Civ 4 - Fall from Heaven 2 (version .41N) and more - Updated 6/3/2010

[Murgos]

While I was downloading this I noticed the following:

Fall from Heaven II       54,895
Civ4 Warlords v2.08 Patch (PC)    49,173

The mod is more popular than the official patch...

[Merusk]

I absolutely love this mod, problems and all (minor ones in the big scheme of things).

The one thing that bothers me is that they flat out ripped a lot of commercial games' graphics--specifically, a lot of the promotion icons are straight out of Guild Wars.

I hope that Firaxis is giving them some support art wise to get this fixed up for that CD--hate to see a law suit happen and taint this incredible mod.

I was thinking the same thing and came here to post it after thinking about Stormwaltz's post a bit.  There's just tons of ripped-off sounds, artwork and -not to mention - Guybrush Threepwood as a Hero unit.  They've got to be doing something about that.

[Stephen Zepp]

For those thinking about trying it--go back to the very basics. The only thing this really has in common strategy wise (how you build, what you need, how to tech, what buildings to blow off, etc) is that it uses the Civ 4 engine.

I got endlessly frustrated trying to keep up with my old-school civ strat "it's ok, I'm on top of it, build everything", and figured out that it's really designed to have you specialize. In just about every way possible.

Once I took the time to read the wiki, get a feel for an empire or two and how to play it, I was having a --lot-- more fun.

[Cheddar]

I cannot believe you fuckers are finally getting into this.  For serious; this mod had me quit MMO's for months.  and months.  I cannot imagine actually getting a multi player game going with this thing.

I will say this; it is not for the faint of heart.  As mentioned earlier; you WILL not be able to build everything.  You need to focus on strategy a lot with this mod.  Also, knowing your civ and playing up his strengths is extremely vital.  Example: the crazy Civ who switches traits randomly is awesome for cultural takeovers.  The barbarian civ needs to pop their unique civ hero ASAP and take over villages (he has the ability to automagically take over barbarian villages just by entering them). 

I love this mod and can play it for hours upon hours; no 2 games are truly alike.

[schild]

3D Pong (curveball) made me quit MMOGs. It doesn't really take much.

[Typhon]

For those of you wondering how to start FFH straight off (i.e. without having to launch Civ IV > Advanced > Load a Mod), go to My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\CivilizationIV.ini and change the Mod=0 line to read Mod = Mod\Fall from Heaven 2 022

note that "Fall from Heaven 2 022" is what I have for the FFH mod directory name, your mileage may vary.

[MrHat]

For those of you wondering how to start FFH straight off (i.e. without having to launch Civ IV > Advanced > Load a Mod), go to My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\CivilizationIV.ini and change the Mod=0 line to read Mod = Mod\Fall from Heaven 2 022

note that "Fall from Heaven 2 022" is what I have for the FFH mod directory name, your mileage may vary.

Awesome, I'll set that up later.

[Cheddar]

For those of you wondering how to start FFH straight off (i.e. without having to launch Civ IV > Advanced > Load a Mod), go to My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\CivilizationIV.ini and change the Mod=0 line to read Mod = Mod\Fall from Heaven 2 022

note that "Fall from Heaven 2 022" is what I have for the FFH mod directory name, your mileage may vary.

There is also a shortcut in one of the sub directories that will launch FFH- it looks gnarly.

[Stephen Zepp]

Ok, so any hints on how to level up disciple units (healers/priests)?

Unlike the arcane units, they don't gain exp over time, and with a strength 2, by the time you can produce them, the barbarians (and other civs) have units that obliterate them.

[Sky]

I used the subdirectory shortcut.

I think my Zealots are autolevelling? My newest army has one in the stack to speed healing, it's pretty slow without one, wizard regeneration just wasn't cutting it. I also decided that I'm only going to use wizards and healers in stacks with hero units. Losing a level 8 or 9 wizard last night hurt.

Thanks, Ched. Took a while to get into, but this mod is teh pwnz. My last two weeks of EQ2 subscription are almost untouched, and  is lonely. And I'm still playing my first kludged-together game where I didn't really have any plan, I'm just fumbling around researching and building stuff. I did finally specialize a naval yard and military production city. My navy was pretty woeful for a while there and I almost got swamped by someone's pirate ships before I recovered. Luckily, I had a couple early heroes who were max level and a few mages that were decent level.

There's so much crap you can build, it's great. You can really customize things. I'd find in Civ4 that for 75% of my cities, it was the same build order every time. In FfH2, I have to be a lot more specific about building queues and unit selection. Although I do have to say I bought a lot of time to mess around by specializing my Amurites in magic and pumping out a small horde of mages early on. I only wish fireballs gave the casting wizard experience, they don't seem to unless I'm missing something. But my early game was the fireballs of doom (especially after getting an arcane barge to ship them around in).

[MrHat]

How long do games last for?

[Lum]

As long as regular Civ games - ie long.

BTW the newest version of FFH has a nifty intro video. Unfortunately it still uses some of the heisted artwork (most of the really nice looking leader pics come from Icewind Dale II). It'll be interesting to see if Firaxis redoes the artwork or if they just package it as a "user made mod included as a convienence". I'm sure the lawyers will sanitize it either way.

I usually play as the Calabim, because hey, having 3 roaming immortal vampire lords lay waste to your enemies backed by Brujah artillery is just pure sex. (And yes, I rename my immortal vampire lords, because 'Steve, Slayer of Nations' sounds better than "Vampire Lord" in combat recaps.)

Firaxis is also packaging Rhye's Civ4 mod, which is worth a look. It's insanely historically accurate, and HARD. Each faction has a historical benchmark to reach that meshes how it plays; India has to found 5 religions, while Arabia has to convert 40% of the world to Islam by 1400 AD, whereas Rome has to take and hold Europe by 450 AD.

Cool feature - if you create a city, it will not only take the correct name, but be named correctly for your faction. Greece: Byzantium  Rome: Constantinopolis  Arabia: Bizantia  Turks: Istanbul

http://wikirhye.wikidot.com/

[Sky]

Dunno, I've been playing this one since May 29th. I play the biggest maps from the earliest time period on normal speed, but I play sporadically. A half-hour here and there with a couple multi-hour sessions on the weekends.

I lolled the first time the barbarians got the three hill giants. "Your fireball has been defeated by a Moe!"

And seriously...ditch the goddamned Enya.

[Lum]

I think my Zealots are autolevelling?

Yes, mages and clerics (zealots, etc) both gain XP per turn like heroes, but at a slower rate.

[Typhon]

There is also a shortcut in one of the sub directories that will launch FFH- it looks gnarly.

I looked for one, but didn't find it (cause I'm blind).  So I ended up going out to a Civ 4 site and finding that method.  Thanks!

Edit: causing looking for "on" is much different then looking for "one"

[Stormwaltz]

Ok, so any hints on how to level up disciple units (healers/priests)?

Like Lum said, they do auto-level, at something like 2% chance of gaining 1 XP each turn.

[WayAbvPar]

Goddamn it, you guys are gonna make me fire up Civ 4 again. FFH sounds like a hell of a lot of fun.

[Strazos]

I've had the install exe sitting around for at least a week now, but I know damn well I have no time.

[Cheddar]

My favorite map to play is continent- I do custom game and add 3-4 extra civs; creates lots of turmoil.  Early game is about expanding and survival; after awhile people get established and the game always has character.  Later in the game, assuming things are relatively stable, there is an entirely new continent to exploit (the timing seems perfect for my level of play!) chock full of established barbarians.  My games tend to be about early expansion, some wars, build up, then wars and/or attempting to get the resources from the newfound continent.

Disciple units do gain xp over time; key is to pop 10-20 as early as possible and upgrade when needed.  I generally do not level them until I find a need (such as getting a healer up and running for my attacking horde).  Ring of fire is a great strategy for seiges; take 4 disciple units with ring of fire spell and heal + a bunch of melee unit, park near a city, spend a few turns popping the spell off, and viola.  Careful of fires, may need to put them out if they occur!

Another great tactic is to switch to the demonic civ.  Everytime an evil unit dies you get a low level demon who can be sacrificed in your city for population points.  If you have an arch mage with law magic 3 you can pacify a city so there is no turmoil; one game I had a city with 120 population!

Thats a lot of specialists!  Plus a great person every turn   

[Flood]

Funny I have been playing FFH for about 3 weeks now just about every night.  I cancelled my WoW sub because...well I'm sick of it, so Civ4 has gone back to the top of the rotation (with DoW: Dark Crusade a distant second.

I myself haven't had any tech problems running or playing the mod aside from the very infrequent CTD. 

I usually go Fractal > Large > High Water level.  (I like coastal cities and battles and schtuff)  I play mainly as neutral civs (Hippus) but for a fun easy and overall IMBA run playing the Wood Elves is great.  I enjoy how the different religions affect your civs strategy.  IE - Wood Elves with Fellowship of Leaves = easymode stay the fuck outta my territory pewpewpew. 

Dunno, Civ4 was a damn great game anyway, but FFH really has me hooked.  Other than the fact that Orthus seems to spawn in my front yard EVERY SINGLE GAME, and the odd Acheron camping of my fog of war early game border that is. 

[Cheddar]

Elves are easy to deal with.  FIRE FIRE FIRE!!!

[MrHat]

I keep restarting after 250-300 years and try something new.  I'm missing out on the rest of the game me thinks.

[Sky]

Orthus was holding down the evil civ but they finally killed him last night. Going to have to do something about them, luckily I am in the final stages of my expansionist push to grab the two huge island chains just south of them before they recovered from constant barbarian ravages. I took your mithril, bwahaha.

I keep it to 4 or 5 civs on a huge archipelago. I like to really develop the civs out and when you finally engage in combat it's massive. Lots of diplomacy. Playing this round as the only neutral civ, have the wood elves as good and two evil civs. The one evil civ was being held down by barbarians until last night, the other I stopped trading with two nights ago because my good buddies the elves asked me to, and we're super friendly and trading tons of stuff.

I think my next phase is to share some of my mithril with the elves and have her attack the evil civ that has been flourishing so they're out of the way now that the stunted evil civ (which is the Ashen Veil civ) is finally jamming. Let her have that island and then sandwich the Ashen Veil guys before the demons show up.

Armageddon clock at 12.

[Merusk]

I'm still learning the tech and the units and what does what.  I'm playing as the Demons right now, and while I'm not doing horrible, the Law God/ Elf combo is right on my border causing me grief.  There wasn't enough land for me to get a whole lot of expansion room, as I picked 10 or 12 Civs to start with.

  That little land and my little starting city means I've got a whole lot of catch-up to do... if only these mortals would die faster so I could take over their cities.

Counter's at 35, and just not ticking fast enough for me.

[GenVec]

So now that everyone's playing, who wants to do a multiplayer game?

Reserve your civ now!

[Sky]

No.

[MrHat]

I really really want to, but how would you do it?

[GenVec]

Either play by email or someone runs a Pitboss server. Pbem would take forever, while Pitboss requires some sort of technical wizardry, i'm sure.

[MrHat]

Oh, I thought there was a hosting option.  Was wondering more about how to get a few us of to sit still for like 30 hours.

[Merusk]

Multiplayer 4x always end in tears of abandoned games.

The last time this was tried was with SMAC.. I think they got 15 turns in before it was abandoned. Those 15 turns took ~4 weeks from the thread I remember.

Pitboss would be better, but, requires so much more coordination it's also a loss.

Some games just weren't meant for multiplayer. 

[MrHat]

Q: What difficulty does everyone play on? I pussy out at Warlord so I can win games.

[GenVec]

I just updated my game to 2022 version f and checked Gamespy, and two FfH games were visible. Apparently it would be possible to play it via the regular methods, if anyone was interested. On blazing quick small maps the games can actually go by quite quickly.

I play it on Prince. Formerly I would play it on higher difficulties, but since they nerfed the "plague" spell in the last build I can no longer kill stacks of 20 units with two vampires.

[Sky]

since they nerfed the "plague" spell in the last build I can no longer kill stacks of 20 units with two vampires.

Yeah. You're really selling me on wanting to multiplayer with you.

[GenVec]

Don't hate the player, baby. Hate the build.

[MrHat]

Don't hate the player, baby. Hate the build.

Hah, I have a feeling I'd get owned in multiplayer. I'm very big on the whole culture war thing.