Rebalance end-game ressource upkeep

Kakouk

Chieftain
Joined
May 18, 2020
Messages
2
I just finished a game that ended in the modern era and the way end game units work dosen't seemed right to me, in perticular the upkeep system.

I dont understand why, in the end-game, you have to spend ressource to upkeep such units as the infantry with a constant flow of ressource but you dont have to for other units. For exemple, the infantry cost 1 oil per turn to maintain but not the AT crew, and I dont see the logic why.

If you're saying that it cost oil to maintain the unit because of the cost of the equipement, ammo and other stuff, then why dosen't the AT crew cost oil as well? If you look at their strengh and when you both get them in the technology tree, they're similar units, only different because of the weapon they use.

Also, during the whole game the ground units are split in categories of melee infantry, cavalry, anti-cavalry and ranged. The infantry is the melee infantry of the modern era and the AT crew is the anti-cavalry of the modern era, why is one costing oil per turn and not the other? Same for the machine gun, wich is the ranged unit of the modern era. He dosen't cost anything per turn, but the tank (the cavalry unit of the modern era) do.

So when you reach the last eras, you have units that cost ressources to maintain, and others that dont. If you dont want to reduce your income, you would prefer units that dont cost anything to maintain, wich will make your army mainly composed of spearman and ranged units, it dosen't follow the earlier part of the game where you had to compose your army of certain units to match the strengh and weakness of other units.

Furthermore, if the ressource maintain cost is there to simulate the cost of equipement making, then why isn't the same for earlier units? I could understand for units that have an engine running, such as tanks, plane and boats, but I dont get the logic for human units. I mean, shouldn't it cost ressource to keep them up as well? Armor needs to be repaired, horses replaces, and arrows constantly remade. It seem to me you should use the same game mechanic the whole game, either it should cost ressource to maintain unit or not at all.

The strategic ressource you use in the end game for units are alluminum, oil, coal and uranimum. 3 of these are also used for electricity generating building, so that mean that if you want your empire to have power, you would have to use exclussively the unit that dont continous need a supply of ressource to be maintained or the earliest version that didn't cost anything per turn; musketman, machine gun, cavalry and AT crew. It dosen't make sence to create and army of units of different era just to cheese the game, also if you get the tech that upgrade any of these units, you can't create the older version, so you're stuck with the new one and if you dont want a deficit, you'll have to stop creating those units.

I guess you could always try to trade ressources, but since every empire has the same problem, nobody is stupid enough to trade their strategic ressources. You could also forget the power and not have electricity, but playing in the year 1970 with broadway, computers and space station, and no electricity just seem wrong. I play CIV for the immersion and the simulation of the history through the eras, but because of that aspect, the end-game seem to change into an RTS game, where the balance is more important than the continuity.

In conclusion, I dont think the ressource upkeep for units is a good thing, and should be removed, not only for the ground units but for all of them. Simply keep the ressource cost to create a unit, as it is since the first era. Empires that are heavely focused on developpement will need those ressource to keep their factories running, wich will limit the amount of ressources they get each turn, wich will also limit the number of units they can produce. Empire that are more focused on war will have to sacrifice the power their buildind should have, wich will make them produce less than the more peacefull empires, but since they will be able to produce a lot more units, they'll have an edge, wich they can use to conquer other empires that will be less prepared.

Sorry for the long post, I tried to make it short but I had a lot on my mind. What do you think?
 
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In my taste it's not a bad thing trying to represent the different types of wars each era has. And as a difference between old classic warfare until Napoleon, I like how strategic resources are treated, forcing you to colonize/conquer the civs that has the resources. After all, it's the whole purpose of having strategic resources on the map. If we are to compare it with USA and their wars, maybe it lacks propaganda, state lies or something to make the impact of those wars less great diplomatically-wise. It may also lack peaceful agreements/"colonization" like modern companies VS backwarded but resourceful countries.

Gameplay wise it makes sense : either you didn't/don't bother with resources, for various reasons, and have less powerful units, either you took a special and early consideration of them, and can fuel them all + electricity. (but remember : there's other means to have electricity too, like wind turbines or solar plants. ;) ) It's another factor to take into account during the whole game : pay attention to strategic resources. I know, it's a lot to take care about, it's hard, but your best ally is playing again and again, but I know I personnally dislike this. Plus there's the cases where whatever you do you are well, not totally toasted but greatly disminished.

There something more though : in the upcoming kind of "expansion", there's one or two new numbers attached to units : "Lifespan" and something else I think. That may totally change the way we manage troops, that might suit you more.

EDIT : It's Lifespan and Renown.

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That two new stars thing is neat. I hope it's what I think it is
 
Thanks for the answer, I disagree with the first opinion but I'm glad you showed me this new thing they are preparing, though I can't find where it is mentionned. Can you link me the article?

Also the mod you made is interesting, I like that old ressources stay relevant through time and that you have to keep managing ressources as you go.
 
Thanks for the answer, I disagree with the first opinion but I'm glad you showed me this new thing they are preparing, though I can't find where it is mentionned. Can you link me the article?
The screenshot that @Naokaukodem is one I reposted in the screenshot thread with modifications. It's from the 2K's China Bilibili account.
 
I agree that the late game resource requirements are quite odd. It makes sense for oil to be very important (I'd be inclined to make it more valuable for civilian purposes as well), but it doesn't make sense that if you don't have it you end up fielding an army made up entirely of anti-tank weapons and machine guns (and aircraft carriers with no aircraft, I guess). Oil requirements also stand out from the other strategic resources in the game in that it's possible to unlock units that require oil (infantry, biplanes) long before you can actually unlock oil, which can make for some odd gaps between unit upgrades.

Personally, my inclination would be to make infantry resource free. That way everyone with the appropriate tech would have access to a handful of baseline era-appropriate units, but if you want strong offensive units like tanks and bombers, you need to seek out strategic resources. I'd probably also shift artillery to coal or niter to make the unlock timing work a bit better. I'm not quite sure how to handle biplanes. Making them resource free might be best for gameplay, but it's obviously a bit odd flavor wise. Maybe oil just needs to unlock a bit sooner relative to military units? At sea, I'd probably make submarines resource free. Again, this is a bit odd flavor-wise, but it would allow anyone to build some naval defense capability while requiring strategic resources to actually project power by sea.
 
The way I understand the game, there is two kind of land unit: the defensive ones (anticavalry and ranged) and the offensive ones (melee, cavalry, siege). The former do not require ressource but the latter do.
(yes, ranged in "defensive", I know)
It might be some light imbalance between the units, with some kind of units being more useful than others...

Since GS expansion, units that use Coal, Oil, and Uranium no really require those as production cost but now require them as maintenance cost. And it is costly.

I would really like to separate strategic cost into production cost and maintenance cost, and change how the maintenance cost works. The maintenance cost would be linked to additionnal movement and better healing, linking it to quick deployment and easier supply line (not having those will not give you the extra movement and better healing). It give a great boost to conquest in the mid/end game for the lucky players who have those while still being usable in defense or by the unlucky players even if you do not have the ressource.
Also: your units should not consume the ressource if it not attacks, get attacked, moves or heals.

Currently, the melee line is the only land military unit line that rely on 3 differents strategic ressources (none, Iron, Niter, Oil) contrary to others (none, Iron and Oil for Heavy Cavalry, Horses and Aluminum for Light Cavalry, none, Niter and Oil for Siege). The only other exception is the Ranged Naval (none, Niter, Coal and Oil). Make the Infantry strategic free (or relying on Niter) seems good to me.
 
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