Motivation:
There's a couple of small things that bother me about Statecraft. I often end up taking Statecraft because I'm planning on Diplomatic Victory in the long run, but there are things about the tree that feel just a bit awkward.
First is the Happiness boost. The other two trees get help with unhappiness immediately, whilst Statecraft has to wait until the 4th policy. Not a great feeling.
Second is the slightly vestigial Scholasticism bonus from Shadow Networks. I had a friend who was trying VP for the first time talk to me about this recently. In base Civ V this is apparently quite a powerful effect and worth an entire policy in Patronage. However in VP its much weaker, just due to how yields have been reworked. In my test game I got +3 Science upon adoption (I guess because early CS Science was mostly 1:1 from Palace and that's now only 1:3). Considering many Statecraft policies have 4 effects, I think this is probably just vestigial bloat.
Proposal:
Pedia data for reference
Trade Confederacy
• +25% Yields for International Trade Routes.
• Trade Routes to City-States generate +1 Influence per turn (with the target City-State) per each owned City-State Trade Route (up to +5).
Foreign Service
• Receive 100 Spy Points.
• Earn Great Diplomats 50% faster.
• +50% Rewards from City-State Quests.
• +1 of every Strategic Resource for every three City-State Alliances you maintain.
Shadow Networks
• Receive 25% of
Science generated by Allied City-States.
• +3%
Culture in 
Capital for every 100 Spy Points ever accumulated (up to 30%).
• +3 Science from Constabularies and Police Stations.
• +1 Science from Specialists.
Exchange Markets
• +1 Trade Route.
• +1
Happiness for every active Trade Route.
• +15%
Tourism modifier for Trade Routes.
• Resources from City-States count towards Global Monopolies.
Implementation Notes:
This uses only existing database code.
Can be played here.
There's a couple of small things that bother me about Statecraft. I often end up taking Statecraft because I'm planning on Diplomatic Victory in the long run, but there are things about the tree that feel just a bit awkward.
First is the Happiness boost. The other two trees get help with unhappiness immediately, whilst Statecraft has to wait until the 4th policy. Not a great feeling.
Second is the slightly vestigial Scholasticism bonus from Shadow Networks. I had a friend who was trying VP for the first time talk to me about this recently. In base Civ V this is apparently quite a powerful effect and worth an entire policy in Patronage. However in VP its much weaker, just due to how yields have been reworked. In my test game I got +3 Science upon adoption (I guess because early CS Science was mostly 1:1 from Palace and that's now only 1:3). Considering many Statecraft policies have 4 effects, I think this is probably just vestigial bloat.
Proposal:
- Move +1 Happiness per Trade Route from Exchange Markets (bottom right) to Trade Confederacy (top right)
- Move +1 Strategic per 3 Alliances from Foreign Service (top left) to Exchange Markets
Exchange Markets needs to gain something, and T1 Foreign Exchange is already stacked with the very powerful 50% quest reward boost
Also the name: Exchange Market fits the effect perfectly - Delete the 'Scholasticism' bonus from Shadow Networks (middle left)
- Change Police Station to Chancery on Shadow Networks
more than makes up for loss to Scholasticism. Also, why is Police Station here?! - Lower Science on Shadow Networks buildings to +2 (was +3)
Before it was 3 Science, now it is 4 and also 2 come earlier.
Pedia data for reference
Trade Confederacy
• +25% Yields for International Trade Routes.
• Trade Routes to City-States generate +1 Influence per turn (with the target City-State) per each owned City-State Trade Route (up to +5).
Foreign Service
• Receive 100 Spy Points.
• Earn Great Diplomats 50% faster.
• +50% Rewards from City-State Quests.
• +1 of every Strategic Resource for every three City-State Alliances you maintain.
Shadow Networks
• Receive 25% of
Science generated by Allied City-States.• +3%
Culture in Capital for every 100 Spy Points ever accumulated (up to 30%).• +3
Science from Constabularies and Police Stations.• +1
Science from Specialists.Exchange Markets
• +1 Trade Route.
• +1
Happiness for every active Trade Route.• +15%
Tourism modifier for Trade Routes.• Resources from City-States count towards Global Monopolies.
Implementation Notes:
This uses only existing database code.
Can be played here.
Last edited:
