NOTE: For those of you reading this, this is my guidebook to the Civilization-style sim I am starting up.  If playing in the sim interests you, let me know and set this thread to Notify.  That way, you can watch it develop.  When I am ready for players (I already have a couple), I will reply to bump it back to the top.  I'll be adding to this day by day until it is complete.  Suggestions, compliments and criticisms are welcome!<br/><br/>In the meantime...a little FAQ:<br/><br/><strong>Q. Is this a story?</strong><br/>A. It's going to be more a text-based simulation than a story.  However, the course of the sim may serve as the launching pad for stories as time goes on.<br/><br/><strong>Q. Is this a straight adaptation of Civilization IV?</strong><br/>A. No.  It borrows from Civ IV, but there'll be plenty of independent and different content.  Think about what the Civ game would be like if the effort that had gone into graphics had instead gone into a deeper plotline, more options and variables, more detail, etc.  And imagine if concepts like rape and pillage could be incorporated into the game without concern for ratings issues.  That's what this is about.<br/><br/><strong>Q. So, why is it in the NC section?</strong><br/>A. While most of the game will be vanilla, barbarian raids and conquest will be played out to the fullest, with all the ramifications freely explored.  Some of those do go into at least the concept--if not the details--of non-con sex.  Having said that, non-con isn't going to be a focus; this is not a sex-centered sim.  The issue will be treated the same as other dynamics like economics, natural disasters, religion, and so on.<br/><br/><strong>Q. Will religion work the way it does in Civ 4?</strong><br/>A. Not exactly.  Your town comes with five deities known to your people.  You don't have to discover a certain tech to get religion.  However, you can spread religions to your neighbors...and foreign missionaries can likewise spread religion to your settlement.  The dynamics of religion will figure more prominently into this sim than in Civ 4 (where political correctness considerations basically made religions about as interesting and detailed as poker chips).  For starters, not all religions will get along.  There are actual deities, too, and your settlement and civilization develop a reputation with each deity.  A good reputation can lead to bonuses and favors.  A bad reputation...well, you get the idea.<br/><br/><strong>Q. Will this sim have a military component?</strong><br/>A. Absolutely!  You can train and equip troops, and you'll have more options in the beginning than "Warrior."  Military units are, to a large extent, customizable.  Magic will also play a role.  As with Civ, units can gain experience and become more powerful, and be upgraded when technology improves.<br/><br/><strong>Q. Will there be a technology tree?</strong><br/>A. Yes, although progression of technology will play a lesser role than it does in Civ.  I picture the technology tree beginning in the early Bronze Age and running into the Renaissance.  However, the dearth of tech will be compensated for by access to magic, as well as a deeper role-playing experience.<br/><br/><strong>Q. What civilizations are available to play?</strong><br/>A. Since there's only one of me, my ability to R&D and re-create every civilization on Earth is rather limited.  So, I'm going to go with three: the Hellenians, the Easterners, and the Nilots.  Those who are into history will probably recognize that those are Greco-Roman, Chinese/Mongolian, and Nilotic/Egyptian, respectively.<em>Now, please don't get disappointed or bent out of shape if I don't hew strictly to historical reality in depicting these civilizations</em>.  There will be substantial liberties taken in the interest of gameplay and creative license, so if you're looking for Total Realism, this ain't it.<br/><br/><strong>Q. Will players get to see their civilization?</strong><br/>A. Graphic arts are not my forté, I'm sorry to say.  I will probably use screenshots from Civ 4 in sandbox mode as visual aids, but don't expect many graphic depictions of the game's events.  I just don't have the talent with pictures that I do with words...or the time.  I may grab some pictures off the Web for use with some items, but original artwork from me probably isn't something you'd want to see anyway.<br/><br/>The Civilizations<br/><br/>The Hellenians:<br/>(http://z.about.com/d/ancienthistory/1/5/p/I/PersRoma2.jpg)<br/>The Hellenians are known for their legends and lore, and their excellence as infantrymen.  They are skilled metallurgists.  They begin with the deities Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus, and Demeter.  Their special civilization ability is the power of Amazons: they can add up to 20% of their female population to the military without a loss of Fertility.<br/><br/>The Easterners:<br/>(http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln101/Images101/guanyin.jpg)<br/>The Easterners are renowned for their organization and sense of social harmony and cohesion.  They are skilled cavalrymen, and known for advanced military tactics.  They begin with the deities of Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Light.  Their special civilization ability is the power of Harmony: Easterner settlements enjoy a 20% bonus to Civic Virtue.<br/><br/>The Nilots:<br/>(http://www.modernartimages.com/images/sculptureeditions/love-art-tongueoflove2.jpg)<br/>The Nilots are renowned for their monuments and artifice.  They excel in missile weapons, and Nilot spearmen are the rival of other cvilizations' archers.  They begin with the deities of Ra, Nut, Osiris...  Their special civilization ability is the power of Construction: they are able to construct buildings using 10% fewer resources and labor than normal.<br/><br/>Settlement Statistics:<br/><br/>Settlements have far more detail than they do in Civ, with the following stats:<br/><br/><strong>Population:</strong>The number of people in your settlement.<br/><strong>Level:</strong>A function of population, with Civic Virtue multiplying population.<br/><strong>Happiness:</strong>This statistic has a base value of 100, and reflects how pleased (or displeased) your people are with your rule.  A rating of 100 means that your people are neither pleased nor upset.  Happiness is effected by taxation, intensity of labor, as well as certain buildings and events.  High Happiness increases productivity.  Low Happiness decreases it, and Happiness below 70 places your settlement in jeopardy of revolt.  High Happiness also makes turning your people against you more difficult for foreign civilizations, and low Happiness can make your people more willing to be bought off by enemies.<br/><strong>Civic Virtue:</strong>This statistic starts at 10.  Civic Virtue is your population's sense of identity as citizens of your kingdom rather than mere individuals.  Certain buildings boost Civic Virtue, as well as some events.  Having a high Civic Virtue stat serves as a multiplier to population, increasing the Level of your settlement and allowing it to construct buildings and improvements that normally would require a higher population level.<br/><strong>Fertility:</strong>This statistic is the birth rate.  This is affected by Health, and certain buildings, improvements and events.  Fertility tends to slowly decline as a settlement gets up past 10,000 people or so.  A value of 2 is neutral, indicating that 2 babies are born to every couple, replacing the population.<br/><strong>Health</strong>: This statistic depicts the overall level of health of a population.  The higher the Health, the higher the Fertility, and the lower the death rate.  This is affected by terrain, access to water, some buildings, the food supply, and events.<br/><strong>Taxes</strong>: The percentage of tax that is taken from your citizens.  This is the pool of resources you have to construct public works (buildings and improvements).  The default percentage is 20%.  Raising the Tax rate exerts a drag on Prosperity, which in turn lowers Happiness, while lowering Taxes improves Prosperity and thereby raises Happiness.  The functional outcome of this is that high taxes raise expectations of your population--if you're going to have a 35% tax rate, you'd better also be constructing buildings and improvements that boost the economy and improve Happiness.<br/><strong>Prosperity</strong>: Do your people have enough resources?  Or do they suffer shortages?  Is there a surplus for people to trade within the settlement and without?  This is Prosperity, which is a measure of how many resources your settlement harvests, mines, produces, constructs, forges or otherwise comes up with each month AND which your population gets to keep.  This is why raising Taxes lowers Prosperity, and lowering Taxes raises Prosperity...at least in the short run.  In the long run, you may need to sacrifice a little Prosperity to get the tax resources to build improvements which raise output over the long run.  Or maybe not.  You're in charge...