Dev Diary #3: Managing Your Empire

[Siptah]

Also, I'd just like to point out... that a lightning bolt is not going to strike you down if you happen to place something that's mathematically suboptimal.

Pure assumption. They will have to get their hands on the game and try for themselves to be sure.

 

[AriochIV]

Pure assumption. They will have to get their hands on the game and try for themselves to be sure.

But they'll never find out, because their OCD won't let them try.

 

[_hero_]

• The fact that there's a happiness based town means that it will be entirely possible to spam cities well beyond the settlement cap, although that will likely be suboptimal.
• I still really don't like settlements being type locked for the entire age. 150 or so turn ages means a ton can change between the time you make that decision and the end of the age. I get the desire to limit the micromanagement and having it be completely unlimited would lead to a ton of micro being expected for optimal play. Maybe a cooldown, or a gold cost associated with switching would be a better compromise?
• One side effect of some buildings going away on an age switch is that it can potentially throw things out of balance. If temples expire, what happens to your happiness? Is your empire going to go from content to rioting?
• An interesting side effect of the town system and the warehouse buildings is you'll be able to create your own "Petra cities" whenever you want. Anything can be a good city spot if it's deficencies can be offset with towns.

 

[Krikkit1]

• The fact that there's a happiness based town means that it will be entirely possible to spam cities well beyond the settlement cap, although that will likely be suboptimal.
• I still really don't like settlements being type locked for the entire age. 150 or so turn ages means a ton can change between the time you make that decision and the end of the age. I get the desire to limit the micromanagement and having it be completely unlimited would lead to a ton of micro being expected for optimal play. Maybe a cooldown, or a gold cost associated with switching would be a better compromise?
• One side effect of some buildings going away on an age switch is that it can potentially throw things out of balance. If temples expire, what happens to your happiness? Is your empire going to go from content to rioting?
• An interesting side effect of the town system and the warehouse buildings is you'll be able to create your own "Petra cities" whenever you want. Anything can be a good city spot if it's deficencies can be offset with towns.

1st...the penalty is 5 in Every settlement, per settlement over the limit so you can easily go a few over...but if you are already have 2 over the limit any new town has to have happiness of 5* total number of settlements so far... which means its probably not worth doing it

The lock apparently lets you still go back and forth to growth.... and a Town (that is not meant to be a city) is probably worth focusing on one thing early anyways

the buildings don't expire... their adjacency bonuses do...(so only happiness adjacency buildings will be a problem).... and since ?some? buildings have a happiness cost, you may be able to make it up by scrapping the buildings

 

[The_goggles_do_nothing]

The images on the Dev Diary #3 have changed since this morning. There was one showing that some Town types are only available in certain eras. Now they are all the Warehouse building image.

 

[Krikkit1]

Still there on mine

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

They look the same to me. Even the saw pit and the brickyard images are switched.

 

[chaosprophet]

Also, I'd just like to point out... that a lightning bolt is not going to strike you down if you happen to place something that's mathematically suboptimal.

!? That can't be!?

Jokes aside, yeah, I will probably be trying things out a lot more on ho it looks like than to be planning ahead too much, at least for many playthroughs.

 

[The_goggles_do_nothing]

It's back to normal for me.

An interesting side effect of the town system and the warehouse buildings is you'll be able to create your own "Petra cities" whenever you want. Anything can be a good city spot if it's deficencies can be offset with towns.

Make me wonder if there will be a way to re-direct some food out to towns from cities. The tundra/snow tiles often have some nice resources but in 6 it could be difficult to grow a city large enough to grab them.

 

[Seek]

Nice to see a juicy dev diary about the mechanics!

The fact that there's a happiness based town means that it will be entirely possible to spam cities well beyond the settlement cap, although that will likely be suboptimal.

Well it’s Exploration Age only, which seems to be the Age they want to encourage outward expansion, so hopefully not too OP. (And of course until we have actual numbers on these things it’s impossible to say.)

 

[Hellenism Salesman]

Still not thrilled about the super gamey Celebrations mechanic. I know it’s nothing new for the series, but it doesn’t suit the timescale of a turn. It especially irks me that it’s exclusively tying cultural* and political progress to a happy populus, which has rarely been accurate and is far from universal.

(*by this I mean Traditions specifically)

Would have preferred if they were called something different. Golden Age has been used before but I think it suits the concept: a period where your civilization is doing well and makes a long-lasting positive change.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Still not thrilled about the super gamey Celebrations mechanic. I know it’s nothing new for the series, but it doesn’t suit the timescale of a turn. It especially irks me that it’s exclusively tying cultural* and political progress to a happy populus, which has rarely been accurate and is far from universal.

(*by this I mean Traditions specifically)

Would have preferred if they were called something different. Golden Age has been used before but I think it suits the concept: a period where your civilization is doing well and makes a long-lasting positive change.

Yeah, I was bemused at the idea of a happy populace spontaneously creating new governing policy. Changes in policy are usually a response to turmoil and strife.

 

[bbbt]

Would have preferred if they were called something different. Golden Age has been used before but I think it suits the concept: a period where your civilization is doing well and makes a long-lasting positive change.

Isn't it basically just "We love the king day" from Civ 1 - 5 but on civ-wide scale instead of city level scale?

 

[Krikkit1]

Isn't it basically just "We love the king day" from Civ 1 - 5 but on civ-wide scale instead of city level scale?

Not quite... its how you get more policy card slots (for your policies and traditions)... and it also gives a bonus that depends on your government type

 

[Trav'ling Canuck]

Not quite... its how you get more policy card slots (for your policies and traditions)... and it also gives a bonus that depends on your government type

But does anybody builds you (part of) a palace?

 

[Krikkit1]

But does anybody builds you (part of) a palace?

That would be a good way to do it each Celebration you get to add on to your palace.
(or every time you gain a Legacy milestone)?….less specifically focused on happiness that way.

 

[Vitruvian Guar]

Suppose there is building A and building B that gives adjacency to building A. What happens when they are build in the same district? Does adjacency apply?

 

[_hero_]

1st...the penalty is 5 in Every settlement, per settlement over the limit so you can easily go a few over...but if you are already have 2 over the limit any new town has to have happiness of 5* total number of settlements so far... which means its probably not worth doing it

The -5 doesn't really mean anything without the full context of what the positive modifiers are and how plentiful they are. I was simply pointing out that the more sources of positive happiness modifiers, the further you can realistically push over the soft cap before destabalizing yourself.

 

[AriochIV]

Suppose there is building A and building B that gives adjacency to building A. What happens when they are build in the same district? Does adjacency apply?

I assume so, but I don't think they've said specifically.

However, adjacency bonuses are normally for wonders and terrain features. I don't know of any offhand for other buildings.

 

[Prester John 2]

Machu Picchu wonder spotted!