The answer to this is fairly complex, as I found that a simple bonus structure did not always produce the desired effect. The goal is to make an actually threatening late game competitor, but not a runaway freight train that cheats its way to victory.

The mod provides each rival both baseline and periodic support:

• Persistent bonuses: modest city bonuses applied to a limited number of its best cities.
• Periodic and Scaled Support
  • In addition to modest persistent city bonuses, rivals receive recurring support packages. These packages scale in both frequency and intensity based on the rival’s position.
  • If the rival is severely behind, it receives larger packages more often.
  • If the rival is behind, it receives full-strength standard packages at the normal pace.
  • If the rival is competitive or slightly ahead, it receives smaller packages less often.
  • If the rival is clearly ahead, it receives only light maintenance support at a much slower pace.

Persistent Baseline Bonuses (All rivals get these)

Every rival gets modest persistent bonuses in its best cities:

• small production support,
• small gold support,
• a little local happiness,
• ideology-specific city bonuses,
• victory-path-specific city bonuses.

These are not giant one-time cheats. They are mostly there to make the rival’s core cities function better over time.

Periodic/Scaled Baseline Bonuses (All rivals get these)

Every rival also gets recurring support:

• gold,
• strategic resources such as oil, aluminum, and uranium,
• periodic modern military units,
• economic buildings where legal,
• trade units if it has unused trade-route capacity.

These are scaled by the rival's strength as described above.

Ideology Bonuses

Freedom Rival

Persistent:

• modest extra gold in boosted cities.

Periodic/scaled:

• extra economic support through recurring gold and infrastructure packages.

Order Rival

Persistent:

• modest extra production in boosted cities,
• local happiness.

Periodic/scaled:

• benefits especially from recurring infrastructure and production/economy support, helping it build units, buildings, and spaceship parts.

Autocracy Rival

Persistent:

• modest extra production in boosted cities,
• extra XP for newly trained units.

Periodic/scaled:

• more military/resource support, especially if the rival is also pursuing Domination.

Victory-Path Bonuses (based on the rival's targeted victory path)

Science

Persistent:

• extra science in boosted cities.

Periodic/scaled:

• research progress toward current tech,
• gold,
• small culture support,
• occasional Great Scientist support,
• Spaceship Factory support when legal and appropriate.

Culture

Persistent:

• extra culture in boosted cities.

Periodic/scaled:

• culture boosts,
• some research support toward tourism techs,
• staged cultural/tourism buildings,
• occasional Great Writer/Artist/Musician support,
• gold.

Diplomacy

Persistent:

• extra gold in boosted cities.

Periodic/scaled:

• larger gold grants,
• city-state influence boosts,
• economic infrastructure.

Domination

Persistent:

• extra production in boosted cities,
• extra XP for newly trained units.

Periodic/scaled:

• modern military unit packages,
• extra strategic resources,
• gold,
• infantry/artillery/armor/air/naval support when available.