Loki needs a boost

[xienwolf]

A "Rush" function for Cultural Conquest. I kinda like it

Another option to make him beneficial in the lategame as well would be to allow him to cast 2 unique "Spells"

Conscript Carnival: Available anytime Loki is on the same square as a Gypsy Wagon. Kills the Gypsy Wagon and grants Loki the Promotion: Ring Master.

Establish Carnival: Must have the Promotion: Ring Master to cast, and be in a Rival City without a Carnival. Creates a Carnival in the City and performs a small Trade Mission (Great Merchant Ability), yielding ~1/3 the gold that a Great Merchant would have gotten for the same City. Also removes the Promotion: Ring Master from the caster.


This not only allows you to make money with Loki, thus allowing him to be useful throughout the course of the game, but it also finally gives other human players a reason to allow Loki to be in their Cities, as you might be giving them a free Carnival & gaining enough Gold to allow them to trade to get it for themselves (Honest man, just wait 3 more turns, the Gypsy Wagon is TOTALLY on the way. I really mean it this time!).




I do love this idea, and think it would fit in the main mod quite well. Thus I seperate the next bit of the idea from the main part as I fear that it is NOT quite appropriate for the intention of the main game (but I would still like to see it done!)

And of course if you want to spice it up with something Chaotic you can have a 20% chance to create something other than a Carnival which is actually bad for the player who has it. Like a Permanent Gypsy Camp, allowing the Balseraphs to always view your full city details in that city, AND costing you culture/gold.

 

[Calbrenar]

I think Loki is almost OP as is. If you play maps where you start near people (who aren't creative) he can get pretty much as many cities as your econ can support, is basically an invulnerable scout, and provides much needed information on what your opponents are doing.

 

[Zechnophobe]

I think Loki is almost OP as is. If you play maps where you start near people (who aren't creative) he can get pretty much as many cities as your econ can support, is basically an invulnerable scout, and provides much needed information on what your opponents are doing.

Right, in a map where you start near non creative leaders. Map type is always a function of actual effectiveness. Lanun on archipelago's are ******** strong.

Problem is, if he isn't capping cities, he starts to degrade in value pretty darn fast.

I'd love it if he could 'summon' something later on in the game, to give Keelyn something clearly better than perpentarch.

 

[Calbrenar]

The thing is I think the fact that since he's ridiculously effective on 90% of the map types and prolly 60-75% of the starts (how many creative leaders are there really?) that more then makes up for the facts that you start isolated or by a creative leader or the fact that he's not as useful end game.

Also keep in mind that even though he can't cap cities later (and he still can because new cities are typically founded a ton and can be liberated for positive relations with AI) he can still be used to scout far more effectively then gypsy wagons.

Plus the benefits he grants in so many cases early game, and the fact that TINY benefits in the first 100 turns are magnified a hundred or thousand fold enormously makes up for his weakness in later game.

Take Luchuirp for example. Popping their world spell on turn one even on a non advanced start allows them to out produce everyone and they can drop workers right off the bat too (good call Daladinn!) I tested this out and its ridiculously strong. If you use Advanced start its even worse. Loki gives you this kind of effect 9 games out of 10 and that's well worth it I think . Antyhing he's given to make him stronger for the last 30% of the game or to combat the 1/10 games where he can't help you will make him even more OP for the times when he already adds a ton. The only thing I can think of is letting him get XP so that say around level 20 or 30 or 40 maybe he could pick up some scout or mobility type spells but again he's so insanely good for 9/10 early games that I don't think its really needed.

 

[Ecofarm]

What about occ, where you can't gain cities?

I know, this is another of my freakishly bizarre settings that were totally unplanned for by the team and I have no right playing it at all. Just saying...

 

[Demus]

easily enough: if you want OCC, don't play bals . Go for kurio's, khazad or sidar, or possibly hyborem (although i don't know if the 1 city thing is saved during the transfer).