How to add fun in the middle of the game

[Midano]

I now always play C2C in Deity, and every time I end up the first civ in the beginning of Middle Ages tech.

I then play around a bit, and when I conquered half the world and started the Renaissance techs, I always feel the game extremely boring because there is no more challenge.

So I actually never reach the Industrial area... don't know if I'm alone here or if it is pretty common.

Yes, there is the fun of exploring oceans and colonizing new lands... but really, is it fun when you rule half a continent and your best opponent is weaker than half of your empire ?

I remember seeing somewhere the possibility to give independence to your colonies in the New World, and then take control of ONLY these colonies... your civ becoming a computer civ.

That would for sure add some challenge if I have to come from a new, starting civ to the 1st civ again, having to beat to do that the very civ that I created !

Did I dream, or did this feature exists somewhere, in the vanilla BTS or in a mod ?

 

[Thunderbrd]

We've had significant discussions on this matter recently. Interesting to see where you stand on it too. Consider that the latest SVN version has proven to be much more difficult to get ahead on Deity level though. I'd be impressed if you could pull that off so easily again on the current assets, soon to be released in a new version update.

I believe there IS a colony mechanism though it requires vassals be turned on so I don't have any experience with it.

There's a lot of steps we'll eventually take to address these issues and we've taken quite a few steps as it is. Nevertheless... lots more work to be done there.

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

"Colony" is a basic BtS function that C2C breaks in big ways. I have some ideas on how we may be able to fix them in the future.

RevDCM mod had the ability to take over a rebel faction and maybe a colony but C2C has broken that also.

 

[Midano]

Well, the added difficulty is great news.

Yet the option to take control of the colonies would be an awesome feature that would allow everyone who choose a "Old World/New World" map to experience a great new challenge right in the most delicate moment of C2C : when it becomes boring.

I read somewhere that one of the reason the Lunar/Mars exploration module isn't very advanced is that no one reach this level of development.

Well, if it would be possible to grant independence of a Mars colony and then control it, it would also add a new layer of challenge to the game !

I could be able to play the UK, then create the US and take control of it, then colonize Mars and take control of my civ there with the goal to terraform it and be the 1st civ of every planets in the solar system .

 

[arihant]

That would for sure add some challenge if I have to come from a new, starting civ to the 1st civ again, having to beat to do that the very civ that I created !

If you want this feature, start a game as multiplayer. After every load i could choose which civ i want to play, so when my chinesse empire with 200+ cities, in industrial era was too boring i picked english civ with 7 cities in middle age.

Hell it was challenge and funny, until i ended game cose of MAF big 12MB+ save file

 

[strategyonly]

btw in my NEW "Nightmare Mod" i have gone back to the alberts2 suggested way of putting in extra extra hard way to play, infact EACH level now is exactly two (2) levels above what is normal BtS. So playing on Noble would mean you are actually playing on Monarch, etc etc . . .

 

[Thunderbrd]

btw in my NEW "Nightmare Mod" i have gone back to the alberts2 suggested way of putting in extra extra hard way to play, infact EACH level now is exactly two (2) levels above what is normal BtS. So playing on Noble would mean you are actually playing on Monarch, etc etc . . .

Remember though that this means you're also making the game harder for the AI as well. They always play at Noble level. If you were to make all levels Noble and lower as the original settings then it would make more sense to really make the game harder overall.

 

[Toffer90]

AI could be set to play on a lower setting. I would propose having AI playing settler, as there are so many factors in this mod that gives the player an edge.

GlobalDefines.xml
	<Define>
		<DefineName>AI_HANDICAP</DefineName>
		<DefineTextVal>HANDICAP_NOBLE</DefineTextVal>
	</Define>
	<Define>
		<DefineName>BARBARIAN_HANDICAP</DefineName>
		<DefineTextVal>HANDICAP_NOBLE</DefineTextVal>
	</Define>

 

[JosEPh_II]

AI could be set to play on a lower setting. I would propose having AI playing settler, as there are so many factors in this mod that gives the player an edge.

Spoiler :

GlobalDefines.xml
	<Define>
		<DefineName>AI_HANDICAP</DefineName>
		<DefineTextVal>HANDICAP_NOBLE</DefineTextVal>
	</Define>
	<Define>
		<DefineName>BARBARIAN_HANDICAP</DefineName>
		<DefineTextVal>HANDICAP_NOBLE</DefineTextVal>
	</Define>

All the way to Settler.....hmmm. Would that cause the AI problems with popping more settlers from Goody Huts? Especially for those players that have to have City Limits (either form) in play?

I could see a compromise level between Noble and Settler for testing on the SVN after v36 Official release.

JosEPh

 

[strategyonly]

Remember though that this means you're also making the game harder for the AI as well. They always play at Noble level. If you were to make all levels Noble and lower as the original settings then it would make more sense to really make the game harder overall.

Well in a ways, maybe, but if you look at the Nightmare Mod, i gave them all kinds of advantages in the beginning, ALOT of extra techs etc etc, , that should help compensate and make them waay better than the human player in the beginning . . then its just game on anyways . .

 

[Midano]

If you want this feature, start a game as multiplayer. After every load i could choose which civ i want to play, so when my chinesse empire with 200+ cities, in industrial era was too boring i picked english civ with 7 cities in middle age.

That's an AWESOME tip, thanks !

Do you know any way to hack/edit a current save file to take control of a CPU faction ?

 

[Toffer90]

[/SPOILER]

All the way to Settler.....hmmm. Would that cause the AI problems with popping more settlers from Goody Huts? Especially for those players that have to have City Limits (either form) in play?

I could see a compromise level between Noble and Settler for testing on the SVN after v36 Official release.

JosEPh

We might want to consider making settler more like noble is today and find a better difficulty scale from settler to deity. Noble is today ridiculously easy imo, and it could work well as the lowest difficulty available.

 

[Arakhor]

A better option would be to properly balance the vast, sprawling content, rather than simply admitting defeat and raising the "default" difficulty level.

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

Noble is today ridiculously easy imo

I totally disagree with this statement. As a builder I am finding it almost impossible! Up until the Classic Era anyway.

 

[strategyonly]

I totally disagree with this statement. As a builder I am finding it almost impossible! Up until the Classic Era anyway.

I agree with DH here, Noble is the ONLY one i play on, and i can NEVER ever beat the AI. I am a builder also, i never fight against another civ or at least try to until after Middle Ages. If i can i try until Ren Age. Then its a fight from there, and mostly i lose.

 

[JosEPh_II]

Even though I've been playing Emperor level this year I never declare war. But because I am an eXpansionist I get DoWs quite often. I like being a builder since Civ II came out, but C2C has pushed me to be more aggressive once I get war declared on me.

With City defenses now so high it take hundreds to thousands of game years to fight a war that will make an AI offer Peace.

As for the proposal of making Noble the new Settler, that's why I posed my earlier questions.

JosEPh