2026.10.04_Civilization IV Beyond the Sword mod Mega-Marathon with 34 civs

Civilization IV Beyond the Sword mod Mega-Marathon by Tyr Antilles combined with 40Civs created by Mikel Olson.

TyrMegMa40c (2026.10.04) mod is basically the default Civ4BtS but longer and larger with maximum 34 players instead of 18 and other improvements that do not affect in a bad way the original CIV4 BtS experience.

Download the mod from here:
https://mega.nz/file/FaJAEL4L#fGPumkuW7QobSTd-F2gHPaS-c8GhFOu6PlnuZihP4A0

Download the way I calculated the values for the mod here:
https://mega.nz/file/gKQjxRAT#Oy0ZeQ1mSZAQ3Ht7MJoXvGheXDuz_4b5aSVvnrGuyN0

For hard-core Civilization IV enthusiasts that feel the huge maps of the game are too small and Marathon mode is too fast, I made this mod that offers several things:

1. Six more map sizes larger then the Huge map of the original Civ4BtS. I will list all sizes, the first six of the original game and other 6 available on TyrMegMa40c mod:

* original Civ4BtS WORLDSIZE_DUEL: size = 10x6

* original Civ4BtS WORLDSIZE_TINY: size = 13x8

* original Civ4BtS WORLDSIZE_SMALL: size = 16x10

* original Civ4BtS WORLDSIZE_STANDARD: size = 21x13

* original Civ4BtS WORLDSIZE_LARGE: size = 26x16

* original Civ4BtS WORLDSIZE_HUGE: size = 32x20

* modified TyrMegMa40c WORLDSIZE_DUEL: size = 38x24

* modified TyrMegMa40c WORLDSIZE_TINY: size = 45x29

* modified TyrMegMa40c WORLDSIZE_SMALL: size = 52x34

* modified TyrMegMa40c WORLDSIZE_STANDARD: size = 60x39

* modified TyrMegMa40c WORLDSIZE_LARGE: size = 69x44

* modified TyrMegMa40c WORLDSIZE_HUGE: size = 78x50

2. Four more game speeds all slower then the Marathon speed from the original Civ4BtS.

* original MARATHON: 1500 turns

* modified TyrMegMa40c QUICK: 2250 turns

* modified TyrMegMa40c NORMAL: 3000 turns

* modified TyrMegMa40c EPIC: 4500 turns

* modified TyrMegMa40c MARATHON: 9000 turns

For all of these, game speed, tech discovery, construction and others are a lot slower giving enough time to play every age a lot.

3. Adding on top of it the CvGameCoreDLL.dll that is 40Civs mod, the world can be filled with max 34 starting civilizations and 6 colonies, instead of 18 civs that were allowed in the default game. This make the huge map really lively with a lot of civilizations competing with each other.

4. Replaced global warming desert terrain with fallout instead by 40Civs mod.

(infos about 40Civs mod by Mikel Olson here: https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/bts-40-civs-allows-colonies-and-34-civs.234779/)

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Start of the mod:

1. - Close Civ4 if is open

2. - Unpack TyrMegMa40c.zip to Civ4BtS mods folder:

    * for STEAM version of Civ4BtS, Mods folder is: {the place where your STEAM folder is located}\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Beyond the Sword\Mods\

    * for the standalone installation of the game (if you installed on the default path) Mods folder is: C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Civilization4\Beyond the Sword\Mods\

3. - Clear the cache from Civ4 cache folder - just delete all files inside cache folder from c:\Users\{your win user}\AppData\Local\My Games\beyond the sword\cache\

4. - Fire up Civ4BtS and launch the mod from Advanced > Load a mod > TyrMegMa40c

The game will restart loading the mod. In upper right corner will be written the name of the mod: TyrMegMa40c

5. - At the beginning of the game choose:

    * Custom game.

    * Map type (Archipelago works best, but other types can be suitable. You can check how a new map is generated by entering the map editor, then restarting a new game with that map type.)

    * Size: all sizes are progressively bigger then the original HUGE.

    * Speed: all speeds are progressively slower then the original MARATHON.

    * Deselect Victory: Time victory (To not have the game end just when things start to become interesting.)

    * Manually add up to maximum 34 players.

    * The other choices are optional.

Required to finish such a game: a strong computer and a TON of patience and free time.

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Edit the file: c:\Users\{your win user}\Documents\My Games\beyond the sword\CivilizationIV.ini

to suit your needs.

I modified these lines:

; The maximum number of autosaves kept in the directory before being deleted.

MaxAutoSaves = 20

; Specify the number of turns between autoSaves.  0 means no autosave.

AutoSaveInterval = 10

; Determines which user profile is loaded on game start

UserProfile = Tyr Antilles

; Specify a Mod folder (Mods\Mesopotamia), '0' for none

Mod = Mods\TyrMegMa40c\

; Custom Screen Height, minimum: 768 - Normal resolutions can be set in-game and will be used when set to 0

ScreenHeight = 1022

; Custom Screen Width, minimum: 1024 - Normal resolutions can be set in-game and will be used when set to 0

ScreenWidth = 1918

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Screenshots

1. Game on turn 2167 on year 1931 AD. Notice the size of the game window on the mini-map on the bottom-right corner of the screen. That big the map is.

2. The crowded relations screen.

3. The big planet.  This complexity if what makes this mod so wonderful.

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This update and replaces the older post from here:
https://tyrantilles.blogspot.com/2020/08/20200829civilization-iv-beyond-sword.html

2026.03.06_LibreOffice theme with coffee skins - Jane's Coffee

Jane's Coffee

For several years I am using a LibreOffice theme with beautiful milk coffee colors, shades of brown and orange I like very much. Now I would like to share it with everyone.

LibreOffice is a great free office program. For more information about it see this link:  https://tyrantilles.blogspot.com/2024/06/20240603libreoffice-free-and-complete.html

At its current state, the customization options offered by LibreOffice for these themes are somewhat dependent of the base windows color theme. So here are some screenshots with the theme applied for both, a light windows theme and a black windows theme.

Installation instructions:

This theme can be installed directly from LibreOffice > Tools > Options > Appearance > and on the right side part of the panel on top under "LibreOffice Themes" there is a button "Add more themes". Scroll down this new window to reach Jane's Coffee theme. Click Install and switch to it.

Alternatively the theme can be installed  by downloading Jane's Coffee theme from:

LibreOffice site: https://extensions.libreoffice.org/en/extensions/show/99524

Mega: https://mega.nz/file/BWZiRJgZ#F8m2KqVtNIbQvAKpiWJ1GYKZujvdq8xq9vTK6bmhMEU

Google drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lTFyx3q2VRNtcv9F17o-J7sqEEvOo7jm/view?usp=drive_link

Github: https://github.com/TyrAntilles2/LOExtensions

To activate it, the theme must first be loaded from Tools > Extensions > Add the downloaded JanesCoffee.oxt, then restart LO.

To show the theme properly go to Tools > Options > Appearance > and from LibreOffice Themes select Jane's Coffee, then restart LO.

Finally, on the same window chose to:
[v] Enable application theming
[ ] Use white document background
[ ] Use bitmap for application background

Enjoy!

2026.01.01_Heroes of Might and Magic III Horn of the Abyss v.1.8.0

 As usual in the last years, the HotA team released yet another outstanding addition to what I consider not just a mod, but the real 4^th expansion of Heroes of Might and Magic III – the great Horn of the Abyss.

This time they added a new town with it’s units, the third town since HotA project started, the BULWARK.

Thank you to HotA team for continuing this wonderful game over the years.

Here is a message from the developers:

~~~~~~

Friends,

We wish you a Happy New Year! As a gift from us, enjoy the HotA 1.8.0 update. This version features not one, but two major innovations at once.

The first one is, of course, the new town, the third one to be introduced in Horn of the Abyss: the Bulwark. The long and winding road from its conception to release took us almost two decades. It is now finished, and you can finally play as the faction that has been part of our project throughout its history. The place the Bulwark is found at on the world map has also been featured in the world of Might & Magic; now we offer a journey there to Heroes III players as well. The Bulwark's inhabitants represent the peoples living on the frozen over island of Vori: Snow Elves, Jotunns, Yeti and Kobolds. They are joined by their staunch allies, Argali and Mammoths. Their courage and unusual abilities, which they owe to the mysterious forces lurking in the eternal snows, are the stuff of legends and songs.

Work on the campaign, poised to tell you about the history of Vori from ancient times to the present of Enroth, is still ongoing; this time around, however, we decided against postponing the town's release for this reason alone. In a few months, you will learn this story, already being well-versed in the Bulwark's gameplay.

The second major new feature is the extended event system, designed to help map creators implement even more captivating scenarios. Now you can create events and quests in Seer Huts, whose course may depend on intricate conditions and have a wide variety of effects. Through variables, events can influence each other, allowing the player's choices to alter the map's entire future behavior. A user-friendly graphical interface has been developed to make and handle these events. This development took us over two years, and we are proud to share the results with you.

Moreover, there are a handful of other interesting and useful things in store for you:

- a number of new features in the template editor;

- new visitable objects and decor for the adventure map;

- a new secondary skill — Runes, allowing heroes to boost their troops as the battle progresses;

- single-player scenarios introducing you to the new features;

- fixes for various bugs and visual flaws.

For more information, see the changelog: Download.h3hota.com

We wish you enjoyable holidays! Meanwhile, our work continues. Do expect good news!

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- More information screenshots and download links can be found on https://www.moddb.com/mods/horn-of-the-abyss

- Also, HoMM III HotA was included recently on GOG.com. Check it out here: https://www.gog.com/en/game/heroes_of_might_and_magic_iii_horn_of_the_abyss

The HoMM 3 HotA article on this blog was updated: https://tyrantilles.blogspot.com/2025/06/20250624heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii.html

Check it out for more information and installation instructions.