Civ2civ3_earth ruleset (and earth map scenario)

[bard]

Civ2Civ3 Earth (Modpack for Freeciv)
"civ2civ3_earth" is a fork of the ruleset civ2civ3 (shipped with freeciv since v2.5), from the same author. It includes new features, tries to improve balance, and is more suitable for playing on Earth maps, or similar scenarios. It includes its own tileset ("amplio_earth" or "ampliohex_earth"), and a world map scenario, adapted to be played with these rules.

The modpack is available to download from github. Tagged versions have been tested and are ready to be played. The latest one uses to be available to install with the "modpack installer" tool shipped with freeciv.

See the file NEWS.ruleset_civ2civ3_earth for the latest changes compared to default civ2civ3 rules.

See the file README.ruleset_civ2civ3_earth for a full list of changes compared to civ2 rules.

Effect of climate changes

freeciv-anim4.gif (276.61 KiB) Viewed 41338 times

How to use freeciv modpack installer to install it from github:

• Depending which freeciv client you installed, you will probably have one modpack installer tool called something like "freeciv-mp-gtk3". Launch it.
• Where it says "Modpack URL", paste the following link (the one that matches your freeciv version):
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dftec ... .6.modpack
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dftec ... h-3.0.mpdl
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dftec ... h-3.1.mpdl
• Press install modpack.

How to install it manually from github:

• Download the latest pack from Releases -> Assets -> Source code.
• Extract to the same folder where "saves" folder is located (where savegames are stored).
  In linux it uses to be: /home/username/.freeciv/
• Launch freeciv, start a new game, select the ruleset civ2civ3_earth, and load the tileset amplio_earth when asked.
  If the tileset is not loaded, try to open freeciv Client settings --> Local options --> Graphics tab --> Tileset (Square), and select "amplio_earth", or Tileset (Iso-Hex) and select "ampliohex_earth".

The installed files and folders should look like this:

Code: Select all

/.freeciv/3.1/amplio_earth/
/.freeciv/3.1/ampliohex_earth/
/.freeciv/3.1/civ2civ3_earth/
/.freeciv/3.1/scenarios/
/.freeciv/3.1/amplio_earth.tilespec
/.freeciv/3.1/civ2civ3_earth.serv

where /3.1/ should match the freeciv version that you had installed.

Earth map 124x68 Rhye enlarged
The world map scenario (seen in the screenshot) was designed for this ruleset, but it cannot have an open license (map made by Rhye for civ4). It is available to download here (it includes one version for civ2civ3_earth and one for default civ2civ3).

Tileset view

Constructive criticism is welcome.

[bard]

This version is already available with modpack-tool (included in freeciv). Thanks to cazfi.

In my latest game I used the Military server setting named "Chance of moving into tile after attack" = 100%, so the attacking unit always move to the attacked tile. This way the battle is more similar to wargames, and I'm liking it. I suggest to enable this option when you use this ruleset.
I plan to include it by default for next version.

[bard]

Updated first post with new version of the ruleset for freeciv 2.3 and 2.4

[bard]

New version available in first post, and also available with modpack tool (v2.3-6 and v2.4-6).
Some fixes and minor changes compared to previous version.
No savegame compatible due to the change to some building/unit names.

[Arbogast]

OK, here are my two bits:
Why you cannot irrigate tundras but you can transform prairies/grasslands into forests?
Why you cannot clean Ruins or erase roads/railroads?
Yes, I know: you need geoengineers, so:
Why are they at the end of the game of the tech tree? If you get that far.
And then: What are those Migrants? They cost money and don't seem to do better than workers.
By the way: What does Veteran status do to Engineers?

Civ2Civ3 seems very good though... execpt for those glitches. I mean it is an improvement on the good old Default3.

[bard]

Thank you for the comments.
1- Tundras in this ruleset are equal to civ3: they gain one extra shield when mined, and one extra trade when roaded.
In real world, tundras are not very suitable for farming, and I find important in earth based scenarios that such terrains do not produce much food, else Siberia would be too populated.
I'd like the idea to transform tundras to forests, but then it would be possible to transform them to plains later, and that is not a very realistic transformation in real world.
In civ4, forests over plains were a different terrain than forests over tundra. I liked it, and it could be possible to implement it here, but such change would break the compatibility with maps or scenarios made for classic freeciv rules, and I think it is not worthwhile.
2- I agree workers/engineers should be able to clean roads or other infrastructure. But in freeciv, this is linked to the "pillage" action, and I prefer to allow such offensive action only to military units. I prefer a worker that can not destroy a road, better than a explorer or diplomat that can do it even at enemy territory (and I think it is not worth to create a new unit class just for this).
3- Terraforming was delayed to end of the tech tree in order to avoid unrealistic transformations of the earth map. With default rules, the map stops looking like earth too soon in game, in my opinion.
4- Migrants are an alternative to workers. They cost 10 shields and 1 population (10 food in the best case), instead of 20 shields as workers. Migrants do not die when attacked by land units, they are captured instead. And they can be used to move population from one city, to another city with less than 8 pop.
5- Engineers with veteran status require less turns to finish their job. One engineer is as effective as 2 workers (due to double movement points), while a veteran engineer works as fast as 3 workers. An elite engineer would work like 2 unexperienced engineers.

Let me know when you find other rules that you are not liking. I keep working to try to improve this ruleset.

[cazfi]

2- I agree workers/engineers should be able to clean roads or other infrastructure. But in freeciv, this is linked to the "pillage" action, and I prefer to allow such offensive action only to military units. I prefer a worker that can not destroy a road, better than a explorer or diplomat that can do it even at enemy territory (and I think it is not worth to create a new unit class just for this).

Code structure in freeciv-2.6, with gen-extras, is such that adding new "extra removal types" to the code (not controlled by the ruleset, though) relatively easy. While you already could do tricks in the ruleset like "road can be cleaned away as pollution", my plan all along has been to add one new removal type and time is about ready for that now.

[GriffonSpade]

Thank you for the comments.
In civ4, forests over plains were a different terrain than forests over tundra. I liked it, and it could be possible to implement it here, but such change would break the compatibility with maps or scenarios made for classic freeciv rules, and I think it is not worthwhile.

Hmm, would adding a /new/ terrain even cause this problem, so long as you didn't alter the existing ones? While you wouldn't be able to use anything made with the new terrain in a classic ruleset, using scenarios made for the classic ruleset should still work, shouldn't they?
Mind you, I've been utterly frustrated trying to get a 'taiga' terrain to properly replace forests in cold regions. The forests keep showing up next to them all the way up to the glaciers

[bard]

Code structure in freeciv-2.6, with gen-extras, is such that adding new "extra removal types" to the code (not controlled by the ruleset, though) relatively easy. While you already could do tricks in the ruleset like "road can be cleaned away as pollution", my plan all along has been to add one new removal type and time is about ready for that now.

I'm liking the idea of an additional extra used to remove other infrastructure.

[
Hmm, would adding a /new/ terrain even cause this problem, so long as you didn't alter the existing ones? While you wouldn't be able to use anything made with the new terrain in a classic ruleset, using scenarios made for the classic ruleset should still work, shouldn't they?
Mind you, I've been utterly frustrated trying to get a 'taiga' terrain to properly replace forests in cold regions. The forests keep showing up next to them all the way up to the glaciers

I admit I have never tried to add a new terrain, and I'm not familiar with the settings related to the terrain generator.
I guess it is right what you say about compatibility, as long as you do not remove existing terrains, old maps should still load. But a new terrain also requires extra graphical effects, and even if it is easy to create the new graphic, it would force to readjust any tileset that you want to use.

While working on civ2civ3, I alwasy tried not to add new units, buildings, techs, or terrains, so it can be as compatible as possible with art made for classic rules.

[Arbogast]

I'm back to the capabilities of engineers.
I don't understand the inability of engineers to transform swamps to plains to grasslands to forests.
I see that the argument is historical, but that does not hold.
Since the discovery of agriculture -some 4000 years ago- people (workers) tried and succeeded in transforming taigas, desserts, even mountains into productive lands. I believe that engineers are not up to par (like in default3 or default). This is very handicapping to say the least.
Those Geoegineers are too far down the tech tree.
There is an argument about it: The historical argument (which I think is false) and the playability argument.