Ages of Man! v0.2 - Open alpha test

[Dale]

You've heard me talk about it, now here it is. The Ages of Man!

This is the first 'playable' version I've had. Please download this and have a play, and let me know how it goes. I'm very interested in the following:

- The feel of the flow of the Techs and units
- The performance of the AI in war

Installation:

- CTP2
- v1.1 or v1.11 patch
- Modswapper
- SAP2
- Cradle v1.3 or higher
- Apolyton Tile File

The reason you need SAP2 and Cradle v1.3 is because I have not included the sprites or pictures in this download to keep the size low. Most people have these MODs by now, so it shouldn't be a hassle.

Readme:

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// Ages of Man! //
// //
// Version: v0.2 Alpha //
// Date: 23 November 2002 //
// Author: Dale Kent //
// File: AOM Readme.txt //
// //
// A MOD by Dale for Activision's Call to Power 2! //
// //
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

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IMPORTANT:
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Please take the time to read this document fully and the accompaning "Ages of Man Charts.xls". These should answer most questions you have about this MOD, and help in getting you playing.

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Disclaimer:
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THIS MATERIAL IS NOT MADE OR SUPPORTED BY ACTIVISION.
Feel free to use/adapt/alter and distribute this modpack, on the conditions that credit is given to the author of the original game materials and if possible, this readme file is included; and that any use of this mod is completely non-commercial.

The author takes no responsibility for any damaged software, damaged hardware, lost data, exploding modems, unexpected melting, or any other damage or loss of property potentially or actually caused by this download.
Tough Luck.

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Introduction:
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In the beginning, there was nothing. Then with an almighty BANG! the universe came into existence. For billions of years, matter span through the ever-increasing universe, forming all the components of the Cosmos. Out on the outer-ring of an unnoticed Galaxy, an ordinary Star attracked a mass of matter into an orbit around it. The matter compressed into a form and cooled, the surface hardening. Then from this chaos certain chemicals reacted, and life exploded onto the surface of this unnoticed Planet. Life took hold and became complex, creating the elements, water, air, plants. And then one day life walked the surface of the Planet. Thus Man came to the Earth. This is their story. Ten ages are yours to conquor. Can you survive the Ages to the Diamond Age? This is your story..............

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Welcome:
////////

Welcome to the Ages of Man! This is a MOD written specifically for Call to Power 2. This MOD is a continuation of my dream for the ultimate Civilisation experience. I hope you enjoy my adaption. Please read this document fully as it contains important information about changed concepts in the game. Some things have been taken out of CTP2, some things have been changed, and some things have been added. Please provide any feedback to the Ages of Man forum thread at Apolyton.

I've been MODding CTP2 for 2 years now. I've met a lot of great people at the CTP2 forums at Apolyton. Through the development of my MODs, and especially the Apolyton Pack and World at War I've had help, suggestions and feedback from players. Even now, I still get emails thanking me for taking the time to write the MODs and make CTP2 the greatest. To those people, this is your MOD.

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Installation:
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At this point, due to only being an Alpha version, this download is very cut-down to save on space. I have not included sprites or pictures. To play Ages of Man v0.2 Alpha you need:

- Call to Power 2
- Activision's official 1.1 or 1.11 patch
- Modswapper
- Super Apolyton Pack v2.0
- Cradle v1.3 or higher
- Ages of Man v0.2 Alpha

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Concepts:
/////////

So what concepts will you need to know about before embarking on a game of Ages of Man?


The Ages:
---------

This MOD uses the timeline 8000BC - 2200AD. It is broken down into 5 seperate Epoches:

- Epoche 1 8000BC - 3000BC: 20 year turns
- Epoche 2 3000BC - 0AD: 10 year turns
- Epoche 3 0AD - 1500AD: 5 year turns
- Epoche 4 1500AD - 1800AD: 1 year turns
- Epoche 5 1800AD - 2200AD: 1 year turns

Further to this breakdown, you are taken on a journey through the Ages of Man:

- Stone Age
- Copper Age
- Bronze Age
- Age of Philosophy
- Medieval Age
- Age of Renaiscance
- Age of Discovery
- Age of Imperialism
- Modern Age
- Diamond Age

At version 0.2 Alpha, you can only go through to the beginning of the Age of Discovery.

Colonisation:
-------------

Throughout Human history, governments and leaders have not had the control over settlement that we are led to believe in Civ-style games. Colonisation is a new concept I wrote to simulate the natural population spread. Things of note:

- You will no longer be able to build settlers
- Colonisation occurs naturally when city's populations increase
- Colonists will look around the home city between radius 5-7 and choose a settlement location that is the best in the area
- Government influence can force colonists to look towards inland or coastal settlement
- Colonisation will stop once your Government's city limits have been met

To exercise your Government Influence in your capital build "Government Policies" from the buildings menu. Once built you are presented with the Government policies window. Make your selections from here. You can select:

- Stop colonists
- Encourage fast coastal colonisation (approximately every 3rd pop point)
- Encourage medium coastal colonisation (approximately every 6th pop point)
- Encourage slow coastal colonisation (approximately every 9th pop point)
- Encourage fast inland colonisation (approximately every 3rd pop point)
- Encourage medium inland colonisation (approximately every 6th pop point)
- Encourage slow inland colonisation (approximately every 9th pop point)

City Expansion:
---------------

Thanks to Pedrunn, BlueO and Immortal Wombat, we now have City Expansion in CTP2. Ages of Man uses this script so suburbs form. For any information, queries or bug reports, please use the City Expansion thread in the Apolyton forums.

Unit upgrades:
--------------

Thanks to Peter Trigg's unit updater script, I have implemented unit upgrades. These occur at various times throughout the game. You will be notified when a unit upgrade is available, and the cost is the difference between building the old and the new unit.

Dark Ages: (Not completed)
----------

The Dark Ages encompass the Medieval and Renaiscance ages. These were a time of turmoil for the Human Race. Ages of Man will simulate this era in various ways. At v0.2 Alpha, only the governments are implemented. Please be fair to the AI. Until this concept is complete, once you discover Feudalism change your government to Dark Ages. I know no-one in their right mind would, but this is one of the elements of the Dark Ages which will be forced on you eventually.

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Final Comments:
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Thankyou for taking the time to play Ages of Man for Call to Power 2. A lot of my time has gone into creating this MOD, and I really appreciate feedback, even if it simple says "I played it". You can catch me at:

- the Apolyton CTP2 forums
- thesdale@dodo.com.au

Thankyou
Dale Kent

[HuangShang]

tight... but ill wait for 1.0

whats the diff between inland and coastal settlements
do u mean we cant control them?

Originally posted by Dale
Unit upgrades:
--------------

Thanks to Peter Trigg's unit updater script, I have implemented unit upgrades. These occur at various times throughout the game. You will be notified when a unit upgrade is available, and the cost is the difference between building the old and the new unit.

tight is there multiple upgade times?

Originally posted by Dale

Dark Ages: (Not completed)
----------

The Dark Ages encompass the Medieval and Renaiscance ages. These were a time of turmoil for the Human Race. Ages of Man will simulate this era in various ways. At v0.2 Alpha, only the governments are implemented. Please be fair to the AI. Until this concept is complete, once you discover Feudalism change your government to Dark Ages. I know no-one in their right mind would, but this is one of the elements of the Dark Ages which will be forced on you eventually.

yo

[hexagonian]

Dale,
I should be able to get to this next week (after Wednesday, as I will have a five-day weekend)

I'm close to getting WOTR wrapped up...

[mapfi]

I'm starting right away.

edit: and had my first crash already, gu169.spr is missing, i do have cradle and sap, so where should it come from?.

[J Bytheway]

I had the same problem, but fixed it by inserting appropriate filler graphics and sprite. The problem is with SPRITE_SHARMAN for the Shaman unit - gu169.spr.

To anyone who can't wait: If you want it to work just copy any of the other sprites and give it the correct name, and copy any of the unit graphics Upup????.tga, renumbering them appropriately.

[J Bytheway]

UPDG059.tga is also missing, but I don't know what that's for. I got the error while opening the diplomacy new proposal screen.

[Dale]

Sorry guys. Heres the missing files:

- Place gu169.spr in the sprites folder
- Plave all the rest in the pictures folder



Huang:

The difference between coastal and inland settlement is that if you're doing coastal there's a bonus for coastal tiles. Makes more coastal cities basically.

Yes there's multiple upgrades. Some units go through 3 upgrades.

[Dale]

Here's the bug list for v0.2 (will be updated as more come in)

- Missing Shaman sprite/pics. Fixed, see above
- AI doesn't reset colonisation settings to active if it reaches city limit and then gets a better gov. Fixed. Will be available in next update
- AI fortifies lots of units around cities but not actually in them. Fixed. I put the wrong strategies.txt in. Sorry I'll have that in the next update too.
- AI sometimes doesn't settle in the initial turns. Fixed. In next update.
- Govt specific units unbalanced, too powerful. Fixed. Price increased by 50%.

More added as they are found.

[Dale]

Quick note:

- Bug list updated.
- Anyone else found any bugs?
- v0.21 to fix above bugs I should have here in a few hours.

[Dale]

This is the update file to fix all the above listed bugs:

- Correct AOM_strategies.txt
- Correct AOM_goals.txt
- Modified AOM_units.txt to fix up some of the units
1. Increased Govt units price by 50%
2. Increased pikemen HP by 50%
- Modified AOM_slics.slc to fix some colonisation bugs
- Graphics files from previous update.
- Updated Ages of Man Charts.xls

This update will upgrade from v0.2 to v0.21. I hope there's enough interest in this Mod, because I'd hate to be doing this for 3 or 4 people.

[ToonGoon]

Dale

I'm very excited about your mod and I have been following your progress from the time it was announced. Unfortunately, I don't have the time right now to devote to a truly helpful alpha test for you. If I take up the testing I want to be able to give you some truly valuable info.

In the future I hope to be able to offer more help to your efforts.

Most importantly, I think this alpha should be an official announcement on the front page. DAOM (Dale's AOM) appears to be the next generation in mods and coudl really benefit everyone and the mod with a little more exposure.

TG

[Dale]

ToonGoon:

Thanks for the support. As for a news item, I'll wait till I get a few more of the scripts running correctly before I send Markos a news-item request. If I were to put the Dark Ages script I've got at the moment out, you'd all be dead within 15 turns of entering the Dark Ages. That's no good, is it?

[child of Thor]

I'm playing through the Latest Craddle at the momment to get as far as i can and pick up any oddities for Hex. Soon as that is done im gonna get straight into this!i'll download it in a few hours and maybe have a sneaky look - nothing more.......i promise......damn only being able to concentrate on one game at a time

Edit: ok just had a quick go(year 6800bc) and first impressions:

1. zip! It moves along at a fair pace, new discoveries come in no time compared to 'normal' CTP2 - and at first seems strange only because i'm used to waiting 15 turns(150years?) to discover stoneworking. After the initial shock i think this is actually better than having not much happen for alot of the early game.

2. I laughed when i built the tribal council wonder and had the WIA movie! I guess this will change in the final release

3. I wasn't quite sure what my choices really meant when it asks for those initial government policy setting things via the message tabs - but i didn't read any readme's, just got stuck in(so my fault).

4. It feels very different from a normal CTP2 game, the not having settlers, the pace of discoveries and the types of discoveries.........so congratulations on that.
I had to force myself to stop as it intriuged me nicely

It flows quite nicely and makes sense from what ive seen of the tech tree in game so far.
more please and i hope more people have a look at this and post some feedback.

Oh yeah you seem to have fixed the 1min hang when getting a unit from a ruin? Did i miss some breakthrough elsewhere in the forum?

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by child of Thor
Oh yeah you seem to have fixed the 1min hang when getting a unit from a ruin? Did i miss some breakthrough elsewhere in the forum?

This is not a CTP2 bug and it is only in Cradle and in MedPack2 AFAIK. AFAIK it is caused by a script, so if you don't use this script you don't have the problem. Of course the other way to deal with it is to disable units and techs from ruins.

-Martin

[J Bytheway]

UPDG078.tga is also missing, and there are some squares which I cannot build farms on for some reason (they are supplied with water). Have you any idea what might be causing that?

[Amesjustin]

I get the following error when trying to start a game:

C:\Program Files\Activision\Call To Power 2\ctp2_data\default\gamedata\tut2_main.slc:339:IMP ROVE_CITY_WALLS not found in BuildingDB.

I am using v0.2 with the v0.21 patch.

[J Bytheway]

I was getting a bit frustrated at playing with no data in the GL, so I created GL entries for the advances, units and improvements (attached if anyone else wants them, put AOM_Great_Library.txt in the ...\ctp2_data\english\gamedata folder and the others in the ..\ctp2_data\default\gamedata folder - in each case where the existing file of the same name should be). These entries were generated with CTPEd's GL tool (although using features of it which are not in the most recent release version), and I make no guarantee as to their accuracy or completeness - if anyone notes any specific errors or ommisions please let me know. I might do wonders and governments too later...

[Amesjustin]

I still can't even get a game going. I want to. Sounds cool. Crashes.

I get no graphical updates to the map in addition to the errors.

[Devil of Truth]

Amesjustin, do you have Cradle 1.3+ and SAP installed? These contain some files needed for AOM.

Dale, bloody marvellous mod, mate. Can’t wait for the finished product!

[mapfi]

Playing along nicely - very happy about John's contribution - getting my butt whipped - most strange thing that happened:
A city of mine was taken and razed (size 1), about 10 turns later colonist decide to settle at exactly the same place (that would be of course logical) and the city gets it's original name and the latest queue!!!! The one it had when it was captured. Hello CTP-Bug, I guess...
I'm enjoying the game, the only thing that bothers me is the ability to disband cities to settlers without any cost. While this is somehow not the idea of the conolization concept it can be very helpful sometimes but there should be some kind of penalty. I'm thinking of a Militia Unit as a freebee that is disbanded if you disband the city. That would also solve the problem of unguarded cities appearing in one-turn walking distance of an enemy unit.

[Amesjustin]

Originally posted by Devil of Truth
Amesjustin, do you have Cradle 1.3+ and SAP installed? These contain some files needed for AOM.

Dale, bloody marvellous mod, mate. Can’t wait for the finished product!

1.34a, SAP, and all the other requirements. I guess I should try reinstalling everything, I did with the cradle and AOM.

Damn, this sound like a cool mod, too.

[Dale]

Thanks for the good words guys. I'm really glad to see some interest in this project. And to think, just a couple of days ago in emailing Hex I said I was pretty over the whole thing.

Anyways, I'll keep plugging away at it and we'll see what we get. Things in mind for the next update:
- Fixing the "disband city" problem
- Changing around the unit prices as I think they're a bit unbalanced right now
- Finishing the Dark Ages

Also, does anyone have a suggestion on how to get around the fact that a city under the colonisation rules is effectively building a unit and a settler at the same time? Hex brought that one up. I was thinking maybe make the first few buildings so cheap that it'll only take the AI a couple of turns to build them and thus not impact it too much.

[Dale]

AmesJustin:

You can't play AOM with the tutorial. Play at a higher level, or turn the tutorial off.

mapfi:

Now I must admit, that's a new bug!

J Bytheway:

Thanks for the tip on the missing diplo-picture. About farms: check the tech tree for when farms can be build on what terrain. You can't build farms on hills and mountains till Water Lift (from memory). If those tiles were a "flat" terrain, what terrain was it? (IE: tundra, desert, plains, etc).

[ToonGoon]

My curiousity got the better of me last evening and I downloaded AOM. It's been great so far, however, my wife didn't allow me to get too far before pulling me away I will try to offer up more constructive feedback whenever I can.

[Amesjustin]

Originally posted by Dale
AmesJustin:

You can't play AOM with the tutorial. Play at a higher level, or turn the tutorial off.

mapfi:

Well, even after I set the GamePlay options to tutorial off, and started a game at Medium, I STILL got the error, but the tutorial was STILL on.

I finally went into into the .INI file and flipped it off.

Now I have been playing it, and I like it so far. It does need Library entries so we know why we are building everything.

I also appear to have hit the end the advance tree - and fairly early. There are no longer any choices. I still cannot use diplomacy to establish an embassy because I haven't researched bueracracy yet, but I have nothing left in the advance qeue to research!

I also noticed that when I research an advance that allow me to upgrade units, I get a message asking me if I want to upgrade the units, and when I say yes it never tells me what was upgraded.

The diplomacy model you are using in this is by far the best I have seen. The only glitch I have noticed with it is if another civ requests something like a military pact from me and I reject it, they will ask me every single turn until I finally give in for it. Maybe that was intentional because as a player I get so annoyed it forces me to agree with them or declare war just to get them to shut up.

Love the concept, though - once fleshed out this will be fantastic. Don't leave this mod behind - it is one of the most original concepts I have seen yet!

[HuangShang]

yo, whens 1.0 mest likely going to be out?

[primemover]

I just came across this new mod in the making and I have one major comment/concern/question (and maybe HuangShang can help with this...)

My only problem with the concept so far is your comment(s) on the Dark Ages. The Dark ages were indeed a hard time for man in Europe and the Middle East. But what about other empires in other areas of the world... (Keep in mind I'm not a historian... but...)

China for example. Although they did have a feudal government during the "dark ages", their feudal system goes all the way back to at least 221 BC. But just because they had a similar government style, can we still assume they went through a "dark ages" as Europe did? Some web sites suggest otherwise: (eg VIP China Tours History site). It is suggested that although China did go through some instability parallel to Europe, China also went through several very different stages during the times you are calling "the dark ages", some of them quite properous by contrast. China also appears to have had a city-state and even an independent state system.

Again, what about the Mayan's and Africa? I don't think their histories even necessitate a constant "feudal" system during these times.

I just don't know that imposing the state of Europe on the entire world is historically accurate. I suggest doing a bit of research for the dark, and possibly all "ages" of man, to be sure your ages include the full spectrum of possibilities.

But otherwise this different approach is intriguing. Currently I am trying the new Cradle Mod... when I actually have the time (being a teacher). I anticipate giving it a try sometime in the future (possibly during Christmas Break).

[primemover]

I have another comment about this mod.

Although, historically colonization did occur naturally (spreading of a civilization)... during colonial times , charters DID occur and colonies were set up by the settlers themselves.

I think it would be appropriate to have settlers enter the picture as some future advance... I hate being stuck on one continent during those "colonial" periods where I want to find newer and greener pastures.

Could we consider this as a possibility? Not being able to explore and not being able to set my sights on colonizing some nice new terrirory I've found in the future (even if it is the far future) would greatly dampen my enthusiasm for this mod.

[J Bytheway]

I believe that settlers will be buildable later, but even at the start you can do such colonization if your heart is set on it by disbanding existing cities and moving the resultant settlers.

[J Bytheway]

A revised version of my GL - now including wonders and governments. As before, replace the existing files with the same names. I should have said - you'll have to reset modswapper to some other mod and then back to AOM for these changes to take effect.