Lowering the Number of Cities

[tchristensen]

Here is a suggestion that perhaps you could toy with. In the GlobalDefine.XML there is a option to set the distance between each city. Default is set to two.

Recently I changed this to four, thus each city must be at least 4 squares away from another city.

My hope was that this would allow my friends and I to play on the largest sized maps in the game yet restrict the overall size of the number of cities. We find that if the game grows to a point where empires have 40 or more cities, it becomes very hard to manage it on a timely fashion.

We also found this offered some interesting strategic decisions to be made in the game, mostly where to put a city and how to defend a city. Cities are now more scattered and harder to defend as they seem further apart.

As a side note, I noticed that you use the default GlobalDefine for the mod. Have you looked at some of the options in this XML? Many very interesting little tweaks can be made here -- like the number of Barbarian defenders and how far away they can spawn. Again just some ideas to think about.

It is just a suggestion to toy around with or even think about

 

[Xyth]

Here is a suggestion that perhaps you could toy with. In the GlobalDefine.XML there is a option to set the distance between each city. Default is set to two.

Recently I changed this to four, thus each city must be at least 4 squares away from another city.

My hope was that this would allow my friends and I to play on the largest sized maps in the game yet restrict the overall size of the number of cities. We find that if the game grows to a point where empires have 40 or more cities, it becomes very hard to manage it on a timely fashion.

We also found this offered some interesting strategic decisions to be made in the game, mostly where to put a city and how to defend a city. Cities are now more scattered and harder to defend as they seem further apart.

I have experimented with this setting, personally I think 3 feels about right. 4 can be quite interesting, but bear in mind that the setting does not scale with mapsize in any way and can thus be quite restrictive on smaller maps and maps with numerous islands.

I'm not adverse to setting it at 3, though I'd want to hear feedback from others first.

As a side note, I noticed that you use the default GlobalDefine for the mod. Have you looked at some of the options in this XML? Many very interesting little tweaks can be made here -- like the number of Barbarian defenders and how far away they can spawn. Again just some ideas to think about.

I use a GlobalDefinesAlt.xml, which contains all the settings I've changed but not the ones I haven't. I don't remember why, but its recommended to do this rather than overriding GlobalDefines.xml completely.

Barbarians need some reviewing for sure, I haven't really been paying much attention to how all of HR's changes have been affecting them so far.

 

[V3N0M]

Would it be possible to scale city distance and unit movement ranges based on the map size?

 

[Xyth]

Would it be possible to scale city distance and unit movement ranges based on the map size?

Unfortunately no.

 

[Little Faith]

I'm not a fan. You will essentially be accommodating people playing on huge maps at the expense of those playing on normal size (or smaller).

If it could be turned into a toggleable option It'd be a good idea though.

 

[platyping]

Actually, it is possible via python.

A) onGameStart, if map size > XXX:
loop through every team, +1 Movement to land and naval for instance.
Do this for colonies as well onFirstContact if they can be created in HR.

B) The other alternative is have a set of unobtainable Movement Promotions.
onUnitCreated:
If Unit has 1 Movement by default and Mapsize > X:
Grants Move +1 Promotion
If Unit has 2 Movement by default and Mapsize > X:
Grants Move+2 Promotion

Option A simpler to set up, but there is less flexibility.
It is either all land units +X movement or none. You cannot decide to add only for combat units and not for workers for instance.

Option B works better, but you get an ugly promotion?
You can decide which units get how much movement boost or totally none at all.

 

[Xyth]

Scaling unit movement could be done that way, yes, but personally I'm not a fan of altering that, even on larger maps. Scaling minimum city distance with mapsize is the main concern. It guess it could be done via the cannotFoundCity callback but that undoubtably incurs a performance hit, especially with the necessary range checks attached.

 

[Howard Mahler]

I'm not a fan. You will essentially be accommodating people playing on huge maps at the expense of those playing on normal size (or smaller).

If it could be turned into a toggleable option It'd be a good idea though.

I agree!

 

[tchristensen]

It's actually an interesting strategic change to the game. We have been playing it on 4squares and has been working out quite well. Its an easy change to make, requiring only one number alteration.

Likewise for those that like to play on small maps, you could change the distance to 1 so they can pack their cities in like sardines if that is what they want.

A simple Text file could be included on how to make the change, or even easier a folder containing the XML with that one change -- simply over write the old one and you are ready to go.

 

[lindsay40k]

It's quite an extreme change if you like to play a Culture game and have overlapping cities work up Cottages ready for the big push. I'd be happy to see it as a toggleable option; I'd never use it, but it'd be cool to have it there.

 

[Xyth]

City distance is a simple parameter to tweak if one is willing to go into the XML, but there's no way for me to add it as in-game toggle (without wrecking performance) so it will have to remain an 'expert' option.

 

[BBQ man]

remain an 'expert' option.

I agree; I often choose to build cities further apart anyway, to self-limit number and management issues, but it is sometimes highly desirable to nestle a couple cities close together, due to terrain or border control or resource issues.