How long do you plan on developing RifE based off the current FfH2/Civ4 mod? You've probably answered this somewhere, but I'm very curious to see you working on Kael's next game (or your own).
Regarding random GP, I think the current system is fine. I don't know what all the fuss is about, especially with more important issues like AI that are higher priority.
RifE will always be developed for Civ4. We aren't porting it to Civ5, as it is not our setting and feels wrong to redevelop FfH without Kael. We'll be working on our own setting for Civ5, simultaneously with RifE.
I think it highly unlikely that we'll be working on Kael's game... But that's mostly because I do not think it will be civ-like.
As for my own game? Heh. I'm going to school for Computer Science, with a focus on game design. My goal is to get a job making games, and eventually make it to lead design. The one game I really have in mind right now could be best described as Magitech + CoD + Soul Calibur. How that makes sense in
any way, I'll leave for you to puzzle out.
Now that we're talking I'd like to voice my other concerns. First off health and the implications it has. I personally don't have a problem struggling with smaller cities and making ends meet but the solutions to the seemingly arbitrarily enforced mechanic leads to a few twists that take away from the game.
Oh god. Health again.
The reasoning for the change was two-pronged.
- Unhealth was completely unimportant. Health resources were basically pointless, choice in settlement locations didn't matter much, etc.
- Cities were getting large too fast. We did not really want to limit the maximum size of a city (Already done by happiness), or we'd have gone with 3
/pop, as in Orbis. We simply wanted to slow that growth rate; 2:sick: per pop does that nicely.
Firstly, the healers. I kind of like the idea of having healers as specialists but the fact that they're very bad in terms of converting food to health makes them very undesirable. Add to the fact that they pollute the GP pool with a great person that is both very powerful and at the same time very undesirable. It's like there's a good idea behind them but the implementation is bad.
Healers have already been upgraded. Basically, we failed to take into account how the increased unhealth made them worthless at their current stats. Our bad.
A healer who can heal 60% every turn and is easily accessible to anyone whether they wanted one or not is just too much. I do love my units being able to act every turn but 60% just like the 70% mutation is just too much and has to go. Not to mention the disappointment of getting a healer specialist when you just wanted to build your academy or shrine your religion.
The healer was put in early, honestly, and will really come into it's own when a new mechanic is added. Why would we put something in early? Simple. Agnostic civs needed a healer. Some of them had little or no access to units that could cast 'Cure Disease' and similar spells; Honestly, the healing spell is more or less a side effect, not the main point.
Solution:
Don't remove the healer specialist entirely but instead make him a wee bit more powerful all the while changing him a bit. Have him generate 4
and 1 or 2
and contribute 1 prophet
and 1 sage
, removing the great healer specialist completely because the game already has healing mechanics built in and you don't need another one - especially as powerful as this. This way the gpp pool won't be tainted as bad and with the added power to the healer specialist you wouldn't feel as bad using them and certainly wouldn't have to feel sorry for the AI for generating three of those guys in a row
The Healer has already been changed to 4
and 1
in 1.31. That change has been in since pretty much right after 1.30 was released.
The Great Healer is 6
and 3
.
We will not be removing the Great Healer, however. As I said, it has a use, and was the main purpose of the specialist. I could, however, see removing the combat effect of the unit and having you able to either A)Settle it, or B)Create the Apothecary, able to purchase potions to heal units. With B), I'd also allow access to city spells that cure units in the city, add a regen promo, etc. This way you have most of the functionality, but can't use it in the field.
I still like the field unit, however, as it's something other specialists do not have.
Also, consider easing the health issues because going green at size 4 pretty much regardless of your location is a turn-off. Have the Herbalist and Well buildings shave 0.25 of
off per citizen (another 0,25 for the Herbalist from Reagents) and the Aqueduct again a 0,25
and possibly yet another 0.5
from the Temple of the Leaves. Top this off by having a world wonder (or Tomb of Sucellus) that sets the default
per citizen to 1 instead of 2. Alternatively, you could have level 1 or 2 spells provide health or there could be a technology that halves the
per citizen.
Not happening. Settle near rivers, take into account your surroundings, go for health resources. It is not hard to manage unhealth, you simply have to actually consider it while playing... Which is something you never had to do before.
In 1.31 there have been a few changes; Increased starting health bonuses by difficulty level, +2
in the capital, and so on.
I don't think anyone can find the massive unhealthiness a fun addition.
This, because the AI really doesn't handle all the sickness as well as a human player can and being sick 90% of the game regardless of how well you tend to your empire isn't fun. Sickness may be thematic to certain civilizations and playstyles but it should not be an universal issue.
I think many would disagree with you, seeing as we have had quite a few responses saying they liked it... Once they got used to it. It is a large change, that has to be adapted to. That's all. Some of the people who pushed back against it hardest when it was first released now like it the most.
Of course it needs balancing, but that was part of the point of getting 1.30 out to people; We can't balance things perfectly with a small group, we need large numbers of people to report on it.
Personally I like the new 2 unhealth per pop system.
I am sick of sprawling cities with
being my only limit.
This said, I would remove the Great Healer altogether and if at all possible have the specialist simply contribute blank GP points. (points that just raise the number without pushing toward any specialist). Either that or making the Great Healer massively more powerful.
Also, IMHO the healer specialist should give off 6
not 4. 4 made sense with 1 unhealth per pop as it meant +3
, 6 would be the same.
Not removing the healer, as I said, though both specialists got a boost and some science.
I do. Health was a non-issue before and health resources were worthless (beyond the tile bonuses).
The problem is that one
is worth
much less than one
, and
is worth less than that. Consequently for health to be any kind of issue, each population needs to generate more than one
.
Try playing game where you just ignore all
; no
buildings, no healers, no "avoid unhealthy growth". It won't be that different from a normal game; even with 2
per citizen.
Now, the AI doesn't understand just how unimportant
is, and is crippled by it. That is being looked after, I think; as well as some more balancing of health stuff.
AI will be taught how to handle the unhealth once it stops fluctuating; Won't be particularly difficult, just needs to know that each pop gives 2
, not 1.
I'm fine with 2 per citizen if there are valid methods of dealing with it. I mean, I can have all the smokehouse resources, a hunters lodge with both deers, a fish and a grain resource and still I'd have a struggle to grow past 15. If there are methods of dealing with unhealthiness and the AI also knows how to deal with it, then by all means have it at 2. But please make sure the game remains playable.
As for the Great Healers - I like them even less than I like Great Artists in regular Civ4 because as stated the person that produces is somewhat forced on you as subpar as it is and the end result acts as both a stupidly powerful healer or alternatively a means of growing your city - a means that should be available in other ways. The great healer needs to go.
There will be valid methods. Hell, there ARE valid methods already. You just have to be careful with city placement, and build health buildings.
13% 
9%,
