Khan Quest
Jul 20, 2007, 12:46 AM
I was looking through the Beyond the Sword information and saw something that bothered me – cities are limited to four aircraft each (eight with an airport). The numbers four and eight seem arbitrary and artificial to me. Is there some historical context that limited Timbuktu or Tokyo to four squadrons? I can have 150 or more tanks in a city and four aircraft? I know it was done in the name of game balance, but takes away some of realistic feel to the game.
Why not make the limit size dependent? A city could host one air unit plus one air unit per five pop points (double with airport).
Or make it maintenance dependent. A city can host one aircraft for free, a second for 1 gold, and the cost doubling for each thereafter (2, 4, 8, 16, etc., or use some other exponential if this is too steep).
Then again, why not limit all types of military units a city could support. As it is now, you can have city in the desert that will never grow beyond size 2 because there are not enough food resources nearby and can not import food, but the city can indefinitely host 100 knights.
Perhaps all units could be maintenance dependent. Or a hybrid of both ideas. Civics choices would need to modified (Police State and Pacifism come to mind). Perhaps Defensive civs could one or two “free” defenders per city.
Units which end the turn within a city’s core or 1st ring are considered part of that city. Units in the 2nd ring are considered part of that city, except in overlap, then it is which ever city would pay the lesser cost. Those inside cultural borders and outside the fat-crosses are supported by the closest city. Those outside cultural boundaries cost more, as is in current implementation. Scouts & explorers should be at reduced cost, if not free.
Speaking of units in foreign lands, the healing rate should diminish with increasing numbers of units in stacks. Greater than say, 8 units (to pick an arbitrary and artificial number) would heal at 50% the normal rate. Greater than 12, 25% and for 16+ they would not heal.
The actual number could instead be dependent upon the tile itself, using the sum of food, hammers and trade as the base number. More units could heal on a cow tile than ordinary grassland. And more so on an improved tile (heal, then pillage). Tough luck in tundra, jungle and deserts. Maybe some exception would be made for jungle promoted units in jungle.
And something completely unrelated…
Sacrificing workers
A worker can “settle” in a city and produce 2 hammers per turn for ten turns. The worker is consumed in the process. Indian workers produce for 15 turns. Only one worker may settle a city at a time. Multipliers, such as factories and golden ages, would not apply.
Maybe you could have the option of two shields or two food for the sacrificed worker (Think laborers toiling in fields, not soylent green).
This should be unlocked with an early religion.
At a cost of 60 hammers for a worker, and settling yielding 20, I don’t think this can be abused.
Why not make the limit size dependent? A city could host one air unit plus one air unit per five pop points (double with airport).
Or make it maintenance dependent. A city can host one aircraft for free, a second for 1 gold, and the cost doubling for each thereafter (2, 4, 8, 16, etc., or use some other exponential if this is too steep).
Then again, why not limit all types of military units a city could support. As it is now, you can have city in the desert that will never grow beyond size 2 because there are not enough food resources nearby and can not import food, but the city can indefinitely host 100 knights.
Perhaps all units could be maintenance dependent. Or a hybrid of both ideas. Civics choices would need to modified (Police State and Pacifism come to mind). Perhaps Defensive civs could one or two “free” defenders per city.
Units which end the turn within a city’s core or 1st ring are considered part of that city. Units in the 2nd ring are considered part of that city, except in overlap, then it is which ever city would pay the lesser cost. Those inside cultural borders and outside the fat-crosses are supported by the closest city. Those outside cultural boundaries cost more, as is in current implementation. Scouts & explorers should be at reduced cost, if not free.
Speaking of units in foreign lands, the healing rate should diminish with increasing numbers of units in stacks. Greater than say, 8 units (to pick an arbitrary and artificial number) would heal at 50% the normal rate. Greater than 12, 25% and for 16+ they would not heal.
The actual number could instead be dependent upon the tile itself, using the sum of food, hammers and trade as the base number. More units could heal on a cow tile than ordinary grassland. And more so on an improved tile (heal, then pillage). Tough luck in tundra, jungle and deserts. Maybe some exception would be made for jungle promoted units in jungle.
And something completely unrelated…
Sacrificing workers
A worker can “settle” in a city and produce 2 hammers per turn for ten turns. The worker is consumed in the process. Indian workers produce for 15 turns. Only one worker may settle a city at a time. Multipliers, such as factories and golden ages, would not apply.
Maybe you could have the option of two shields or two food for the sacrificed worker (Think laborers toiling in fields, not soylent green).
This should be unlocked with an early religion.
At a cost of 60 hammers for a worker, and settling yielding 20, I don’t think this can be abused.