Greasy Dave
Prince
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2010
- Messages
- 376
The thing is, nerfing trade routes will only reduce bpt - it won't change the basic game mechanic and problems that that brings - the tech hard and win routine
A nerf will make players look elsewhere for their bpt min maxing...but it won't change the basic strategy or game play.
The game has two very interesting new ideas - the tech web and affinities and I'd love to see them grown to their full potential.
The problem though is that because the two are tied together they can't create any kind of differential dynamism or tension. Increase tech, you increase affinity etc... yawn, game over, I've won
I just don't understand why the two aren't separate.
The tech tree needs to take you to the affinity military unit techs and the victory wonder techs - but it shouldn't allow you to increase in affinity. Affinity level/ experience needs to be earned elsewhere (and not through quests) - so there's tension in the game play. My bpt is high, I've just unlocked the mindflower tech - but my affinity level is bum low and I'm going to have to build it up.
They actually have the answer in BNW. If affinity levelling was made into something like the tourism/ ideology mechanic - OK, hold your fingers back from your keyboards and let me explain. I don't mean that affinity levels needs to be unlocked by culture. But it needs to be some kind of cultural propaganda, which can be generated and spread much like tourism is in BNW.
Think about it, my empire has discovered xeno swarms...but who am I going to get to volunteer to be morphed into this bio unit, unless my population actually believes to a degree in the harmony affinity. Maybe my neighbour is purity and is bombarding my satellite channels with videos of Bill the Battlesuit warrior and my population all want battle suits. How am I going to get them to cuddle up to the aliens if that's the case.
The game would have far more dynamism if this was the mechanic. Perhaps it wouldn't be exactly like BNW "tourism" where you raise your levels and go through set influence stages - perhaps it's to do with your own population and the percentage of them who believe in your chosen affinity. You're generating "affinity propaganda" and depending on the level and quality you're pumping out, and how much access your population has to alternative affinity propaganda your populations belief in your harmony choice will increase or decrease. The percentage of population who believe would unlock the various units and wonders eg. 20 percent might unlock level 4 units, 40 for level 7 etc.
This would open up a whole new dynamic. Spies could "tourism/ propaganda" bomb other nations (like great musicians in BNW) and lower their affinity level. Trade routes would bring in bootleg dvd's of other affinity video shows to your cities and increase the other affinity followers amongst your inhabitants - so TP's would actually nerf themselves. And finally the satellite layer would offer the opportuniy to launch media satellites above your neighbours, or your own cities where your bombard the citizens with "Harmony" tv shows - "Mork and the Alien"
That's my idea/ thoughts. Firaxis already have the mechanic solution in BNW. It just needs a little rerigging and lateral thinking.
A nerf will make players look elsewhere for their bpt min maxing...but it won't change the basic strategy or game play.
The game has two very interesting new ideas - the tech web and affinities and I'd love to see them grown to their full potential.
The problem though is that because the two are tied together they can't create any kind of differential dynamism or tension. Increase tech, you increase affinity etc... yawn, game over, I've won
I just don't understand why the two aren't separate.
The tech tree needs to take you to the affinity military unit techs and the victory wonder techs - but it shouldn't allow you to increase in affinity. Affinity level/ experience needs to be earned elsewhere (and not through quests) - so there's tension in the game play. My bpt is high, I've just unlocked the mindflower tech - but my affinity level is bum low and I'm going to have to build it up.
They actually have the answer in BNW. If affinity levelling was made into something like the tourism/ ideology mechanic - OK, hold your fingers back from your keyboards and let me explain. I don't mean that affinity levels needs to be unlocked by culture. But it needs to be some kind of cultural propaganda, which can be generated and spread much like tourism is in BNW.
Think about it, my empire has discovered xeno swarms...but who am I going to get to volunteer to be morphed into this bio unit, unless my population actually believes to a degree in the harmony affinity. Maybe my neighbour is purity and is bombarding my satellite channels with videos of Bill the Battlesuit warrior and my population all want battle suits. How am I going to get them to cuddle up to the aliens if that's the case.
The game would have far more dynamism if this was the mechanic. Perhaps it wouldn't be exactly like BNW "tourism" where you raise your levels and go through set influence stages - perhaps it's to do with your own population and the percentage of them who believe in your chosen affinity. You're generating "affinity propaganda" and depending on the level and quality you're pumping out, and how much access your population has to alternative affinity propaganda your populations belief in your harmony choice will increase or decrease. The percentage of population who believe would unlock the various units and wonders eg. 20 percent might unlock level 4 units, 40 for level 7 etc.
This would open up a whole new dynamic. Spies could "tourism/ propaganda" bomb other nations (like great musicians in BNW) and lower their affinity level. Trade routes would bring in bootleg dvd's of other affinity video shows to your cities and increase the other affinity followers amongst your inhabitants - so TP's would actually nerf themselves. And finally the satellite layer would offer the opportuniy to launch media satellites above your neighbours, or your own cities where your bombard the citizens with "Harmony" tv shows - "Mork and the Alien"
That's my idea/ thoughts. Firaxis already have the mechanic solution in BNW. It just needs a little rerigging and lateral thinking.