Rise of the Ages mod

This mod completely overhauls the game. Each age now feels more extended and isn't rushed, as well as gameplay is more strategic than just spamming units from production facilities. It is best used in multiplayer. It also tries to re-balance the entire game and add unique units to underwhelming nations and take away unique units from overpowered ones.

THE LATEST VERSION IS 6.0 B7

FEATURES

The changes in this mod are extensive. Below are some of the highlights.

As of version 5.95, all civilizations have 7 or 8 unique units, spread out through most of the ages. Every nation has at least 1 unit in Industrial Age or higher and has 1 or 2 unique buildings.

THIS MOD GREATLY EXTENDS ALL RESEARCH TIMES AND COSTS AS WELL AS UNITS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE SEVERAL HOUR LONG GAMES, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.

NEW GAMEPLAY FEATURES:

• NAVAL GENERALS

  • huge ships that can boost a fleet's armor value the same way generals can
  • can use Ambush but not other general powers
  • benefits from same upgrades as normal generals
  • can attack and is formidable in combat
  • can have more than 1 at a time but cost increases based on fleet size
  • upgrades its stats every 2 ages
  • available from Classical Age

• NEW UNIQUE BUILDINGS

  • nations now benefit from several unique buildings
  • there are currently 12 different unique buidings available
    • Imperial Tagmata (Medieval Age only) - Greeks, Romans, Turks
      • can produce powerful Byzantine units
      • can have only 1 but can be rebuilt
      • becomes abandoned in Gunpowder Age
    • Chivalric Order (Medieval Age only) - Germans
      • can produce powerful Knights
      • can have only 1 but can be rebuilt
      • becomes abandoned in Gunpowder Age
    • Naval Fort / Naval Fortress / Naval Redoubt (Enlightenment Age--Industrial Age--Modern Age) - British, Dutch, Spanish
      • essentially water-based forts that can protect an area from ships
      • have a formidable defence and attack and are hard to take down
      • can have only 1 per city and must be built within city range
      • become abandoned in Information Age
    • Frontier Watchpost / Frontier Outpost (Enlightenment Age--Industrial Age) - French, Spanish
      • a tower that you can place outside your nation's borders
      • weaker than a tower but good enough to fend off a small force
      • CANNOT be garrisoned and becomes weaker with every age past Industrial Age
      • can be built in enemy territory but suffers from attrition
      • costs a bit of knowledge to discourage spamming
      • becomes abandoned in Modern Age
    • Marksman Watchtower / Sharpshooter Tower / Sniper Nest (Gunpowder Age--Industrial Age--Information Age) - Americans, Indians, Koreans, Russians, Turks
      • a tall tower that has 2 snipers in it
      • very long range and is effective against all kinds of units
      • very fragile and is easily destroyed if attacked by a medium sized force
      • CANNOT be garrisoned
      • must be built in a radius of a Large City and only one may be built per city
      • costs a bit of knowledge to discourage spamming
    • Raider Stable (Classical Age) - Egyptians, Lakota, Mongols
      • produces Horse Raiders
      • can be built outside of borders but suffers from attrition if built in enemy territory
      • can have only one but can be rebuilt if destroyed
      • becomes abandoned in Industrial Age
    • Shaman Hut (Ancient Age) - Bantu, Inca, Iroquois, Nubians
      • can produce the Shaman support unit
      • can have only 1 but can be rebuilt
      • becomes abandoned in Enlightenment Age
    • Recruitment House (Classical Age) - Chinese, Persians
      • recruitment buildings that can produce Recruits/Cadets/Army Reserve units
      • can have only 1 but can be rebuilt
      • must be built in range of city
      • does not become obsolete over the ages
    • Naval Watchpost/Outpost (Modern Age -- Information Age) - Chinese, Dutch, Japanese
      • a naval tower with some air defense that can protect an area from a medium sized fleet
      • upgrades in Information Age
      • costs a small bit of Knowledge to build to discourage spamming
    • Raider Barracks (Classical Age) - Aztecs, Maya
      • an external recruitment building that produces Raiders
      • can have only 1 at a time
      • becomes abandoned in Industrial Age
      • very fragile and has no defenses
    • Treepost (Ancient Age) - Aztecs, Bantu, Inca, Maya, Nubians
      • a group of archers hidden in some trees that can be placed anywhere in your territory
      • quite effective against small armies but becomes less effective with every age past Ancient
      • becomes abandoned in Gunpowder Age
      • can be taken down fairly easily without the need for siege weapons
    • Trenches (Industrial Age) - French, British, Germans, Japan, Romans, Russians
      • a defense that can be placed inside your territory and can act as an impromptu wall
      • very resilient against most infantry and light vehicles but fairly easily destroyed by tanks and siege weapons
      • can build more than one
      • costs a bit of Knowledge to discourage spamming
      • becomes abandoned in Information Age

• NEW UNIQUE UNITS:

  • M4 Sherman, RAH-66 Comanche and MB-1 Light Bomber (America)
  • Jaguar Warriors (Aztec)
  • Resistance Fighters (Bantu)
  • HNLMS Groningen (Dutch)
  • Hakim Infantry (Egypt)
  • Boucanier (France)
  • Spartan Warriors and ELAS (Greeks)
  • Inti Tribesmen, Peruvian Guard and Elite Peruvian Guard (Inca)
  • Border Security Forces, Aryan Chariot, Chola Ship and Rajput Infantry (Indians)
  • Mohawk Riflemen (Iroquois)
  • Mitsubishi Ki-51 and Yamato Battleship (Japan)
  • Hwacha, Turtle Ship and KLA (Korea)
  • Lakota Riflemen, Braves and Lakota Supply Wagon (Lakota)
  • Tlaxcalan Warriors (Maya)
  • BMP-1, Red Army Cavalry and T-54 (Mongols)
  • Anti-Air Infantry (Nubians)
  • Qader (Persians)
  • Samnite Warriors, Swiss Guard, Palatine Guard and Carabinieri (Romans)
  • International Brigade and Man O' War (Spanish)
  • F.H. 98/09 (Turks)
  • as well as several units from TaP redux that have been re-textured, made into unique units and re-balanced for this mod

• NEW UNIQUE UNITS (FROM UNIQUE BUILDINGS):

  • Foot Knight and Knight Hospitaller (Chivalric Order)
  • Byzantine Warrior and Byzantine Cavalry (Imperial Tagmata)
  • Horse Raiders (Raider Stable)
  • Shaman (Shaman Hut)
  • Recruits/Cadets/Army Reserve (Recruitment House)
  • Raiders (Raider Barracks)

UNITS:

• New unit: Monitor Ship (Industrial Age)
  • long range bombard ships
  • useful at taking out buildings at long range but vulnerable to all ships
• New unit: Light Bomber (Industrial Age)
  • early bombers with very limited fuel supply and only 1 bomb
  • very innacurate
• New unit: Zeppelin (Industrial Age)
  • early pre-helicopters with powerful bombs
  • slow moving and firing but resistant to ground-based anti-air units
• Units (all)
  • higher age units have a significant damage bonus against lower age units
  • lower damage against other units (to prolong engagements)
  • movement speeds increased
  • costs completely overhauled
  • population limits completely overhauled
  • turn speeds increased
• Infantry (all)
  • decreased speed by 10%
  • decreased dmg vs. cavalry
• Cavalry (all)
  • increased speed by 20%
  • increased dmg vs. foot troops
• Generals (and Patriots) have more range
  • Government generals have difference in stats
  • have larger ranges than normal generals
  • military generals are more resilient than economic ones
  • give bigger bonuses to units/buildings
  • Forced March lasts longer
  • turn speed increased
  • rally speed increased
• Tanks
  • attack slightly increased
  • added a small amount of splash damage
  • doubled armor value
  • raised HP
  • raised range
• Supply Wagons
  • bigger ranges
  • heal units
  • French supply wagons heal at double speed
• Bazooka and Anti-Tank Missile
  • raised attack (because of tougher tanks)
  • added a small amount of splash damage
• Aircraft Carriers
  • now hold 10 planes instead of 15
  • cost a lot of population
• Ships completely overhauled:
  • 3x HP, 3x attack but cost more
  • siege ships cost even more
  • subs increased range, decreased speed but more HP
  • Fireships (all)
    • damage vs admirals raised
    • damage vs light ships raised
    • small knowledge cost
  • Subs (all)
    • reload speed much slower
    • projectile speed slower
    • damage substantially raised
    • damage vs. admirals (all) substantially raised
    • damage vs heavy ships (all) substantially raised
• Siege weapons MORE expensive
• Gunpowder infantry chance to hit air units now very small
• Scouts are faster and cloaked

BUILDINGS:

• Cities
  • raised cost
  • reduced armor
  • Can build 11 farms per small city (13 per large city / 15 per major city)
  • now gather +5 Wealth
  • economic radius raised
  • gather rates changed to 17f/8t/4g
  • costs redone and raised
  • increased build bonus
  • larger economic range
• Towers and Forts:
  • can now DECIMATE an army if siege weapons are not used
  • lots more HP and armor as well as attack
  • fire more arrows and garrison more units
  • Redoubts have much bigger range, to cope with increased range bonus from CEO
• Anti-air guns
  • more HP
  • more damage
  • more range
  • cost more
• Barracks
  • now have rudimentary defense
  • good against small groups of rushing units
• Wonders:
  • cost more
  • give more balanced bonuses
  • added several new (previously disabled by default) bonuses
  • take twice as long to construct (so it's easier to catch someone who is trying to 'steal' your wonder)
• City upgrade requirement increased
  • 8 different buildings for Large City
  • 13 different buildings for Major City
• Missile Silo can only be built in Large City radius (but can build more than 1)

TECH:

• Age Advancement:
  • take a lot more time to research and cost a lot more
  • bigger costs and research times in age milestones (I->II, III-IV, V-VI, VII-VIII)
  • slightly lower costs and research times in smaller technological leaps (II->III, IV->V, VI->VII)
  • each Age advancement costs every resource available in the previous age (Food is still the main cost, but it is slightly lowered and instead other resource costs are introduced)
    • Classical Age (Food, Timber, Gold)
    • Medieval Age --- Enlightenment Age (Knowledge, Food, Timber, Gold, Metal)
    • Industrial Age --- Information Age (Knowledge, Food, Timber, Gold, Metal, Oil)
• Final technologies changed:
  • each final tech now costs an associated resource as well as Oil and Knowledge
    • Missile Shield (Knowledge, Metal, Oil)
    • World Government (Knowledge, Food, Oil)
    • Global Prosperity (Knowledge, Gold, Oil)
    • Artificial Intelligence (Knowledge, Timber, Oil)
• Nations powers:
  • added several new (previously disabled by default) powers
  • re-balanced existing powers
• Government types now have larger differences and upgrade with further government selections
• Military research unit discounts lowered
• Science discount on research raised
• University now gathers +20 Knowledge by itself

ECONOMY:

• Citizens
  • no longer have a ramping cost
  • cost slightly increased
  • gather rate is 8 resources instead of 10
• Population limit tweaked (75-600)
• Gather rates and scholar rates slower (resources per 60s, Knowledge per 120s)
• Commerce rates tweaked (start at 130, +70 for each Commerce research level)
• Scholars gather rates changed
• Taxation gives less Wealth bonus based on territory
• Granary, Lumber Mill, Smelter and Refinery bonuses reduced
• All buildings now give +1 Wealth income (building tax)
• Markets now give 6 Wealth income
• Oil derricks give 2x much oil
• Starting resources changed
• More mountain slots

MISC:

• Plunder/Raze values REDONE
  • changed all raze values to 75%
  • city raze value increased per level of city
  • capital raze value increased
  • military generals give bigger plunder bonus
  • added plunder value info to all buildings
• Nukes and missiles
  • very expensive
  • take a lot of time to build
  • increased damage and blast radius
• 20% larger 'Big Huge' map
• Rare resources re-balanced
• Border ranges changed
• added some useful hotkeys to the pause button info

and much much more...

FUTURE PLANS:

• Re-balance everything as best as possible
• Update the AI to handle the changes of the mod
• Update the skins and models for various new units and buildings as well as fix certain animations

Disclaimer: This mod is based on the TaP Redux mod (by probed1969) posted on the Rise of Nations Heaven site (link: Ron.heavengames.com). That being said, I have not asked the original author if I can use his work in this mod. If there are any complaints by the original author, I will put it down.

Also, thanks to Basileus74 for providing some good ideas for unique units!