Roman Era Mod (just starting)

[efrenespartano]

Mid-game should contain some steam engine-based tech, with almost WWI tech in the end. Without at least a dripple of new toys, the game will get monotone very soon.

As for crafts, (...) After that, steam zeppelin.

*happy Steampunk noises*

Well, in that case, feel free to grab any resource you may find useful from my Great War of the Worlds mod! We have a ton of weapons and armors from WW1.

[wcho035]

I will try to make mod somewhat historical, but some mystical and technological elements need to be in it, as there will be no R&D without them, the very core of X-Com. Mid-game should contain some steam engine-based tech, with almost WWI tech in the end. Without at least a dripple of new toys, the game will get monotone very soon.

As for crafts, starting one will be marching camp, slow, and possibly a single scorpion/balista/onager can be there as well. For interception, I will be relying on Hunter-Killer script, so aliens will attack you. You will get faster, but unarmed and more expensive horse option soon after. After that, steam zeppelin. I know you don't want ahistorical stuff, but then again, I cant make X-Com mod without research, development and interception.

Bases wise, yes, I will probably need open sky, but I will not be focusing on that in the first version.

Just keep in mind, you cant have a whole legion in X-com. And especially not in a single battle. 20 soldiers is crowded as it is.

Personally, I don't know how a steam Zeppelin fit in a roman mod.  It goes against a mod being historical. You can have the a single scorpion/balista/onager  as a tank in the craft. As for a whole legion, I have up to 100+ soldier in the largest craft within my mod. It is possible. I was wishing for a pure historical mod. I guess you have your creative vision.  So, good luck.

[HT]

Personally, I don't know how a steam Zeppelin fit in a roman mod.  It goes against a mod being historical. You can have the a single scorpion/balista/onager  as a tank in the craft. As for a whole legion, I have up to 100+ soldier in the largest craft within my mod. It is possible. I was wishing for a pure historical mod. I guess you have your creative vision.  So, good luck.

Micromanaging more than 20 units in battle (nevermind equipping them) quickly becomes boring, especially if the enemy is as numerous or even more so. You would need extra large maps, which makes the "hunt the last hidden game" a chore, hence why legions in XCOM wouldn't work too well.

AS for future Roman tech... Ever played the Age of Decadence game?

[Mitra Lightbringer]

Personally, I don't know how a steam Zeppelin fit in a roman mod.

It's not historical, but it's not as far-fetched as you'd think, and it could work nicely as X-Com mod.
1.Romans had steam-powered door opener. What they did not have was "Pressure Chamber" which required "Cast Steel".
2.On the X-Com side of things, we get new fuel and new metal. If we get high-quality steel and something that could burn better than coal, we could get a new engine, "Steam Engine", to be precise.
3. Lastly, Romans had knowledge of only one vehicle besides chariot, a ship. Using steam to fill up giant balloon would be logical next step, as someone would surely get the idea. I would go as far as to claim that, if Romans had steam engines and boats, and needed to make flying craft, they would most likely build Zeppelin.

If anyone has better idea than mine, or found some fallacy in my logic, I'm 98% open to suggestions.

[efrenespartano]

What kind of wonder-thing will be the one that suddenly change the tech? In Xcom, the wonder-thing are Elerium and Alien Alloys, that made possible for us pale pink apes to kick the alien asses on another planet.

I think this could be some kind of alien mineral/liquid/gas that could be called "Aether", like the magical fifth element of classic science. Or could be seen as a blessing from the Gods. Aether could be used to fill the airships (couldn't be named Zeppelins because Ferdinand von Zeppelin doesn't exists in this timeline) or to propel  musket-like ballistic weapons.

A nice twist would be the origin of the Aether: alien blood.

Hey, don't forget to add Greek Fire! Burn those Heretics!

[wcho035]

Micromanaging more than 20 units in battle (nevermind equipping them) quickly becomes boring, especially if the enemy is as numerous or even more so. You would need extra large maps, which makes the "hunt the last hidden game" a chore, hence why legions in XCOM wouldn't work too well.

AS for future Roman tech... Ever played the Age of Decadence game?

Not every xcom unit has to be a soldier, there are drones and tanks

[HT]

Not every xcom unit has to be a soldier, there are drones and tanks

True, it's highly recommended to do so to not only have more firepower, but to avoid excessive micromanaging once big ships are used.

In a Roman mod though, auxiliary units could be warbeasts such as dogs, mounted chariots and/or horse-riders and so on. Still, more than 20 units it's way too many.

[wcho035]

That’s entirely dependant on the foe you are facing and if the mission is multilevel. For example a lobsterman crewed UFO or base you may need more with inferior weapons.

However, I believe in having the option and craft in having the ability to carry a few 4x tanks. Anyway, also it is a matter of whose mod is it. I have the luxury to design my own mod the way I wish it to be.

The maps in my mod are larger with a higher mix of terror units

[Mitra Lightbringer]

I already stated there will be both Foederati and a few 2*2 units like scorpio. But, these will be HIGHLY dependent on which path you choose. Foederati will have preset gear to decrease the micro, and they are relatively easy to replace. There will be a few kinds of course, and you will be able to upgrade them when you get better tech. But, Foederati sub-path is a swarming one.

Tanks and drones won't be here. Romans could develop steam tech if they had blast furnace, and we avoided the whole Dark Ages thing, but tanks, same as ironclads, require way more iron than Romans could reasonably mine and process. Keep in mind, your craft will weight more than even a balloon can lift, and WILL need repair very often. I don't think anyone would enjoy waiting 2-7 months for repair.
Drones would require either AI or radio control, and electricity, I don't think I need to go deeper.

Animals, I don't know. When I think of X-Com animals, I remember Piratez, and the brave cats and dogs trying to kill flaming aliens and burning alive. Maybe as very early unit, I don't know.

[wcho035]

I believe one of the main decision you need to make is, you want a land only or land and sea game for your mod. If it is land only, how are you going to bound your craft/units/legion to land texture only. For vanilla xcom interception can spill into land or sea. Currently, I don’t believe this feature is supported in OXC and maybe OXCE.

[Dioxine]

If I was to give advice, I only have one, and it's a crucial thing to avoid: to make mod to pretend to be too historical. It won't work with Xcom mechanics, simple as that.
Good luck, I'm always happy when a new, ambitious project appears!

[Meridian]

Now, I have 2 questions:
1. Is there a way to limit where the base can be constructed, without outright removing America from the map?

It is now possible to fix the location of your starting base, see example below.
Is that enough for your needs, or do you still need more flexibility?

Code: [Select]

startingBase:
  lon: 0.19919258923575595
  lat: -0.86892899895948816
  name: Rome


[Mitra Lightbringer]

It is now possible to fix the location of your starting base, see example below.
Is that enough for your needs, or do you still need more flexibility?

Code: [Select]

startingBase:
  lon: 0.19919258923575595
  lat: -0.86892899895948816
  name: Rome


It's enough. I don't have the time right now, as I work on a bigger project (Tabletop RPG), and this is just a side/passion project for me. I will get around to finishing it, unless something unexpected pops up.

[Solarius Scorch]

It's enough. I don't have the time right now, as I work on a bigger project (Tabletop RPG), and this is just a side/passion project for me. I will get around to finishing it, unless something unexpected pops up.

If you feel like it, feel free to share something about that RPG project in the offtopic.

[chickenx4]

where can i dl the mode