Boosting the Arabs

[CYZ]

It still would be possible to link UU / UB possesion to several conditions (being the first to research one/two technologies, plus having a resource or type of land in your empire, plus having built certain building)... maybe relaxed for the original owners of the UU / UB.

This would include additional "races" in the game, and risk some civilizations getting and edge over others.
But it could be compensated by allowing other players to research in less time once the UU/UB is assigned (i.e. you get Legions if you are the first to reach Iron Working and build a Swordsman in a city with Barracks) - yet after you get assigned the Legion, iron working and/or swordsman cost is reduced by 10-20% (which is the plus you paid to have the UU/UB). Rome could start with these discounts already applied, so it is easy for them to get the Legion.

Very interesting idea! It could certainly work, but won't the civ with the tech advantage also have the most UB+UU. Or, will there be a max per civ? In which case, which idiot is ever going to get modern UU?

Nonetheless, I really like the idea.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I think it would be best to assign UU, UB, and UTI randomly when you discover the unlocking tech with some chance modifiers coming from environment and play style. Each would be mutually exclusive. And there would be a hard maximum.

Also I think that UA components should be accumulated at era changes with the player choosing them like Beliefs. A hard maximum on these as well.

 

[Louis XXIV]

It's interesting, but ruins all balance. Right now, some UAs are bad, but they're matched with good UUs, UBs, or UIs. Others have bad units but good UAs. I would love to have a great everything, but that means it'll be easy for me and others will suffer.

 

[Verified_Confection_Being]

I have to disagree with this, +1 gold per trade route is not a massive boost, its pretty minor really. Bazaar bonuses take quite a while to obtain, researching currency and building Bazaars takes some time to set up in any game, plus you have to gamble on hoping that the AI will remain friendly enough and have enough gold available for trade.

At 8 cities, the Arabs will have +7 gold.
Chinese will have +16 gold, and -16 maintenance
Egypt will have -16 maintenance
Inca will have much more than +16 GPT with how much cheaper their roads are.

Hence the suggestion for an increase to +2 gold per route for the Arabs is just to put them on par with those civs for the amount of gold saved / increased per turn.

Despite the bazaar taking a while to set up, it is a huge boost when you do. And all you really need is one or two civs that don't hate you. It works better with a larger empire, so the gold boost from trade routes is if you like, a little incentive to push you to take advantage of your UB.

Yes its more of a risk earning money with the bazaar, but you have the potential to earn much more than those other civs, despite receiving half the revenue from the ability. You can more than make that up with an effective bazaar. It's a trade off basically, and situational, but that's what makes them fun to play.

 

[Josephias]

Very interesting idea! It could certainly work, but won't the civ with the tech advantage also have the most UB+UU. Or, will there be a max per civ? In which case, which idiot is ever going to get modern UU?

Nonetheless, I really like the idea.

That is true, and was my main concern with the idea as well... indeed, I should have replaced the and below for a "but" because i didn't consider the "edge" with a positive meaning (but considering if you start geting the bonuses you are likely to get more, which is not the intention)

This would include additional "races" in the game, (and) but there is risk some civilizations getting an edge over others.
But it could be compensated by allowing other players to research in less time once the UU/UB is assigned

Therefore, I would like to highlight it would be necessary to make more difficult this research or production leading you to get to the UU/UB:It is all cost of opportunity if you race for the UU/UB, you need to put more effort in the research/production (lets say i.e. iron working research costs +15% beakers and swordsman production costs +45% iron until the first legion is produced). So you have to decide between making this extra effort to get the legion ("prototype cost") or devoting resources to other areas, which position yourself better to get a different unit, building or wonder. The burden would be to get always second place on these races, because you have invested and do not get the price... but it is as sad as reality.

And yes, I agree as well this unbalances with current UA, so it is more a idea for the future than for Civ5. Therefore, I stop off-topicking.

 

[Zenstrive]

And Indonesian Muslims are part of Arabia?

But Part of Islam indeed. And no, Islam is not the desert.

How about: During a golden age the Arabs recieve 1 faith on any tile adjacent to desert and 3 faith on every oasis tile.

It isn't big, but it is nice. They don't need a big boost, they have a few good traits already. They're a jack of all civ and that's good imo.

Well, if historical accuracy is what you seek, than during golden age, Arab should have 25% science boost. At least that's what happened during Golden Age of Islam: discoveries everywhere.

 

[bonafide11]

Well, if historical accuracy is what you seek, than during golden age, Arab should have 25% science boost. At least that's what happened during Golden Age of Islam: discoveries everywhere.

But the point of altering is not just to alter them for the sake of it, but to give them a religious bonus since religion played such a significant part of the Arab civilization.