PolyCast #209: For Replayability

DanQ · Sep 6, 2014

Rant on. The two-hundred-and-ninth episode of PolyCast, "For Replayability", features regular co-hosts Daniel "DanQ" Quick, "Makahlua" and "MadDjinn" with first-time guest co-hosts "hobbsyoyo" and German "Lord Shadow" Jakob. Carrying a runtime of 59m59s, the summary of topics is as follows:

- 01m30s | News
Pulling from the second and third livestreams on Civilization Beyond Earth from developer Firaxis Games and then on the planning for the company's first for-the-fans event Firaxicon (23m26s).
- 28m23s | Forum Talk
Taking on a call for no simultaneous turns in CBE for having "ruined" Civilization V multiplay.
- 33m22s | Miscellaneous
A cover of CivIV theme "Baba Yetu" draws both intrigue and ire followed by a look at Civilization series sale data (36m18s; recorded for Episode 199), a prediction that CivVI is to be released in 2015 (38m43s) and much suspicion and snark over a claim that "replayability" is not a word and the response to it (47m45s).

- Intro/Outro | Miscellaneous
Locating oneself, seemingly contrary and a call for vocals.

Recording live before a listening audience every other Saturday, PolyCast is a bi-weekly audio production in an ongoing effort to give the Civ community an interactive voice on game strategy; listeners are encouraged to follow the show on Twitter, and check out the YouTube channel for caption capability. Sibling show RevCast focuses on Civilization: Revolution, ModCast on Civ modding, SCivCast on Civ social gaming and TurnCast on Civ multiplay.

Lord Shadow · Sep 6, 2014

Excellent work, and glad to have been there! :goodjob:

DanQ · Sep 6, 2014

Lord Shadow said:
Excellent work

Thanks.

and glad to have been there!

We appreciate your joining us!

Karl0413 · Sep 6, 2014

Nice Podcast, keep them coming. :goodjob:

DanQ · Sep 6, 2014

Karl0413 said:
Nice Podcast, keep them coming.

-- glad you enjoyed the listen. Thank you for continuing to be apart of the show's audience.

rastak · Sep 7, 2014

Really enjoyed the BE discussion. Nice job!

Westwall · Sep 7, 2014

You guys make an interesting point about exploitable features, such as the Purity Explorer that can't be attacked by native life.

Inhalaattori · Sep 7, 2014

Westwall said:
You guys make an interesting point about exploitable features, such as the Purity Explorer that can't be attacked by native life.

I dont really understand why this would be a big thing really. After all you can build building called Ultrasonic Fence to stop aliens from ruining your cities. I dont think you should be wasting all that production and energy in the early game for extra explorers. They cost maintenance just like Ultrasonic fence.

Westwall · Sep 7, 2014

I think what they were saying is that it seemed a bit overpowered compared to the other Explorer abilities. Yeah, being able to conduct multiple expeditions is nice and all, but never having to worry about losing them? Plus, this seems like something that belongs more in Harmony.

DanQ · Sep 7, 2014

rastak said:
Really enjoyed the BE discussion. Nice job!

Westwall said:
You guys make an interesting point about exploitable features, such as the Purity Explorer that can't be attacked by native life.

Thanks, gents!

Hope you enjoyed the listen as well, Inhalaattori.

DarkestOnion · Sep 8, 2014

Inhalaattori said:
I dont really understand why this would be a big thing really. After all you can build building called Ultrasonic Fence to stop aliens from ruining your cities. I dont think you should be wasting all that production and energy in the early game for extra explorers. They cost maintenance just like Ultrasonic fence.

I have been wondering about that Ultrasonic Fence and whether it makes Aliens near your City a non-event. For example, I wonder if it can keep Worms away if a Harmony Spy plants a Thumper in your City?

KrikkitTwo · Sep 8, 2014

DarkestOnion said:
I have been wondering about that Ultrasonic Fence and whether it makes Aliens near your City a non-event. For example, I wonder if it can keep Worms away if a Harmony Spy plants a Thumper in your City?

I'd assume not.

Also, it only has a range of 2 (although supposedly the range can go up) so you still might have problems on the outer rings.

And it doesn't do anything until it is up. (so aliens still are a threat for expansion)

joncnunn · Sep 8, 2014

KrikkitTwo said:
I'd assume not.

Also, it only has a range of 2 (although supposedly the range can go up) so you still might have problems on the outer rings.

And it doesn't do anything until it is up. (so aliens still are a threat for expansion)

The usefulness of an Explorer scout wall will depend upon if there are natural choke points and where they are.
(This could be really useful on whatever BE equivalent there is to "fractal" which tends to be snaky contenants)

While it would have almost no use on a BE equivalent to Great Plains (flat region and no chock points at all)

I'm also thinking this ability is a very poor fit for Purity.

As I understand it Harmony will try to keep earth plants from spreading outside the city. (Friendly to planet)

Purity will both encourage the earth plants to spread and will also seek to destroy alien life forms. (Hostile to planet)

Supremacy will encourage the earth plants to spread but will seek to domesticate life forms. (In between the above two extremes)

So shouldn't it be either a Harmony or Supremacy one in which the aliens won't attack explorers?

MadDjinn · Sep 9, 2014

think about wandering through alien infested areas with a Purity 1 Explorer... nest sniping, etc is all part and parcel of the benefit. And yet it doesn't seem 'right'.

KrikkitTwo · Sep 9, 2014

MadDjinn said:
think about wandering through alien infested areas with a Purity 1 Explorer... nest sniping, etc is all part and parcel of the benefit. And yet it doesn't seem 'right'.

Since you seem to think that is OP,

What would you think about alien attacks forcing the explorer to retreat (but Explorer takes no damage)

MadDjinn · Sep 9, 2014

KrikkitTwo said:
Since you seem to think that is OP,

What would you think about alien attacks forcing the explorer to retreat (but Explorer takes no damage)

still cheese. It's even plausible that you could somehow use the aliens 'push' to jump from one continent to another.

as said in the episode, the only way to make it inline with the other bonuses is to make the Purity 1 bonus only work when the explorer is digging an expedition.

... and then give it to Harmony, because... derp.

KrikkitTwo · Sep 9, 2014

MadDjinn said:
still cheese. It's even plausible that you could somehow use the aliens 'push' to jump from one continent to another.

as said in the episode, the only way to make it inline with the other bonuses is to make the Purity 1 bonus only work when the explorer is digging an expedition.

... and then give it to Harmony, because... derp.

True you could use it to jump... but that would be very unusual to jump more than 1 or 2 tiles (the continent you are on would have to be full..and if you have Planetary Survey which you used to reach a small alien infested island you could just be bumped to a water tile.)

MadDjinn · Sep 9, 2014

KrikkitTwo said:
True you could use it to jump... but that would be very unusual to jump more than 1 or 2 tiles (the continent you are on would have to be full..and if you have Planetary Survey which you used to reach a small alien infested island you could just be bumped to a water tile.)

except if you don't have the 'sea faring' tech, you can't be put into water (and from Civ V, the code for the Incan slingers never forced anyone into embarking).

not to mention that if you 'could' get pushed into the water, there are plenty of water based aliens that could keep pushing you. Issues abound with that.

KrikkitTwo · Sep 9, 2014

MadDjinn said:
except if you don't have the 'sea faring' tech, you can't be put into water (and from Civ V, the code for the Incan slingers never forced anyone into embarking).

not to mention that if you 'could' get pushed into the water, there are plenty of water based aliens that could keep pushing you. Issues abound with that.

Maybe just not attacked during expeditions and ignore alien ZOC (so they are sort of sneaking around the aliens)

I agree something else might be better..
Alien attacks only do 10 hp of damage? Marines get expedition modules?

Maybe Explorer gets +100-200% defense v. Aliens? (making them Strength 6-9) and ignore alien ZOC?

MadDjinn · Sep 9, 2014

KrikkitTwo said:
Maybe just not attacked during expeditions and ignore alien ZOC (so they are sort of sneaking around the aliens)

I agree something else might be better..
Alien attacks only do 10 hp of damage? Marines get expedition modules?

Maybe Explorer gets +100-200% defense v. Aliens? (making them Strength 6-9) and ignore alien ZOC?

well, if the aliens are allowed to attack them, then ignoring the alien ZoC would just mean that you can sneak into a place to get killed anyways.

"just not attacked during expeditions" is the simplest and most effective choice for balance at level 1, which can come very early, or not.

PolyCast #209: For Replayability

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