Posted February 19, 2017
All my favourite mods have already been mentioned.
BUG is the basic mod that I always use in my games. No gameplay changes, just a better user interface that displays information that is already visible to the player in a more user-friendly way. I probably wouldn't be able to play without it anymore.
Rhye's and Fall of Civilization adds a unique and alternate way to play, while keeping most of the game rules. Each game becomes an alternate storyline, but resembling real history. For beginners though I would advise to play the vanilla version, since the modmods significally alter a lot of game systems (civics, tech tree) and for your first game you will have enough on your plate getting used to the new mechanics (civilization spawning, stability, congresses, unique abilities, unique victory conditions...). One of my favourite features is that, because of a small tweak to how defensive pacts (military alliances) work, you are very likely to be involved in one or two World Wars per game, with almost every civilization battling in one side.
Fall from Heaven II is a whole different game. It is an explosion of worldbuilding, storytelling and fantastic gameplay in a dark but charming setting. This mod includes several new civilizations with unique mechanics, an alignment system that shatters how diplomacy works, global and unit-based magic and spells... and keep counting. The existence of mods such as this makes Civilization IV even more valuable, unsurpassed by any other title in the series; I would probably buy a standalone Fall from Heaven for what the base game costs.
BUG is the basic mod that I always use in my games. No gameplay changes, just a better user interface that displays information that is already visible to the player in a more user-friendly way. I probably wouldn't be able to play without it anymore.
Rhye's and Fall of Civilization adds a unique and alternate way to play, while keeping most of the game rules. Each game becomes an alternate storyline, but resembling real history. For beginners though I would advise to play the vanilla version, since the modmods significally alter a lot of game systems (civics, tech tree) and for your first game you will have enough on your plate getting used to the new mechanics (civilization spawning, stability, congresses, unique abilities, unique victory conditions...). One of my favourite features is that, because of a small tweak to how defensive pacts (military alliances) work, you are very likely to be involved in one or two World Wars per game, with almost every civilization battling in one side.
Fall from Heaven II is a whole different game. It is an explosion of worldbuilding, storytelling and fantastic gameplay in a dark but charming setting. This mod includes several new civilizations with unique mechanics, an alignment system that shatters how diplomacy works, global and unit-based magic and spells... and keep counting. The existence of mods such as this makes Civilization IV even more valuable, unsurpassed by any other title in the series; I would probably buy a standalone Fall from Heaven for what the base game costs.
