So, we're getting to the stage where we want to start differentiating the factions. Here are some brainstorm ideas:
First, 9 factions feels a bit small. Maybe we should consider eliminating one of the religions (the way of Shai-Hulad isn't that interesting), or add another faction.
Atreides:
Themes: honorable, benevolent, diplomatic, respected, air power, quality > quantity, vendetta with harkonnen
Preferred civics: hereditary rule -> theocracy, Kanly, private property, free trade, Arrakis paradise
Preferred religion: Qizarate (golden path)
Unique mechanics:
An intrinsic +3 diplomacy benefit with all factions except Tleilaxu (no change) and Harkonnen (-3 penalty).
I dislike the "free units" for Atreides, I think it makes little sense; it makes then a quantity army with poorly
Unique stuff:
An improved falcon thopter, strength 10 rather than strength 8.
An improved desert airfield, that comes at an earlier tech (air power rather than aerial combat), and gives a free "skilled pilots" promotion (+10% strength) to all hornets and thopters produced in that city. Or just combat 1 or more xp.
A sonic tank, replaces the medium scorpion. Possible changes: does collateral damage, maybe slightly lower base strength but bonuses vs guardsmen and melee (sonic waves more effective vs infantry than vehicles, very weak vs aircraft).
Atreides heir; gives +20% defense bonus to all units in stack.
Harkonnen:
Theme: brutality, slaves, militaristic, treacherous, power-hungry, vendetta with atreides, soviet-style army: quantity and heavy tanks
Preferred civics: slavery, planned economy, Arrakis spice
Preferred religion: Landsraad/CHOAM
Unique mechanics:
-3 diplomacy penalty with Atreides.
Slave mechanic from combat, as current. This is quite powerful. Maybe we could increase the slaves to 2 moves, but decrease the chance of generating one from combat.
Also, the slave should appear in the tile of the harkonnen unit, not the tile of the unit they kill.
Unique stuff:
Devastator heavy tank.
Maybe a heavy roller as well with higher strength, or extra first strikes? The devastator is very very late-game.
Maybe some improved artillery/siege units; an improved assault cannon or missile launcher
Maybe a factory of some kind that gives a military production bonus, and/or free xp to vehicle units: Forgeworks, at desert industry tech, gives +10% military production and +2 xp to newly created vehicles.
Slave pit building as current.
Ordos:
Themes: espionage/sabotage, hit-and-run, light-fast-attack units, mercenary, profit-seeking
Preferred civics: war of assassins, serfdom, mercantilism
Preferred religion:
Unique mechanics:
These guys will really need some bonus espionage missions in order to become interesting. This is probably hard to do, both manipulating the espionage missions *and* getting the AI to understand how to use them. Some possible ideas:
i) Sabotage units. Damages every hostile unit in the tile by 10% damage (maximum 50% damage). AI will only use it against factions that they are at war with.
Maybe they could use the FFH/Fall Further "raider" trait, which gives a raider promotion to their units, which automatically pillages any tile their units move into (in territory of units they are at war with). Or at least get a +50% gold bonus from pillaging.
Unique stuff:
Saboteur. Infiltrator replacement but starts with 2 moves.
Deviator. assault cannon replacement, but with a bombardment ability, that can add a "confused" promotion to enemy units (with 20% chance), that prevents them from attacking , and wears off with 75% chance after each turn.
Trike: quad replacement with 20% higher base withdraw chance.
A replacement assassin bureau building, with an even higher espionage output (16?).
Ecaz:
Themes: trade, others??
Preferred civics: hereditary rule, free trade
Preferred religion: Landsraad/CHOAM
Unique mechanics:
Can build a third landing stage, getting 3 total trade good contracts.
Unique stuff:
Unique building that gives extra trade route/trade route income bonus.
Corrino:
Themes: Emperor, Sardaukar (best assault troops), traditional, political, militaristic rather than trade, preserve the status quo
Preferred civics: imperium, imperial fealty, faufreluches, arrakis spice
Preferred religion: Imperium
Unique mechanics:
Unable to adopt Qizarate, messianism, Tl Supremacy or Technocracy religions.
Superior access to offworld troop imports - maybe a faster refresh rate of their pool?
Unique stuff:
Sardaukar troops and imperial militia and trooper, as current.
An improved tribunal building that gives extra maintenance reduction , or a UB national wonder that acts as another Forbidden palace?
Bene Gesserit:
Themes: manipulative, influential, rule-from-the-shadows, pacifist tendencies
Preferred civics: meritocracy, great convention (culture bonus)
Preferred religion: any
Unique mechanics:
Spies can perform a mission that acts like an Influence-driven-war pillage.
Ability to manipulate religions; can BG somehow get an extra +2 culture per turn for each religion present in their cities?
Unique stuff:
Reverend mother (as current). Maybe the reverend mother should also detect invisible units (so its hard to use infiltrators on BG).
Unique building (Bene Gesserit): Missionaria Protectiva. +1 culture. Gives +2 culture +1 happy per religion present in the city.
others?
Maybe some unique buildings with culture bonuses: BG should be best placed to win a cultural = "political" victory.
Fremen:
Themes: desert warriors, little technology (scavenged), powerful melee, water discipline, raiders, worm transport.
Preferred civics: theocracy, water discipline, arrakis paradise.
Preferred religion: messianism/jihad
Unique mechanics:
Sandrider infantry units (as current, but should also apply to guardsmen units).
Cannot build most siege units, vehicles and aircraft. When destroying a thopter, hornet, siege or vehicle in combat, have a 25% chance of capturing it.
Need AI changed so that they can launch amphibious assaults without transports.
Melee infantry start with thumper promotion? See discussion here:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=335213&page=2 (starts post 33, goes onto next page
Unique stuff:
Deathstill (as current)
Crysknife fighter, sandrider, fedaykin (as current)
Maybe a few more to replace not being able to build roller, hornets, thopters and scorpions?
Ix:
Themes: technology, computerization, industry,
Preferred civics: planned economy
Preferred religion: technocracy
Unique mechanics:
Technocracy religion buildings benefit from Thinking Machines trade good.
Unique stuff:
Ixian walker units, as current.
Maybe an earlier game hammer boosting building? Factory and the technocracy ones are quite late.
Bene Tleilaxu:
Themes: xenophobic, isolationist, religious, bioweapons, biological research, distrusted by all
Preferred civics: theocracy
Preferred religion: Tleilaxu supremacy (can't adopt any others)
Unique mechanics:
Unique religion (founded very early, can only be adopted by them, spread automatically to any new cities they found, no missionaries - so cannot easily be spread to conquered cities). Cannot adopt any other religion.
Priest focused specialists (unique buildings give priest slots, shrine boosts priests)
Tleilaxu plague (see discussion
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=335213&page=5 post 87 onwards)
Ghola creation (building powerful units: newly created units have the same xp as the highest xp unit you have lost of that type)
Unique stuff:
Facedancer (acts like Balseraph mimic from FFH: steals a promotion from any unit it defeats)
Axolotl tanks. Gives GPP bonus and allows ghola creation.
We need more ideas, but thats a few more for now.
Thoughts, suggestions?
