[NFP] Ethiopia Update Discussion Thread

[Vrenir]

I don't mind the Vampires (in this optional mode), but I also wouldn't mind the same mechanics for assassins (as several posts have described) in a normal game.

 

[Potworny]

Lazily upscaled Menelik:

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Vlad Tepes' father was actually a member of a real secret society. The Order of the Dragon

 

[Thenewwwguy]

I mean I can still live with Vampires, even though Assassins/Ninjas would be equally as cool. I'm not thinking of them as actual fantasy vampire units, but supposed legendary ones such as Vlad Tepes with their vampire castles, if that makes any sense.


We got more info about actual Ethiopia than I thought thanks to all of the fanatics.

Oh yeah, i can live with it if i think about it that way.

Lazily upscaled Menelik:
View attachment 562650

looks a bit demonic lol

 

[krmarci]

I felt that Secret Societies is really complicated, especially with the unique buildings. Is the extra governor chosen randomly? As there are only four of them, is there a limited number of them, like Great Prophets?
The Diplomatic Quarter sounds interesting, but I think it could have been merged with the Government Plaza.

 

[Tiger Genocide]

It would be neat if Secret Societies have Diplomatic modifiers, so members of the same society like each other and hate members of other societies, making them like ideologies.

Yes that would be really cool and interesting!!

 

[Kwami]

I felt that Secret Societies is really complicated, especially with the unique buildings. Is the extra governor chosen randomly? As there are only four of them, is there a limited number of them, like Great Prophets?
The Diplomatic Quarter sounds interesting, but I think it could have been merged with the Government Plaza.

They showed the first three promotions for three of the secret societies. For each one, the first promotion was unlocked by an early-game task that you'll almost always do (getting a tribal village, sending a trade route to a city-state, discovering a natural wonder). They also show a screen where you can accept membership or ignore it. So, I guess that's how you choose. I don't know how to get vampires, though...

I really doubt that only one civilization can join each society. That would really ruin the fun of the game mode entirely and since the requirements to unlock them are so simple, the AI would almost always get them all. Extra lame on larger maps.

Gah, I hope that the AI doesn't just always take the first one that it can get.

 

[Thenewwwguy]

I felt that Secret Societies is really complicated, especially with the unique buildings. Is the extra governor chosen randomly? As there are only four of them, is there a limited number of them, like Great Prophets?
The Diplomatic Quarter sounds interesting, but I think it could have been merged with the Government Plaza.

i think these magenta administrative 1-per-civ districts are going to become a subdivision like green non-specific districts and colored speciality districts

 

[darkace77450]

I love the new district, but it only having two buildings instead of three is really going to trigger my OCD.

 

[Thenewwwguy]

They showed the first three promotions for three of the secret societies. For each one, the first promotion was unlocked by an early-game task that you'll almost always do (getting a tribal village, sending a trade route to a city-state, discovering a natural wonder). They also show a screen where you can accept membership or ignore it. So, I guess that's how you choose. I don't know how to get vampires, though...

I really doubt that only one civilization can join each society. That would really ruin the fun of the game mode entirely and since the requirements to unlock them are so simple, the AI would almost always get them all. Extra lame on larger maps.

Gah, I hope that the AI doesn't just always take the first one that it can get.

this would imply that you could ignore bad secret societies if you want a good one.

 

[acluewithout]

FXS were probably right not to use real supposed Secret Societies. Just too much to get wrong, particularly when some “Secret Societies” were invented to just malign certain groups of people. If people want historical society names, it’s probably better done by Mods.

Secret Societies seems more chunky than Apocalypse Mode. I’d like to see some disadvantages from having a Secret Society to help counter all the extra yields, eg maybe limiting what Governments you can take, effecting loyalty, or limiting other options.

Will FXS revisit any of these game modes? I’m really hoping Apocalypse Mode gets just a little more love. I think it could be really fun with just a couple of additions. Secret Societies looks basically fully formed, but like I said I’d love to see some negative trade offs, and you know, I’d be fine with them adding a few more societies...

Seriously though. Vampires and Vampire Castles. I mean, if we’re going to do Vampires, can we do these ones? Or better yet these ones?

 

[Thenewwwguy]

FXS were probably right not to use real supposed Secret Societies. Just too much to get wrong, particularly when some “Secret Societies” were invented to just malign certain groups of people. If people want historical society names, it’s probably better done by Mods.

Secret Societies seems more chunky than Apocalypse Mode. I’d like to see some disadvantages from having a Secret Society to help counter all the extra yields, eg maybe limiting what Governments you can take, effecting loyalty, or limiting other options.

Will FXS revisit any of these game modes? I’m really hoping Apocalypse Mode gets just a little more love. I think it could be really fun with just a couple of additions. Secret Societies looks basically fully formed, but like I said I’d love to see some negative trade offs, and you know, I’d be fine with them adding a few more societies...

Seriously though. Vampires and Vampire Castles. I mean, if we’re going to do Vampires, can we do these ones? Or better yet these ones?

yeah i hope they add a few more secret societies in the august update.

 

[bite]

I have updated the Features Thread with everything I could find in the video, did I miss anything?

 

[Thenewwwguy]

I have updated the Features Thread with everything I could find in the video, did I miss anything?

i believe they’re called Rock-Hewn Chuches, and you should probably mention base teddy is called Bull Moose teddy and is also getting changed

 

[DogeEnricoDandolo]

But they are adding new game mechanics, just not good ones (in my opinion). The Diplomatic Quarter just makes the Diplo game more convoluted and obtuse. Now you have to build this district to get half of the rewards for playing the City-State game, which makes playing this aspect of the game much less appealing now that you have to build what essentially amounts to a Government Plaza with less bonuses.

I'm not sure what I expected from the "new district" tag though, but the Diplomatic Quarter just seems to only make the weakest area of the game (diplomacy) more complicated while not making it more fun. Those are just my first impressions though.

You said the new district made the diplomacy game "obtuse" more than once, mind elaborating further on that, because calling it something without any explanation or evidence doesn't make it so. Envoy bonuses now tied to 1 district, if anything, makes the game easier to digest for newer players, since it is more streamlined to tie this to 1 district rather than 6 different districts for 6 different types of CSs, so how exactly is it "obtuse" or "complicating diplomacy"?. Sure, people can dislike fantasy theme of certain elements, but when it comes to gameplay, surprisingly you actually need to play the game to know if something is off or not. Complaining even before knowing what exactly something does is a classic move whenever something new is announced.

 

[God of Kings]

@AriochIV

It would be great to update your Civilization Analyst website with all that new information.

 

[Thenewwwguy]

I have updated the Features Thread with everything I could find in the video, did I miss anything?

also, why did you write boyar coleridge next to the vampire thing? are the vampires named? is that a name of a historical ‘vampire’ or a literary one?

 

[NukeAJS]

In Apocalypse mode, I liked the idea of turning the game disaster crazy sometimes but I don't like the whole Soothsayer thing at all.

There's a mod that keeps the disasters but eliminates the soothsayer. I use it because I like the solar flares and asteroid impacts (which are extremely rare) but soothsayers are a bit too much for me.

I suspect someone will make a more "realistic" secret society mod as well. Vampires are just too much for me. The other SSs are ok, but their bonuses seem way too powerful. I guess we will see if they're actually too powerful when it comes out though. If they are too powerful, I'll probably "balance" them myself.

The reason I think SSs should have a small impact should be obvious -- if they're having a large impact, they wouldn't really be secret, would they? It's kinda hard to hide organized religion or industrialism or globalization. I guess you could argue that SSs are causing those ideas/movements, but it'd be near impossible to hide the prime mover -- assuming that a prime mover even exists (Occam's razor would suggest that those ideologies formed organically and people merely explained what was already going on and then gave it a name).

 

[bite]

also, why did you write boyar coleridge next to the vampire thing? are the vampires named? is that a name of a historical ‘vampire’ or a literary one?

That is what they called it on the video, we'll see if that is something they continue with or not

 

[MrRadar]

The new district seems like the first significant shakeup exclusive to the DLC. New civs are one thing, and new resources and wonders are relatively small in their impact.

But the Diplomatic Quarter looks like it completely changes the way City-States are going to work, and look set to give important yields around diplomatic relations with other civs. It will be quite a big change vs players who don’t have the Ethiopia pack.

Yes, that seems the most interesting change. But do you understand how it will work exactly? I just don't seem to get it. 'envoy bonuses directly tied to those buildings' - do they mean T1&2 buildings will no more be enhanced via envoys?
DQ buildings will double or even triple influence generation, (looks like the Charismatic Leader card will lose significantly in weight) and there will be much more envoys to send around. But where those 3 and 6 envoy bonuses will go exactly?