The Empires of the Smoky Skies is a scenario featured in the Gods & Kings expansion pack for Civilization V. This one is quite different from previous scenarios, featuring a randomly generated, Victorian-themed "steampunk" world where the industrialist great powers are in a constant struggle for the power of resources, prestige and progress in a world with low industrial resources.
Scenario Description[]
Greetings to you, renowned Captain of science and industry! The advent of steam power has revolutionized the world. It is a time of discovery, fueled by newfound resources and brilliant inventions. Great airships trek across the skies, marking their trails with black smoke. Civilizations are propelled towards a bright future, but competition is fierce. Resources are scarce, and technological secrets are carefully guarded. You and your rivals must expand your empires across the globe to meet growing needs in the name of progress. Can you harness the power of steam technology and bring your people to greatness?
Gameplay[]
In this scenario, you will command huge war machines as seen in H. G. Wells' "The Land Ironclads," and incredible airships like the flying machines of Jules Verne's Robur the Conqueror. The tech tree has been altered to adapt it to the steampunk scenario, introducing fictional and strange technologies like Subterranean Exploration, Eruptives and Noblesse Oblige, all unlocking new, strange buildings, like the Philanthroporium, the Difference Engine and the famous Tesla Coil. The new technology tree is born from the Steam Power technology.
The scenario also comes with its own steampunk-themed national wonders (the Subterranean Colony, the Carnegie Hall and the Analytical Engine), while the World Wonders are the same (the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House and even the CN Tower). Some resources and buildings have also been renamed to fit the scenario. In this scenario, Aluminum is renamed Aetherium and Uranium is renamed Luboric.
The social policies are altered too. There are only five policy trees (Labor, Culture, Industry, Commerce and Military). All of them mix social policies from the normal policy trees to avoid anything related to religion. None of them require previous "era-up"s (advance to the next era) to unlock them. The eras have also been modified. Now, you start at the end of the Industrial Era and the beginning of the Steam Era and you can research new technologies in the new Airship Era and a Future Era that ends with the repeating technology "The Grand Idea" (Future Tech).
The factions in this game only have a unique ability and a unique building. This is because they share the same steampunk units, but not the same buildings - for example, the Dalmace's Grandstand replaces the Stadium. Also, the barbarians are renamed the "Luddites". They no longer have the Brute or the Galley, but now they can train dangerous Riflemen and Dreadnaughts in their encampments.
Scenario rules[]
The game starts in the Steam Era with three Settlers, two Workers, two Scouts and two Land Ironclads. Also, at the start of the game, you have three spies at your service.
The scenario rules are similar to the Paradise Found scenario. The only difference is that you must earn a number of Honorable Titles in order to achieve leadership of the League of Empires. Each title is earned in different ways and becomes available as the game progresses. The titles are:
- Defender of Progress - Have the most of the latest Landships and Airships
- Grand Philanthropist - Have the most World and National Wonders
- Captain of Industry - Have the highest city Production
- Lord of Refinement - Have the most Social Policies
- Master of Wealth - Have the highest Gross Gold Income
To win the scenario, you must earn at least 3 titles and hold them for five consecutive turns - once the fifth turn ends and you still hold the titles, you win.
The religion features (including the religious units) are disabled in this scenario. In addition, Militaristic and Religious City-States are omitted in this scenario.
Factions[]
- Eruch (uses Mongolia's colors and German city and spy names)
- Leader: Cyrus Rotheram
- Unique Ability: Tireless Watch (Airship units get +2 Movement)
- Unique Building: Aerodrome (Replaces Airship Hangar)
- Dalmace (uses Maya's colors and French city and spy names)
- Leader: Clinton Alderdice
- Unique Ability: New World Order (Adopting new Social Policies costs 10% less Culture)
- Unique Building: Grandstand (Replaces Stadium)
- Orlin (uses Germany's colors and Russian city and spy names)
- Leader: Ignace Curnow
- Unique Ability: Optimized Extractors (+1 Production from strategic resources, and Luboric resources provide double quantity)
- Unique Building: Luboric Factory (Replaces Luboric Refinery)
- Pulias (uses Russia's colors and English city and spy names)
- Leader: Octavius Cutler
- Unique Ability: Frontier Markets (+1 Gold from strategic resources, and Aetherium resources provide double quantity)
- Unique Building: Aetherium Factory (Replaces Aetherium Plant)
- Vedria (uses Babylon's colors and Swedish city and spy names)
- Leader: Luther Griggs
- Unique Ability: Inventor's Guild (+25% Production towards any buildings that already exist in the Capital)
- Unique Building: Torus Dynamo (Replaces Tesla Coil)
Technologies[]
The players start with all the normal technologies up to and including the Industrial Era, but after that the technology tree has been changed significantly, and there are some two dozen technologies to research in the Steam Era, the Airship Era and the Future Era.
Units[]
- Airship
- Flyer
- Land Ironclad
- Land Leviathan (unit)
- Landship (Empires of the Smoky Skies)
- Sky Fortress (unit)
Buildings[]
- Aerodrome
- Aetherium Fabricator
- Aetherium Factory
- Airship Hangar
- Automated Factory
- Difference Engine
- Grand Mansion
- Grandstand
- Luboric Factory
- Luboric Refinery
- Patent Office
- Philanthroporium
- Subterranean Outpost
- Tesla Coil
- Torus Dynamo
- Trade College
National Wonders[]
- Analytical Engine
- Biltmore House
- Carnegie Hall
- Inventor's Hall
- Perpetual Motion Engine
- Subterranean Colony
Resources[]
Eras[]
Gallery[]
Related achievements[]
Sky Admiral
Destroy an enemy unit with a flier based at a sky fortress in the Empires of the Smoky Skies scenario. |
Quite Accomplished
Retain control of the same honorable title for the entire length of the game it is available in the Empires of the Smoky Skies scenario. |
Modern Major-General
Win the Empires of the Smoky Skies scenario.
|
Gentlemen's Agreement
Share intrigue with another player in the Empires of the Smoky Skies scenario. |
Civilization V Scenarios [edit] |
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1 Requires a DLC
Added in the Gods & Kings expansion pack. Added in the Brave New World expansion pack.
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