Civ 7 Exploration Age Economic Path Overhaul

[sTAPler27]

-What this Overhaul Seeks to Fix

• Adding strategy beyond getting settlements on distant lands
• Allowing for non coastal civs to prosper
• Making the Distant Lands more of a bonus than a requirement
• Reducing settlement clutter by not requiring 1 resource towns to win
• Making this age's victory more in line with the one before and after it.

-Fix #1: Buildings with Purpose
It’s rare that I find myself doing much to improve my distant lands settlements because once you have all the treasure resources in its area worked there really isn’t much more you need to do with it as it will passively grant you Treasure Convoys.

• Warehouse buildings will now reduce the time to grant Treasure Convoys to the improvements they affect, -10% for Tier 1 Warehouse buildings and -20% for Tier 2.
• Certain buildings will grant movement speed bonuses to Treasure Convoys
  • Settlements with Fishing Quays will grant their produced Convoys +1 movement on water and Shipyards will provide them +2.
  • Buildings and Improvements that provide Gold as a base yield will also refresh the movement of Convoys once per turn.

-Fix #2: Recategorizing Treasure Resources
While I think the idea of your people valuing foreign resources is very interesting, the concept kind of falls apart when Gold from one island is deemed a treasure while another isn’t.

• Resources will now be split into different categories beyond Homeland and Distant Land Treasures.
  • Local Treasures: Resources on your home continent. Provide 1 Victory Point from their Convoys.
  • Foreign Treasures: Resources from your starting landmass but not continent. Provide 2 Victory Points from their Convoys.
  • Distant Land Treasures: Only spawn in the Distant Lands. Provide 3 Victory Points from Convoys.
    • The best way to do this in my opinion is to have certain resources have a regional reskin. Asia might have Coffee but South America will have Coca Leaves. Or Asia might have Jade while North America has Green Obsidian.
  • Universal Treasures: Spawn across the map and provide equal amounts of points regardless of where they're found or who finds them. Provides 3 Victory Points from their Convoys.
• While I know the amount of points seems like a lot I would at least double the amount of Points needed for a Victory given there will be more ways to maximize your gameplay and acquire said points.

-Fix #3: Resource Trading
While this age primarily ties itself to the European age of exploration I think it’s important for gameplay variety as well as painting things with more nuance to show the ways nations accumulated their wealth.

• Sending a trade route to a settlement with a Treasure Resource will grant you Treasure Points at half the amount. as if they were within your own territory
  • This will reward players for maintaining friendly relationships or push them into conflict if they’ve burned enough bridges with those that hold onto valuable resources.
• Having closed borders with this Civ will cap movement of treasure convoys at 2 per turn and will not allow you to make use of their movement enhancing building

-Fix #4: Town Specialization Integration
Much like the integration of buildings into this system I think Town Specializations can also do the same.

• Farming and Mining Towns will provide a 10% increase to Convoy production based on the improvements they affect. This will increase to 20% if the town has 3 or more of the same Improvement being worked.
  • For example if your settlement is working a gems resource its Convoy spawn rate will increase with 3 other mines in the settlement.
• Trade Outposts will increase the rate at which nearby trade routes to players your trading with produce treasure fleets by 10% and will replenish movement like a gold building.

-Fix #5: Treasure Resource Centered Policy Cards
The game could use more nuanced policy cards in general so this is my attempt at brainstorming some ideas.

• Pilgrimage: Unlocks at Reformation. Distant Land Towns with the Holy Site Promotion have a 10% increased spawn rate for Treasure Resources.
• Export Economy: Unlocks at Mercantilism. Convoy Production modifiers in your own settlements are increased by 25%. Earn Convoys from trade 50% slower.
• Charter Colonies: Unlocks at Sovereignty. The Convoy Production rate is increased by 10% in Trade Outposts. Trade Outposts can’t be converted into Cities while this Card is active and produce 25% less gold.
• Privateers: Unlocks at Sovereignty. Naval units can capture convoys without going to war. Still generates grievances. Capturing convoys while not at war only generates half the points.