Mad Madigan
Prince
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2016
- Messages
- 403
I suppose, in the end, that all that truly ruffles my feathers about Carthage is that Civ 5 VP has been, at its higher difficulties, mostly about finding strategies for snowballing early and using that to stay ahead of the AI until you win. It seemed to me that much of the general balance changes made to the mod over the last few months have been to address this "snowball or lose" nature of the game and give the AI ways of remaining a challenge into the late game. There have been other balance changes to tweak the power of Specialists and make working hexes more viable in the late game, and much MUCH work has been done with the tactical AI to allow the AI to appear to make decisions more and more like another human might, but it also seems that much of the balance changes have been reducing the necessity for early-game snowballing in order to win. In my opinion, these balance changes have added much more nuance to the game, and I am incredibly grateful for all the work put into polishing this game into the gleaming gem it is today.
Which goes back to why Carthage bothers me so in its current state: It's all about the snowball, and there is not much else going for the Civ other than that. It there was a metric for each Civ that measured a component of their overall power ranging from the beginning of the game to the Information Age, Carthage's "power peak" would almost be entirely focused within the starting 2 eras of the game. More than any other Civ, it feels like everything that makes it unique is entirely focused into the beginning of the game, with almost nothing that makes it continue to be flavorful beyond that initial explosion of expansion and settlement. If this is the intent, that Carthage has nothing unique about its mechanics or units that extends into the late game save for the yield snowballing you generate at the outset of the game, then so be it. I guess I was just hoping that with all of the balance changes being made to trade routes and the core game systems, that Carthage might deserve some love so it had more to work with than just its snowball potential. It is still a very powerful Civ, but given the rich history of the Phoenicians it feels like so much more flavor could be given to their unique abilities and building than just "is the best at early settlement and naval infrastructure". Like, keep that basic strategy for them intact, but find a way to make them still feel unique as the game progresses. Every other "power concentrated in the first 2 eras" Civs has something that continues to make them unique throughout the rest of the game, and Carthage barely feels like it has anything to work with other than getting ahead and then trying to stay ahead as other Civ's uniques come online through the ages.
Which goes back to why Carthage bothers me so in its current state: It's all about the snowball, and there is not much else going for the Civ other than that. It there was a metric for each Civ that measured a component of their overall power ranging from the beginning of the game to the Information Age, Carthage's "power peak" would almost be entirely focused within the starting 2 eras of the game. More than any other Civ, it feels like everything that makes it unique is entirely focused into the beginning of the game, with almost nothing that makes it continue to be flavorful beyond that initial explosion of expansion and settlement. If this is the intent, that Carthage has nothing unique about its mechanics or units that extends into the late game save for the yield snowballing you generate at the outset of the game, then so be it. I guess I was just hoping that with all of the balance changes being made to trade routes and the core game systems, that Carthage might deserve some love so it had more to work with than just its snowball potential. It is still a very powerful Civ, but given the rich history of the Phoenicians it feels like so much more flavor could be given to their unique abilities and building than just "is the best at early settlement and naval infrastructure". Like, keep that basic strategy for them intact, but find a way to make them still feel unique as the game progresses. Every other "power concentrated in the first 2 eras" Civs has something that continues to make them unique throughout the rest of the game, and Carthage barely feels like it has anything to work with other than getting ahead and then trying to stay ahead as other Civ's uniques come online through the ages.
to sea tiles, and all Lighthouses gives +1 Culture to sea resources.
when founded. Bonus scales with Era. All owned coastal Cities receive a free Lighthouse. 
Trade Routes. 
to sea resources.
Poverty. Available earlier.
