The Malakim Solution

JFSebastian-

I love the idea of the specialist Shepards. It appears balanced and thematically appropriate. This would definitely make me play the Malakim, something I have NEVER done the entire time I've been playing FFH [around 2 years?].

I think the biggest issue with this would be figuring out how to teach the AI how to use this properly. Unlike a building that could get an AI weight [like TotH for Illians] you would need some unique AI coding for Malakim settlers to let them know that settling in the middle of the desert is actually a good idea.

If that could be done, this idea has my full support.

HadesScorn said:

JFSebastian-

I love the idea of the specialist Shepards. It appears balanced and thematically appropriate. This would definitely make me play the Malakim, something I have NEVER done the entire time I've been playing FFH [around 2 years?].

I think the biggest issue with this would be figuring out how to teach the AI how to use this properly. Unlike a building that could get an AI weight [like TotH for Illians] you would need some unique AI coding for Malakim settlers to let them know that settling in the middle of the desert is actually a good idea.

If that could be done, this idea has my full support.

Click to expand...

I'm currently throwing around the idea of trying to tackle this myself and this is the sort of info I need. How exactly do settlers pick locations currently? I've noticed that the computer suggestions I get for my settlers are often locations that end up being barbarian cities later in the game. Are there currently any differences between civs as to what locations are picked to settle in? It seems special resources play a lot into the weight regardless of whether they are immediately usable or not considering the many barbarian cities that spawn next to jungle trapped resources. Perhaps there is a way to tweak the city location picker to not only handle Malakim food specialists, but to also make all the other civs and barbarians pick better locations as well. I know from trying out the high to low option a few times that, as it stands, the AI is often making terrible choices for both city location and tech choices. Perhaps the underlying problem is that the AI is picking terrible locations relative to their predefined tech preferences. Each civ should probably have tweaked preferences for city locations. If anyone has any info or a link that points towards this info I'd be much obliged.

Essentially, you've gotta let the AI equate 5 useless desert squares with 3 and 2 or whatever the values end up being and tie it into the location picking mechanics.

maybe give them +1 food in desert tiles? make desert rivers create flood plains?

i feel they are incomplete, and unplayable. every time i try to play them i am in some desolate wasteland, where i have to warrior rush to survive barbs and never build an economy because my cities only get to size 3 (most of them).

i would sure love to enjoy playing as them - but i have had to create tectonics "wet" worlds to really enjoy them and even then i feel like im playing BTS celts.