See, that is where I would rather iMaxNumCities played a larger role, instead of the adding up for limiting cities based on extra have it naturally capped by city maintenance. In Nightmare that is happening but in the regular it is not. Sure, higher base City Maintenances make it better but far, far from good.
You speak of "Without Despotism capped at 12 cities" and already there, even at Deity, the last 4 cities have not increased the costs nationwide, only added on the maintenance cost for the new cities, and after that "easily double" (remember my test showing just that, btw?), whereby each city again only adds total maintenance of it's own maintenance.
If that number is around 15 and you get an income of 10 from each of those cities then the cost in is only 2 for each city placed, and as soon as you have built a few (5) +1 buildings that city now suddenly reaches equilibrium. More and it goes +, way too fast in my opinion. and that is for EVERY city after the 8th city in Deity. On Noble it is after the 5th city.
And cities do easily come with +10-20 right when placing them with all the Housings and other autobuild buildings.
It is still a problem in normal games as I see it. Just your comment there of "doubling" shows me how true that problem is. Nightmare at least has that covered but maybe a bit too much if part of the AI's reluctance to spread early comes from the increased City Maintenances. Reducing it to 75% of current should help the AI there a bit too.
I find the AI slightly better at expanding too when I drop the iCommerce increased City Maintenance costs (not on crime buildings though) by 1/3 on all buildings. Not only at expanding but they have very decent sized armies too then.
Cheers
You speak of "Without Despotism capped at 12 cities" and already there, even at Deity, the last 4 cities have not increased the costs nationwide, only added on the maintenance cost for the new cities, and after that "easily double" (remember my test showing just that, btw?), whereby each city again only adds total maintenance of it's own maintenance.
If that number is around 15 and you get an income of 10 from each of those cities then the cost in is only 2 for each city placed, and as soon as you have built a few (5) +1 buildings that city now suddenly reaches equilibrium. More and it goes +, way too fast in my opinion. and that is for EVERY city after the 8th city in Deity. On Noble it is after the 5th city.
And cities do easily come with +10-20 right when placing them with all the Housings and other autobuild buildings.
It is still a problem in normal games as I see it. Just your comment there of "doubling" shows me how true that problem is. Nightmare at least has that covered but maybe a bit too much if part of the AI's reluctance to spread early comes from the increased City Maintenances. Reducing it to 75% of current should help the AI there a bit too.
I find the AI slightly better at expanding too when I drop the iCommerce increased City Maintenance costs (not on crime buildings though) by 1/3 on all buildings. Not only at expanding but they have very decent sized armies too then.
Cheers