Have you ever noticed that Caster of Magic heavily encourages mass-recruiting mediocre cheap units and allows AI to have extreme army sizes blanketing the entire strategic map and leading to numerous inconsequential battles?
This mod attempts to minimize 'war of attrition' gameplay via economy and military rebalancing, particularly aimed at AI, resulting in a significant reduction of recruitable units in the late game.
To Install:
backup 'Caster of Magic Windows' folder
Unzip the provided compressed file (which includes files and contents in the data folder) into the Caster of Magic Windows folder
Overlay all relevant files
Changes in detail:
Early city progression is slowed slightly, while maxed out cities later in game are less productive, keeping a better balance between overall sum of production vs overland casting skill.
Gold maintenance of economy buildings generally reduced with a city with all buildings typically saving roughly 20-25 gold per turn. However, there are 2 contributors to gold loss in this mod: lower non-capital taxes, and higher unit upkeep costs. What makes you poor is not your own cities simply existing, but having an excessive number of units.
Wizard AI:
No longer cheats with upkeep cost reductions
gains stronger gold and production bonuses
Higher priority to recruit top-tier units over mid-tier
Some other minor prioritization tweaks
Capital cities are far more productive, gaining the following benefits over all other cities:
+25% max population (note that overall terrain gives less max pop)
+1 food per farmer
+0.5 production per worker
+1 gold per 2 citizens
-1 unrest
OverProduction Penalty: similar to farmer 'overfarming' but using a different formula more in common with Master of Orion 2016.
Each worker past 2 will lose 25% of its base production (usually penalty starts with 4th worker).
Each worker past 7 will lose 50% of its base production.
Farmers stop giving production (hammers) after 9 of them
Loss summarized by grey hammers and 'overproduction penalty' label
Taxes:
0.75 Tax – 5% unrest
1 Tax – 15% Unrest
1.25 Tax – 25% unrest
1.5 Tax – 35% unrest
1.75 Tax -45% unrest
2.00 Tax – 55% unrest
Trade Bonus: 100% (from 200%) but 4% per population can be leveraged for it (from 3%)
City unrest by garrison stops at 6 units, not 8.
Terrain and Ores:
Plains have 1 max pop (from 1.5)
Rivers, lakes, rivermouth shores have 1.5 max pop (from 2, 2, and 2.5)
Mountain terrain have a 6% production bonus (instead of 7%). Volcanic terrain retain their 7% bonus.
Coal is far less likely to appear. Iron is more likely to appear.
Gold and gems grant weaker gold bonuses
Building Changes:
Marketplace: grants +5 gold
Sawmill: grants +4 production (from 6)
Library and Magic Market: grants +4 power and research (from 6 and 6)
Alchemist Guild: grants +2 research, costs more
Granary: grants +4 max pop, not +5
Farmer's Market: gains gold depending on population rather than food (it is a market)
Forester's Guild: 10% → 15% production bonus but the food bonus is 3 + 2*wild game
Armorer and Fantastic Stable: Cost 600 and 700, respectively
Low to Mid Military Changes:
Spearmen: +2 figures, +5 cost (+50%)
Halberdier: +1 melee, +1 armor, +20 cost (+33%)
Catapult: +1 attack, +1 armor, +2 resist, +18 cost (+29%)
Steam Cannon: +10% to hit, -3 attack
Fighter's Guild units of less than 80 cost had cost increased, stats upgraded, 3 upkeep.
Upkeep Costs generally increased: cavalry 2, halberdier 3, priest 3, magician 4, catapult 3,
Galley and Warship now have upkeep cost
Berserkers and gladiators from Barbarians buffed slightly
A few minor tweaks here and there
Top Tier Military Changes:
Jackal Riders now require fighter's guild and war college. Cost and stats increased, albeit not as much as other top-tier units.
Horde cost and stats increased, but not to the level of other top-tier units.
Top tier units generally cost 240-280
Top tier units significantly stronger across the board and may have additional abilities.
Top tier food upkeep increased to 2
Top tier gold upkeep increased to 6 to 8 for most units
Spells/Summons:
Some unit buff spells gain +1 upkeep costs
Summons may have increased upkeep, most notably rare and very rare tier summons
Some of the weaker uncommon summons have slightly decreased cost to compensate for upkeep increase.
Zombies have +1 movement,
Abundance grants slightly less max population
Life Force grants 25% more per population (given lower max pop in non-capital cities)
Other:
Channeler also grants 8% cost reduction for spells cast in combat (less 'war of attrition' made retort weaker)
Selecting fewer than 4 books of a realm no longer robs you starting power (but still robs you starting skill)
Omniscient Chaos now also applies to combat skill (monument, linking towers) because of magic market being made weaker.
To Install:
backup 'Caster of Magic Windows' folder
Unzip the provided compressed file (which includes files and contents in the data folder) into the Caster of Magic Windows folder
Overlay all relevant files