Here's a list of thoughts, balance and flavour related, that I've compiled over the last few games:
1) Dragons: +1 LOS (because of size and flying)
2) Increase Dragon Breath weapon STR with dragon's COMBAT, much the same as it works with Mages.
3) Spells: -1 LOS, if possible, and no sight bonus from sentry towers.
4) Settlements and work boats. I heard mention that the AI would spam units in settlements if given the opportunity. However, this problem really needs to be addressed - Kuriotates can get totally gipped if the only water resources they get are not accessible to city hubs.
One possible solution: A Kuriotate-specific work boat unit that is a national unit that you are only allowed 1 of. This may still cause a problem for the AI (e.g., building the boat at the wrong city and not disbanding it), but would be much better than the spamming problem.
5) Settlements, in my experience, build a monument and then stay at Pop 1 with a Bard specialist. Or a priest specialist once you've sacrificed a disciple unit to build a temple. This produces a lot of GP from settlements. Perhaps a penalty to GPP in settlements should be implemented, like -50% or more.
6) Shadows attack workers, allowing one to defend from Shadows by using workers (it's easy enough to get the workers back on your turn). It would make sense to me if Shadows (and Marksmen) were given the option of which unit they attack, using an interface much like the one where you cast a spell on a unit.
7) Krakens: the ability to swim under ice and within rival territory.
8) Acheron - I love giving him boosts - could give a bonus to military production within any city he's situated.
9) A new promotion called Fire Attack, or some-such. This will allow dragons and pyre zombies to get bonuses against units vulnerable to fire, without giving other such units bonuses against them. Oh, and treants should be vulnerable to fire, no?
10) Grid Lines. Wouldn't it make more sense if Grid Lines were for golem units fortified in the city, not units built in the city? This would also give a reason to build it in most/all cities.
11) Chaos Marauder spamming: You can send in a lot of them to an ally's territory and let them wreak havoc without any diplo penalty. I think Marauders should be considered as an attack if you send them into someone else's territory. Or, perhaps, a severe diplo penalty (-4 You've sent Chaos Marauders into my lands).
12) I love the new magic system. However, it is possible to make money off all your mana nodes and avoid the diplo penalties associated with Death and Entropy, and still get the magic benefits. Once you've traded the nodes, you can simply cancel the deal, choose your spell spheres, and then re-negotiate the deal before the turn is over. And, of course, once your arcane unit has level one of a particular sphere, they don't need the mana again to continue advancing in that sphere.
One possibility is to take away the ability to trade mana. I don't know of any other simple solutions to limiting the trade exploit.
As for the diplo penalties, I think it's silly to base it on mana nodes as opposed to mana use. For instance, I can have an entropy node long enough to start a small entropy adept army. Then I trade the mana away for the rest of the game, eliminating the diplo penalty, yet I'm using entropic magic to destroy the world. As well, why don't priests cause this problem? If I follow the Veil, and summon Balors every turn, I should be hit with a diplo penalty (from those civs who don't like it).
- Niilo
)
in all cities
)
