RFC Europe playtesting feedback thread

[3Miro]

The screen looks like a python error (which might explain the Swedish lacking techs). Can you confirm that Sweden has no techs? Can you post the PythonErr file in My Games\Beyond the Sword\Logs?

There is a problem with Bulgaria going too much against Kiev and that area and not enough against the Byzantines. I will see what can be done about it.

 

[micbic]

1) Pythonerr file posted
2) Yup, Swedes start with no techs (see screenshot)

 

[Hitti-Litti]

^

That Swedish city should be called Sundsvall instead of Sundisvall.

 

[3Miro]

1) Pythonerr file posted
2) Yup, Swedes start with no techs (see screenshot)

If Sweden has no starting tech, then it is definitely a Python bug. The problem is that you probably played another game before posting the pythonErr file. It has to be posted right after a bug is observed, otherwise the new game that you played erased the file (it is currently showing no errors).

Without it it would be difficult to find the problem, I will try to initiate a late start myself to see if I can find the problem.

 

[micbic]

The problem always happens in my latest games.

 

[micbic]

Another pythonerr log.

 

[Wessel V1]

3) For a purely unknown reason, when barbarians capture the Kievan cities, the major part of the reconquista is taken over by...Bulgaria!!! Something must be done because Simeon seems to have fallen in love with that area (maybe reduce Bulgarian stability for keeping cities in that area, or, keeping it simple, make barbarians razing every city they capture)

Noticed and reported this too, it's really annoying. Is it true that it really has nothing to do with Cyrus? Next game I'll try to replace him with someone else.

EDIT: haven't seen new page, so useless post.

 

[jessiecat]

Noticed and reported this too, it's really annoying. Is it true that it really has nothing to do with Cyrus? Next game I'll try to replace him with someone else.

Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think the leaderheads have any traits unlike CFC or Vanilla. Aren't they just placeholders? Simeon is not Cyrus or any other artwork you substitute it with. AFAIK.

 

[BurnEmDown]

I think the Genova civ should start one tile to the east, that way, not only does it free up the Iron resource for mining, it also encompasses the Honey and the Apple resources to the east instead of the mountains to the west.

 

[merijn_v1]

I think the Genova civ should start one tile to the east, that way, not only does it free up the Iron resource for mining, it also encompasses the Honey and the Apple resources to the east instead of the mountains to the west.

I don't think so. Genova is on the right tile. But you're right on that free up that iron, but I think the iron must be placed one tile to the east instead of the city itself. And if you want your capital one tile east of the original spot, you can move your settler.

 

[BurnEmDown]

That would waste a turn tho . But if you move it east not only do you get more hammers from Iron, you also remove those mountains to the west and get 2 more resources to the east.

 

[st.lucifer]

That would waste a turn tho . But if you move it east not only do you get more hammers from Iron, you also remove those mountains to the west and get 2 more resources to the east.

The iron is ahistorical, so I put it under the city to avoid giving them a massive, undeserved resource boost. The city is in its current location to allow space for Milan and Pisa. Food production isn't great, but a large part of that area should be unproductive mountainous terrain.

 

[micbic]

The iron is ahistorical, so I put it under the city to avoid giving them a massive, undeserved resource boost. The city is in its current location to allow space for Milan and Pisa. Food production isn't great, but a large part of that area should be unproductive mountainous terrain.

Searching in the web, found that southwest Sardinia contains a good amount of iron ore. Why don't we move it there? This way, we add geographical accuracy and we will force the AI to colonize while Genoa is still viable as a civ.

 

[civmademepoor]

Just played (most of) a game as France and a game as Burgundy and then Austria. It didn't crash once and seemed to be going a lot faster. A few notes:

-Venice seems very overpowered at spawn.
-The "big civs" (France, Byzantium and Arabia principally) always tech lagged. Often significantly to the point of being a little ridiculous. The AI was also extremely reluctant to trade techs (at least with me). Most would sooner capitulate than give up a tech.
-I concur with earlier posters that there needs to be some sort of increase in road movement and unit speed, especially later on. While slowly moving armies is perhaps somewhat historically accurate, it kills the gameplay.
-I also had some trouble "pointing and going" with my stacks that included musketeers, I could either move the stack one tile at a time or split it out into their respective unit types and move them that way, which is usually fine, except artillery always seem to chose a different route.
-Both the musketeer and the tercio seem kinda lame for a UU, especially given there isn't something like the archery range to boost them up. Maybe start them both with pinch?
-I noticed a Swedish ship with a 25% bonus vs. mounted units.
-Remove or change the bonus against tanks to something else? Maybe lower the threshold for the [thing that lets spies use enemy roads].
-I've always hated the term "Swiss Pikeman", eg, a Frankish Swiss Pikeman. When they're a mercenary, a Frankish Celtic Swiss Pikeman, sounds too much. Would it be difficult to rename that unit as a Halbedier? (or something).
-Dunkirk should be on the French and Burgundian maps as Dunkerque (it was founded by Frankia as Dunkerke). Dubrovnik should be Ragusa when Austria has it. I know there was some discussion about a leaving out the distant cities when captured (eg no more Micklegards or Leghorns), but I think that Londres should be on the French map.
-The 1st French UHV should not include Nice, both for game play (much too close to Genoa), and historically Nice has gone back and forth, and during the period we're concerned with (1500 and before), it was mostly Italian.

 

[Wessel V1]

-The "big civs" (France, Byzantium and Arabia principally) always tech lagged. Often significantly to the point of being a little ridiculous. The AI was also extremely reluctant to trade techs (at least with me). Most would sooner capitulate than give up a tech.

I'd go even further than that. Overexpansion shouldn't affect tech rates as much as in RFC. In RFC, 8 cities cover China, while in RFCE, 12 cities (something close to that) cover Spain. Controlling Iberia, or being Arabia or Turkey or Byzantium means inevitably a slower tech rate. So I suggest lowering the research penalty (to let's say 5% per city, it was 10% I believe), and increasing the amount of cities needed for a penalty. And please, tone down Venice, they enter the Renaissance (Astronomy, Printing Press) in the 12th century already.

 

[Corm]

Hello folks, been a long time since I posted (and dont think ever in this part of the RFC forums) but I got RFCE a few weeks back and have been playing it a fair bit.

I've never played a game to the final conclusion but as near as damnit (I was too eager to test all the civs)

Im patched to the current version now and have some observations based largely on what Civmademepoor posted.

Very few crashes and those I did experience weren't always Civ IV related (damn Vista's software updating exuberance), about as stable as standard RFC I would say.

I agree that the older factions have a nasty drop off in tech. I noticed it worst as The Arabs, The Byzants, The French and The Burgundian's. Similar to Civmademepoor above.

With large stacks I couldnt pre map out routes. it simply wouldn't let me que moves for further than 1 turn. I could if I moved the units individually. This wasnt always the case however and I noticed it more in larger stacks in the mid to later period of the game.

The Swedes currently spawn with no techs.

AI factions are more reluctant than ever to trade tachs and on the rare occasion they do they are wanting a lot in return. This includes voluntary vassel states that are friendly and have no negative modifiers.

Protestant religion sometimes spawns in far away lands (had it in Moscow once) and spreads oddly. Most occasions its fairly accurate I suppose so its not really a gripe or issue just an observation.

Now I suppose some unasked for comments about content.

Spain could have a 3rd UHV based on settlement/conquering parts of North Africa. Dutch could have a Protestant Religion based UHV.

Scotland...why is it not there? Ok Edinburgh is an independent city but your talking about the country who's King united England, Scotland and Wales and who's parliament created GB. Not to mention the input into the rise of the East India Corporation and various...I wont spell it out the UK only exists because of Scotland. So um add us instead of England. We are far more important. Poland got in ok?! What?

yeah yeah im kidding

 

[onedreamer]

In every joke there is a base of truth.

 

[micbic]

@civmademepoor: Just fixed first two problems of city naming (Dunkerque and Ragusa), see last page of Files thread.

 

[Wessel V1]

Some notes about the new independent states:

- Their colors are the same as the old independent states. Very confusing, because there are no visible borders between the states.
- These new independent states seem to be broken. Without any fight or going trough their lands, I'm already over 50 turns at war with one of the independent states. Not very sure about this though, it's only a small observation.

Back to my current game. It's now 1300 AD (I'm Bulgaria), and no less than 12countries are solid / very solid. Anyone else is at least shaky, except for Burgundy, which is always rather unstable in my games. Only Kiev and Byzantium (their cities were so tasty) have collapsed, due to barbarian pressure. Moscow is safe I hope, as they are my vassal.

 

[sedna17]

Thanks for your feedback.

Independents:
RFC purposefully (I think) has independents all the same color so you think of them less as belonging to a coherent empire. I agree it's sort of a pain not to know which independents you are at war with though. We could easily give them distinct colors if people prefer it. We'll have to check the auto-peace function with indies and make sure it's working.

Stack movement:
I don't know what's going on here. Maybe one of our new units has some typo in their movement stats which is causing these problems. The musketeer looks okay though. Any other details on this problem would be appreciated.

Sweden techs: Being taken care of. Venice is more powerful now that the indies are weaker, we'll take them down a notch. Other tech rates: I agree that reducing the tech-penalty for empire size is not a bad idea.

Military unit tweaks: I've been working on a pretty major re-balance of the military, so I think I'm going to push through with that and that should address a lot of complaints -- except the movement issue.