MIGUEL FARAH'S FREECIV STUFF: MARE INFINITUS

This is a modpack loosely inspired in the polinesian islands and the Mare Infinitus planet (described in detail in Dan Simmons' Endymion).

The basic premise in this modpack is: the world is mostly water, with small islands here and there (size: 1 square). Terrain is scarce and most of the activity is ocean-based, so the civilizations don't evolve land-oriented technologies/units/improvements:

all horse-related units can't exist
automobile units don't exist either
most infantry units have the "Marine" capability
nuclear technology is never developed.

The following table describes the changes:

tech units buildings/wonders

gone

Atomic Theory
Bridge Building
Fusion Power
Guerilla Warfare
Horseback Riding
Labor Union
Mobile Warfare
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Fission
Railroad
Refrigeration

Partisan
Mech. Inf.
Horsemen
Chariot
Knights
Dragoons
Cavalry
Armor
Catapult
Cannon
Artillery
Howitzer
Nuclear
Explorer

Nuclear Plant
SDI Defense
Super Highways
Supermarket

Darwin's Voyage (too powerful)
Great Wall (makes no sense in this world)
Hoover Dam (makes no sense in this world)
Magellan's Expedition (too powerful)
Manhattan Project (no nuclear technology)
Pyramids (too powerful)

new

Computer Network
Warrior Oath (Chivalry renamed)
Wing in Ground Effect
Yamato Gun

Samurai
Canoe
Catamaran
Yamayo Battleship
Barge (replaces caravan)
Freighter (replaces Freight)
Express Freighter

Advanced Coastal Defense & Primitive Coastal Defense (both replace the Coastal Defense)
Fish Farms
ISP
Water Turbines (replaces Hydro Plant)

The Internet

The modpack is in development. This is the roadmap:

Ready:

World map generator. It's a Perl script that generates .SAV files. It can handle any map size larger than 2x2 (Freeciv's minimum is 40x25, so we're ok).
First version of the rulesets have been created. These are based on Freeciv 1.13.0's Default rulesets.

To be done:

Add the ships I haven't written in yet (ekranoplans for transport and for attack (see Wing in Ground effect)).
Balancing and fine-tuning the techs, units and improvements.
Images for the new units (I'll be needing help here).

Wishlist:

Fishing factory: this unit "farms" a 3x3 square sea area, extracting the available food, and feeds it to the city it belongs to; this lets a city grow much larger than its 21 squares will support.
Unless I am severely mistaken, this one unit would require modifying source code, which I am (I must confess) in no condition to do. I'll require help from someone who can do it.
Integration of the map generator into Freeciv, to eliminate the need for the separate one.

Downloads

You may download the technology tree (in PostScript format) and the rulesets (these should be unzipped into a subdirectory inside the freeciv/data/ directory).

I am open to suggestions, so if you have an idea to contribute, it'll be welcome.

Last update: 28/09/2002.