(8-01) 4UC America

[pineappledan]

This is a thread for discussing the addition of 2 more unique components to the American civilization.

Spoiler Full kit with 4UC changes :

Spoiler Description of new components and changes to existing kit, differences from base component are underlined: :

UM - Monitor (replaces Ironclad):

unlocked at Industrialization​

900 Production cost​

61 CS​

5Moves​

"Hardened" (Damage received is reduced by 3)​

"Harbor Defense" (+5% City Defense to adjacent Cities)​

UB - Homestead (replaces Stable):

unlocked at Chivalry​

300 Production cost​

+3 Production​

+2 Food, +2 Production and +2 Gold to Horse, Cattle, Sheep and Bison Resource​

+33% Production toward Mounted Units​

+25% Production toward Workers and Settler Units​

Pioneers can be trained in this city​

+10% Military Supply Cap​

Claims all Horse, Sheep, Cattle and Bison Resources within 3 tiles of the City. Immediately gives 20 production, scaling with era, for each tile claimed in this way​

+2 Production to Production Internal trade routes from this city​

 

[pineappledan]

Reserved

 

[Chinag]

Kudos for the team for making this version of America so pre-WW focused. The UA reference to the good and bad of the Westward expansion. Homestead and Minuteman highlighting the rural personality of the really big and sparse country. The Smithsonian and its industrial offsprings showcasing referencering the America's to-be strengths, and the Monitor representing the Gunboat diplomacy US flexed in various seas. A really nice package of flavor!

 

[Stalker0]

so does this mean America gets access to pioneers starting at chivalry?

 

[rkkn]

quite a powerful bonus indeed

 

[pineappledan]

so does this mean America gets access to pioneers starting at chivalry?

Yes

 

[Stalker0]

Yes

can it be built in any city or does it require resources like the normal stable?

Seems way too good an ability to have it require the luck of the resource to make it work.

 

[pineappledan]

There is no requirement for the homestead. Removing restrictions is standard practice for UBs.

 

[pineappledan]

Overall grade: B+
Perfectly happy with their bonuses. They help America do America things while also feeling special in their own way.

America - Monitor
Theme - B. America, for its time as a world power has been primarily a naval power. This should be reflected in the game somehow. The use of an ironclad to fulfill that roll. The roll as a harbor defense unit that IRL monitors fulfill is not properly expressed by the unit, because limiting their deep ocean movement would have hobbled the base ironclad too much. The defensive aspect is expressed in the damage reduction and bonus CS to adjacent cities, however.
Mechanics - A. DLL integrated, kinda. Its city defense bonus uses a sql ability that is currently broken, so if the DLL simply worked as advertised it would be.
Uniqueness - A. Unique naval units always get bonus points, because there are so few of them relative to land units. There is only 1 other unique ironclad, and it is a very aggressive unit, while the monitor has bonuses on defense. You could make this UU even more unique by making it a unique unit class that specializes in littoral combat, but I think that would come at the cost of usefulness.

America - Ranch
Theme - B. It represents more of that manifest destiny from the UA, both visually and mechanically, which is great. The pioneer early unlock ability also has that Homesteaders appeal and works well for making you feel feel like you can push into an expansionist midgame. It's a bit anachronistic though.
Mechanics - B. Doubles down on the UA and kind of forces your hand, because it force-steals any pastures in range of your cities. If you weren't actively antagonizing your neighbours before this well you are now. Though if you weren't setting out to do that, why did you pick America as a civ to begin with?
Uniqueness - B. Medieval UB and already stacked up on Poland. Kind of mid as far as uniqueness. Unlocking a normal unit an era early is pretty unique though

 

[Stalker0]

I'm a little worried about having an army of American ironclads all with dauntless..... now you have 8 reduction. 5 is bad enough, not just from a power standpoint but from a tedium one, sometimes you just sit there plink plink plink with ranged units against them. I had thought about just giving the monitor dauntless to start but honesty that's probably worse.

 

[azum4roll]

Ironclads don't have bonus against cities.

 

[pineappledan]

right, forgot about that. fixed in OP

 

[hokath]

MAGI:
So as I understand it the Monitor harbour defense column exists in the DLL, but the AI doesn't know about it yet?
The Ranch needs the AoE Tile claim. Dunno if its best as a table with (BuildingType, ResourceType, Distance) columns?

 

[azum4roll]

So as I understand it the Monitor harbour defense column exists in the DLL, but the AI doesn't know about it yet?

No, it simply does nothing. Needs implementation (and of course AI evaluation).

The Ranch needs the AoE Tile claim. Dunno if its best as a table with (BuildingType, ResourceType, Distance) columns?

Should it be city working range instead of fixed radius 3?

Make sure the tile claim properly pisses off the AI like you bought the tiles (but doesn't violate the buy tiles promise). Not sure if we should code the AI to not build it if it would steal tiles from friends.

 

[axatin]

I can sponsor. Will use working range instead of 3 tiles.

 

[Recursive]

Timestamp post to arrange all the threads in a neat order.