Civ4: TDS Geo-Bio Mod

The aim of this mod is to make terrain, features and resources a bit more natural. Amongst the many changes you will find swamps next to rivers and goats on hills in arid regions.

Compatible with Beyond the Sword.

Terrain

Changed: Removed forest from tundra.

Reason: Tundra, by definition, is a vast treeless Arctic region.

Changed: Rivers running through tundra no longer generate commerce.

Reason: Rivers are impassable to trade for most of the time.

Changed: Can no longer build cities on ice.

Reason: To inhospitable for cities to be founded.

Features

Changed: Jungle gives one resource the same as forest and returns production when chopped down.

Reason: Many hardwoods come from the jungle and a lot of jungle is logged. Lumbermills aren't viable due to the unhealthy and even hostile nature of jungle.

Added: Swamp.

Reason: Swamps provide extra food in the form of wild foul and extra production in the form of peat. Swamp only appears next to rivers. Swamp has increased defensive points and reduces health in nearby cities. Can build nature reserve on swamp.

Changed: Flood plains only give 2 extra food.

Reason: Represents the extra fertility of the soil. Only 2 extra resources the same as swamp.

Changed: Flood plains do not give a health penalty.

Reason: Flood plain produce fertile land not unhealthy land. Swamp now gives health penalty.

Changed: Flood plains now appear on desert, plains and grassland.

Reason: Flood plains are dependant on gradient of land not on being a desert.

Changed: Flood plains now only appear some of the time instead of all the time.

Reason: Gradient of land is not always suitable.

Resources

Changed: Minerals only appear on hills and not on flat land. (Copper, Iron, Marble, Stone, Uranium, Gems)

Reason: Flat lands tend to be made of soils. Soil does contain minerals but not at a grade viable for mining. These minerals slowly leech down through the ground due to the effects of ground water. Deep in the crust this mineral laced ground water can meet rock that has its roots heated by magma. This causes the minerals to collect against the rock forming concentrated deposits. Over time these rocks are pushed upward to form hills and mountains. over time the hills and mountains are eroded by the weather. The eroded minerals flow down the hills and mountains in streams and rivers. The streams and rivers overflow depositing the minerals in the soil. And so, and so on. . .

There are viable deposits of uranium that are mined from river beds and the Gold Rush of the Wild West was powered by panning streams and rivers. Unfortunately Civ4 will not place resources on flat land adjacent to a river, (but can place resources on flat land not adjacent to rivers). This feature can be modded and may well appear in future updates.

Due to oil being drilled and not mined it remains only available on flat land and ocean.

Changed: Minerals are more wide spread. (Aluminium, Coal, Marble, Oil, Stone, Uranium, Gems, Gold, Silver)

Reason: The geological process that produce mineral deposits and create hills is not bound by climate. Gems, for example, in the vanilla game appear in jungles only. Researching the internet shows gem mining in the US, Europe and Russia as well as tropical regions.

Changed: Minerals can now appear beneath forest and jungle. (Aluminium, Coal, Copper, Iron, Marble, Oil, Stone, Gems, Gold, Silver)

Reason: Mineral deposits don't influence that ability for a tree to grow.

Changed: Amount of gold is now equal to gems and silver.

Reason: Seams appropriate.

Changed: Amount of stone has been increased.

Reason: It is the commonest mineral resource available.

Changed: Aluminium and uranium have been reduced.

Reason: In the vanilla game aluminium and uranium is equal to coal and oil.

Iron, coal and oil are widely spread due to process unique to the youth of the planet. Iron was suspended in the worlds oceans prior to the atmosphere containing oxygen. Once plants started to emit oxygen oxidation of the suspended iron caused it to sink and settle on the floors of oceans and seas.

Coal and oil was created by global cooling. Once the plants had taken root on the landmasses they thrived with no predators. Plants build their fibres with carbon they extract from carbon dioxide. Plants gorged on the carbon dioxide until it reduced to a dangerous low. With no carbon dioxide to insulate the planet global cooling occurred. The big freeze caused most of the plants to die in a short period of time. All the carbon contained in their fibres have since become seams of coal and oil.

The same can not be said about aluminium or uranium. There formation is more localised and therefore not so wide spread.

Changed: Copper and marble have been increased.

Reason: There is less chance of marble or copper appearing due to only appearing on hills now. Their increase makes them equal to aluminium and uranium.

Changed: Cows are now available next to rivers.

Reason: Here in the UK it is common to see dairy farming on lush fields next to rivers.

Changed: Deer now produces 1 extra gold with a camp.

Reason: Antler was used to produce many items that were used for commerce. Items included, axes, combs and sewing needles.

Changed: Fur now produces 1 food as well as 1 gold.

Reason: Animals would have primarily been killed for food and the fur being a by-product for clothing and trade.

Added: Goat available on hills in desert or plains. Goats appear to wards the equator whereas sheep don't. Same values as sheep. (Uses sheep graphics with a slight edit to the icons.)

Reason: Some cultures rely on goats as much as others rely on sheep. Also helps provide a food resource for arid regions.

Changed: Rice only appears in swamps or flood plains on grassland.

Reason: Appropriate environment for rice.

Other

Changed: Cottages can be built on hills that have food.

Reason: Sheffield, UK springs to mind.

Changed: Renamed Forest Preserve to Nature Preserve.

Reason: Nature preserves can be built on swamp.

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