Rhye's and Fall of Civilization
Encyclopedia
Rhye's and Fall of Civilization (RFC) is a "fan scenario" (mod) for the 2005
computer game Sid Meier's Civilization IV
. It is an 'Earth simulator' that uses a variety of scripted events to mirror history much more closely than a typical game of Civilization. The name of the scenario references its core feature—the dynamic "Rise and Fall" of civilizations through time—and its creator, Gabriele Trovato, known as "Rhye" in the forums community.
A version of the scenario was included in the second official expansion pack, Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
. It is the second most popular Civilization IV mod (after Fall from Heaven 2) by number of downloads on Civilization Fanatics Center
, a large Civilization fan website.
and Civilization III
, especially Rhye's of Civilization which also sought greater historical accuracy. The popularity of these prompted Civilization IV developers Firaxis
to invite him to contribute content for inclusion in the game upon its release. The result was two maps ("Earth" and "Ice Age Earth") and two historical scenarios ("Earth 1000 AD" and "Greek World").
The first alpha version of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization, then called "Rhye's Catapult", was released on 26 April 2006, featuring an elaborated Earth map and the "Rise and Fall" mechanism. With the release of the first official Civilization IV expansion, Warlords
, the mod was forked
into two versions: one incorporating the new Warlords content and one that remained compatible with 'vanilla' Civilization IV. A third fork was made with the release of the second expansion for the same reason. The Beyond the Sword version of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization was one of the three user-created scenarios that shipped with the official Firaxis expansion (along with Fall from Heaven and Road to War). Development of all three forks continued concurrently, with new features being incorporated into all as far as possible. The final versions of all three were released on 2 June 2010.
As of May 2010 there are two 'variants' of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization, which alter the core gameplay in some way. The first, RFC MP, was released on 21 October 2007 and enables multiplayer games of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization over the internet, LAN
or locally in hotseat mode
. In order to make this possible, several gameplay features had to be disabled. The second variant, RFC RAND, was released on 28 July 2008. It is similar to regular Rhye's and Fall of Civilization but is played on a randomised map of various sizes, climates and "Earth likeness". Other parameters are also randomised, such as which civilizations will appear in the game and when and where they will "spawn". The variant is intended to provide "something halfway between RFC and standard Civ", but the reaction to it has been mixed.
and India.
and is designed to mirror a historical Earth as closely as possible. A player can start the game in either 3000 BC or 600 AD. If players start as an ancient power, such as the Roman Empire
, the game is designed to simulate the historical collapse of these empires into newer states. For instance, if Rome has spread throughout Western Europe in the Classical Era, in 400
-800
AD, France
, Germany
, Spain
and England
will rise from Rome's territory. A British Empire established during the Middle Ages, if expanding in North America, will have most of its North American territories become the United States of America in 1775-1776 AD.
and controlling most of Europe. The United States and Russia
may also engage in World War III
. Middle Eastern nations, such as Persia and Egypt
become very aggressive in the 20th century part of the game and start wars for little or no apparent reason. A fanatical Middle Eastern nation with nuclear weapon
s is also a very real possibility. Each civilization also gets a passive power based on its history. For example, Russia has a power, called "General Winter", that makes enemy units inside its borders take a small amount of damage, while England has a power that gives its naval units two extra first strike chances called "The Power of the Royal Navy
".
. Upon sailing any unit from Europe to America, the player is instantly granted several military units to simulate the exploits of the Spanish conquistadors. This also spawns a plague exclusively amongst the Native American nations to simulate smallpox. Unless they are destroyed by the conquistadors, American civilizations such as the Aztecs and the Mayans typically become vassals to colonial powers, including Spain
, France
, Britain
and Portugal
. British expansion in North America usually comes to an end when the territory changes to that of America
in 1776 AD although it is possible for Britain to maintain a presence in Canada
.
Africa
can also be explored but without instant free units. The African continent contains major nations such as Egypt
, Ethiopia
and the Mali Empire
. The "deeper" into Africa a player explores encounters small tribal villages inhabited by native units which act the same as independents or barbarians.
's Andrew Park said it "provided a fresh new coat of paint to the core Civilization gameplay". A review of Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
also praised Rhye's and Fall for being superior to the official Firaxis game mods.
2005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....
computer game Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Civilization IV
Sid Meier's Civilization IV is a turn-based strategy, 4X computer game released in 2005 and developed by lead designer Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and Meier's studio Firaxis Games. It is the fourth installment of the Civilization series...
. It is an 'Earth simulator' that uses a variety of scripted events to mirror history much more closely than a typical game of Civilization. The name of the scenario references its core feature—the dynamic "Rise and Fall" of civilizations through time—and its creator, Gabriele Trovato, known as "Rhye" in the forums community.
A version of the scenario was included in the second official expansion pack, Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is the second official expansion pack of the turn-based strategy video game Civilization IV. The expansion focuses on adding content to the in-game time periods following the invention of gunpowder, and includes more general content such as 11 new scenarios, 10 new...
. It is the second most popular Civilization IV mod (after Fall from Heaven 2) by number of downloads on Civilization Fanatics Center
Civilization Fanatics Center
Civilization Fanatics Center is a fan website for the Civilization series of computer and video games published by a variety of companies , including Atari, Firaxis, and Microprose...
, a large Civilization fan website.
Development
Rhye's and Fall of Civilization built upon Gabriele Trovato's earlier mods for Civilization IICivilization II
Sid Meier's Civilization II is a turn-based strategy computer game designed by Brian Reynolds, Douglas Caspian-Kaufman and Jeff Briggs. Although it is a sequel to Sid Meier's Civilization, neither Sid Meier nor Bruce Shelley was involved in its development.Civilization II was first released in...
and Civilization III
Civilization III
Sid Meier's Civilization III, commonly shortened to Civ III or Civ 3, is the third installment of the Sid Meier's Civilization turn-based strategy computer game series. It was preceded by Civilization II and followed by Civilization IV. The game offers very sophisticated gameplay in terms of both...
, especially Rhye's of Civilization which also sought greater historical accuracy. The popularity of these prompted Civilization IV developers Firaxis
Firaxis Games
Firaxis Games is a computer game developer. It was founded in 1996 by Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs, and Brian Reynolds upon leaving MicroProse. The company focuses on strategy games and is based in Sparks, Maryland in the United States....
to invite him to contribute content for inclusion in the game upon its release. The result was two maps ("Earth" and "Ice Age Earth") and two historical scenarios ("Earth 1000 AD" and "Greek World").
The first alpha version of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization, then called "Rhye's Catapult", was released on 26 April 2006, featuring an elaborated Earth map and the "Rise and Fall" mechanism. With the release of the first official Civilization IV expansion, Warlords
Civilization IV: Warlords
Civilization IV: Warlords is the first official expansion pack of the critically acclaimed turn-based strategy video game Civilization IV.-Features:Warlords added many new features to the original game...
, the mod was forked
Fork (software development)
In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a legal copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software...
into two versions: one incorporating the new Warlords content and one that remained compatible with 'vanilla' Civilization IV. A third fork was made with the release of the second expansion for the same reason. The Beyond the Sword version of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization was one of the three user-created scenarios that shipped with the official Firaxis expansion (along with Fall from Heaven and Road to War). Development of all three forks continued concurrently, with new features being incorporated into all as far as possible. The final versions of all three were released on 2 June 2010.
As of May 2010 there are two 'variants' of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization, which alter the core gameplay in some way. The first, RFC MP, was released on 21 October 2007 and enables multiplayer games of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization over the internet, LAN
Län
Län and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....
or locally in hotseat mode
Hotseat (multiplayer mode)
Hotseat or hot seat is a multiplayer mode provided by some turn-based video games, which allows two or more players to play on the same device by taking turns playing the game...
. In order to make this possible, several gameplay features had to be disabled. The second variant, RFC RAND, was released on 28 July 2008. It is similar to regular Rhye's and Fall of Civilization but is played on a randomised map of various sizes, climates and "Earth likeness". Other parameters are also randomised, such as which civilizations will appear in the game and when and where they will "spawn". The variant is intended to provide "something halfway between RFC and standard Civ", but the reaction to it has been mixed.
'Modmods'
The popularity of the core mod has led to the development of adjustments and variants by individuals other than the author himself, dubbed "modmods". One of the earliest was 'RFC Epic', which increased the number of turns in a game. Others range from collections of minor bugfixes and/or cosmetic changes to substantial "total conversions" like RFC Europe which transplants the gameplay mechanisms of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization into a new scenario portraying medieval Europe. Or "Sword Of Islam" a conversion of RFC to a map of the medieval Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and India.
Setting
Rhye's and Fall of Civilization is set on EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and is designed to mirror a historical Earth as closely as possible. A player can start the game in either 3000 BC or 600 AD. If players start as an ancient power, such as the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, the game is designed to simulate the historical collapse of these empires into newer states. For instance, if Rome has spread throughout Western Europe in the Classical Era, in 400
400
Year 400 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Stilicho and Aurelianus...
-800
800
Year 800 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. It was around this time that the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years, so from this time on, the years began being known as 800 and onwards.- Europe :* December 25 - Pope Leo III...
AD, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
will rise from Rome's territory. A British Empire established during the Middle Ages, if expanding in North America, will have most of its North American territories become the United States of America in 1775-1776 AD.
World History
Players can also "change history" and play a nation to an end that did not occur in the real world. Germany, for instance, is capable of winning World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and controlling most of Europe. The United States and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
may also engage in World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
. Middle Eastern nations, such as Persia and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
become very aggressive in the 20th century part of the game and start wars for little or no apparent reason. A fanatical Middle Eastern nation with nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s is also a very real possibility. Each civilization also gets a passive power based on its history. For example, Russia has a power, called "General Winter", that makes enemy units inside its borders take a small amount of damage, while England has a power that gives its naval units two extra first strike chances called "The Power of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
".
Country stability
One of the main features of Rhye's and Fall of Civilization is the game's ability to monitor the stability of national governments, taking into account war, disease, corruption, invasion, and other factors which might influence the fall of a nation. If a "major power" controlled by the AI in the game becomes extremely unstable, the territory held by the nation will break apart into several independent nations. These smaller countries are distinct from the barbarian nation, and do not normally attack major nations unless attacked first. However, when a human player collapses, all cities but his capital, and sometimes another city, collapses into independent nations. Usually, other countries near the cities that declared independence may send their army over to conquer them.Plague
The game spawns plagues randomly through the world around certain dates; for example, a plague will generally begin in the 14th-15th century to simulate the Black Death. Plague spreads from country to country, entering cities. A city afflicted with plague will lose one population point per turn, as well as a hefty unhealthiness penalty; in addition, town improvements will shrink back to cottage size. Units garrisoned in or close to plague-affected cities will take damage until they die or the plague ends. The more health bonuses that a civilization has, the faster the plague ends. Plagues can be permanently avoided by a nation once the technology "Medicine" is researched.The New World
Rhye's and Fall of Civilization is also designed to simulate the drastic impact that the arrival of Europeans had in the New WorldNew World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. Upon sailing any unit from Europe to America, the player is instantly granted several military units to simulate the exploits of the Spanish conquistadors. This also spawns a plague exclusively amongst the Native American nations to simulate smallpox. Unless they are destroyed by the conquistadors, American civilizations such as the Aztecs and the Mayans typically become vassals to colonial powers, including Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. British expansion in North America usually comes to an end when the territory changes to that of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1776 AD although it is possible for Britain to maintain a presence in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
can also be explored but without instant free units. The African continent contains major nations such as Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and the Mali Empire
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...
. The "deeper" into Africa a player explores encounters small tribal villages inhabited by native units which act the same as independents or barbarians.
Unique Historical Victories
Besides the typical victory conditions in the game, every civilization has another victory option - Unique Historical Victories. These usually include two historical achievements that the nation managed, and another one that the country attempted. For example, Rome's Unique Historical Victory is to own five barracks, five aqueducts, and five amphitheatres on or before 450 AD, emulate (at least) the reaches of the Western Roman Empire by 450 AD, and never lose any city to barbarians by 1000 AD. Upon completing two Unique Historical Victories, a Triumphal Arch is built in the capital which increases military unit production, and a new golden age starts.World Congresses
Once enough civilizations discover the "Nationalism" technology, World Congresses will occur once every 25 turns. Major nations are invited to participate. Each civilization has the opportunity to choose from a list of cities which they would like to occupy; the others then vote yes, no or abstain. For the city to change control, there must simply be more "yes" than "no" votes, and the change takes place instantaneously. If a city controlled by a human is voted to be handed over, the player can either comply or refuse the decision; refusing may mean war with nations who voted "yes." World Congresses end once the United Nations has been built.Rise and Fall of Nations
In Rhye's and Fall of Civilization, not every country starts at the same time. In the 3000 BC starting scenario, only Egypt, Babylon, China and India are initially present; in the 600 AD start, only China, Japan, the Vikings and Arabia are initially present. Other nations such as Spain and Turkey appear later in the game (at 720 AD and 1280 AD respectively).Mercenaries
Until the research of Nationalism, civilizations were able to hire mercenary units, and also hire out their own units. In order to hire a mercenary unit, a lump sum of gold is required to be paid, and you must also pay a maintenance cost for the unit, as for other military units. Typically, the more experienced a unit is the more gold it costs to hire, and hiring out a more experienced unit also increases gold received. Mercenary units have a civilization's name (or a barbarian city's name) attached as a prefix e.g. Thracian Crossbowman or Egyptian Swordsman. A unit being hired out can be recalled at any time, arriving in the civilization's capital three turns after it is recalled.Reception
The inclusion of fan scenarios in Beyond the Sword was well-received by critics. Rhye's and Fall of Civilization was singled out for praise by several reviewers. Tom Chick of Yahoo! Games called it "one of the most exciting and robust mods you'll ever see for a game", while GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Andrew Park said it "provided a fresh new coat of paint to the core Civilization gameplay". A review of Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is the second official expansion pack of the turn-based strategy video game Civilization IV. The expansion focuses on adding content to the in-game time periods following the invention of gunpowder, and includes more general content such as 11 new scenarios, 10 new...
also praised Rhye's and Fall for being superior to the official Firaxis game mods.