. It’s been quite hard to find something relevant at the time of the game. -Regarding the Temple, I’m rearranging techs a bit more thematically. Some won’t be new developments of the time (as I always try to do), but are important anyway. –Sacrificial Ritual could be Amphictyony: which sacrificial ritual? (more later). Given that it reduces training time and removes metal cost, Amphictyonic leagues were religious-political associations that protected sanctuaries and became more powerful after the First Sacred War (before the start of the game, but other Amphictyonies would appear with the years), while they “have recorded their provisions for the upkeep of Sacred Roads (380-379 BC)” (Sherwood), facilitating religious processions. –Olympic Pantheon (Healing Range) could be Dodekátheon (Olympic Pantheon): following proper nomenclature. –Healing Range 2 could be Mystery Cults: it added another layer to the traditional polytheism. –Sphagia (Healing Rate) could be Sfágia (Sphagia): following proper nomenclature. –Hippocratic Oath could be Ierá (Hiera): since it’s Healing Rate 2, and “sacrifices performed specifically for divination—that is, sacrifices offered to obtain the gods’ counsel and approval regarding a decision to be made or an action to be undertaken (hiera and thysia). In contrast, the sphagia, which can in one sense be considered a divinatory sacrifice but in many other respects diverges radically from hiera and thysia (for example, the participants do not consume the flesh of the sacrifice and the internal organs are not burned on an altar)” (“Divinatory Sacrifice (Hiera) and Divine Approval in Xenophon’s Anabasis”, by N.E. Okur). In general, Hiera is done at the altar, Sphagia before battle. –Living Conditions could be Physiotherapy: gives +1 HR to garrisons. It starts with Herodicus and Hippocrates. I’m specifying the Hippocratic Corpus a bit. –Battlefield Medicine could be Physiology, maybe not for the Spartans: a regeneration bonus. It starts with Alcmaeon of Croton and Hippocrates, although maybe Spartans didn’t pay much attention to this. Changes that have been already proposed: -Reduce Stable role: maybe Conscription could be removed, as I mentioned before. -Reduce Arsenal role: maybe most techs could be removed. Rams and oxybeles are fine, since there was “Spartan use of battering rams at Plataea in 429 BC” (Greek and Roman Siege Machinery, 399 BC-AD 363, by D.B. Campbell), and regarding the non-torsion catapult, this “machinery most probably arrived in the Peloponnese along with the troops under Cissidas, sent by Dionysius I in 368 or 367 B.C.”, although it was not used much (Greek and Roman Artillery, Historical Development, by E.W. Mardsen). -Reduce Market role: maybe Commercial Treaty could be removed. -Separate religion and medicine, eventually: I’ve seen the argument that “health is multifaceted”, but if a morale system is added, priests should affect it, while health should be left for physicians. For Ancient Greece, both could either come from the Temple, or the Asclepieion could be added. Units like druids could take both roles, being herbalists, though not as efficiently as a Roman surgeon for example, which could be produced from an independent building (Tabernae Medicae maybe). These are the extremes, many civs would fall in the middle. Then, some techs could be priest “abilities” instead (like Sphagia and Hiera, doing other things). Other changes that could be considered: -Scytale as civ. bonus: transposition cipher for communications, since 7th c. BC, for FOV increase. -Regarding emblems: sources are quite a mess regarding shield emblems, from a 1:1 scale fly to an army of lambdas, to modern authors stating we have no evidence they used the lambda, to someone stating lots of stuff who knows based on what. In conclusion, we don’t know a lot. But I’d have chosen the Gorgon head for the maxed up Spartiate, seems to have more relevance on certain representations, as can be seen along many emblems in The Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia at Sparta, by R.M. Dawkins, shown below: Then, some interesting random quotes from Treister’s book, which could eventually be useful: -By the second quarter of the 4th century [BC], fortress towers often incorporated specially designed catapult chambers. -The cost of maintaining an army and even more so of a fleet, even in peacetime, was considerably higher than the expense. -Introduction of the technique for casting life-size bronze statues. -Monetary courts, developed with the growth in the employment of mercenaries, led to an increasing need for coins. -Arms taken from enemies were usually dedicated to the gods. Only the Spartans considered it worthless to dedicate to the gods armour which had belonged to "cowards". And on a final note, I really recommend searching for things on the sources I’ve mentioned, there’s plenty on them that I haven’t read, and they could still hold the key to many relevant things for the time period of the game (particularly Oleson’s and Sherwood’s books). Here is a sphagia scene, from the front of Campbell's Spartan Warrior 735-331 BC:
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  3. I guess things could be introduced and for the time being not really work with pathfinding, but still be useful. Roads could work in such a way that if right clicked consecutively on different points (with Shift modifier pressed) then in those parts of the travel the selected units would follow the road and have pathfinding deactivated, which would activate when off-road again. This adds a lot of interesting complexity, reminds me of Caesar III, where gardens and similar would make the area desirable, but other buildings would have the opposite effect (I guess most city-building games work similarly, but haven’t tried many). For example, beyond CC effects, most buildings could have a negative effect on agricultural yield, save the Farmstead, which could have the opposite effect (food storage places took into account many things for better food preservation), while dropsites could have an effect on unit production times (these activities are usually best kept away from population centers), among many other possible effects (Temples already heal, and Libraries improving research times was mentioned). Terrain could have effects not only on Fields but the Corral, with plains or mountains being better for cows and goats, respectively, or even fish if near a body of water (there are fish corrals, although they are structures on water). In fact, I’ve thought Britons could train their dogs there, having a dedicated Kennel just for that seems too much (and I doubt they had such a thing in the first place).
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  4. @Emacz once there was a great mod that had exactly this feature for siege artillery (ammo had to be replenished by special ammo delivery charts to be placed nearby the frontline). Maybe we can get some inspiration from of these ideas? IIRC this was a mode developed by @Grapjas?
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  5. FYI Pull request #8784 has been merged.
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  6. It's possible, however the pathfinder will totally ignore slow zones, so you'll have to avoid them manually
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  7. I have to thank you for the whole "woman" thread, I found it hilarious. I was just disappointed that no one posted the Zoolander meme "but why male models?" Every time someone complains about not changing what already works (as if it would be the only possibility that works), "tampering" it with historical accuracy (as if it's not one of the stated priorities of the game), or ignoring those who don’t play competitively (as if they are not a majority vital for the growth of the game), remember, YOU can also just make your own "let's just leave it as it is right now forever and ever" mod :). But of course, I always enjoy these rants over a game whose development is, indeed, a hobby for many who try to combine their ideas to create something special. All the bugs you mention I'm sure will be sorted out in time, no need to dismiss all that is not that.
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  8. yes, I think that's the one I have some of these functionalities are really useful for a fast and clean uv-mapping
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  9. Is this: https://blender-addons.org/textools-addon/ ? I didn't know.
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  10. This map recreates historical Calabria — not the modern Italian region, but the ancient heel of the Italian peninsula, home to the Messapians and the Spartan colony of Taras (modern Taranto). Set between the Ionian and Adriatic seas, the terrain reflects the flat, sun-baked limestone plateau characteristic of the Salento, with open Mediterranean scrubland, scattered olive groves, and a coastline that made Taras one of the most prosperous trading ports of Magna Graecia. The map uses the Aegean biome, which fits the region's deep Greek cultural roots: by 400 BC, Calabria was thoroughly Hellenized, and Taras alone rivaled Athens in wealth and influence. To admins, please accept the new version of earth-maps mod. For players who want to play just now the new map, I append map files here (not the map preview) calabria.js calabria.json
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  11. Minoans and Mycenaeans already had initial artwork created at least 5 years ago in the mod, but the author ( @LordGood )didn't continue development. I took that artwork and continued it, but many buildings were created from scratch. The Hittites only had banners and icons, so it's something completely new, as is the artwork. Please access my branch and play, I really need tests.
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  12. Superb! Wasn't aware that we also have a Minoan Civ. Is that intended as part of Aristeia or as eye candy? EDIT: Stupid me! Reading helps....the entire thread is about new ideas and this is extending your previous post that I even already read. Apologies for the confusion this has caused.
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  13. @phosit @Vantha @hyperion @real_tabasco_sauce @Player of 0AD @Stan` @wraitii @Itms @anyone
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  14. This is a freaking awesome video and got me thinking about how pathfinding could simulate crowd and individual behavior.
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