2 UU/UB per civ, "unique abilities"

[spyroware]

Thing is you dont know what you'll get when the map is generated. Quite often the circumstances are less than ideal to take advantage of a Civ's UU 100%. A building on the other hand is more of a standard thing. Besides the UBs I see for CiV seem pretty neat and relevant throughout the game: Bazaar (Market +Gold) Satrap's Court (Sourthouse -Maintenance), Floating Gardens (Aqueduct +Growth) Mud Pyramid Mosque (Temple +Happiness). Personally I'd take one such building over one UU any time, I already have one UU to have an edge in a certain era anyway.

PS Of course the buildings' purpose is speculation.

 

[Stile]

It's interesting that the Mughal Fort for the Indians is a unit. Considering the fort looking thing in this picture, I wonder if this means forts are no longer an improvement (despite what has been said in previews) and can be placed outside cultural boundaries. That would be good.

Spoiler :

 

[Ahriman]

It's interesting that the Mughal Fort for the Indians is a unit

This could be an approximation, or typo.

Suppose its a unique terrain improvement. It wouldn't really fit well into the "unique unit" or the "unique building" category.

Alternatively, it could be a unit that is built by workers but it immobile.

I can't imagine how a Fort would be a unit buildable in cities. It would either have to move (a moving fort??) or be stuck in the city (in which case it would make more sense as a building.

 

[Stile]

This could be an approximation, or typo.

Suppose its a unique terrain improvement. It wouldn't really fit well into the "unique unit" or the "unique building" category.

Alternatively, it could be a unit that is built by workers but it immobile.

I can't imagine how a Fort would be a unit buildable in cities. It would either have to move (a moving fort??) or be stuck in the city (in which case it would make more sense as a building.

You may be right. Now that cities have hitpoints and appear to bombard ships, it would be natural for forts to have similar characteristics. It would be odd to build a fort in a city, but perhaps it moves from the city and is immobile once placed. I would like to see forts placed outside cultural borders and able to be placed on strategic resources without destroying the improvement.

 

[seasnake]

One thing I think is with this Policy Tree system they're talking about, maybe Glory of Rome or Father rules the Children either unlocks certain policy options sooner or avoids certain penalties. The Policy Tree sounds like civics based on culture, so I could imagine Siam having the ability to switch to a new civic without anarchy (like Spiritual in Civ IV) or maybe mitigate any negative facts (slavery policy without unhappiness for rushing). Some good potential in those vaguely-worded names.

 

[grant2004]

Looking at that picture, I get a feeling that the 'fort' is actually a barbarian village. I have no strong supporting evidence, just those flags on the outside walls that look somewhat barbaric.

It makes a lot of sense for forts to be built by workers, being able to deploy a fort after it was build would be a very odd mechanic, players would be able to stockpile undeployed forts, or keep one near completion in the build que. Then they could deploy one when the enemy apeared. Forts should work as something you have to plan in advance.

In the Final Frontier mod the starbases acted a lot like what I believe Civ V forts will be, they were produced by workers at the location they would stay at, and were treated as a unit with 0 movement. They were also able to bombard.

If the Indian unique fort has an advantage through the whole game, I have a feeling India will quickly become my favorite civ.

 

[seasnake]

Hmm, I like this a lot. Forts that actually do something, costal batteries and guns ... is it september yet?

 

[I tech faster]

is it september yet?

Still 102 or 105 days remaining .

 

[player01]

I thought paper maker was an item instead of a building...

 

[Gamemaster77]

Musketeer as a French UU makes me suspect that there is no Musket core unit, and thus that we're once again going to go from 16th century Arquebus straight to 19th century rifles.

Probably not, in Civ3 Musketeers were the French UU while there were still muskets as a base unit.

 

[Drakarska]

Ok, I'll add my 2 cents worth.

America:
"Manifest Destiny" = Self- explanitory. We Yanks always think we deserve everything.
B17 = I can live with this, excellant WWII strat bomber
Minutemen = Hmnn. Personally, I would have gone w/a improved
scout/woodsman. But that's just me.

Arabia
"Trade caravans" = Should be interesting to see what this entails. Agreed.
Camel Archers = No change. Kinda bummed about this.
Bazaar = Easy. Replaces market. Gold increase.

Aztec
Special Ability: Sacrificial Captives = well duh, lol. self- explanitory.
Special Unit: Jaguar = no change. Boring.
Special Building: Floating Gardens = Increase in food. I actually like this.

Leader: Wu Zetian
Special Ability: Art of War = So we're going to have china and Japan War civs?
Special Unit: Cho-Ko-Nue = no change, bored again. Would have went the Naga route
Special Building – Paper Maker = ok, who else besides me is going "HUH"?

Leader: Ramesses II
Special Ability: Monument Builders = improved wonder cons.
Special Unit: War Chariot = no change. hope they fix the spears bug though
Special Building: Burial Tomb ok, why? no religion, remember.

Leader: Elizabeth I
Special Ability: Sun Never Sets = gold from colonies across the globe. Trade revenue.
Special Unit: Longbowman = About time. Hope they're accurate in lethality.
Special Unit: Ship of the Line = Good. English frigs are back. Be afraid.

Leader: Napoleon Bonaparte All hail his Royal Shortness.
Special Ability: Ancien Regime = Gonna have to say happiness on this one.
Special Unit: Foreign Legion = Interesting. French mercs?
Special Unit: Musketeer = ok. would have went cannoneers w/Nappy.

Leader: Otto Von Bismark
Special Ability: Furor Teutonicus = Bonus to sci/ Tech tree
Special Unit: Landsknecht = Germany warlike? Nah, couldn't happen.
Special Unit: Panzer = Would have liked to see the Luftwaffe. Oh well.


Leader: Alexander
Special Ability: Hellenic League = Nice. Hopefully they keep it accurate.
Special Unit: Champion Calvary = Greek calvery? isn't that a contradiction in terms?
Special Unit: Hoplite = Spearmen? never saw that coming.

As a side note, 2 uu's. No buildings. Way bummed w/the loss of potential.

Leader: Gandhi
Special Ability: Population Growth = Lol, really?
Special Unit: War Elephant = no change, bored again.
Special Unit: Mughal Fort = This actually seems interesting.

Leader: Hiawatha
Special Ability: The Great Warpath = Like this, Braves get a guerrilla upgrade?
Special Unit: Mohawk Warrior = maybe a terrain/1st strike upgrade.
Special Building: Longhouse = RAX

Leader: Oda Nobunaga = Like this leader, should be interesting.
Special Ability: Bushido = "way of the warrior" combat upgrade.
Special Unit: Samurai = hope they improve this to reflect how deadly they are.
Special Unit: Zero = ok, I really like this one. Aout time too.

Leader: Suleiman the Magnificent
Special Ability: Barbary Corsairs = capture of trade vessels? increased gold?
Special Unit: Janissary = Bleh
Special Unit: Sipahi = Ok, I can live this. Again, no UB w/so much potential.

Leader: Darius
Special Ability: Archaemenid Legacy = Dynasty bonus maybe? Diplo bonus?
Special Unit: Immortal = no change, bored.
Special Building: Satrap’s Court = same.

Leader: Augustus Caesar
Special Ability: The Glory of Rome = Definite diplo bonus. maybe trade/gold as well.
Special Unit: Ballista = interesting, but ok.
Special Unit: Legion = you knew it was coming again, no U's. Bummer.

Leader: Catherina
Special Ability: Mother Russia = Bonus to troops at home. Invaders are hosed.
Special Unit: Cossack = ok.
Special Building: Fur Trading Post = market, bonus from furs.

Leader: Ramkhamhaeng = No clue on this one.
Special Ability: Father Governs Children = I'm thinking a happy bonus, maybe war
reduction weariness.
Special Unit: Naresuan’s Elephant = So, another war ele.
Special Building: Wat = courthouse?

Leader: Askia
Special Ability – River Warlord = nice. Historically, they were river raiders.
Special Unit – Mandekalu Cavalry = Bonus to xing rivers
Special Building – Mud Pyramid Mosque = Implies religion again, don't get it.

 

[2K Greg]

Implies religion again, don't get it.

Civ V doesn't pretend that religion doesn't exist. It simply doesn't use the concept of religion as a game element like Civ 4 did.

 

[CTH]

Ballista and Legion feels pretty close in history, could be very useful for rome...
A little bit unhappy about the lack of UB... I hope that there is something more to the different civs than we know...

 

[Drakarska]

Civ V doesn't pretend that religion doesn't exist. It simply doesn't use the concept of religion as a game element like Civ 4 did.

Ok, well if the game concept isn't part of the game element, what's the point of having a religious building in there? Plenty of other UB's that could take the place of a smilely factory. I'm just curious by the way, wasn't really trying to come across as critical.

Just had a wicked thought Greg: you willing to discuss with us the reasonings behind the the UU's and UB's? or lack there of? I think it would be great for the overall dynamics of the game if you shared your imput. Hell, I'd even sring for a chocolate latte for ya.

 

[Lillefix]

Ok, well if the game concept isn't part of the game element, what's the point of having a religious building in there? Plenty of other UB's that could take the place of a smilely factory.

There weren't religion in 1, 2 or 3 either. But you could still build temples, cathedrals and the sistine chapel. That a certain mosque is tied to a specific civilization implies strongly that there isn't any religion like we had in civ4 btw.

 

[Drakarska]

Good point. Didn't think about the precurser civ games. Was basing off of Civ IV. I stand corrected. Thx for the input Lillefix.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Religion is a game concept in Civ 5... just not a Seperate game concept... it is tied up with government, et. in their 'social policies' or something like that.

I'm sure they will have benefits (and costs) to keeping the people controlled and mystified

Also the bonuses seem similar to Civ Rev whereby benefits would be acquired by the civ throughout time, some were for units, some for buildings, some just interesting abilities.

Also it is Possible for buildings to go obsolete... other than the examples in previous Civs, In Civ Rev a Bank Replaced a marketplace... so it could be the Arabs can't have a Bank and a Bazaar, or the Chinese can't have a Paper maker(Library Replacement?) and a University.

An Aqueduct would be replaced by a Sewage system, etc.

 

[_random_]

For Minutemen, I'm banking on musketmen with cheaper production costs, if only for etymological reasons. USA #1!

 

[Thyrwyn]

Maybe "Father governs children" makes it easier to deal with Citystates or puppet states?

 

[TheFourthDoctor]

Does it bother anyone else that France's special ability is "Ancien regime" - literally "old regime"; ie, pre-revolutionary, aristocratic France - and the leader is post-revolutionary Napoleon?