(6-CP) Acquire City Quest - Gain an Elite Unit with Bonus XP

[Stalker0]

Counterproposal to: https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/6-08-acquire-city-quest-replace-xp-with-free-units.685823/

Proposal: The quest is redesigned.

• It is now only generated by Military CS.
• When you conquer the requested city, you immediately gain a military unit from the CS near your capital (a UU if this is available from that military CS, otherwise, the normal unit it would grant you for friend/ally status).
• This military unit receives the maximum training XP for building a unit in your civ, the morale promotion, the march promotion, +25 HP, and +100 bonus XP.
• Abilities that modify quest bonuses would adjust the bonus XP (aka +50% to quests would give you 150 XP). This does not effect the bonus HP granted.

Ex: A civ that has at least 1 city with Barracks/Armory/Military Academy and Bradenburg Gate normally would train a unit at 65 XP. Completing this quest will give you a unit starting with 65 + 100 = 165 XP (Level 6).

Rationale: Many of these proposals and counterprosals recognize that large scale XP grants can scale out of control. Counterproposal A also offers the idea of free units as an alternative.

This version is meant to offer the player a really "fun" unit, an "Elite Super Unit" that they can play around with various promotions. The unit is extremely strong compared to normal units but is balanced by being a single unit.

EDIT: Added the morale promotion for the unit. Clarified the unit should appear near the capital.

EDIT: Added the march promotion and +25 HP to the unit.

Complex Proposal: DLL + UI + Database Changes

 

[alchx]

It is advisable to additionally give such a unit Morale Promotion +10% CS. This is, after all, an elite squad that has received the best military education and consists of the best fighters.

 

[FinMc]

This is the most fun option. It presents a unique reward that prompts !fun! and more choices (where to use my new super-unit) instead of a cadre of free pikemen or whatever that immediately join the rest of your army and lose all distinction.

My only suggestion is that the unit given should always be a era-appropriate UU, even if that CS wouldn't normally give a UU. That will make them stand out even more (different icon) and add more gameplay variety.

 

[XSamatan]

I would bite my keyboard if I "just" receive a standard unit as reward, XP does not make that interesting - IMHO.

How about a special unit (UU or other) of that specific era if the CS in question offers none by itself?

Regards
XSamatan

 

[azum4roll]

This will be fun for the human, but I question the ability to keep the unit alive for the AI.

During one of my autoplays back then, India got a Naga-Malla upgraded into a Cavalry by ruins (at Gunpowder), but they managed to get it killed in the first 2 turns of war.

 

[FinMc]

This will be fun for the human, but I question the ability to keep the unit alive for the AI.

During one of my autoplays back then, India got a Naga-Malla upgraded into a Cavalry by ruins (at Gunpowder), but they managed to get it killed in the first 2 turns of war.

This is a valid point, although I posit its !fun! enough to include regardless. Having an AI super-unit emerge from the fog of war would be a fun mini boss fight for the player.

The results/consequences of AI vs AI wars the human can't see (i.e. elite unit dying>AI not getting as much value from the quest reward) don't really effect the player, and the players subjective experience is ultimately the whole point of the game.

 

[rkkn]

This will be fun for the human, but I question the ability to keep the unit alive for the AI.

could just make it even more super. scale the xp gained by the AI's combat xp handicap

 

[FinMc]

could just make it even more super. scale the xp gained by the AI's combat xp handicap

@Stalker0 please add this to the proposal, it's quite smart

I am all in on mini boss fights

 

[ma_kuh]

Don't AI units already have a bunch of XP, or did that get pulled in the last congress? I don't know if 100xp is going to make a big difference, as cool as it is in theory. I think you'd need to give them something like Stalwart, or bonus HP, so they don't blow up on accident.

That said, I like this proposal and the multi-unit-gift proposals best, all of the XP-share options seem to be overly complicated for the reward, and highly variable in ways you can't always control.

 

[azum4roll]

highly variable in ways you can't always control.

It's intended to be uncontrollable. One super unit is better than everything getting minuscule amounts of XP, and I explicitly aimed to avoid that in my counterproposal.

 

[Rekk]

Agreed that this unit needs a survivability buff or this quest will essentially do nothing for AI.

 

[CppMaster]

Couldn't AI just choose promotions that makes the unit more survivable?

 

[Solic]

Instead of xp, the super unit could also just have an unique promotion like +50% hp on melee units or +100% ranged CS on ranged units.

 

[Rekk]

Couldn't AI just choose promotions that makes the unit more survivable?

I don't want to see code that specifically tells the AI to upgrade this exact unit to be more survivable.

 

[CppMaster]

I don't want to see code that specifically tells the AI to upgrade this exact unit to be more survivable.

It doesn't have to be only that exact unit. AI in general could pick promotions that gives survivality for high level units if it's considered a good choice for AI, because why not?

 

[Rekk]

It doesn't have to be only that exact unit. AI in general could pick promotions that gives survivality for high level units if it's considered a good choice for AI, because why not?

You don't see survivability promotions on units that can take them?

 

[CppMaster]

You don't see survivability promotions on units that can take them?

If AI already picks them then what's the problem?

 

[ma_kuh]

If AI already picks them then what's the problem?

They wouldn't be more survivable than any other unit with equal XP. I get what you're saying, but the unit isn't any more "raid boss-y" if it's just a slightly accelerated unit, is it?

Also Ranged units' "defensive" options are Range or Cover, both of which die to horses in equal measure to regularly-promoted Ranged. Not really more survivable at all.

... However, if the unit was upgraded by a tech-tier, that might be something. You'd get the stat boost to make the unit punchy and it would draw your eye in a fight.

 

[Rekk]

If AI already picks them then what's the problem?

The AI is picking them and the human player still kills AI units disproportionately, despite ilteroi's efforts.

 

[Stalker0]

Instead of xp, the super unit could also just have an unique promotion like +50% hp on melee units or +100% ranged CS on ranged units.

I could give it the "colossal" promotion (from GDR) that grants them +100 hp.

Thought that might be just too much. I mean that unit likely will never every be killable for the human unless they just royally screw up.