New Tech Tree Playtesting + Feedback

[Leoreth]

As always, the game is balanced around Regent. If the tech speed isn't working for that, then the game needs more adjustments.

 

[mrrandomplayer]

India seems to be teching kinda slow, maybe give them more starting techs or an extra settler?

 

[soul-breathing]

I feel the initial workers for America and Brazil are too few, especially for America. Either 600ad or 1700ad scenerio, the core area of America is undeveloped, 4 workers is obviously too few for America. Could the number of initial workers be linked with the number of improvements in America core area, when America appears in 1774ad?

 

[Malchar]

Perhaps the number of workers should be proportional to the number of settlers received + cities flipped? I feel like the danger of giving too few workers is much greater than the danger of giving too many. Even with a lot of workers, it will still take a considerable amount of time to improve a whole city from nothing.

 

[soul-breathing]

Perhaps the number of workers should be proportional to the number of settlers received + cities flipped? I feel like the danger of giving too few workers is much greater than the danger of giving too many. Even with a lot of workers, it will still take a considerable amount of time to improve a whole city from nothing.

Yes, giving too many workers, you can simply delete them, when America appears, it needs 8 workers at least.

 

[Hamir]

- Lumbermill now requires Steel

Noooooo why

 

[FinalLegendZero]

I did some poking around the stability files to see what the specific bonuses and penalties for specific combinations are, and I stumbled across a problem. Currently, the bonuses for Despotism says that it gets a bonus for being run alongside the civic "Nationalism", which doesn't exist. I'm assuming this is supposed to be Nationhood.

 

[Leoreth]

That's thorough checking, and something i wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Thanks for reporting, I'll fix it soon.

 

[Tigranes]

I understand that Harappa is optional civ and therefor not a priority, but when in game they almost always build Pyramids which obviously dissapear after scripted collapse. Meaning one of the few World Wonders that survived to our days gets destroyed without trace in 1000s BC. Can we somehow discourage them from building 'Mids?

 

[Ogi123]

Plague is now destroying/reducing town improvement line. In previous versions it reduced it once per title during whole plague, now is once per turn. This makes cottage economy basically impossible. In conjunction with new citizenship/republic civics and additional unhappy/unhealthy from village and town, specialist economy rules supreme.
Since I have done some warmongering I have noted that some units are useless.
Light swordsman is more expensive than spear and have only 25% bonus against it, also it obsoletes really quickly. It could be removed without problems.
Catapult is still to strong in the field, it should be 3str with 100% city attack bonus.
It would much more interesting if skirmish line lost hills attack bonus but gained "this unit ignores terrain defence bonuses". I'm also doubting necessity of collateral damage.
Grenadier as continuation of skirmish line is really weird, historically accurate unit would be some kind of light infantry akin to chasseurs/voltigeurs.
Now we have to much cavalry, who obsoletes way to fast. HA obsoletes horseman who in turn is obsolete by knight etc.
Cavalry should be split into two lines shock and missile cav/gunpowder. Something like HA(s6)->HeavyHA(s8)->Pistoleers(s10)->Dragoon(s12). All benefit from stable, have 1 first strike, withdrawal chance and aren't mounted so they can kill spear line. Perhaps even 3 movement?
Heavy swordsman should lose melee bonus and gain sword bonus +10% vs cities.
I still think that Spear line should be spear(s5)->heavy spear(s7)->pike(s9) with +50% vs mounted.
By the same logic Arqebus should be s10.
Rename Arquebus to Musketman, and Musketman to Fusilier?

 

[Leoreth]

Balance comments noted, and will look into a better plague implementation. I only brought back the old plague code though, not sure why the behaviour is so weird.

As for cavalry, the upgrade lines should already reflect light and heavy cavalry as you suggest, that is the intent behind those units. Don't worry, I have plans to differentiate them further, including different unit combat types.

 

[Leoreth]

New update: workers limited to one per city (counter shared by all noncombat units that have a work rate).

 

[Leoreth]

Thoughts on slave units with regard to the new Slavery and Colonialism civics:

Okay, how about this instead: while running Slavery, regular slaves can be acquired using the following ways:
- capturing a city: number of slaves proportional to gold plundered (good indicator of city value and past conquests)
- capturing a worker: turns into a slave instead
- defeating a barbarian unit: ~25% chance, or maybe depending on XP value

Regular slaves work like workers, count for the worker limit, and can contribute production to a building. They cannot be traded.

Furthermore, while running Slavery or Colonialism, native slaves can be acquired by defeating native units (~50% chance). Native slaves can be traded, only civs running Colonialism can buy them. They work like workers and count for the worker limit. In the new world, they additionally can build slave plantations (+1 production, +2 commerce, +1 unhappiness) or join cities (+2 production +1 unhappiness).

Aztecs still have their special type of Slave from the UP, which they can additionally acquire from proper civs, plus probably a higher base chance.

The "Enslave" button is removed.

This way, no special rules about sub saharan Africa are required anymore. Native units are present mostly in sub saharan Africa and Mesoamerica, which are both appropriate for that kind of slavery. Classical mediterranean, Muslim or Steppe civs can still make use of their slave units without undesired interaction with the colonial trade system. The ability to use slaves in colonies is now also not hard coded to any specific civs but instead relies only on civics and location.

 

[Leoreth]

New update:
- fixed reference to Nationalism in stability code to reference Nationhood instead
- fixed a bug that caused you to lose the free tech effect if you reload the turn you received it
- changed Citizenship: removed +1 happiness per specialist, added +2 happiness in largest cities
- changed Elective: removed +3 happiness in largest cities, added +1 wealth per specialist, +2 commerce for Camp, Pasture
- changed Democracy: added +1 happiness per specialist
- increased Despotism upkeep to Medium

 

[Leoreth]

I think now is a good a time as any to merge the hrtechs branch back into develop. I'm probably going to do it at some point during the next weekend, just so people can anticipate with starting new games etc. Note that the new merged develop branch will probably be compatible with neither the current develop branch nor the current hrtechs branch. I will create appropriate tags before the merge so you can stick to that state and continue your games if you want though.

 

[Leoreth]

Rebased the branch against develop. Updating requires a force pull, or deleting and fetching the branch again. Saves are not compatible, but there is a hrtechs-before-merge tag than you can check out to continue your current saves (or simply do not update at all).

 

[mrrandomplayer]

Why is there a limit on workers? It seems pretty arbitrary.

 

[Tigranes]

To make Slaves more useful, I guess?

 

[Leoreth]

Also to limit overall improvement speed within your empire. Since space is more limited in RFC, I'm trying several ways of extending the period until all your empire is improved.

 

[mrrandomplayer]

Where do I disable this worker limit? I personally think for small civs the time required to improve the empire will be short anyways and for most larger empire barbs and near-constant warfare in the late game make this unnecessary.