Do you like or dislike SODs?

[Brad55]

Do you shudder when you pull your 70+ SOD up next to the computer's stack (even with stack attack on?) or do you love every minute of it? Personally, I'm not a big fan of two enormous stacks duking it out. Then again, if the computer isn't going to produce an SOD then I sure will (I'm in it to win afterall). So what's the answer?

I like the idea of revamping unit maintenance so that you incur some sort of economic penalty for maintaining such a large army. It makes sense from a realism stand point.

What about limiting the number of units you can have occupying a single tile? Every unit would have a new statistic like unit dimension or weight and every tile would be given a rating based on how many units could occupy it at any given point. After all, I don't think it's very realistic that you could fit something like 5 armored divisions (with supporting troops) in an area the size of a football field. It would also add a slightly different twist to your combined arms tactics.

I realize that making the game more realistic doesn't always translate into a more enjoyable game, but what changes would you make?

 

[GenocideBringer]

I'd just like to see units that deal collateral damage deal it to the whole stack again.

 

[LiberiGlacialis]

Err, my own, or coming at me? I love to be commanding a SoD, but I don't want to be on the receiving end of one....

 

[troytheface]

i thought that with civ4 there would be less units. It seems like an easy thing to do, just make making a unit expensive as hell. That way maybe two fleets with a carrier in each flett would be about as big as a stack gets.
I mean , why have 5 artillary icons when one expensive one would suffice.
To really reduce micro management, fewer (numerically) units would do the trick.

 

[King Flevance]

I have never been big on the whole SOD thing and would like to see tiles capped off as you describe Brad. Have a unit stat called 'provisions' or 'size' and have every tile support a specific size so that it can "fill-up". It could even vary with terrain a small amount. A plains and grassland could have an area of say, size 20. A forest, Size 15. Then units would cost something like worker/archer/warrior/etc. = size 1. Then stuff like modern armors could be something like size 4.
You could even add in having roads increase a tile's size. (But should all be capped at a certain number, so a plain/grassland with a road wouldnt grow but a forest would.) Also, you could have a tech come in at some point to lower all units with size 3 or more recieve a -1 to size.

It would be interesting to see a system like this come in and add battlefield tactics into civ IMO.

 

[Airefuego]

Limiting units per tile is a good idea, especially the flexible system proposed by Brad where a warrior is not the same as an armoured division!

I would also like to see the collateral damage increase when there are units on the tile being hit. It makes sense - the more crowded, the more hits. Say 50% of units on a tile get hit)

That would create a good reason to separate out your SOD.

Also there could be a movement penalty to a SOD. Huge armies are a logistical nightmare and are not as speedy as a single unit. Maybe over a certain size, say 20 units, they get -1 movement on roads. Or something...

 

[King Flevance]

Also there could be a movement penalty to a SOD. Huge armies are a logistical nightmare and are not as speedy as a single unit. Maybe over a certain size, say 20 units, they get -1 movement on roads. Or something...

That's a pretty good idea too. You could also add in a couple logistics techs (maybe 1 medieval and another in modern? Logistics and advanced logistics be the name?) Which discovering the tech could lower logistics penalties on road tiles. SO warmongers would be more inclined to go for the techs allowing more effective SoDs and the builder would be less inclined to go for them. (Although, even the builder would eventually want to pick them up too they just wouldn't be as inclined.)

Also tiles with a city should recieve a "size bonus" to hold more units.

 

[Mylon]

In my mod I upped the base cost for military unit maintenance and reduced the number of free support from population to 0. The next step is to probably go through and give later units an extra cost. Giant stacks of modern units should require an absolutely monstrous economy to support.

Stacks of Death bug the heck out of me and I don't like them. It makes late game too micro-manage-y. Though, in the base game they are relatively easy to kill with the aid of siege units. 70 units? 12-14 siege units will make them all easy pickings. This becomes easier when stealth bombers are available.