preventing gigantic city elves

[Master_Hugian]

Looks better, although I would say keep the 5 extra exp if you increase the penalty to 15% or 20%.

 

[Kalina]

I like this idea, but wouldn't it hurt Guardian of Nature civic ? With lower population, happines and health bonuses aren't so important.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Well, you could give it other bonuses. Maybe a higher chance of Treants joining you?

 

[Master_Hugian]

Another idea could be that elves get a bigger % bonus to culture the more happyness they have, similar to how governor's manor gives for unhappyness. Something like 2% per happyness.

 

[Imuratep]

Jip my initial thought was similar. The problem with current implementation of GoN is that it can only be good if you get gigantic cities with it - and that's the thing we want to avoid. Limiting it to minor commerce like or should be enough to balance it.

 

[Kalina]

Maybe changing GoN civic is enough. Non-elves usually don't use it anyway, unless following FoL, and it's bonus to happines and health makes giga-cities possible. Changing it to require from 3 food per population point instead of 4, while providing bonus XP or things like more XP or great general points inside borders or lower support cost should limit population of elven cities in mid and late game, without hurting they early game. And it fits lorewise, after all being guardian of nature often means having to fight with those who want to destroy it and often in fantasy worlds elves have to fight to defend their forests.

 

[Emptiness]

If GoN is changed to a penalty civic then why would Elves adopt it? Personally I would favor GoN as a requirement to spawn Treant defenders in AFs, and as a requirement for Forest to upgrade to AFs at all. Even that wouldn't solve the problem entirely. Treants become less powerful later in the game, and once most or all of your Forests have upgraded there wouldn't be a lot of incentive to remain in GoN.

 

[Kalina]

You would get free xp and some other bonuses I wrote about. Without health and happines from GoN you wouldn't be able to support those huge cities, but you'd still get extra food from ancient forests. And difference between tile with AF and without is one food(production aside), so you'd be able to have cities of same size as your opponents and benefit from free xp and other bonuses from GoN.