TZ’s Earth 21
This mod depicts a near-future scenario for Earth, as envisioned by the author. It is neither a utopian nor a dystopian vision; Earth around 2070 is a technologically advanced but messy place that is ruled by competing superpowers, is going through major environmental and social disruption, and is a long way to go to achieve proper planetary unification.
This is one of my first mods, mostly made for my own entertainment. Let me know if you find any modding issue or have any great idea, and I’ll look into it. The mod will, however, remain focused around my overall vision of Earth’s future. If you have any issue with my predictions, feel free to debate it, but be respectful when it comes to current politics and ‘Big Questions’.
Updated for Overlord & the latest patches. New human portraits are used (legacy ones are also available, as in vanilla game).
A couple more Earth-specific "nation state blockers" have been added (with no district blocked; these are mid-sized, less important ones), with corresponding Earth-specific deposits. In turn, clearing such blockers now also costs influence.
Also, rival superpowers now also establish offworld colonies on worlds you colonize (in the form of clearable blockers).
This is a very quick fix, so let me know if any issue comes up.
Plans for the future: using the situation mechanism to make the process of planetary unification more interactive.
What the mod includes:
A new origin
A new origin, ‘The Eleventh Hour’, represents not-that-prosperous unifications. Technological development has been remarkable but has also been left ungoverned due to geopolitical fragmentation, resulting in great societal progress and a looming ecological disaster at the same time.
With this origin you start with more techs, more ships, and a nice species trait, but also with lots of very expensive blockers on your planet. On balance, it’s a challenging origin. Use console commands (remove_deposit) if it’s too challenging.
New prescripted empires
The United Nations of the 2080s is messier and less idealised than Vanilla UNE. It suffers from internal incoherence and a lack of strong mandate.
You can also play as one of the G4 superpowers (China, India, the U.S., and Europe), each with their unique design and backstory. Additional playable empires (some more, some less plausible as candidates for leading role in this global scenario) are included in my ZT’s Earth 21 Addendum mod.
New civics, governments, buildings, edicts
Union of Nation States: civic of Earth 21’s version of the UN and of a couple other prescripted empires. Decisions are made in long and boring summits, but hey, we have lots of diplomats! (And a strong planet-unique building for member state capitals who take care of a lot of things.)
Mosaic Culture: whatever your empire’s ethics are, many regions and member nations will adhere to diametrically opposing values. Unity output is low, but with new unique edicts you can embrace any ethics even before factions are formed.
Ethic and civic requirements for some vanilla governments have been reworked to better fit the mod’s theme (even a militaristic America is not a military junta, and a slightly spiritualistic India is not a theocracy). Also: Union of Nation States paired with Oligarchy is ‘Intergovernmental Union’; the same civic with Democracy is ‘Supranational Union’.
Unique blockers, deposits, buildings
Competing superpowers, crucial 21st century environmental and social problems, and major economic centers and man-made structures are represented by a wholly new set of blockers and deposits, each with their unique lore.
Unique flag designs for most prescripted empires.
Unique icons for new civics, deposits, blockers, and buildings.
Realistic Human diversity: Human phenotypes of pops and leaders have been rebalanced based on real-life late 21st century demographic projections (UN). Sorry America and Europe; you’re welcome Africa, India, Middle East.
Also, a new Human namelist now contains 47 (sic!) separate language groups from Francophone African to tiny Armenian, weighted according to demographic projections. Non-Western cultures are finally properly represented in ship and planet naming conventions.
New clothes: Men in 2080 still wear suit and tie, not Vanilla Game’s generic sci-fi tunic. Big thanks for Wick’s Humans for most of the near-future themed outfits.
Realistic Earth night lights: Earth’s night lights now represent major population centres as expected by the late 21st century. (To avoid oddly Earth-shaped alien night lights, lights have been added to where Earth’s oceans are.)
The whole ‘Eleventh Hour’ scenario with a messy homeworld also works for non-Human empires.
Nice non-vanilla clothes are from Wick’s Humans mod. The ugly non-vanilla ones are my creations.
Some inspiration for a near-future scenario came from Pode’s Primitive Players. This wonderful but currntly inactive mod leaves an empty space behind.
And finally, the greatest inspiration for a fragmented, messy scenario among the stars, the one and only Templin Institute. Because world governments _are_ boring.
I use the mod together with the following ones without problem:
- Pode’s ‘Pre-FTL Players’
- Splodgenic’s ‘Designable Civilian Ships’
- Gaia’s ‘Realistic Star Names’
- CryoStasis’ ‘Interstellar OST’
- Cybershaman’s Imperium Galactica 2 OST
- my own ‘Better Sol & Neighbourhood’
- my own ‘Small Settlements’
- and sometimes with Okami’s ‘Human Variety’ or Wick’s ‘Wick’s: Humans’.
Revisions:
Old revisions of this mod are available below. Click the link to download.
