2 UU/UB per civ, "unique abilities"

[Ahriman]

Well, the Tech screenshot still in the video clearly says that workers build Trading Posts unlocked by Trapping. And they increase gold output on the map.

Maybe camps and trading posts are just for different types of resources; camps are for deer and ivory, trading posts for furs and ?

Fur Trading post could be totally unrelated.

Unique improvements would be weird, but not impossible; there's a decent chance the Mughal Fort is a unique improvement. Or it could just be a building in the city.

 

[Thyrwyn]

Slightly confused here; do you think camps and trading posts are both improvements? One on bonuses, one generic?
Or is one an improvement, and the other a building; trading post building improves yields of camp-improvement tiles worked by that city?

They are both improvements (there is a mouse-over in the vid - at 1:37). If you look at any of the Techs, the worker improvements/actions are all white icons with no circle around them (pasture in Animal Husbandry, both mine cart (mines) and axe (chopping?) in Mining, and two under Trapping). From the mouse-over:

Allows your Workers to construct Camps on sources of Deer, Ivory, and Fur. Also allows Workers to construct the Trading Post, which increases the Gold output of map tiles.

 

[Nicolas10]

Unique improvements would be weird, but not impossible; there's a decent chance the Mughal Fort is a unique improvement. Or it could just be a building in the city

You know, the more I think about it, the more sure I am that Mughal Fort is simply a more powerful city defense UB.

If you ever go to India, or see pictures, some of the old Mughal Forts are truly massive... like several miles around, massive. Wikipedia lists some of the key forts being 25 Hectares square.

 

[Ahriman]

So maybe trading posts are just cottage replacements?

 

[Nicolas10]

So maybe trading posts are just cottage replacements?

Hard to say. The thing is, when you look at most of the screen shots, you see just how hard to come by Gold appears to be. And they do seem to be aiming for a less cluttered terrain. Plus, it would be odd to have 20 Trading Posts everywhere, growing like cottages.

That said, there are the occaisional hexes, like in the Newcastle shot, where it does look like something is there... You can see it in some of the others, too, with various worked hexes looking quite busy.

I think we honestly just need them to tell us . Hopefully at E3

 

[Ahriman]

I wonder if they're moving away from cottage-style "improvements that grow over time", because 1upt carpet armies make pillage much easier, and so massed cottage-pillage is just too devastating.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

I find it weird that the second french UU is "Foreign Legion".
Considering the prominent importance of France in the middle-age, and how its heavy cavalry is so iconic of the period, wouldn't a "Chevalier" unit be much more appropriate ?

I'm thinking France importance in the Middle Age will be boosted by 'Ancien Regime' giving them the most advanced society among middle age civs

 

[Ahriman]

I'm thinking France importance in the Middle Age will be boosted by 'Ancien Regime' giving them the most advanced society among middle age civs

"Importance" is very vague.
My guess is that Ancien Regime will reduce the cost of purchasing Tradition social policies.

 

[cccv]

I don't get this argument. Yes, playing peacefully with civs that have 2 UUs puts you at a disadvantage, but so does playing peacefully with any aggressive or imperialist Civ in Civ IV. That's just how the game is -- some civs suit different styles of play better.

As I already stated, there's a difference between a few civs giving me a disadvantage and half giving me a disadvantage. And if it weren't for the special abilities, the 2UU civs would probably give me no upsides at all. With civIV, between the two traits and 1 UB there was something good about each one, even if some were better for me than others. Anyway, it's not really an "argument," I'm not really rallying for "all civs must have a UB," I'm sure this method will work for more than enough people. It's just kind of a downside for me, and enough so that I'd like word from Greg to confirm if there won't be more stuff added. I'll still buy the game either way, would just like to know.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

Actually, 1upt makes cottages/villages etc all the more important to have IMHO. It gives yet *more* incentive to players to stop an invading army *before* they get within spitting distance of your cities or-failing that-to apportion your forces in such a way as to defend your villages & towns above all else (which, lets face it, is what would probably happen in real life!)

Also @ Awesome, the reason people are asking for a separate leader ability-in the future-is in the hopes that extra leaders will be added to the existing Civs in future expansions. Having 1 leader ability & 1 civ-specific ability will, in my opinion, enhance the replay value of the game after expansions are released!

Aussie.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

As I already stated, there's a difference between a few civs giving me a disadvantage and half giving me a disadvantage. And if it weren't for the special abilities, the 2UU civs would probably give me no upsides at all.

No matter how you are playing, a UU has an upside, because it makes it easier to defend. When an enemy civ is estimating your military power, a UU that they detect shoud count for more than the normal (unless the UUs advantage is cheapness, then you can just have more of them)

You might have an exception on a waterless map with Englands second UU, but no civ has 2 naval UU.

 

[awesome]

reason people are asking for a separate leader ability-in the future-is in the hopes that extra leaders will be added to the existing Civs in future expansions. Having 1 leader ability & 1 civ-specific ability will, in my opinion, enhance the replay value of the game after expansions are released!

Aussie.

yeah, but continuing that argument's just beating a dead horse. it would definitely add value, but they've confirmed that they're not going to do it because they're adding value a different way. i'd definitely like to see more leaders myself, but it's just not happening.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

yeah, but continuing that argument's just beating a dead horse. it would definitely add value, but they've confirmed that they're not going to do it because they're adding value a different way. i'd definitely like to see more leaders myself, but it's just not happening.

In the vanilla game *YES*, you're right, its just not happening-but I believe that its never too early to start lobbying for features that may or may not appear in Expansion Packs . They took this approach to colonization, so we know it can work. Plus, we can usually guarantee that, aside from extra civs, existing civs usually get extra leaders-which gives them a perfect excuse to add this kind of new feature !

Aussie.

 

[bonafide11]

Personally, I would much prefer more unique civilizations rather than multiple leaders for a civilization. I don't really see the need for more than one leader per civilization.

 

[Thyrwyn]

Silverdawn had this to say in this post:

* Glory of Rome (Rome's unique ability)- "25% production towards any building that already exists in the capital"

 

[Thyrwyn]

Silverdawn had this to say in this post:

* Glory of Rome (Rome's unique ability)- "25% production towards any building that already exists in the capital"

Sounds good to me

 

[Schuesseled]

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.

No?, Well settlers and spaceship parts both leave the city. A fort builder unit isn't so hard to imagine. Pointless as you have workers, but for a UU could work. I say this because I hope that UU's and UB's in this aren't just regular unit replacements. It would be so much more awesome if they were a limited handful of super awesome units you could build. i.e. the English ship of line wouldn't replace frigates, but the limit of 5 or whatever ships of the lines would sail with the fleet of frigates you are also able to build. Hope they do this.

This would also allow for UB's to be more like an extra national wonder for the civilisation, rather tahn the floating gardens being a replacement for the aqueduct, it would be more like a mini version of the hanging gardens buildable in one of your cities.

 

[Aramel]

* Glory of Rome (Rome's unique ability)- "25% production towards any building that already exists in the capital"

I really like this ability. Not because of how powerful it might or might not be (although it certainly looks like it could be useful), but because it's interesting and it will change the way you play the game. Striving to make your capital as glorious and well-developed as possible seems like a fitting goal for the Romans to have. I hope all the abilities are this unique; I'd be disappointed if there are a bunch of civs with something like "half price to a certain social policy." They'd just feel like mirrors of each other.

 

[Ahriman]

I really like this ability. Not because of how powerful it might or might not be (although it certainly looks like it could be useful), but because it's interesting and it will change the way you play the game. Striving to make your capital as glorious and well-developed as possible seems like a fitting goal for the Romans to have.

Absolutely, different but flavorful, and quite powerful. I hope the other abilities are this interesting.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Absolutely, different but flavorful, and quite powerful. I hope the other abilities are this interesting.

One of the things that Civ Rev did... sort of well (they had a few abilities that were like that... although because each civ had 4 Ablities, there were a number of duplicates, and some weren't That good... but many were).. different,flavorful, and powerful.. definitely changing how you played.