I wanted a new topic to keep this all together. I've customized already created units and made two working factions, Dark Indian, and Dominators. These were created for those, like me, who are waiting for new factions to be released and have come to a point where we've played against the already made factions enough. Of course, you can command them as well and I do, but I made them mostly as an opponent. In a 4 player game, myself(Dark Magic), 3 computer megas(Dark Indians, Dominators, and Romans_Beta), which I tested in two different games, the Dominators defeated the Romans both times.
If I had permission from those who originally created the units, I would share these factions with you. The Dominators was more thought out but I need some help to really call it finalized as things I wanted to include, don't work but again, it's playable as is though the reward units for some upgrades are able to be created without the upgrade, which leaves no reason to purchase the upgrade. I left these upgrades in, in case someone could help me make them work. I'm not sure of a written out tree thing so this is the Domiantors(original unit names follow the new names if applicable).
Start-3 slaves(Egypt), one worker(Tech), 1 archer(Tech), 2 guards(Tech), and the Castle(Tech).
Resources are food, gold, wood, stone, and housing. When I think of military units in terms of food, I think rations so I wanted to better incorporate this thinking into the game. Military units go under the housing, while your slaves and workers follow the food resource. There are some exceptions but we won't jump ahead yet. This is the order I wanted to faction to go, but you can jump ahead because of certain upgrades not working.
First is a house(summoners guild from magic). This building creates a slave_master(wartime mechanic from Romans). It researches slavery and then after that allows you to create slaves. The Castle creates workers. Currently you can create slaves without researching slavery(I need to fix this).
Next is the barracks(Tech). You create the training field here, then can create Guards(Tech), Archers(Tech), General(Romans), and Turtle Formation(Romans).
Originally I had taken the norsemen blacksmith and renamed it proving ground. This would be made after you research romans but that upgrade doesn't work and I had to omit the proving ground entirely, leaving the turtle formation accessible from the start in the Barracks.
The farm is from Norsemen and here you create chickens, pigs, cows, and the bull(Indians). The bulls attack has been taken away and simply serves the same purpose as the other animals. Being a meat cutter nearly 12 years, I can tell you, you're not buying cow meat at your local supermarket. Cows are for milk and steaks you purchase at the store are steer meat. This is the thinking I use with the animals.
Next is the blacksmith(tech). Here you research sword_advancement, arrow advancement, shield advancement, and spear advancement. These upgrades work the same as they originally were, though the names were changed and the shield one and two were combined and instead of +10 armour each, the one just gives the +20 and I seperated the piercing weapons into spear and arrow.
The Library(Magic) also has multiple research. You can research Native_Americans, Persia, Romans, Thunderbird_training, physical training, and architectural_advancement. The first three aren't working, which allows you to build those factions buildings without doing the research.
The Roundtent produces axe indians and axe throwers.
The Temple(Persia) produces the swordman(persia).
The Stable(horsefarm from Indians) researches stables then allows you to create the Horseman(Tech) The Thunderbird is produced here too, after researching thunderbird_training. These are two units that food, being animal units, but seeing as the horse is ridden, that unit requires 2 each food and housing. The Thunderbird requires 5 food.
The Tower(defense tower from Tech) is the final building.
I couldn't get the slave/worker concept to work the way I intended it to. I wanted slaves to harvest, while workers build. The worker can harvest but the slave can't build. I couldn't get this to work fully so had to improvise, making the slave build only the castle. I wanted the incentive there to use both slaves and workers. I wasn't sure which number to change in the slave xml, but want them to move slightly faster than a worker. The slave can currently carry 50 gold, stone and wood each instead of the workers 25, 25, 20.
This wasn't just throwing units together, but was thought out and took me time to accomplish. It seems the most thought out concepts don't work for me.
If I add upgrade requirement, native americans to the roundtent xml, it doesn't load. If I add romans to requirements in the turtle formation, it doesn't load. I don't know why because other ones do work. The thunderbird can't be produced until the training is done and this one works.
This faction doesn't really have a set theme to it, more like a motley crue of units but in games, using them, and against them, they seem to play well.
I changed nearly all values but won't list them all here but a few examples are, the General will cost you 1000 gold and the turtle formation will be 1000 gold, 500 wood and take up 10 housing.
I tried to add a plus 20 housing to the barracks but it wouldn't load so currently the only housing is through the castle, which is 100 for each castle. I set it that high for the computer so it wouldn't have to limit it's army, especially as a mega opponent.
It would have been nice to add a new, unique unit or building to this faction but I simply can't model, or animate and have come to accept the fact these are things I can not do.
