Improvement Buffs?

[Starrynite120]

Where do you think improvement buffs should be placed, on affinity or technologies? I mean giving improvements higher yields, such as the farm getting 1 more food. The base game has both affinity perks, virtues, and technologies give improvement buffs. Do you think it should be exclusively on one of these, or spread out between them?

 

[Syrkres]

So far I've put them in buildings (so under tech tree), but not sure if that is best idea.

Other than TECH, there really isn't a "simple" buff/improvement, you basically have to attach it to a building (correct?) You build a building and it grants a buff, or you research a tech, which grants a buff, but nothing like researching a tech, and then having to "apply" the buff, you don't get it for free without building something.

 

[Starrynite120]

Actually, if you take a look at vertical farming, for example, it gives Farms +1 Food and Energy just from researching the tech. So it is possible. You do something like this

	<Improvement_TechYieldChanges>
		<Row>
			<ImprovementType>IMPROVEMENT_FARM</ImprovementType>
			<TechType>TECH_GENETIC_DESIGN</TechType>
			<YieldType>YIELD_CULTURE</YieldType>
			<Yield>1</Yield>
		</Row>
</Improvement_TechYieldChanges>

This is also possible with Playerperks

If you put it on a building, every copy of the building would increase the improvement. So if vivariums give farms +1 food, 5 vivariums give farms +5 food (though Machiavelli is working on a workaround for this, and it is currently working, though I think he's trying to refine it more).

 

[Machiavelli24]

This is also possible with Playerperks

If you put it on a building, every copy of the building would increase the improvement. So if vivariums give farms +1 food, 5 vivariums give farms +5 food (though Machiavelli is working on a workaround for this, and it is currently working, though I think he's trying to refine it more).

As you've identified it is possible to have perks, virtues, techs and buildings provide an empire wide boost to an improvement. If you want to have a building boost an improvement only for one city then it isn't directly possible. You can have buildings boost Resources though.

If you want to make a building boost farms only for a single city, I've implemented a crazy way to sort of fake it. It involves spawning hidden resources under every farm and having the building boost that resource.
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But I should address your original design question rather than derailing it with technical information.

With respect to if Improvement buffs should be on the tech tree it depends on what you're trying to do with your design. I know that is a useless answer but design requires a holistic eye and without more information I honestly couldn't say what you should do.

My current approach moved away from having Improvement buffs on the tech web because I wanted try and make Science less powerful relative to other yields. A tech that unlocks a building will require Science and Production to generate benefit, while a tech that boost an improvement just requires Science to generate benefit.

That may not be the right approach for you. It closes off some useful design space that you may want to tap into.

 

[Ryika]

Really depends on what you want to do.

From Technologies
From Affinity via Playerperks
From Buildings (National Wonders) via Playerperks
From Virtues
Even from Diplomacy or Sponsor Traits via Playerperks or other crazy ideas.

I think there's some validity to every single one of those, the real question is whether you manage to build a good structure around it so it feels logical.

 

[Guide-on]

As you've identified it is possible to have perks, virtues, techs and buildings provide an empire wide boost to an improvement. If you want to have a building boost an improvement only for one city then it isn't directly possible. You can have buildings boost Resources though.

If you want to make a building boost farms only for a single city, I've implemented a crazy way to sort of fake it. It involves spawning hidden resources under every farm and having the building boost that resource.
------------------
But I should address your original design question rather than derailing it with technical information.

With respect to if Improvement buffs should be on the tech tree it depends on what you're trying to do with your design. I know that is a useless answer but design requires a holistic eye and without more information I honestly couldn't say what you should do.

My current approach moved away from having Improvement buffs on the tech web because I wanted try and make Science less powerful relative to other yields. A tech that unlocks a building will require Science and Production to generate benefit, while a tech that boost an improvement just requires Science to generate benefit.

That may not be the right approach for you. It closes off some useful design space that you may want to tap into.

Could you not make an improvement that gives the buff for a three tile radius and then make it some that they cannot be closer than six tiles from each other? For example, I believe nodes give an extra bonus to adjacent tiles. You could use nodes for S, Terrascapes for P etc.