To Firaxis - a pre-patch petition for boosted goody huts

[TimeWeaver]

Dear Firaxis,

this is a small last-minute petition to buff the goody huts somewhat before the patch goes out. You are obviously in a bit of nerfing mood right now, so please consider these suggestions (if not mine, then others in this thread).

Thank you in advance! (a bit naive, I know, but I'm ever the optimist)

Okay, Firaxis!

-First of all, stop the nerfing of the goody hut cultural booster
-Secondly, everyone sighs in boredom over the slightly more discovered section of an area around the goody hut. It is a boring goody hut, and often nothing at all, coz the map has already been revealed by the player. Let's add 1 permanent science point to the find. Someone else on this forum suggested a few gold pieces, but nah...
-Thirdly, the annoying goody hut of revealed barbarian camps need to be beefed up as well. I suggest one free promotion to thee unit finding it. If it is a worker/settler finding it, it gets one extra movement point or one extra sight.
-Fourth, add a goody hut with one extra happiness (that is much needed now). Let the player know it has found some new poetry/music etc that makes the civ happy. Heck, throw in 4 cultural points while you're at it!

My point is: Civ is supposed to be fun and exciting, and some of the goody huts simply aren't.

Please, fellow civfanatics!
Come up with your own goody hut boosting suggestions to Firaxis !

 

[Thormodr]

How about negative goodie hut results?

That way there is a chance that things will backfire on you.

 

[TimeWeaver]

Heh, I forgot about that!

That is a good idea. One type of goody hut should be like a classic civ "barbarians turn on dr Livingstone"-scenario: Pop the hut and you get an angry barb in the vicinity, and it wants you badly in that boiling cauldron.

 

[thadian]

I wish goody huts either gave you a choice within certain peramaters:

"You discovered survivors lost in the ruins!"
"A: Survivors become a warrior"
"B: Survivors settle in Capital"

or

"You discovered many writings at an ancient gathering site!"
"A: Gain 50 Culture"
"B: Gain 50 Beakers".

or gave "items" like boots that give +1 movement or a "weapon" that gives "+1 attack". anyone remember Fall Further?

Lairs.

 

[Megalomano]

Great idea thadian, hope devs consider this before they relase the patch.

 

[CYZ]

Aboslutely love the idea Thadian. Don't think something like that can be implemented on such short notice however.

Nonetheless, would be a great future feature.

How about ''The villagers have turned against you!''
a: Pay the barbarians to calm them down -50 gold
b: Fight them! 2 barbarians spawn

 

[Montov]

I disagree completely. The bonuses shouldn't be overpowered; it should just be a nice small reward, like some gold or an upgrade, a bit culture or a map.

Regarding culture: eraly policies are cheaper, so it is necessary to decrease culture from the ancient ruins.

And 1 permanent science per camp. Really? If you're going to suggest improvements, please take some time to think things over.

 

[Crdnl Richelieu]

Sounds like a cross between random events (which I defo miss) and goody huts.

Let's see it Firaxis!

 

[Thormodr]

Aboslutely love the idea Thadian. Don't think something like that can be implemented on such short notice however.

Nonetheless, would be a great future feature.

How about ''The villagers have turned against you!''
a: Pay the barbarians to calm them down -50 gold
b: Fight them! 2 barbarians spawn

That's a pretty good idea and it improves upon barbarians merely spawning from the goodie hut. Now you have a choice.

 

[Bibor]

Noo, random events = shoo! They deliberately moved bad events from goody huts to barb camps. They are good as they are!

 

[TimeWeaver]

Fair enough!

No bad events then. But there is no excuse for the lame map or the barb encampment pointer (it resonates Sp 1 of Honor). Let us focus on making those slightly more favourable, I mean, after all, they are goody huts.

And yes, the lowered culture boost fits the patch changes in early game, but still, I wish the goody hut to be festive, not just mechanically fine-tuned.

 

[apocalypse105]

Agree,


And if they should change a oother thing about the patch it is the nerve of arabia

 

[Thormodr]

Fair enough!

No bad events then. But there is no excuse for the lame map or the barb encampment pointer (it resonates Sp 1 of Honor). Let us focus on making those slightly more favourable, I mean, after all, they are goody huts.

And yes, the lowered culture boost fits the patch changes in early game, but still, I wish the goody hut to be festive, not just mechanically fine-tuned.

Bah! Don't listen to him.

Negative goodie hut results plus random events (positive and negative) are fine. History wasn't all smiles and sunshine after all.

It worked in cIV and earlier Civs quite nicely.

Improving on them sounds even better with a bribing your way out of a fight option. It'd teach you to keep some cash in reserve anyway.

However, for people who don't like negative things happening to them or can't handle the trauma, they could make it optional like Barbs are.

So, boost their power a little bit if you like but make it have a possible negative result as well that you'll have to judge whether it is worth the risk or not.

Sounds like fun to me.

 

[CYZ]

Bah! Don't listen to him.

Negative goodie hut results plus random events (positive and negative) are fine. History wasn't all smiles and sunshine after all.

It worked in cIV and earlier Civs quite nicely.

Improving on them sounds even better with a bribing your way out of a fight option. It'd teach you to keep some cash in reserve anyway.

However, for people who don't like negative things happening to them or can't handle the trauma, they could make it optional like Barbs are.

So, boost their power a little bit if you like but make it have a possible negative result as well that you'll have to judge whether it is worth the risk or not.

Sounds like fun to me.

I've thought about it and disagree. Goody huts should remain good, although the choices could be a great alternative to random events.

I think barb camps could get something simmiliar, except with a higher chance of it beign bad.

For example, goody huts could give you choices like:

''You found manuscripts of an old religion''
a: Use them for religious purposes; +20 culture
b: Send your scientists to deciber their meaning; spend 50 gold with a 80% chance of gaining 75 beakers
c: Store them in the library; + 1 culture and science per turn (requires library in closest city)

So that every hut gives you three options. One just giving a flat bonus, the second requiring some investment and the third needing some requirement.

Another one:

''You found specialized weaponry''
a: Equip your unit, your unit is upgraded
b: Use them for specialized training rituals, your unit disappears but units produced in the capital get +15 xp
c: Use them as arnaments, +50 culture (requires baracks)


Now, the same could be done with barb camps. Except slightly different.

''The barbarians offer you food if you spare them''
a: Accept. Gain +5 food in the nearest city, a barbarian unit spawns 2 tiles away
b: We will take what we want and spare none. Gain + 5 food and the usual reward, two barbarians spawn near you.
c: Convince them to join you. 80% to gain a unit, 20% chance your unit turns into a barbarian.


Obviously. The barb camp event should only happen about 20% of the time when taking a camp. Whereas Goody hut events should always appear.

This way we all know goody huts only offer good stuff. But barb camps might offer stuff that could be both good or bad.

So another one for barb camps:

''In the camp you find a slaved prisoners'' (if there is a civillian in a camp)
a: Free them, choose if you want it or return it
b: Use them as slaves, + 20 (same as two chopped forests) in nearest city. Diplomatic penalty. 20% chance one of your workers randomly becomes a barbarian
c: Perhaps we can start a new settlement! Lose your unit and the worker. 60% chance to gain a settler near the capital.

 

[Schalke 04]

-First of all, stop the nerfing of the goody hut cultural booster

Actually, I find this change to be very good. Finding culture in goody huts or not, makes a huge difference in the starting game. By nerfing the amount of culture, this randomised event is not that deciding anymore.

 

[turtlefang]

In general, I'm not in favor of giving the player more control over a random find. You found a treasure, not decided on an outcome so you get what you get - you don't get to chose your reward.

I agree that two of the goody hut results represents really disappointing events. The barb camp one simply duplicates the Honor tree if you have explored the area around the goody hut. And if you haven't, I don't find it of much use. Maybe change it to a free barb horde that joins you?

The explore the area around you map is worthless. 90% of the time, I've already explored the area and it just means I received nothing from the hut. Maybe change it to adding a free +1 LOS to the unit that found the hut (non-stackable so you can't get someone who can see forever).

As far as the barb camps go, I wouldn't change them. You already get gold from looting it, and experience from killing the barb. Seems like a big enough boost for taking the camp as it is.

 

[He-Who-Hunts]

There's a neat little mod on mod browser if anyone is interested that takes away the "reveal map" and "reveal barb camp" selections. I use it, it makes the game a little more interesting IMO, but I will have no problem going back to the unmodded version of the game after patch.

 

[MadDjinn]

If they're going to 'boost' ruins, they should actually add more types of bonuses.

seeing the same few over and over again gets a bit boring, and with more choices, it'll tone down the 'go get double culture ruins' type HoF strategies.

they can still be minor additions, such as:

a free worker (lower diff. levels) - spawns right at the camp, so could be dangerous if the ruin is right beside a barb camp

Get introduced to an AI/CS - that you don't already know - that's closest to the Ruin. (obviously have a limit to the distance here) Could be worth 30/15g if it's a CS or a countdown clock to a DoW if it's Alex/Monte/etc

Special friends - they come and help you build something (random - +2 to +8 hammers/one shot boost)

Scouting report - get shown all city tiles of an AI civ, close to the ruin

and so forth.

 

[Agent Cooper]

Get introduced to an AI/CS - that you don't already know - that's closest to the Ruin. (obviously have a limit to the distance here) Could be worth 30/15g if it's a CS or a countdown clock to a DoW if it's Alex/Monte/etc.

Might remind to much of ruins granting you a partial map overview (usually showing you the position of another civ or CS).

How about ruins granting you the location of a CS + some additional points too boost it's neutral stance towards you? Or ruins granting you a CS location and a special request from them? 'Do this and the CS will grant you a free military unit/food/culture' sort of thing

 

[thadian]

"Your Civilians are pleased with this wonderous ruin!"
"A: Ancient Ruin becomes a "Landmark"
"B: Capital recieves X turns of "We love the King Day!"
"C: Enter an X Turn Golden Age!"

"You have discovered a cache of exotic weapons"
"A: Unit gains 15 exp"
"B: Unit upgrades to a (choose unit)"
"C: Unit gains sturdy boots. this unit expends no movement to enter or move in rough terrrain".

"You have discovered an exotic habitat!"
"A: Create a natural habitat! - Hex gains +2 food"
"B: Sell it to the highest bidder! - Hex gains +2 Gold"
"C: Exploit it for industrial means! - Hex gains +2 Hammers"

"You have found a retired blacksmith"
"A: Sieze his weapons! - 2 Advanced Swords appear, equip unit gives 10% combat modifier"
"B: Appoint him a general! - Military Acadamy appears on hex."
"C: Convert his workshop into a manufactury! - Manufactury appears on hex."

I like the idea of the hex itself the ruin lay on transforming into a GP building, resource or gaining a plot bonus modifier to food, gold, hammers, beakers, culture.

by changing the hex itself into something else, it represents the ruin "became something" and the tile becomes a future prospect for yourself and any opponents.

Items is something i would like to see (remember Fall Further FFH mod-mod for civ 4?).

They give a different form of upgrade that gives an ability without just giving exp or a free promotion and its transferable to other units - best of all, the units stay as-is and don't turn into another unit.