New Version - December 1st (12/1)

[Gazebo]

On the first day of Christmas, Gazebo gave to meeeee
A new version for disassembleeeee
​

Hey all,

New version inbound. A few bugfixes and a quick turnaround on some balance changes based on feedback from the 26th. Yeah, it's a quick turnaround, yawannafightaboudit?

Bugfixes

• Fixed a few smaller bugs and typos
• Fixed 'can't buy great admirals' bug (blame Spain)
• Fixed worker conga improvement spam

Balance

General

• Median tech percent for barbs and minor civs is now 80 (if 80% of civs have a tech, the barbs/CS get it as well) - I found that anything lower than this created some very weird imbalances around turn 100.
• Bumped minor civ max XP to 70
• Refactored difficulty handicap method for AI - now gets smaller bonuses per handicap event overall, but there are more events (incorporated historic events into bonuses for AI) - this may need additional tuning, we'll see.
• Removed free Deity pottery tech (whiners )
• Slowed CS unit production a bit in the early game in specific situations (were spamming warriors/spearmen like crazy for no reason sometimes).

Units

• Prisoner of War promotion now lasts for 50 turns, instead of indefinitely. Does not scale with gamespeed.

Specialists

• Reduced tech yield bonuses for all specialists by 1 (to a minimum of 1, where applicable)

Policies

• Fealty
  • Scaler- removed Gold, added +3 defense per city
  • Divine Right - Boredom reduction now 15% (Was 25%)
  • Serfdom - now +1 culture per 5 citizens (Was 1 per 4)
• Statecraft

• • Opener - now scales per 15 citizens (was 25)
  • Scaler - gains +1 gold per city
  • Shadow networks - gains +1 science per specialists, but lowered science bonus on constable/police station to +3
• Artistry
  • Scaler - loses +1 culture per city, gains +2 golden age points per city instead
  • Humanism - removed % science great work bonus - added +1 culture per specialists
• Rationalism
  • Academics - removed +1 science from specialists, added +4% science per great work in city (up to 20%)

Online as of 11:15 PM EST. Not savegame compatible.

Linky: https://mega.nz/#F!DMsxkDYI!zSpR9CHpmAfWyIvMXaN3pw

Cheers,
Gazebo

 

[Infixo]

Those updates come so fast, i’m in the middle of 11-26 game. Damn

 

[Gazebo]

Those updates come so fast, i’m in the middle of 11-26 game. Damn

I play life on Quick Speed.

G

 

[Infixo]

Those yields from statecraft opener, are they displayed somewhere to check? I mean separately.

 

[Gazebo]

Those yields from statecraft opener, are they displayed somewhere to check? I mean separately.

Nope, just under your capital's tile.

G

 

[ElliotS]

>Refactored difficulty handicap method for AI - now gets smaller bonuses per handicap event overall, but there are more events (incorporated historic events into bonuses for AI) - this may need additional tuning, we'll see.

Just to be clear: Does this include the quadratic scaleing? (Happy Moi?)

Doesn't matter to me as either way I'm looking forward to testing it. I just want to know what I'm working with.

Also I love this patch. Have I mentioned that you can do no wrong G?

Thanks!

 

[Gazebo]

>Refactored difficulty handicap method for AI - now gets smaller bonuses per handicap event overall, but there are more events (incorporated historic events into bonuses for AI) - this may need additional tuning, we'll see.

Just to be clear: Does this include the quadratic scaleing? (Happy Moi?)

Doesn't matter to me as either way I'm looking forward to testing it. I just want to know what I'm working with.

Also I love this patch. Have I mentioned that you can do no wrong G?

Thanks!

CvHandicapInfo* pHandicapInfo = GC.getHandicapInfo(GC.getGame().getHandicapType());
    if(pHandicapInfo)
    {
        iHandicap = pHandicapInfo->getAIDifficultyBonus();
        iYieldHandicap = (iHandicap * iEra * iEra);
    }

 

[Kierkegaard]

I would vote but... I don't know if Gazebo prefers to be on the naughty or nice list.
But whatever one he prefers! He earns it!

 

[Paramecium]

How on earth shall I finish a game in just 4 days, Gazebo? I hope no whinning this time, so I have more time to play before the next update ...

 

[Jdoug312]

As always, you rock, G

 

[Funak]

Awesome work as always.
I'm a little curious about the prisoner of war promotion, is the reason it doesn't scale with game-speed because of technological limits? Because if that's a design-choice it feels rather weird, I mean a worker takes 150% of the time to build in an Epic game, makes sense that it should be weakened for 150% of the time.

 

[Enginseer]

Awesome work as always.
I'm a little curious about the prisoner of war promotion, is the reason it doesn't scale with game-speed because of technological limits? Because if that's a design-choice it feels rather weird, I mean a worker takes 150% of the time to build in an Epic game, makes sense that it should be weakened for 150% of the time.

I don't like waiting 150 turns for a slave to become a worker. Especially when Marathon is usually faster tech-paced when proportionally compared to Normal.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Trying out the new version, and I'm definitely feeling the change in the difficulty handicap. It's currently turn 124 (Emperor difficulty), and I'm already 4 techs ahead of everyone else I've met, and at the top of scores in most of the categories. And there's still a religion left to be founded. So far it's feeling easier than most King games I've played. It remains to be seen whether the AI can catch up later on.

 

[Funak]

I don't like waiting 150 turns for a slave to become a worker. Especially when Marathon is usually faster tech-paced when proportionally compared to Normal.

And you think people playing quick enjoy waiting 50 turns for a worker? 50 turns later and the game is pretty much over.

In fact, do you believe anyone enjoys waiting any time for a slave to become a worker?

Edit, also wouldn't Marathon be 100 turns? It's not 300% gametime, it's just 200% isn't it?
EditEdit, No I got that wrong. Still, my point stands, and apparently everything in marathon takes stupid amount of time, so why wouldn't this?

 

[Moi Magnus]

Trying out the new version, and I'm definitely feeling the change in the difficulty handicap. It's currently turn 124 (Emperor difficulty), and I'm already 4 techs ahead of everyone else I've met, and at the top of scores in most of the categories. And there's still a religion left to be founded. So far it's feeling easier than most King games I've played. It remains to be seen whether the AI can catch up later on.

Yes handicap is significantly lower in pre-medieval time. Numbers probably need to be adjusted.

 

[tu_79]

I'm happy. Harald was crushing my Maya empire, now I have a reason for restarting.

Also, there's little to dislike in this release. I wonder how changes in medieval trees will turn out. It seems that they are more open to different play styles.

 

[Moi Magnus]

CvHandicapInfo* pHandicapInfo = GC.getHandicapInfo(GC.getGame().getHandicapType());
    if(pHandicapInfo)
    {
        iHandicap = pHandicapInfo->getAIDifficultyBonus();
        iYieldHandicap = (iHandicap * iEra * iEra);
    }

Did you change the deity handicap from 7 to 5 or is it still 7 ?

 

[IcyAngel]

Trying out the new version, and I'm definitely feeling the change in the difficulty handicap. It's currently turn 124 (Emperor difficulty), and I'm already 4 techs ahead of everyone else I've met, and at the top of scores in most of the categories. And there's still a religion left to be founded. So far it's feeling easier than most King games I've played. It remains to be seen whether the AI can catch up later on.

Agreed that this run is feeling incredibly easier (I'm ahead of everyone in science without much effort), but I don't want to pronounce myself because n=1 obviously. Could always be aberrant data!

 

[CrabHelmet]

Echoing everyone else. I have noticed the AI are more consistent in progression , but the overall rate is definitely slower. I think it was absolutely the right idea to change difficulty boni to also apply to tall playstyles and to scale it per era, but I think it needs a little upwards adjustment.

 

[Moi Magnus]

Trying out the new version, and I'm definitely feeling the change in the difficulty handicap. It's currently turn 124 (Emperor difficulty), and I'm already 4 techs ahead of everyone else I've met, and at the top of scores in most of the categories. And there's still a religion left to be founded. So far it's feeling easier than most King games I've played. It remains to be seen whether the AI can catch up later on.

Agreed that this run is feeling incredibly easier (I'm ahead of everyone in science without much effort), but I don't want to pronounce myself because n=1 obviously. Could always be aberrant data!

There was a typo in our computations, so current difficulty level is absurdly low. I would say that the AI lost 2 difficulty level in this version. Except for Tall AIs.