Hackapell
May 30, 2007, 03:05 PM
Hey everyone;
I have reflected on everything that's being discussed here and I felt like I had to add my 2 cents. Anyway, before I begin, a few disclaimers
1) I'm a bit of a noob here, and I've only played Civs 3 and 4, so any ideas from the earlier games are welcome
2) I am not a modder in any way; its all greek to me, so I can't inorporate any of this.
With that having been said, I will try to show you what I think Civ 5 should include and why. Since this will be an extremly difficult task to do on finals week, I will give you the first of my thoughts, and then I will post the rest.
So, here goes;
Units:
We all know that several useful units were left out of Civ 4. I can’t say why, because I don’t know why. Some cuts were necessary; how often do you use a stealth fighter? Others made little sense; why cut in half the power of your navy, which has now been relegated to a seldom-used way of coastal bombardment? The elimination of the paratrooper made little sense as well; although not the main attacker, the role of the paratrooper was to infiltrate behind enemy lines and to perform strategic tasks, even in modern history. Although weak, with its 9 defense, it (the paratrooper) could divert offensive units away from attacking the stack of doom that you just landed on the AI’s home turf. Modern-era units were chopped to the point where you have 3 land units; MA, Mech infantry, and artillery, and just carrier-based fighters, battleships, and transports. There’s not much fun it that, now is there? Therefore, I propose the following things be added to the units (other than those things already announced in BtS):
Transport choppers
Nuclear subs(confirmed) with a clear advantage over battleships
Modern upgrades of the paratrooper
Cruisers that are stronger than destroyers but weaker than battleships (the AEGIS upgrade can see subs)(EDIT: missle crusier confirmed)
Weaker transports and carriers
An APC that can protect infantry with high retreat odds or that can whisk injured units away from the front lines
Modern artillery (Confirmed)
Faster anti-air defenses (Confirmed)
The return of longer-range bombardment
ZoC ONLY WHILE STATIONED IN A FORT
The ability for bombers to be placed on a carrier
Super-Carriers
Combat
Combat, as it is now, is rather predictable. The odds are clearly shown for you, and all you need to do is throw some catapults at the target to increase your odds. There are several flaws with the combat calculator, however. First strikes are not taken into account. Withdrawal chances are even more obscure. The spear beats tank scenario is still alive and well, because the calculator only takes into account average strength, not the technological advantages. The above changes may spice things up, especially on the high seas, but land combat is where it all matters. Therefore:
The AI needs to learn how to play real defense and how to counterattack. I know these are common gripes, but they’re essential for an interesting war.
Air combat should be visible and air units should have promotions that increase survival rate, increase collateral damages, weaken cultural defenses more, lethal bombardment, etc.
The combat calculator must take into account first strikes and technology. It is very hard to beat guns with arrows, and if you lose ½ of your attack force, I should be able to take that into account when planning my attack.
AI assistance should be greater and better focused. If there is a global war on, your allies should have the ability to assist you in covering your flank.
Quantity should count less. In the game, if you have the most units, you win. I believe that if one is to assemble all their units into one, it should take up more room. For example Let’s say 10 units make up an army. Only one army can occupy a space at one time. Therefore, if you want fourty units, you must spread them out over a larger area.
Combat penalties should exist if you are attacked from the rear( which is how all great battles are won)
All right, those are my thoughts on war, for now. Next time, I'll look at some more peaceful aspects of the game. comments, as always, are appreciated.
I have reflected on everything that's being discussed here and I felt like I had to add my 2 cents. Anyway, before I begin, a few disclaimers
1) I'm a bit of a noob here, and I've only played Civs 3 and 4, so any ideas from the earlier games are welcome
2) I am not a modder in any way; its all greek to me, so I can't inorporate any of this.
With that having been said, I will try to show you what I think Civ 5 should include and why. Since this will be an extremly difficult task to do on finals week, I will give you the first of my thoughts, and then I will post the rest.
So, here goes;
Units:
We all know that several useful units were left out of Civ 4. I can’t say why, because I don’t know why. Some cuts were necessary; how often do you use a stealth fighter? Others made little sense; why cut in half the power of your navy, which has now been relegated to a seldom-used way of coastal bombardment? The elimination of the paratrooper made little sense as well; although not the main attacker, the role of the paratrooper was to infiltrate behind enemy lines and to perform strategic tasks, even in modern history. Although weak, with its 9 defense, it (the paratrooper) could divert offensive units away from attacking the stack of doom that you just landed on the AI’s home turf. Modern-era units were chopped to the point where you have 3 land units; MA, Mech infantry, and artillery, and just carrier-based fighters, battleships, and transports. There’s not much fun it that, now is there? Therefore, I propose the following things be added to the units (other than those things already announced in BtS):
Transport choppers
Nuclear subs(confirmed) with a clear advantage over battleships
Modern upgrades of the paratrooper
Cruisers that are stronger than destroyers but weaker than battleships (the AEGIS upgrade can see subs)(EDIT: missle crusier confirmed)
Weaker transports and carriers
An APC that can protect infantry with high retreat odds or that can whisk injured units away from the front lines
Modern artillery (Confirmed)
Faster anti-air defenses (Confirmed)
The return of longer-range bombardment
ZoC ONLY WHILE STATIONED IN A FORT
The ability for bombers to be placed on a carrier
Super-Carriers
Combat
Combat, as it is now, is rather predictable. The odds are clearly shown for you, and all you need to do is throw some catapults at the target to increase your odds. There are several flaws with the combat calculator, however. First strikes are not taken into account. Withdrawal chances are even more obscure. The spear beats tank scenario is still alive and well, because the calculator only takes into account average strength, not the technological advantages. The above changes may spice things up, especially on the high seas, but land combat is where it all matters. Therefore:
The AI needs to learn how to play real defense and how to counterattack. I know these are common gripes, but they’re essential for an interesting war.
Air combat should be visible and air units should have promotions that increase survival rate, increase collateral damages, weaken cultural defenses more, lethal bombardment, etc.
The combat calculator must take into account first strikes and technology. It is very hard to beat guns with arrows, and if you lose ½ of your attack force, I should be able to take that into account when planning my attack.
AI assistance should be greater and better focused. If there is a global war on, your allies should have the ability to assist you in covering your flank.
Quantity should count less. In the game, if you have the most units, you win. I believe that if one is to assemble all their units into one, it should take up more room. For example Let’s say 10 units make up an army. Only one army can occupy a space at one time. Therefore, if you want fourty units, you must spread them out over a larger area.
Combat penalties should exist if you are attacked from the rear( which is how all great battles are won)
All right, those are my thoughts on war, for now. Next time, I'll look at some more peaceful aspects of the game. comments, as always, are appreciated.