This post is about utilizing the next expansion’s game mechanics a little bit further and possibly making the game more balanced by doing so.
What, if the current bonus ressource ‘Wheat’ would become a “semi” strategic ressource and gain its own stockpile in the top bar?
This ressource would not be needed to build units, but to only to maintain them.
The reason for this proposal:
- Cavalry units (and especially knights) are the strongest units in the game. A game mechanic that limits their numbers might be worthwhile. Furthermore, knights won’t need iron any more but relay on the even more available horse ressource. (Balance changes in the ressource distribution and yields notwithstanding.)
- Modern cavalry units feature a limiting mechanic as they need oil to not only build them, but also to fuel them and hence have a “running cost”. Furthermore, oil has a civilian use (electric power) as well. This not only limits their availbale numbers and acts as a balance tool, but also is an interesting game mechanic.
- Why not also introduce a “fuel” mechanic for cavalty units before tanks?
The proposal in detail:
a) Wheat and pre-modern cavalry units.
- All horse-dependant units before tanks (whether they actually need horses to be built or not is irrelevant) should require ‘wheat’ to be maintained.
- Light cavalry units will consume -1, heavy cavalry units -2 ‘wheat’ ressources from the stockpile. (Even higher numbers could be neccesary for a good balance. Maybe -2 and -3.)
- Wheat is an abundant ressource. A stockpile increase of +1 increase per turn and ressource tile should be enough.
- The maximal stockpile could be increased by building ‘granaries’. This is mostly an immersion-based reason, as granaries are probably build in all cities anyway. If this is too boring or not restrictive enough or too inconsistent, encampments could work as storages for wheat as well.
b) Wheat and disasters
In order to introduce a civilian use of this ressource, ‘wheat’ stockpiles could be used in another of the new game feature: disasters - namely droughts.
- If a drought hits a city, -1 wheat per citizen and turn would be consumed from the stockpile. As long as there is wheat left, no starvation would happen in the city.
- This would create the choice: Should I use all the available wheat harverst to maintain my mobile army, or should I gather a large stockpile in order to secure the wellbeing of my civilians in the case of a disaster?
- If the drought strikes a city with multiple wheat tiles, their contribution to the wheat stockpile will stop for the duration of the drought and until they are repaired afterwards, possibly leading to negative stockpile growth. This would also impact the decision how many cavalry units are safely maintainable.
Unfortunately, we are way too close to the launch date to implement (and internaly test) such an impactful game mechanic.
But just in general ... what do you guys think about this proposal?
Would you like it?
Would it mitigate the domination of cavalry units and help to balance army composition at all?
What, if the current bonus ressource ‘Wheat’ would become a “semi” strategic ressource and gain its own stockpile in the top bar?
This ressource would not be needed to build units, but to only to maintain them.
The reason for this proposal:
- Cavalry units (and especially knights) are the strongest units in the game. A game mechanic that limits their numbers might be worthwhile. Furthermore, knights won’t need iron any more but relay on the even more available horse ressource. (Balance changes in the ressource distribution and yields notwithstanding.)
- Modern cavalry units feature a limiting mechanic as they need oil to not only build them, but also to fuel them and hence have a “running cost”. Furthermore, oil has a civilian use (electric power) as well. This not only limits their availbale numbers and acts as a balance tool, but also is an interesting game mechanic.
- Why not also introduce a “fuel” mechanic for cavalty units before tanks?
The proposal in detail:
a) Wheat and pre-modern cavalry units.
- All horse-dependant units before tanks (whether they actually need horses to be built or not is irrelevant) should require ‘wheat’ to be maintained.
- Light cavalry units will consume -1, heavy cavalry units -2 ‘wheat’ ressources from the stockpile. (Even higher numbers could be neccesary for a good balance. Maybe -2 and -3.)
- Wheat is an abundant ressource. A stockpile increase of +1 increase per turn and ressource tile should be enough.
- The maximal stockpile could be increased by building ‘granaries’. This is mostly an immersion-based reason, as granaries are probably build in all cities anyway. If this is too boring or not restrictive enough or too inconsistent, encampments could work as storages for wheat as well.
b) Wheat and disasters
In order to introduce a civilian use of this ressource, ‘wheat’ stockpiles could be used in another of the new game feature: disasters - namely droughts.
- If a drought hits a city, -1 wheat per citizen and turn would be consumed from the stockpile. As long as there is wheat left, no starvation would happen in the city.
- This would create the choice: Should I use all the available wheat harverst to maintain my mobile army, or should I gather a large stockpile in order to secure the wellbeing of my civilians in the case of a disaster?
- If the drought strikes a city with multiple wheat tiles, their contribution to the wheat stockpile will stop for the duration of the drought and until they are repaired afterwards, possibly leading to negative stockpile growth. This would also impact the decision how many cavalry units are safely maintainable.
Unfortunately, we are way too close to the launch date to implement (and internaly test) such an impactful game mechanic.
But just in general ... what do you guys think about this proposal?
Would you like it?
Would it mitigate the domination of cavalry units and help to balance army composition at all?
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