New Beta Version - March 2nd (3-2)

[Gazebo]

Hey all,

New beta version inbound. It's been a weird winter for me, but we're getting through it. Anyways, thank you to everyone (especially @Recursive) for stepping up in my absence and keeping things moving along. As always, this is an incredible group project, much bigger than I ever imagined it would be so many years ago.

Without further adieu, changelog (compilation of changelogs for betas since my absence - others may want to fill in brevity with more detail):

LUA
    UI code cleanup
    API cleanup
    
Cleaned up tons of bugfix #if headers and 'zombie' globals
Removed tons of unnecessary #if defines
Operational AI - Cleaned up and fixed a few operations, including barb hunting
Pathfinder Optimizations
Adjusted barb spawning rates and theft amounts
Cleaned up memory for beliefs, cities, city citizens, dealAI/dealclasses, espionageAI, game, globals, infos, flavors, maps, militaryAI, plots, religion, team, unit, and other assorted smaller memory opt
Optimization of city code, city citizen code, corporation code, culture code, deal AI code, economicAI code, espionageAI,
Complete refactor of DiploAI code - again! :)
Adjustments to AI valuation model for trade deals
Builders smarter at canals, forts, roads
Adjusted Building, Unit, Process production AI
Adjusted evaluation model for city value
Fixed some promotion issues for giving out free promotions, etc.
Tweaked some grandstrategy logic
Cleaned up homelandAI targeting
Adjusted PolicyAI logic
Settler site logic adjusted
Adjusted citycitizen logic for plots/specialists 
TacticalAI optimization pass
Balance pass for AI voting logic
AI diplo flavor adjustments
Database adjustments based on DLL API changes
UUs from Ideologies now replace respective units in tree

[Celtic Pantheons]
Morrigan, the Harbinger
Loses +5 HP healed per turn in friendly territory
Gains +Gold, Culture, GAP instant yields if you pillage a non-road improvement

Dagda, the All-Father
Gains +5 HP healed per turn in friendly territory

[Spain]
A few changes from PAD: https://github.com/LoneGazebo/Community-Patch-DLL/commit/a1db82c0041822753b2de43d9903e899a949d45b

[Diplo]
Humans now use the base AI WarmongerHate flavor for their chosen civ (for calculating warmonger score and anti-warmonger fervor)

[General]
Cities now heal faster when no enemy unit is within 3 tiles of the city (visible or not)

[City-States]
No longer spawn units if their friend/ally lacks the strategic resources to spawn it
Only spawn naval units if their friend/ally has a coastal city
Now use simple plot distance rather than path length to find the closest cities, for consistency to the player

[Units]
Bomber now upgrades into B17 if you have the required tenet
Fighter now upgrades into Zero if you have the required tenet
Infantry now upgrades into Guerilla Fighter if you have the required tenet
HFF added Policy_UnitClassReplacements or a table like that, seems like it was a lot of work!

To-do for next beta
    Inquisitors not blocking- need to check
    Continued balance passes on late game content

Balance
    Air Interception for Air Units now goes to 100% (33/33/34)
        Air Interception for non-air units now goes to 60% (15/15/15/15)
    AA Guns too strong
        Reduced CS on AA gun, SAM
    Air Bombers need more punch against cities
        Increased Air City Siege promotions to +50%; reduced Targeting to 15%
    Fighters need more punch against units
        Native penalty against land/sea units replaced with +10%
    Diplo Victory
        Vassals no longer vote in diplomatic victory - forced to abstain
    GS too strong
        Weakened turns to count for instant boost by 25%
    GM/GE too weak
        increased scaling off improvements to 25%
    Destroyers too fast
        now 4 speed
    Special Forces - 1750p cost now
    Bazookas too weak
        RCS to 70
    Cuirassier - increase CS/RCS by 1
    Light Tank - increase speed by 1
    All WC projects (olympics, UN, etc.) exempted from repeat voting rule
    Terracotta reduced to 10
    Hubble - reduced GS to 1
    Police Station - +1 Happy
    Stadium - 10 WLTKD turns
    Stock Exchange - gold hurry % now -20% (was -10%)
    Hydro- all tiles affected now +4
    Nuclear - increase %  production to 50
    Solar - cheaper
        now 20% for processes (was 15%)

Online as of 3:30pm CST. Not savegame compatible.

Link: https://mega.nz/folder/2Jdw3aQT#Z49gV7KAyMq6YiG5BD9jaA

 

[DeAnno]

Terracotta reduced to 10

Ouch but I can't say it's wrong. Still a good wonder IMO.

 

[Stalker0]

Woot! Some good changes in here! Let me dig in on a few, as I agree with the vast majority just want to take a look at a few.

Adjusted barb spawning rates and theft amounts

--So what are we looking at here?

Cities now heal faster when no enemy unit is within 3 tiles of the city (visible or not)

--I don't think the change is needed earlier in the game, but honestly keeping units within 3 of a city before arsenals should be easy to do unless you have just completely been turned away, so seems a reasonable way to go.


To-do for next beta
Continued balance passes on late game content

--Does this mean all the changes noted below this line are not in this version and are just speculative? Or does that mean we have these changes, with more expected?

Air Interception for Air Units now goes to 100% (33/33/34)
Air Interception for non-air units now goes to 60% (15/15/15/15)
AA Guns too strong
Reduced CS on AA gun, SAM

--Is it possible to make it where the unit with the higher interception % is checked first? Otherwise, you can get into scenarios where your AA guns actually weaken your interception net, because depending on the random roll your jets may not get picked for interception.

Air Bombers need more punch against cities
Increased Air City Siege promotions to +50%; reduced Targeting to 15%
Fighters need more punch against units
Native penalty against land/sea units replaced with +10%

--So i want to check on what's the thinking here. Bombers definitely could use a city boost (at least how much damage they take, not necessarily how much they deal). But the targeting and fighter changes confuse me. So are we shifting back to fighters being the primary anti-unit role now.... or are bombers still meant to serve that primary role? If its still the bomber, why the damage nerf....is there a fear that with the weakened AA gun bombers become too strong?

Diplo Victory
Vassals no longer vote in diplomatic victory - forced to abstain

--While I would have preferred to see vassals get a reduced impact instead of none, I can live with this. It may require a little retuning of the votes needed, as it can sometimes be very difficult to get the needed votes if you get no vassal support.

Destroyers too fast
now 4 speed

--Hehe out of all the things I would like to see nerfed for the destroyer, speed wasn't really one of them. I get that this is probably to make chasing down enemy navies more difficult, but at the same time this means late game navies are really slow compared to how much sea they may have to cover. I know its a little tough to swallow flavor wise, but what about giving naval ships some kind of airport esque drop in mechanic? Yes...it is weird that ships suddenly appear and disappear, but its equally weird that modern era naval ships can barely get anywhere where units on railroads can zip across an entire continent.

Or...what about a special promotion: "Blue Water: If no enemy naval units are within 10 hexes, +3 speed". Something like that to let navals gain an ability to cruise around, but then have to sail carefully when facing the enemy. That could even be a neat like pro-submarine change, as subs can disrupt enemy ship movements just for being in the area....simulating the "harrassing" nature of subs that existing in modern naval combat.

Special Forces - 1750p cost now

--Anyone remember what their original cost was off hand? I am generally in favor of a cost reduction.

Bazookas too weak
RCS to 70

--A solid change. I also have tried the late game war rebalance which has tried 3 range bazookas, and that has worked pretty well as an alternative option if the 70 RCS doesn't do the job.

Light Tank - increase speed by 1
--More speed is good, but honestly its not enough. Light Tanks are just too vulnerable to the counterplay units at that time in the game, they get sniped very easily.

All WC projects (olympics, UN, etc.) exempted from repeat voting rule
--Awesome!

Police Station - +1 Happy
--Every little bit helps but I don't think this changes the math. Honestly for the cost I would probably just build a public works.
[/CODE]

 

[CyberPhy]

Thanks for the Amazing work you guys put into this mod!

 

[Gazebo]

Woot! Some good changes in here! Let me dig in on a few, as I agree with the vast majority just want to take a look at a few.

These balance changes are included. This is a 'first, rough pass' on some things I've seen brought up a few times over the past few months.

Interception grabs 'best' interceptor first, and works way down, so yes, works as you want already.

Special forces drop was about 150 production.

For planes, idea is to allow fighters to be a little more generic, and for bombers to be a bit more explicitly anti-city (if promoted that way). Fighters were otherwise too weak against everything except air, now they're a bit more general purpose.

 

[Hinin]

By the way @Gazebo, what is your opinion on the current discussions about France, Songhai and America (and Byzantium for the aesthetic change to the UB) ? I feel like we've had good debates, but hearing your point of view would help to clarify things (especially about the feasibility of some ideas, and the whole Songhai conundrum).

Also, welcome back on the front stage. I hope the advanced actions of @Kim Dong Un's spies against you these last months didn't stress you out to much.

 

[Stalker0]

For planes, idea is to allow fighters to be a little more generic, and for bombers to be a bit more explicitly anti-city (if promoted that way). Fighters were otherwise too weak against everything except air, now they're a bit more general purpose.

Actually double checking, the patch notes say targetting (which I think you mean Air Targetting) was lowered to 15%. Its already 15%, did you mean 10? Or perhaps Targeting 3 was lowered?

 

[Deaga]

Something weird is going on with the policy trees. Will know in a few turns if it's just a graphical glitch or not.

 

[pineappledan]

Bomber now upgrades into B17 if you have the required tenet
Fighter now upgrades into Zero if you have the required tenet
Infantry now upgrades into Guerilla Fighter if you have the required tenet

... What happens if the civ you are playing has a unique Fighter/Bomber/Infantry? Do you become unable to build the ideology unit? The unique unit?

 

[Recursive]

... What happens if the civ you are playing has a unique Fighter/Bomber/Infantry? Do you become unable to build the ideology unit? The unique unit?

Unique units are not replaced, but you can still build the ideology unit.

 

[azum4roll]

I also have tried the late game war rebalance which has tried 3 range bazookas, and that has worked pretty well as an alternative option if the 70 RCS doesn't do the job.

Those also have 60/80 though. Just a buff to 70 with 2 range still doesn't make them useful other than being stationed in/behind a city.

 

[Gizmoman]

Yay, the G is back.

 

[Asterix Rage]

HFF added Policy_UnitClassReplacements or a table like that, seems like it was a lot of work!

@HungryForFood
What a breakthrough !

 

[JamesNinelives]

Humans now use the base AI WarmongerHate flavor for their chosen civ (for calculating warmonger score and anti-warmonger fervor)

Sorry, what does this mean?

Bazookas too weak RCS to 70 Cuirassier - increase CS/RCS by 1 Light Tank - increase speed by 1

Excellent .

For planes, idea is to allow fighters to be a little more generic, and for bombers to be a bit more explicitly anti-city (if promoted that way). Fighters were otherwise too weak against everything except air, now they're a bit more general purpose.

Good. I like fighters but always wondered whether I should just be using bombers instead (except in air sweeps).

 

[Recursive]

Sorry, what does this mean?

https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/new-beta-patch-2-4.667153/page-12#post-16039532

 

[stii]

Changes seem good, bad things getting stronger, good things getting weaker.

Terracotta still seems good for example. Only good thing that got buffed was solar plant and that is just because of how the end game works.

 

[Phosphoraptor]

Those also have 60/80 though. Just a buff to 70 with 2 range still doesn't make them useful other than being stationed in/behind a city.

On top of that i would also suggest 3 moves to keep up with other information era units.

 

[stii]

I have remembered a problem that came about fairly recently, last couple of patches maybe? Building wonders now forces production focus. Which makes sense in most cases but for early wonders it can lead to the AI having size one capitals for quite a while

 

[Ranslee]

Looks great! Thank you for your awesome work

 

[tothePAIN]

The only change that I'm less certain about is the elimination of vassal votes for diplomatic victories. That's a pretty big change. Autocracy was suited for diplomatic victory because of vassals. But diplomatic victory was also easily a substitute for domination victory with full vassal votes. We can play it and see? Maybe 50%?