Thalassicus
Bytes and Nibblers
Ahhh ok...
Well, the primary reason is because I feel small empires need a way to get a slight science bonus in early game. Early conquest or expansion can dramatically improve your science rates, while it takes much longer for a small empire to build up high-population cities and achieve the same thing. These changes to the Tradition tree help with both of those. I also think +1 might be too powerful, and only really be useful for cultural victories, not small empires in general. In addition there's the other reasons:
That's the gameplay reasons. From a perspective of realism, I picture the elite landowners sitting back and pursuing other things in life, such as investigating the world and how it works.
Well, the primary reason is because I feel small empires need a way to get a slight science bonus in early game. Early conquest or expansion can dramatically improve your science rates, while it takes much longer for a small empire to build up high-population cities and achieve the same thing. These changes to the Tradition tree help with both of those. I also think +1 might be too powerful, and only really be useful for cultural victories, not small empires in general. In addition there's the other reasons:
- There's precedent for having stages of empire development. The Liberty tree for expansive empires progresses to the late-game Order tree, and Honor for warmongers progresses to Autocracy. Tradition is the early tree for small empires, and both later small-empire trees improve Specialists, so a small bonus in this realm allows you to develop a specialist economy in stages instead of all at once.
- This increases the interesting decision-making opportunities a player has, by giving you the choice of pursuing a modestly successful specialist economy in the mid game.
- The Tradition tree is often considered a little underwhelming, and the (original) Landed Elite in particular.
- Specialists are generally considered weak for anything but great person production.
- A slight science bonus for small empires in an early tree helps counteract the large research bonuses large empires receive from having a high number of cities (and as a result, high population).
- Small empires often have more specialist potential. Happiness is higher, so you can support a larger population per city, and small empires often have denser-packed cities (easier defense) with fewer available tiles to work.
That's the gameplay reasons. From a perspective of realism, I picture the elite landowners sitting back and pursuing other things in life, such as investigating the world and how it works.