Design Contest Q&A thread

[Kael]

For the resource moving idea, I would add in there that picking up a resource can only be done IN YOUR CULTURAL BORDERS. That or make it so that picking up a resource in any other cultural borders is an act of war.

Otherwise, you sign open borders, then systematically strip your ally.

But it would be nice to be able to strip resources from a civ you are at war with, hence the idea to make it a declaration of war to do it in their borders.



Kael: Can we propose multiple events? The other 2 specify one entry each, so it seemed implied that it was only 1 event, or a chain of linked events (which counts basically as one). But Maksim makes a good point, it did not specify such a limit (though with only 1 event able to win I don't know if it is worth proposing so many)

Good question. No, isolate to your best event idea, dont submit multiple entries.

 

[xienwolf]

So, it seems that the maximum number of options in a poll is 25. So will the design team trim down the ideas to their favorite 25 before you put it to vote to the forums? (Doubt our vote is the "Final" decision, but saw that we get to vote on the timeline)

 

[it-ogo]

Religious Ethics in two words (Project)

Major sin
AV - Ignorance, Sanctimony
OO - Sentimentality, Weakness
RoK - Sloth, Instability
FoL - Self-neglect, Beastliness
OfH - Pride, Libertinism
Emp - Desperation, Violence
CoE - Simpleness, Impatience

Major virtue
AV - Ambition, Competence
OO - Charisma, Strength
RoK - Industry, Persistence
FoL - Delicacy, Elegance
OfH - Submission, Asceticism
Emp - Tolerance, Charity
CoE - Sophistication, Еquanimity

Major worth
AV - Freedom, Knowledge
OO - Influence, Power
RoK - Estate, Reputation
FoL - Life, Harmony
OfH - Order, Devotion
Emp - Equality, Peace
CoE - Privacy, Intellect

 

[Kael]

So, it seems that the maximum number of options in a poll is 25. So will the design team trim down the ideas to their favorite 25 before you put it to vote to the forums? (Doubt our vote is the "Final" decision, but saw that we get to vote on the timeline)

We trim to the entries we like the best (and can be implemented). We usually pick the top 10 or so but there isnt any hard number, I doubt it will be as high as 25.

 

[Rex rgis of Ter]

Evilsmilieface:

The Balseraphs already have a unique summoner, the pupeteer, that does exactly what your suggestion does. The only difference is he requires a carnival.

 

[Nikis-Knight]

So, it seems that the maximum number of options in a poll is 25. So will the design team trim down the ideas to their favorite 25 before you put it to vote to the forums? (Doubt our vote is the "Final" decision, but saw that we get to vote on the timeline)

You have it backwards; first the team votes, then you all. In otherwords, we choose those we like the best, then your vote will be the final decision--though Kael may tweak the original suggestion a bit in implementation.

Search the forum for the old design contests if you like.

 

[Nikis-Knight]

4. Council of Esus- Betrayal (at least in regards to the council, not in regards to people they betray for the council), especially those that give secrets for money or to avoid punishment

I think this makes sense, but also, they probably consider finding creative methods to go around their word and bring down their rivals par for the course.

 

[xienwolf]

Clarification on the Event design contest real quick:

Is this just for EVENTS (Something happens, you select from a series of options), or is it also for QUESTS (Go here, do this. Build X quantity of this item. Gift Y techs to Z other Civilizations. And start a war with your closest ally! But do it all before anybody else builds 5 Chariots!)

BtS introduced the quests, and I have always considered them to be events, but so far nobody has proposed any, so are they different things, or are we just not quite working hard enough?

 

[Kael]

You can submit quests to. I would warn that their are a lot of practical limitations to quests that would probably get it kicked out of the contest as non-implmentable (such as gift x techs or start war with your closest ally). If you were to use quests at all I would recommend they be very minor, maybe as final step of an event chain (destroy x city to get y reward, or build x buildings to get y reward). Anything beyond that is probably out of scope.

 

[Calavente]

mindlar : I just love the Hoardric Intervention

just imagine them, hords of bipedic cows with huge polearms... on a green field...
and looking to hyborem, just the one guy to die to give access to the cows..

 

[TravellingHat]

My dubious military production mathematics have been drawn to my attention

What I had intended was for a penalty that doubled production times. I have edited my post accordingly.

The idea behind the Conclave of Swords is to produce adepts (and their upgrades) that have a reasonable chance of defending themselves hand-to-hand, plus the magic resistance if they go at it with another caster. However, aware that this (melee weakness) is mitigating one of their main vulnerabilities, I wanted the player to have to pay through the nose for such a privilege.

I also can't do long division.

 

[mindlar]

I especially like the idea of the Belsaraph catapults firing bipedal cows with polearms across castle walls...

 

[MagisterCultuum]

A note to:


It should add also a 'run away!' mechanism so they do not become an invincible city defenders.

That is completely unnecessary due to the way invisibility works.

Before BtS, invisibility as made to have essentially the same effects of "Run away" (the unit was never actually attacked if still invisible, just displaced to a near by tile. This isn't quite the same as run away though, and "run away" has had its implementation changed too)

In BtS, invisible units can't defend anything. So long as they are invisible to their "attacker," then the attacking unit doesn't really attack, it just moves peacefully on to the same tile as the invisible "defender." No combat is involved. Invisible units can neither defend a city or capture one; if the enemy defeats all the city's visible guards, it moves into the city and takes it, although the invisible guards are still there too. When an invisible unit kills the last defender of a city, it moves into the city but does not give you control over it. You have to move a visible unit into the city to capture it (it doesn't actually have to attack, so you can use a non blitz unit that has already attacked but still has some movement left if you want to)

 

[White Elk]

With the contest deadline rapidly approaching, I was wondering if we could be advised if any of our ideas were unimplementable or otherwise unfit for inclusion? It would be nice to have a couple days to resubmit if our ideas don't qualify.

Though I understand that this may alot to ask and would understand if there is no time for it.

 

[Rex rgis of Ter]

^Sounds good, but very time consuming.

 

[xienwolf]

@ White Elk:

Judging by the previous contests, I'd have to say no chance at all. For one of the polls Kael mentioned that the team had voted for an entry to be included in the final poll, but he had to axe it because it could not be implemented. So I am thinking that the deciding if it can be implemented or not is one of the LAST things done before we get to vote on them.

FWIW, here is my opinion on your entries:

Chaos Orb (Cute text for the name BTW): I think it is possible overall for most of it, though it seemed a stretch at first, it is actually easy to do the majority. Replacing the Hawk would probably be done indirectly, making it a completely seperate unit instead of a modification of the Hawk itself (since many mechanics change). Grant the new unit recon and rebase abilities, and replace the Balseraph Hunter and other Hawk carriers with special units able to instead carry only Chaos Orbs. Allow an attack function similar to Fireball (destroys unit on attacK), but with the random effects you want (a modified mutation spell essentially). -- Only thing I would say is probably hard to code is the changing of visible terrain. I am not entirely sure if that one is possible, but there is a defined code entry for what is visible to the orb, and blight does do random terrain effect, so I think everything you need is in the game.

Ard-Luibh: Seems really easy. Though personally I think that all the wonders trying to make an alternate source of reagents are mildly annoying. So at least yours tosses some other things in there as well (if the map don't have reagents, adjust! Not that I often make it to the point of seriously needing them anyhow)

Apprentice Jack of all Trades: Already talked about this one I think... meant to anyway. Only part I do not think is possible is to allow you to build a replacement Archmage should one of your initial 3 die (but getting the 4th in the first place is easy. Cap doesn't block a free unit, just the promotion "spell"). But if the new unit had the same stats as an archmage, but was a different unit, then it would work easily. It also might be difficult to track what spells they have cast as conditions for the quest. But it might be possible to base it off simply having a level 2 promotion from each of those spheres. Haven't seen a quest requiring specific promotions before though, so maybe not. :shrug:

@ Beorn:

Your event proposal makes a religious victory impossible Since it would presumably take you more than 16 turns to get from 50% influence to the 80% required to get your victory, it is almost a guarantee that the event will trigger (Since you require at least 2 other civs follow the religion as well for victory IIRC. But at the least it is almost guaranteed that at least that many will follow it at 50% unless you are near a conquest victory).

If you cap it at once per game, or at least once per religion, then it still makes a religious victory twice as hard, but manageable.

 

[CXDamian]

@seamus75: war college
just a proposal: instead of a new unit, maybe allow units in the city tile able to 'upgrade' to a unit with those abilities, as well as defensive only. Similar to taking orthus' axe, only nothing is 'taken' from the building.

Could add a gold cost to that action, a number of immobile turns, and/or defensive only for the unit.

 

[Kael]

With the contest deadline rapidly approaching, I was wondering if we could be advised if any of our ideas were unimplementable or otherwise unfit for inclusion? It would be nice to have a couple days to resubmit if our ideas don't qualify.

Though I understand that this may alot to ask and would understand if there is no time for it.

Yeah, probably not. Dream big and we will try our best to come up with some way to implement if the idea is cool enough, maybe even modifing the idea a bit to make it work.

 

[xienwolf]

CXDamian: Your event simply rocks But for the love of all, please fix the "there" / "their" issues so I have no compunctions at all voting for you to win and buying airline tickets to beat up anyone who dares vote against you

(seriously though... Nice work. I really hope they can code a new island, but I can't even decide which of the options I prefer to try for. This one event would have me playing a couple dozen games just hoping to work it slightly better)

 

[Jono]

I agree, I'd vote for yours over mine any day...