PAE V, Patch III

[Hornakhtyotef]

Hi,

I dedicate this thread to report my findings about the latest patch 3 of PAE version 5.
Bugs, suggestions, etc. All kinds of things. It may even concern old issues.

• Meteors: Drastic and unfair.
  I know one cannot change what it is going to happen. In real life, if a volcano erupts, nobody can change this fate. However, in a game context, balance helps to reduce frustration and heighten playability. Meteors are too drastic. If aligned to the center of any empire, it can kill it instantly (economically). It destroys forest (strong source of and tile output) and sometimes even resources. Here's an example.
  
  Spoiler :

  
  
  
  There is that event from the Small Oracle and also Great Oracle of Dodona alerting us of an imminent catastrophe, but, albeit the given atmosphere, it adds nothing.
  
  Though it has a mystic aspect to it, what I suggest is implementing a sacrificial offering system if the oracle states something terrible will happen. All ancient civilizations had an offering system to please the gods so they may give mercy on humankind. Hence, you give a certain amount of gold and you get certain to avoid the catastrophe. That manner, the player has an actual decision making on the result of his/her game. I've seen AIs entirely obliterated economically because of that meteors event.
• Patch 3 - AI Great People: Some bad news about AI using their Great People. It seems the minus 2 deters all AI to settle theirs into super specialists. That is a shame because I've all types of Great People roaming around their empire idling. Examples in images:
  
  Spoiler :

  
  
  Although I missed the screenhost before, but these "liberated" great People were idling in the capital prior capture:
  
  Spoiler :

  
• Great General/Hero Deaths: I have an ambivalent position on that newly implemented system. I like it on one hand because that gives the realistic situation empire can fall rapidly in decades because of instability on the ruling class. Like the Assyrian empire fell so fast at the death of Assurbanipal despite being the strongest empire of that timeframe.
  The screenshot shows it is easy to capture multiple cities in one turn because the human player can use their roads. Plus, those cities deep into the AI empire are weakly defended. With the newly implemented fast units (2 ), it is easy to disrupt an empire. A successful AI with many prior wars will have many attached generals and heroes and that become a double-edge sword. Even I avoid using my heros because the promotion became more of a curse than an advantage like it was before.
  
  Spoiler :

  
  
  Like I said, I am ambivalent about it.
• Some buildings are forbidden despite having all the requirements. For instance, I play the Illyrians and I have the pre-requisites for the Theater of Dionysos (Wine, Greek Religion, tech and Great Artist). I even swapped on Greek State Religion to see if it was a recent undocumented change. Nope. This behaviour was seen also for the Cult of Cybele.
  Resolved: I forgot to swap out of Animism civic.
• I think a change regarding the Dynasty vs Aristocracy civics may be in order. I have tested and again Dynasty still dominates even though I have numerous cities. The civic cost makes Dynasty wins.

 

[pie_at]

You could have used the other PAE V Patch 3 thread but ok:
- Meteors: ha, sorry, if you don't like to play with natural disasters, you can switch them off. It's a random thing. Be happy, if you're lucky

- Great People: yes, thx, the Germans tested it and I've changed it to -1 instead of -2. that works!

- Death of heros or generals: that's a feature. one of the best simulation of being unstoppable, if you know how to use that or even if you are prepared for that! see Alexander! but, who says, that's always when an enemy general dies? it's luck or not.

- Animism: yes, a trap for all. I implemented an info button to the unit, when animism is active. that's the best I can do for players.

- Dynasty gives +25% only to the capital. Aristocracy 10% to all cities! puh. so. of course, if you have only one big capital city, then you should stay on dynasty. if you have some strong cities , I can't imagine that would be worse then +25 of only one city!

 

[Sword_Of_Geddon]

Definitely an awesome mod.