Improved Pathfinders

[Cepheus75]

Changes the pathfinder virtue

I think +3 expedition modules is excessive especially considering supremacy 1 can also get you modules. This tones down the number of modules but offers +1 sight range (to the explorers only) in exchange. Gives them a better combat role as a recon unit/forward observer once the inital rush for pods and dig sites is over.

This currently only gives +1 sight on land, not the +2 while embarked that the Panopticon gets. Should I add the +2 embarked as well?

Download: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=334741575&searchtext=

 

[Lanth]

So how many modules do they get as part of this?

Anyway this seems like a very good change, since pathfinders IMO is pretty useless - if I need expedition modules that badly I'd much rather just buy an explorer and take the risk that an AI will do the expedition before I can get there (uncommon, in my experience) rather than waste a precious virtue on it.

 

[Cepheus75]

So you now can get the base 1 + 1 from pathfinders + 1 from supremacy 1 for a max of 3.

The base game you can get the base 1 + 3 from path finders and + 1 from supremacy 1 for a max of 5 which just seems dumb. I can never see needing more than 2 or 3.

I went ahead and added the embarked range.

This when stacked with the panopticon does make the sight range of explorers pretty powerful (4 on land and sea) but to do so you would need to spend 3 virtues, get a leaf tech that is not a "no brainer", and build a wonder. If you make that kind of commitment I think you should be rewarded as such.

Thoughts?

 

[Lanth]

So is panopticon +2 sight range? Ideally I think you'd cap it at 3 for explorers; 4 seems pretty excessive.

 

[Cepheus75]

On land Base range is 2, +1 for panopticon, and +1 for path finders so max for explorers is 4 and max for everyone else is 3

the embarked site variable seems to work slightly differently. The first time you use the stat it resets the base then you add so you go 1 base, set value to 2 for panopticon, and then add 2 for path finders for a total of 4 as such the max totals possible are:

Explorers 4 land 4 sea
Other military units 3 land 2 sea
(have not checked how naval units interact with panopticon yet)

I think I am ok with that since the 4 is on explorers only. It makes them in to really good forward observers/recon/forward air controllers after the goody hunt is over.

 

[Lanth]

I guess it would actually encourage me to explore the whole world. In Civ4 I would always just trade for maps, bizarrely that option isn't available in BE.

 

[Bandersnatching]

I like what you've done with Pathfinders, but even with this buff do you think it is worth an early virtue? It seems much more elegant now but still not powerful/useful/competitive enough compared to some of the other tier 1 virtues.
Thanks for making this mod. I'm going to download your mod and hope it works with BeBa.

 

[Cepheus75]

It works with BeBa. I have been using both in my current game.

I was thinking of reorganizing the whole Prosperity tree, bringing this down to a possible second choice, not 3rd (which requires a semi useless free worker), but have not had the time yet.

Might get to that in the next week or so (out of town this weekend)

 

[kirbdog]

The best use of Pathfinders is rushing down to the Health virtues right now. This is a welcome change.

 

[Bandersnatching]

Pathfinders switching places with the free workers would probably be a good balance decision. A free early worker is really good, the expedition bonus is only useful in the early game (unless something is later implemented that would allow for late-game excavations) and according to people on this forum, Prosperity is the best Virtue tree already, so slowing it down might get people to choose other options more often.