Kelp has been nerfed. Doesn't grow as fast (down to half the rate of forests), and costs 3 movement rather than 6. Kelp Forests are at 4. A new feature Milaga added, that we will merge, will allow certain ships (Caravel, all Lanun) to ignore the Kelp movement rate.
I really don't understand the design mentality that led to introducing a move cost to Kelp. Realism isn't everything, and besides, it doesn't seem all that realistic to be honest.
Like, I could envision bireme-sized or smaller oar-driven vessels experiencing a mild speed decrease, like 1 extra point, but even then, these aren't canoes. They're driven by dozens of slaves who do nothing but turn oars until they die. Even 3 move seems like an awful lot, and the only time I could really imagine it being that difficult for a ship to move through even the thickest of Kelp beds is if it *started* its movement *in* that bed from a dead stop.
Just because the game imposes a quantization on the movement of ships doesn't mean it makes sense to imagine them endlessly starting/stopping on the way to their destination.
Since you're making certain ships immune to those effects entirely, please strongly consider including *all* large late-game ships. Arcane Barges, Queens-of-the-Line, etc. The highest move penalty from kelp really ought to be 1, but I'd consider 2 a begrudging compromise.
6. 2 Ogre Warchiefs (they were very strong, but only used ranged weapons on my units)
It was not intended for coasts (that was just a by-product). The intention was for the oceanic forests of kelp (which you get from Erebus Continent and World of Erebus) to slow movement, create blocks in inter-continental travel. It was NOT added for realism, but added to introduce variation in the movement costs of otherwise completely featureless, standard tiles.
It ends up being nothing but an annoyance, especially on the ocean where few cities will even benefit from the increased tile yields. 3 move is still a huge penalty, and 6 made me wonder where you guys buy your drugs.
I'm glad it's being reduced but honestly, the open ocean *is* featureless, floating condom islands notwithstanding. If you want to discourage or hamper fire-and-forget naval voyages, then maybe there needs to be a couple more uber sea monsters, a la Leviathan, to spice things up -- and yes I know you're making super versions of everything. Or perhaps make all open ocean squares cost an extra move, or reduce all naval move capacity by one, and remove Kelp altogether.
It's really one of the most questionable additions in RiFE, bar none. Even if it worked as you say it was intended, it would just be something for the player and AI to have to path around. Personally I could do without it altogether.
It ends up being nothing but an annoyance, especially on the ocean where few cities will even benefit from the increased tile yields. 3 move is still a huge penalty, and 6 made me wonder where you guys buy your drugs.
I'm glad it's being reduced but honestly, the open ocean *is* featureless, floating condom islands notwithstanding. If you want to discourage or hamper fire-and-forget naval voyages, then maybe there needs to be a couple more uber sea monsters, a la Leviathan, to spice things up -- and yes I know you're making super versions of everything. Or perhaps make all open ocean squares cost an extra move, or reduce all naval move capacity by one, and remove Kelp altogether.
It's really one of the most questionable additions in RiFE, bar none. Even if it worked as you say it was intended, it would just be something for the player and AI to have to path around. Personally I could do without it altogether.
Seafaring is already too much discouraged in Rife, I don't see why nerf again ships.
Well, would it be up to me, I would make Kelp 2 moves, increase ships moves (unless they're already high, I don't remember) and make reefs impassable so they sometime cause 'trading holes' along coastlines.
Growth has been massively reduced, kelp will be choppable, and the oceanic growths can be avoided.