If America is revamped +1 sight needs to stay!

Developers please! If they get a new UA please make sure it reads "All Land Military Units Receive +1 Sight. (Insert New Ability Here)"

I love that part of America's UA. That feeling when you go onto a hill with your warrior during the first turn and see EVERYYYYTHIIIIING for miles. That feeling when your scout gets it's first promotion and you watch that extra sight kick in revealing a city state, the camp where the barb spawned from, and Rome... on a different continent. Don't do it Devs!

I don't believe they are planning on touching America, at least from their comments. It sounds like Germany and Japan would be changed.

I like absolutely everything in America's setup, but it is too weak. I don't want them to add another sight or increase the tile discount though.

Honestly I think the best way to fix it would be to give them a third UU or UB and leave all else as is. Alternatively, add something to the UA without changing the current stuff.

headcase said:

I like absolutely everything in America's setup, but it is too weak. I don't want them to add another sight or increase the tile discount though.

Honestly I think the best way to fix it would be to give them a third UU or UB and leave all else as is. Alternatively, add something to the UA without changing the current stuff.

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A really good idea I heard for America not too long ago was to keep their quickened expansion and let them expand into other people's land. Gives them a much-needed buff and works well flavor-wise.

CommunistCookie said:

A really good idea I heard for America not too long ago was to keep their quickened expansion and let them expand into other people's land. Gives them a much-needed buff and works well flavor-wise.

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I would say that's awesome, but only if they are restricted to buying tiles in other peoples land, and for at LEAST double cost.

That would be an insanely powerful ability, a very annoying ability, but one that would really shake up diplomacy and i love the idea of it

I agree with this thread wholeheartedly. They might not be a top tier civ,
they got hit hard by the ceremonial burial nerf, the reliance on ideology for happiness (they are traditionally a very low culture civ because they can just buy their borders), the tendency to need to permanently stay happy & grow to maintain science output (they can work hills while unhappy better than anyone else), the market gold nerf (+2 gold markets were a key advantage of liberty ICS), and the extra city science penalty is brutal for a warmongering expansionist.

But they have their moments. The +1 sight just feels right for the war game - you have some idea of what you are getting yourself into when advancing, and you often get some warning about a cavalry charge, as opposed to rarely/never.

In terms of peacetime, no one has better information for those pre-turn 50 liberty REX settlement sites. No one. Sometimes you can forward settle onto someone, perhaps a defensible mountain range or riverside hill, and with a few bought tiles, fully box out a civ and make yourself a huge backyard for later expansion. And with cheap tile purchasing, you can settle a core city site, planning ahead for when your cities are 10-20 pop and just buy outward to the key early game tiles you need to get your luxuries online, giving you future access to observatories & more. People really underestimate this bonus. Culture border expansion hates hills for some reason, you'll frequently end up buying them. This is a notable discount, and even unimproved hills gives you alternatives if your empire falls unhappy or if something needs to be made fast. An early hill purchase from meeting a city state can give you extra hammers on your opening build order from the production focus trick, if you don't have a hill in your starting six. A couple early hill purchases during settler spam can be 5 turn settlers with liberty. You can buy up shared borders against the more aggressive civs, giving you more time to defend. You can buy a line of tiles to cut off troop circulation in key areas by denying open borders. You can do the same with riverside tiles at an outpost to damage enemy missionaries cutting through the area. If you go tradition or hardcore culture, the pure number of tiles a REX contributes to your land score may make other civs treat you like a runaway, making for troublesome research, luxury trade, and DoWs. It is MUCH better to buy the best of the best tiles, work those, and keep your empire strength incognito.

Lastly, an American scout with 2 sight promotions from fighting barbs can watch an entire side of your empire solo, and report troop concentrations. In other words, they can tell you if the british are coming. Except by sea, they can't do that for some reason.

<3 America.

For a buff, I'd recommend +1 aircraft range. Historically, America loves air power, and has used it everywhere. This is in line with their intended playstyle and bonuses, and modest enough to be a comfortable boost, but not an overwhelming one.