Mechanics Testing

[vale]

Being unable to sleep a few nights ago, I put together a list of mechanics I wanted to better understand in Civ VI. Some I have found resources here that are partial to complete but others I didn't see obvious discussion. In my limited testing, I have some results but the most important thing I noticed is the lack of transparency in the interface relative to Civ IV and even Civ V. Also the lack of world builder makes setting up some of these tests more painful than others.

1. Production Overflow - near and dear to my heart and obviously with the readily available production boosts, potentially very lucrative. My testing shows that production overflows on a 1:1 basis and all production boosts of the completed item are applied to the overflow. None of the production boosts of the new item are applied to the overflow. Example. I have the card that gives me +50% production to melee units in place as well as the card that gives me +50% production to settlers in place. I chop a forest worth 20 production to complete a melee unit (max overflow is when the unit is very close to completion). After the chop, 30 production is applied. Whatever is needed is applied to the melee unit and the remainder goes into whatever is next chosen to be built. This may be a good way to apply production boosts to items that normally would not receive them. I will try to do a more detailed guide with screenshots this weekend.
2. Tech/Culture Overflow - I have not been able to test this as well as I would like yet because there are so few lump sums of tech/culture floating around to use as a seed for testing. Obviously Darwin or the mountain Great Scientist would be the best way to test this. I did verify that late boosts only give exactly the amount needed to complete the boosted tech/civic and result in no overflow.
3. District Cost - seems to be known based on the formulas thread
4. Settler/Builder Cost - seems to be known based on the formulas thread
5. Upgrade Cost - seems to be a discussion linked from the formulas thread but unclear if this is tested/resolved
6. Trader Cost - this clearly scales as the game progresses but exactly has not been discussed from what I've seen
7. Amenity Mechanics - known based on the Amenity Guide
8. Growth Cost - seems to be known based on the formulas thread
9. Trader Yields - known based on the Trade Routes guide
10. Great People patronage cost - seems to be known based on the formulas thread
11. Experience Cost
12. Rush Buy Cost - seems to be known based on the formulas thread
13. Faith Buy Cost
14. Production focus trick 100% dead - seems like so from my testing
15. Culture Expansion Mechanics - cost known based on the formulas thread/tile selection unknown/Russia bonus tile mechanics related?
16. Forest/Marsh/Jungle/Bonus removal yields - seems to be known based on the formulas thread
17. Game speed scaling mechanics/shortfalls
18. Map size scaling mechanics/shortfalls
19. War Weariness mechanics - seems to be known based on the formulas thread
20. Tourism mechanics - known based on the culture and tourism guide
21. Envoy mechanics - containment and diplomatic league stack - First envoy you send will give you 3 if you qualify for the containment bonus
22. Production decay mechanics
23. Starvation mechanics - seems to be very friendly - starving 1 food from 2 pop, 0 food seems to bring you to 1 pop with nearly full food. I haven't had time to necessarily do a full test. World builder would sure be nice. I do remember in Civ IV starvation was much more detrimental - lowering you by 1 pop and leaving food at 0.
24. Combat mechanics - known based on the Combat Formulas thread
25. Housing mechanics - known based on the Housing Guide

I'm sure there are others but these were just the ones that were bothering me the other night. Has anyone tested any of the ones that don't seem to be 100% solved?

 

[Victoria]

Religious spread. I have tested a fair amout but got sick of it so gave up.

Culture overflow...A lot of culture is cumulative. Overflow occurs for civics including any bonus culture. Not sure what else you need.

Wonder overflow is lost so best to expend a GP on 2 wonders unless you feel pressed.

You put a lot of known ones in there mixed up rather than separate which confuses outstanding which I guess is what you are after.

What would be top of your list you do not know?

Testing in a duel human environment with reveal all makes things a lot easier.

 

[ShinigamiKenji]

I think Trader gold cost increase by number too, but in a more gentle way than Settlers and Builders (maybe 5-10 gold per new trader).

I vaguely remember that their cost only gets updated in the next turn, but I'm not sure. I do think that, even if that's the case, it really increases by number of traders (so bulk buying in one turn might increase the cost more).

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Side note: Great Person Cost is totally unknown.

 

[Victoria]

Side note: Great Person Cost is totally unknown.

What do you mean? The increase is unknown.... how it works out the cost is unknown?... sounds like a challenge. If you can clarify it a bit I can have a nose

 

[KrikkitTwo]

What do you mean? The increase is unknown.... how it works out the cost is unknown?... sounds like a challenge. If you can clarify it a bit I can have a nose

The calculation to determine amount of GPP a Great Person will cost besides the first one is unknown....

theories:
each gp has an individual cost
the cost also depends on comparing the GP's era to the average era (incase you get an early GP)
it starts at a base and then increases for each GP
it depends on the era only (first Industrial GP=X, second industrial GP=Y, etc.)

or some combo of the above.

Haven't really worked at collating since Civ6's UI/hidden mechanic issues (on top of gameplay/AI ones and bugs) are getting depressing.

 

[Victoria]

Tx @KrikkitTwo , I'll try and take a look sometime.
Yeah those me hanics are just awesomely challenging. That latest diplomacy one giving back cities for example.

 

[ShinigamiKenji]

The calculation to determine amount of GPP a Great Person will cost besides the first one is unknown....

theories:
each gp has an individual cost
the cost also depends on comparing the GP's era to the average era (incase you get an early GP)
it starts at a base and then increases for each GP
it depends on the era only (first Industrial GP=X, second industrial GP=Y, etc.)

or some combo of the above.

Haven't really worked at collating since Civ6's UI/hidden mechanic issues (on top of gameplay/AI ones and bugs) are getting depressing.

Hmm, a game which one tries to get all the Great People seems interesting. Kinda like those you try to build every wonder (which incidentally goes hand in hand to the Great People, since many Wonders provide GPP).

I'll try to set up a game with this objective. Probably going Kongo, Brazil or Russia. Maybe Warlord or Prince difficulties are adequate (and enabling only Score and Domination Victory so there's much control over victory).

For now, the theories are:

• Every GP has an individual cost
  
• GP cost increases with every new GP in total (probably discardable)
• GP cost increases with every new GP from its type
  
• GP cost is only relative to its era
• GP cost increases if you recruit a more advanced GP than the average era (for example, if most AI's are on Medieval Era, recruiting an Industrial one should be more expensive)
• GP cost changes if you recruit a GP from an era other than the players' current era (for example, if you try to recruit an Industrial GP while on Atomic Era, or an Information GP when you're on Modern Era)
• Some combo of the above

I'll post the GP costs after I'm done with that game. In the meanwhile, please post more theories.

I'd encourage people to try it on Deity (which I don't consider myself able to beat it yet), for example, to compare if the AI era progression has any impact.

 

[Victoria]

@ShinigamiKenji Just set up a human vs Human. One gets no GPP and the other takes them all.

So from what I saw last night with the game I had just started each era has a cost classic 60 then 120 then 240
I started building a classic scientist and when we popped up eras the classic scientist remained until complete.
I took a renaissance scientist just before America and the second scientist from the era was the same price. Did not get much further and clearly based on what @KrikkitTwo was showing things go a bit astray later in the game or maybe buggy games?

 

[ShinigamiKenji]

In my Science games I recall Abdus Salam being cheaper than Kwolek or Sagan, and both are from the same era. So I'd say they have either a individual cost, or a base cost per era with a few exceptions. I suspect it's the latter, given my Brazil GP game right now.

EDIT: As far as my game is going, I suspect every Great People has a fixed cost per its respective era, regardless of world's average era, the recruiters' era or number of GP recruited

I'm taking the game very slowly, as to minimize bypassing Great People, so I only have figures up to Renaissance:

Classical Era - 60 points
Medieval Era - 120 points
Renaissance Era - 240 points
Industrial Era - 420 points ? (from 1st Great Musician)

EDIT 2: After trudging this tedious game, I'm pretty much sure it's the case that all GP from a certain era has a fixed cost, with a few exceptions.

I'll finish the game to check average costs, and if I have the time (and patience) I'll set up another game to check costs of the earlier ones (which seems to pass too quickly). I still have to check if costs change with difficulty, but I think that's hardly the case.