The Beta Tester Mod - Basic Version
Revision 4.1

Introduction:

   This mod was developed by the CivIII PtW beta test team in order to improve strategic depth and balance (especially in multiplayer games) while making as few changes as possible to the default rules.  An Advanced version of this mod, which includes additional enhancements and more significant rules changes, is available from the Civ3 website at http://www.civ3.com/mods.cfm.  We hope you have as much fun playing these mods as we had designing and arguing about it.

Modifications and Rationale:

Reduced Espionage Cost:
-Reduced the cost of all missions by exactly 1/2 (to make espionage a more practical and less frustrating strategy)

Improved Armies:
-Added pillage ability (so there's one less thing you have to give up when you combine individual units into an army)
-Increased transport capacity to 4 and increased HP bonus to 4 (to help make armies more attractive and cost effective -- with the default rules, it is almost always more effective to just build individual units since they are cheaper and give you more attacks per turn)
-Removed the victorious army requirement from the Military Academy (so non-militaristic civs have a better chance to eventually build and use armies)

Improved Naval Warfare:
-Moved ironclad to steel (to lengthen the 'age of sail')
-Increased sea movement cost to 2 and ocean movement cost to 3 (so its harder to explore the whole world with just galleys and caravels -- more advanced ships will ignore these movement costs; see below for details)
-Changed the stats of naval units as follows:
 
Transports:
galley    1/1/4[2], 30
caravel   1/1/6[3], 40  (ignores sea movement cost)
galleon   1/2/6[4], 60  (ignores sea and ocean movement cost)
transport 1/3/8[8], 100 (ignores sea and ocean movement cost)
carrier   1/6/3[4], 180 (blitz, all terrain as roads)
nucl. sub 8/4/3[2], 140 (blitz, all terrain as roads, zone-of-control) (zone-of-control simulates the ability of subs to conduct surprise attacks on passing ships)

Attack Ships:
privateer    2/1/2, 50,   -/-/- (all terrain as roads)
frigate      3/3/2, 60,   4/1/1 (blitz, all terrain as roads)
man-o-war    4/4/2, 60,   6/1/1 (blitz, all terrain as roads)
ironclad     6/6/3, 80,   5/1/1 (blitz, all terrain as roads)
submarine   12/6/3, 100,  -/-/- (blitz, all terrain as roads, ZoC)
battleship 24/16/3, 200, 10/2/1 (blitz, all terrain as roads)

Escorts:
destroyer     12/14/4,    120, 6/1/1 (blitz, all terrain as roads, see invisible) (can now detect submarines)
aegis cruiser 14/18/4[2], 160, 8/1/2 (blitz, all terrain as roads, transport tactical missles only) (can now transport cruise missiles)

(Note: the rate-of-fire of all ships capable of bombarding has been capped at 1 to limit multiple-bombard-then-attack situations)

Improved Air Warfare:
-Changed the stats of air units as follows:

fighter         4.2.-, 80,     4/6/1
jet fighter     8.4.-, 100,    4/8/1
F-15           12.6.-, 100,    4/8/1 (precision bombing)
bomber          0.2.-, 100,  12/12/3
stealth fighter 0.0.-, 120,   8/12/2 (precision bombing)
stealth bomber  0.0.-, 500, 16/128/3 (precision bombing) (increased cost more accurately reflects real life)
helicopter      0.2.2, 80,     -/-/- (transport capacity 2, operational range 6) 

Re-balanced Unique Units (mostly improving underpowered UUs):
-Reduced War Elephant cost to 60 shields (to give them a little boost since iron and horses are usually abundant anyway)
-Changed Musketeer to 4/4/1 and reduced cost to 50 shields
-Changed Man-Of-War as described above in the Naval Warfare section
-Changed F-15 as described above in the Air Warfare section
-Changed Cossack to 6/5/3
-Changed Keshik to 4/3/2, ignore movement costs on hills as well as mountains, increased cost to 70 shields
-Allowed Hwacha to have lethal land bombardment (to give them a chance at a golden age resulting from combat)
-Allowed Ansar Warrior to have the blitz ability, and increased cost to 70 (at 4/2/3, it didn't match up to the 4/3/3 Chinese Rider, even if it was originally 10 shields cheaper)

Re-balanced Other Units (mostly improving underpowered units):
-Changed musketman to 3/4/1, 50 shields (they were originally too expensive and underpowered to be cost effective to build compared to pikemen)
-Changed longbowman to 5/1/1, 50 shields (at 4/1/1 they were originally not worth building when you could have the 4/2/1 medieval infantry for the same price as long as you had iron)
-Changed paratrooper to 8/8/1, increased operational range to 10
-Changed marine to 10/6/1
-Reduced defense of modern armor to 12
-Increased radar artillery moves to 2 (so they can keep up with modern armors and mech infantry)
-Changed tactical nuke bombard range to 8, and reduced cost to 240 shields
-Changed ICBM bombard range to 8, and reduced cost to 400 shields

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The Basic Beta Tester Mod has been brought to you by:

Leejay Lockhart 	(aka korn469),
Dustin Bond     	(aka monkspider),
Brian Wade      	(aka Brian Wade),
Renner Smith    	(aka kring),
Rob Cheng       	(aka Rob),
Howard Greaves  	(aka notyoueither),
Robert Colwell  	(aka Elucidus),
Christopher Hutchinson  (aka kittenOFchaos),
Mike Ogle               (aka Mike),
Ronald Nickelson 	(aka Ronald Nickelson),
Michael Kimmitt         (aka Kimmitt),
and the rest of the Civ III PtW Beta Test Team (aka people who have actually maintained some semblance of a life), with special thanks to Barry, Jeff, and the rest of the gang at Firaxis Games (aka the reason we have no lives...)


