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Single Giant library workroom. Takes a bit of set-up but once done is done.

90 (40%)

Specific Library sections. Books are in the library and the menu is managable.

111 (49.3%)

Generic library sections with free floating books. Messy, but flexible.

19 (8.4%)

Other: Describe (keep in mind the limits of modding)

5 (2.2%)

Total Members Voted: 224

[Dohon]

Alrighty! I used to play everything in ASCII, but a few sets (including RR's) spoiled me. Won't stop me from trying "Civ Forge" once the new version hits and you update the mod.

[Mephansteras]

The new Alchemy changes are pretty fun. Or, I find them fun, at least. And the expanded materials is kind of cool, with a lot more variety in what can show up. Even if it is pretty random about it.

Looking at the changes for 31.09, it's pretty extensive. Mostly in the sense that I'll need to balance out the new metals with the changes toady made to the combat logic.

Basically, I think we may need to move away from Arkhal's balance mod at this point and start adapting the changes Toady is making. Hopefully it won't be too hard to do. In any case, I imagine it'll take up a good chunk of my time tomorrow.

[Mephansteras]

Plugging away at re-balancing everything for 31.10. The changes Toady put in are pretty significant. Tempered Crystal went from being a bit better than copper to being almost as good as steel!

Looks like Iron is also pretty worthwhile now. I'm keeping the hardened wrought iron from ironworks, but I've decided to leave iron usable as it is. Basically hardening iron will give a slight edge over normal iron but is no longer required. Essentially an in-between step between iron and steel. Not quite accurate, since any iron used for weapons has to be hardened in real life, but it does reflect the highly variable iron quality a bit more.

I hope to have the new test files up tonight. Shouldn't be long before I get the actual release out after this. Mostly documentation stuff, which won't be hard but is a bit time consuming.

[Mephansteras]

Still tweaking a few things, sorry. Almost got everything working smoothly at this point, though, so I'll have the new test files up today.

[kilakan]

wooo go Meph

[Cheddarius]

In general, would you say this mod is easier or more difficult than standard DF?
Why does the first post link to itself?
Is this mod compatible with graphics packs, or will it mess up because the raws are different?

[Mephansteras]

I would say it is generally harder, simply due to the increased number of ambushes and sieges from the greater number of enemies. It's not insanely difficult, though, since you have more trading partners and some more powerful materials to outfit your warriors in. Overall it is designed to add more variety and some optional complexity to the game. Especially with the Alchemy that's coming up in the next release.

The first post linked to itself because I copied the change list off of the file that gets distributed with the mod...I fixed it.

It is compatible with graphics packs, including one that was made for Civilization Forge for 40d. It might need some minor tweaking, though. You can use other graphics packs, but the new animals and races won't have graphics (of course). Plus, some of the new races will show up a little odd, like the Xelics who show up as cabinets. Not a big deal in ASCII, but a bit odder with a graphics pack.

[Cheddarius]

All right, thanks!

[Mephansteras]

Civilization Forge 2.2 Test#2 is up!

Could still be a bit buggy, but hopefully things are nicer now. You can now trade for "metal bars" of the Alchemical items, which are actually in glass tubes, but I can't get the game to trade anything other than metal bars. Odd. Anyway, there is a new Alchemy Workbench used to transfer alchemy items from jars to tubes and back again. Kind of a cheap way to skill alchemy right now, I guess.

There is also a new Crystal Furnace, used to get around the fact that crystal glass seems to be bugged. It'll let you make raw crystal glass, crystal glass blocks, and crystal glass windows.

[Mephansteras]

Performing various tweaks and whatnot. Still working on balancing the various metals to my satisfaction.

Also, I've updated the Alchemy Basics.

Spoiler: Basic Alchemy Guide (click to show/hide)

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Alchemy Guide
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Basic Alchemy items:

Alchemical Jars: These jars are the basic unit to hold alchemical items. They are created at the Jar Maker's workshop from raw glass (green, clear, or crystal). Note that many reactions require 5 jars, so it is wise to keep many extras on hand.

Alchemical Transport Tubes: These are 'metal' bars that you can import that contain a jar's worth of an alchemical substance. Their contents can be transferred to a jar at the Alchemy Workbench.

----------------------

General Note: All reactions here are assumed to be at the Alchemist's workshop unless stated otherwise

Alchemical Components:

Oil
    Found: Extracted from Oil Nuts or Tunnel Tube in an Oil Press
     Uses: Used to create Night Crystal and Void Crystal
     Requires: 1 bunch of Oil Nuts and 1 alchemical jar OR 1 tunnel tube log and 3 alchemical jars
     Produces: 1 jar of Oil or 3 jars of Oil


Quicksilver
    Found: Extracted from Cinnabar
     Uses: Used to create Blood Crystal and Void Crystal
     Requires: 1 boulder of Cinnabar and 1 alchemical jar
     Produces: 1 jar of quicksilver

Midnight Elixir
    Found: Created from Cobaltite and Oil in a Frothing Pool
     Uses: Used to create Night Crystal and Void Crystal
     Requires: 1 boulder of Cobaltite and 5 alchemical jars filled with Oil
     Produces: 5 jars of Midnight Elixir

Black Antimony
    Found: Extracted from Stibnite
     Uses: Used to create Void Crystal
     Requires: 1 boulder of Stibnite and 5 alchemical jars
     Produces: 5 jars of Black Antimony

Saltpeter
   Found: Either dug from the earth or created from Potash in the Saltpeter beds.
    Uses: Used to create Emen Aren
    Requires: 1 bar of potash
    Produces: 1 boulder of saltpeter
   
Green Vitriol
   Found: Extracted from Melanterite
    Uses: Can be distilled to Oil of Vitriol
    Requires: 1 boulder of Melanterite and 5 alchemical jars
    Produces: 5 jars of Green Vitriol
   
Oil of Vitriol
   Found: Distilled from Green Vitriol or Alum
    Uses: Used to create Emen Aren
    Requires: 1 jar of Green Vitriol OR 1 Jar of Alum
    Produces: 1 jar of Oil of Vitriol   
   
Blue Vitriol
   Found: Extracted from Chalcanthite
    Uses: Used to create Night Crystal and Emen Aren
    Requires: 1 boulder of Chalcanthite and 5 alchemical jars
    Produces: 5 jars of Blue Vitriol
   
Alum
    Found: Extracted from Alunite, Bauxite, or Alum Shale
     Uses: Used to make Oil of Vitriol and Emen Aren
     Requires: 1 boulder of an Alum Stone, 1 bar of Potash, and 5 alchemical jars
     Produces: 5 jars of Alum
     
Emen Aren (Strong Water)
    Found: Made from combining Saltpeter and Oil of Vitriol or combining Blue Vitriol, Saltpeter, and Alum
     Uses: Used to create Relon Aren and separate Mithril/Levisium from ore
     Requires: 1 boulder of Saltpeter and 5 alchemical jars filled with Oil of Vitriol OR 2 alchemical jars filled with Blue Vitriol, 1 boulder of Saltpeter, and 1 jar filled with Alum
     Produces: 5 jars of Emen Aren OR 3 jars of Emen Aren
     
Salt
    Found: Mined from Rock Salt
     Uses: Used to create Nabid Ubal
     Requires: 1 boulder of Rock Salt and 5 alchemical jars
     Produces: 5 jars of Salt
     
Nabid Ubal (Spirit of Salt)
    Found: Made from Salt and Oil of Vitriol
     Uses: Used to create Relon Aren 
     Requires: 1 jar of Salt and 1 jar of Oil of Vitriol
     Produces: 1 jar of Nabid Ubal and 1 empty alchemical jar             
     
Relon Aren (Royal Water)
    Found: Made from Nabid Ubal and Emen Aren
     Uses: Used to create the various Elemental Metals
     Requires: 3 jar of Nabid Ubal and 1 jar of Emen Aren
     Produces: 4 jars of Relon Aren   

Ikal Nabid (Healing Salts)
    Found: Made from Dolomite, talc, or olivine
     Uses: Used to create Tempered Crystal, Blood Crystal, Night Crystal, and Void Crystal
     Requires: 1 boulder of Dolomite, talc, or olivine and 5 alchemical jars
     Produces: 5 jars of Ikal Nabid
         
Elixir of Frost
    Found: Made from Frost Crystal and Relon Aren
     Uses: Used to create Glacium bars
     Requires: 1 cut Frost Crystal gem and 5 jars of Relon Aren
     Produces: 5 jars of Elixir of Frost         

Elixir of Fire
    Found: Made from Fireheart and Relon Aren
     Uses: Used to create Incendium bars
     Requires: 1 cut Fireheart gem and 5 jars of Relon Aren
     Produces: 5 jars of Elixir of Fire
     
Elixir of Fury
    Found: Made from Storm Crystal and Relon Aren
     Uses: Used to create Tempestium bars
     Requires: 1 cut Storm Crystal gem and 5 jars of Relon Aren
     Produces: 5 jars of Elixir of Fury
     
Elixir of Stone
    Found: Made from Ward Crystal and Relon Aren
     Uses: Used to create Ward Iron bars
     Requires: 1 cut Ward Crystal gem and 5 jars of Relon Aren
     Produces: 5 jars of Elixir of Stone
     
Pure Elixir
    Found: Made from Frost Crystal, Fireheart, Storm Crystal, Ward Crystal and Relon Aren
     Uses: Used to create Elementium bars     
     Requires: 1 cut Ward Crystal, 1 Frost Crystal, 1 Fireheart, 1 Storm Crystal, and 5 jars of Relon Aren
     Produces: 5 jars of Pure Elixir
     
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Infusion Chamber
-----------------
The Infusion Chamber is used to create the various Elemental Metals

1 bar of iron + 1 Elixir of Frost = 1 Glacium Bar                     

1 bar of iron + 1 Elixir of Fire = 1 Incendium Bar

1 bar of iron + 1 Elixir of Fury = 1 Tempestium Bar

1 bar of iron + 1 Elixir of Stone = 1 Ward Iron Bar

1 bar of iron + 1 Pure Elixir = 1 Elementium Bar
   
-----------------
Tempering Chamber
-----------------
The Tempering Chamber is used to turn Raw Crystal Glass into the various Crystal Bars
   
1 Raw Crystal Glass + Ikal Nabid + Fuel = 1 Tempered Crystal Bar

1 Raw Crystal Glass + Ikal Nabid + Midnight Elixir + Fuel = 1 Night Crystal Bar

1 Raw Crystal Glass + Ikal Nabid + Quicksilver + Fuel = 1 Blood Crystal Bar

1 Raw Crystal Glass + Ikal Nabid + Quicksilver + Midnight Elixir + Black Antimony + Fuel = 1 Void Crystal Bar

   
-----------------
Separation Chamber
-----------------
Used to Separate Mithril from Truesilver and Levisium from Levitite

1 boulder Truesilver + Emen Aren = 1 Silver Bar + 1 Mithril Bar (20% chance)             

1 boulder Levitite + Emen Aren = 1 Copper Bar + 1 Levisium Bar (33% chance)

[Lord Shonus]

Are giant ants supposed to rival dragons in power? I had one tear a mithril-armored outpost liason in half with a single strike, then slaughter two dwarves full kitted out in bronze without even slowing.

Not bitching, but with the new combat changes, I figured maybe the balance you intended was thrown off.

[Mephansteras]

Hmmm. No, no, they're not supposed to be that scary. Looks like I'll have to run some tests with the ants.

EDIT: Just ran some arena tests. Moderately skilled Dwarves in full bronze and full iron were able to slaughter giant ants without getting more than scratched. That includes soldiers and queens. Maybe you just got unlucky?

Sounds like I'll need to watch it in fortress mode, though. Things don't always translate smoothly from arena to the actual game for some reason.

[Mephansteras]

Did some more general material tests. I think I have the various Crystal types working reasonably well now. I strongly recommend having a good variety of weapon types, as there does not seem to be a clear winner as far as which weapon is best. Certainly not in all situations. Royal Bronze, for example, seems to do best with Spears and War hammers. Why war hammers? I have no idea, since it's lighter than normal bronze. But my dwarves using royal bronze did much better against the iron clad goblins when using hammer and spear than they did with battle axes.

Dwarves are kind of wimpy, though. I guess it's for balance, since you can get better materials than most of your foes, but even using slightly better equipment (like blood crystal) the dwarves still take a lot of damage from goblins using iron.

Oh, and don't tick off the Frost Giants unless you have about 3-1 odds on them or lots of archers in towers. They're scary. I saw 8 Frost Giants take on twice as many Violet Xelics and mop the floor with them. Said Xelics had just mopped up an army of goblins with no losses. Oh, and the Xelics were using Steel and Void Crystal while the Giants had Iron with a few glacium weapons.

[Mephansteras]

Heh. Lost my most recent test fortress due to the adamantine wealth bonus bug. Hadn't noticed that the fortress wealth was about 160k when I showed up, so I didn't get my defenses up fast enough. An early Bugbear ambush alerted me to the fact, but before I could get my defenses ready I got hit by a two-squad ambush of Sand Raiders. The only dwarf left alive at the end was my woodcutter who'd been wounded by the bugbears. His faithful Giant Beetles drove off the attackers while he lay helpless in bed. But with no one to bring him water, he was pretty much doomed.

Ah, well. It reminded me that the bugbears needed to be fixed (they showed up with a Bright Silver Kopesh). So Bugbears are now limited to just copper, silver, and gold (metals that can be worked with low or no heat).

I also went in an rebalanced the new weapons, since I had apparently forgotten to do that.

While I was there I decided to add in some new stuff. Sand Raiders now get three new weapons - Scorpion Dagger, Scorpion Blade, and Scorpion Spear. All three are piercing weapons with very thin blades. Good at piercing armor, though not as good at actually killing people as the normal weapons are. Still, should make the Sand Raiders a bit more deadly for the late-game.

Dwarves now get Large Daggers and Light Hammers. Basically Civilian Weapons, for those of you who want your butchers, masons, and metalworkers to walk around with a suitable tool to defend themselves with. I also added in aprons, which seem like a suitably dwarven bit of clothing. Something to catch all the blood splatters, flying chunks of obsidian, and burning embers. Plus, it can be made of leather so you can give your craftsdwarves a military 'uniform' that gives some protection without seeming like actual armor.

[Cheddarius]

About alchemy - I looked over the reactions but I couldn't quite understand what the goals were. What useful things does alchemy produce? Just those metal bars (glacium, incendium, elementium, mithril, etc.) for weapons?