[IDEA] Dynamic Battlefields

[tangent]

One of my favorite features in Civ III Conquests was the addition of craters after shelling or bombing a target. Now, with the implementation of Python, there is considerably more flexibility to what can be added for immersion sake! There are already multiple features included in C2C that add for more dynamic (and ultimately strategic!) wars (IDW, Surround and Destory, Battlefield Damage), however I've always wanted a more devastating effect after a huge overwhelming-force invasion.

(Standard Caveat when addressing Mod authors--habit from talking to Skyrim modders) Now, I'm not a coder. I won't pretend to understand the simplicity/difficulty of adding features like this to the game. Furthermore I appreciate this is your baby and ultimately your decision, however I hope you take these ideas with due consideration!

Here we go:

Spoiler :

- Spats of Combat (<3 Battles in a turn) should still retain the "Smoke" feature.

- Intense firefights (>3 yet <5 Battles in a turn) would see considerably more lasting damage. Increase of negative properties by random value 15-75(crime,water/air pollution, Disease).
30% chance that any forests in tile become the Burnt until 50 turns passed and tile became a young forest [I already saw these terrain improvements in the Civilopedia, and have only gotten to the Medieval Age so far so I don't know if you've already implemented this!]

- Dug-In warfare between 2 stacks of death (>5 Battles in a turn) would have the most devastating effect on the terrain. The terrain would have a 60% chance to revert to the barren type (Either indefinitely or for x turns). Would be -3 , -3, -1:Health:, +2. Negative properties would be increased by random value 50-200. Forests 1 tile away would have 30% chance to become burnt.

As for improvements, any combat on a tile with a terrain improvement would have:

2% Chance for Mine, Shaft Mine, Modern Mine to become depleted mine
15% Chance for cottage, hamlet, village, town to become ruins
15% Chance for destruction of Machinery improvements
5% Chance for naval improvements to be "collateral damage", 15% chance for stationary naval improvements (Oil rig, submerged town, etc)
60% Chance to replace improvement with Craters if Bombard Tile is used and High Explosive has been researched

Events could also be included. I.E.:

-Higher chance for "bandits in the farms" events after farm tile battle
-New event for "Iron Harvest" (after High Explosives is researched) [See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_harvest if "craters improvement" are in a tile
"Our farmers have been unearthing multiple explosives from past conflict. Though no one has been injured yet, many citizens are complaining it is only a matter of time before someone gets killed!
-Pay to have the fields swept (x Gold deducted, "Craters" removed, +1 for 30 turns in nearest city)
-Eh, I'm sure they're just exaggerating (25% Chance to lose 1 population in nearest city, +5 Local Instability for 30 turns, +2 for 30 turns, "Craters" remain)
-We have reserves... (Need Conscription, Mind Control, The Grid, or other relevant civic. 50% Chance to lose 1 population in nearest city, +2 for 30 turns, "Craters" removed)

Lastly, if youre still reading, have a "dug-in" improvement accompany the "Trench" promotion. The promotion, in addition to giving usual collateral damage buffs, will allow a "Dig In" ability which will take 1 turn and build a trench improvement (I'm thinking the graphic for palisade, earth wall, or Checkpoint) that adds +15% Tile defense. Ideally, this would be in addition to any other improvement (like a bunker or fort) and would remove itself after a few dozen turns if unoccupied.

I threw the numbers in as place holders, since I figure your team would have a considerably better idea of how to keep things balanced. The idea of having to do a total reconstruction of occupied territory after a particularly brutal war (whether it's newly acquired territory or something to leave for your enemies) is something I get giddy about!

Thoughts?

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

Good ideas. Yes we have had discussion on this but not in as much detail as you have provided.

The battle effects option (BUG options) does put smoke on the plot where a battle has taken place but it is too big and interferes with the other plots. It can even reveal plots you should not be ale to see. Changing the size could fix that problem.

When we got Super Forts merged in I tried to make something like "trench" and "dug-in" improvements but they need AI work for the non-humans to understand and use them.

ModifiedA4 has some interesting "damaged lands" improvements which may be useful here. However the python module with all that stuff in is not being loaded when it should. It is on my list to find out why.

 

[Faustmouse]

Sounds interesting... While I think pre Industrial battles won't have a REALLY devastating effect (I could be wrong of course) beside burned forests, some Air Pollution (burning Oil) and Water Pollution (dead bodies) and destroyed improvements, I can imagine that a battle between tanks would be quite devastating.
I could imagine that Farms deplete after a battle (put a lot of salt on the grounds), but why mines? I don't think a battle would have any effect on the ore under the earth (except you use VERY high energy weapons that cause Fusion of the Metal atoms )

Something like Trech is under developement. It will appear in form of unit ability and promotions that allow the unit to accumulate more "5%" defense per turn then normal fortify.

 

[tangent]

I say mines considering they make very convenient defensive positions. And if your holed up in one and the battle goes sour, you burn the support beams and take them with you. Alternatively, the attacking troops could see the enemy took a defensive posture and flood/destory the mine themselves. Obviously this would be in extreme circumstances so the option has a lower chance.

As for the trenches, why not make it an automatic thing? Every play revolutions? When a unit was fortified for an extended period of time, a defensive position graphic was created that remained for a few turns after being unoccupied. Have it switch during the different ages to reflect different types of fortifications used in each age (Stakes for Ancient, Palisades for Medieval, Barbed wire for Modern, etc). This might be more annoying to code, but the AI would most likely continue its normal actions, then treat the improvement like a fort after it is (albeit, unintentionally) created when they have a unit chilling at your border for 5 turns.

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

Cave ins could make it more trouble than it is worth to reopen the mine.

There probably should be the possibility of a battle filed feature added to the plot that may provide a boost later for local history or tourism or archaeology.

 

[Faustmouse]

I can also imagine that after a battle your farmers collect the metals (Swords, Armor up to destroyed tanks) and therefore it will give the plot +2 but -2 for X turns.

 

[tangent]

I can also imagine that after a battle your farmers collect the metals (Swords, Armor up to destroyed tanks) and therefore it will give the plot +2 but -2 for X turns.

Check the link I put in original post, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_harvest

They're STILL dealing with issues from WWI. It'd be better to have an event "Spoils of War!" that gave a random value of cash for salvage. However, the looting would DEFINITELY bring an undesirable element to the area as well so +15 Crime in plot for x turns as well. Not to mention the high possibility of bodies polluting the area so more disease

 

[tangent]

There probably should be the possibility of a battle filed feature added to the plot that may provide a boost later for local history or tourism or archaeology.

If the battle produces +50% Influence (Influence Driven War), then it is "Historic"

If battle results in death of Settler, and no other resource in plot, create Ancient Site bonus resource

 

[Sparth]

PAE mod inlcluding this idea (in some way). Field of battle after fight by short of time is "diseased" and damage passing units.

 

[tangent]

Well the idea is for more aesthetic devastation...

(before and after of Brest)

 

[Faustmouse]

They're STILL dealing with issues from WWI.

Yeah, my girlfriend lifes in Cologne and in the last two months they found 3 or 4 bombs and parts of the city had to be evacuated

 

[Thunderbrd]

I'll be taking these concepts into consideration once I have time to and other combat mod elements are developed. A few tweaks to the battlefield effects option could be cool to deepen things too. Unfortunately haven't we found that the battlefield effects option causes severe delays in play for some reason?

 

[0100010]

Once upon a time wasn't there battle effects that caused yield reductions in Rom/AnD that most everyone hated? Please don't bring those back.