Social Policy Costs Going Down?

[Martinus]

It's also possible that the "one free social policy per era" is (or is changed in response to testing) working something like the Great Engineer special ability - i.e. that whenever you enter a new era, your culture tops up to grant you a new social policy, but that's that - and you lose whatever culture you had accumulated so far.

That would make it much less powerful unless you really micro-manage your eras.

 

[les berceaux]

Maybe instead of making the costs lower, you get a boost every time you enter a new era. Makes sense, with new eras bringing in new ways of thinking. Say every new era, you get a boost equal to 20% of the culture accumulated during the previous era. Gets reduced to 10% after you complete 4 trees.

 

[kirbdog]

It's also possible that the "one free social policy per era" is (or is changed in response to testing) working something like the Great Engineer special ability - i.e. that whenever you enter a new era, your culture tops up to grant you a new social policy, but that's that - and you lose whatever culture you had accumulated so far.

That would make it much less powerful unless you really micro-manage your eras.

That would just be annoying because I'd feel like I should micro-manage it.

And then I would. And it'd retain most of its power, just in annoying form.

 

[headcase]

Reasons costs may go down:
- Even if there are only 9 branches, there will likely be less mutual exclusivity, meaning more options for combinations of SPs, so you can get more of them while still having choices to make.
- Without the "finish x branches" victory, SP acquisition no longer needs to be as limited to balance against an overly early cultural victory.
- One free SP per era sounds like a lot for a UA (however, see 2nd point below).

Reasons costs may not go down:
- SP bonuses are fairly powerful. If they were cheap too, the game might become too lopsided toward acquiring them, unless handled right.
- Without the direct "finish x branches" victory, the only benefit to SPs are the bonuses themselves. One per era needs to be enough of an edge to make Poland's UA worthy. (For similar reasons, the Oracle may need to give more SPs or a new bonus). The cheaper the SPs, the less the free ones are worth, now that they aren't directly used toward victory.

So, I don't know

Also, I think they revealed Poland's UA just to make a point about how the role of SPs is going to change a lot, since, as has been said, the UA would be extremely OP in the current game.

 

[Camikaze]

I like how you mentioned it's like getting 5 Oracles!

A free policy you get when you enter the Modern Era isn't as powerful as a free policy much earlier in the game. So I imagine the early free policies will be like the Oracle, but I don't think it's accurate to say that your last free policy will be just like getting the Oracle.

 

[bcaiko]

Sigh. First, in pre-G&K people wanted more happiness because it was not "fun" to having to prioritize happiness (buildings, luxuries, etc.). Now, people want cheaper policies because it is not "fun" to go so long without choosing one because they did not prioritize culture. Whatever happened to making difficult or sacrificial choices in a strategy game???

I'm not advocating for policy costs to go down. The evidence, however, suggests they are: Poland's Unique Ability, the additional trees and ideologies all seem to indicate there may be a reduction of the costs.

That actually worries me just a tad, considering how quickly my games turn on the Honor tree getting completed.

A free policy you get when you enter the Modern Era isn't as powerful as a free policy much earlier in the game. So I imagine the early free policies will be like the Oracle, but I don't think it's accurate to say that your last free policy will be just like getting the Oracle.

Tell that to someone who just finished the Autocracy tree.

 

[Louis XXIV]

Just a random thought. It's worth pointing out that total culture is now a thing that matters. It helps protect against enemy cultural warfare. This is true regardless of the number of policies you have. If Solidarity gives you a policy but doesn't increase total culture, it comes with a disadvantage too.

France, on the other hand, is better at resisting a rival culture's influence (sound familiar anyone? ). It's unclear if it's city-based culture that matters or national culture, though, which is why I can't comment on whether the Aztecs do the same. If anything, it's them I'm most worried about when it comes to changes in cultural victory.

 

[Camikaze]

Tell that to someone who just finished the Autocracy tree.

What Autocracy tree?

 

[iconocast]

i think its pretty clear that socil policy system is getting a complete overhaul, even more so than gnk. in fact i will be suprised if they dont change the cultural victory type to be more "flexibal" as atm its the most set in stone victory type, requiring u to follow a set path from turn 0

 

[bcaiko]

What Autocracy tree?

...this one? Autocracy

You know, the one that gives you a 25% attack bonus when you complete it so you can ROFL stomp any Civ that's still in your way.

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

Would it be a bad idea, that seeing as how Cultural Victory is FINALLY getting re-done (it's my least fav beacuse it favours smaller empires), that they could potentially completely remove the % increase per city, (but in order to balance it, raise unhappines per city bit higher so there's still penalty)?

 

[Gucumatz]

...this one? Autocracy

You know, the one that gives you a 25% attack bonus when you complete it so you can ROFL stomp any Civ that's still in your way.

Some sources suggest that Autocracy/Freedom/Order are being removed and replaced with ideologies. Its not 100% clear though yet if this is indeed the case

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Would it be a bad idea, that seeing as how Cultural Victory is FINALLY getting re-done (it's my least fav beacuse it favours smaller empires), that they could potentially completely remove the % increase per city, (but in order to balance it, raise unhappines per city bit higher so there's still penalty)?

I don't think so. Getting more sopols was one of the few benefits for going tall. If they removed the threshold increase per city, it would make tall empires a lot less viable compared to the wide ones.

 

[shaglio]

...this one? Autocracy

You know, the one that gives you a 25% attack bonus when you complete it so you can ROFL stomp any Civ that's still in your way.

I'm curious if anybody (who didn't start in the Industrial Era or later) has ever completed the Autocracy tree in G&K. I'm sure somebody out there has done it. Me? I've never even had the chance to start it when going for a Domination VC. But I usually only play on Prince, so maybe things drag out more on higher difficulties.

 

[nokmirt]

Yes, there are two added (Aesthetics and Exploration), but also three removed (Order, Autocracy and Freedom) and turned into Ideologies.

Yes I understand, but how many different ideaologies can be created from the given choices, when you get to that point in the game? From what I gather there will be quite a few choices that you can use to build you ideaology, kinda like religion. Is that so?

 

[mitsho]

As I understood it, there will be three blocks, not more. You can customize the ideology you chose for yourself though, but that doesn't change the ideology you adhere to. So in Freedom you will have American Laissez-Faire, Scandinavian Social Welfare state, German Corporatism (tight cooperation where state-run private organisations take over state tasks), Japanese Corporation-focused Freedom and so on. All these still belong to the "Free World", so their ideology is Freedom, but their details (tenets) are customized per civilization. (These are real-world examples btw..)

 

[bcaiko]

We don't know, however, if culture will be used to unlock Ideologies like they're used to unlock Social Policies.

We really don't know much about Ideologies at all except that they exist.

Some sources suggest that Autocracy/Freedom/Order are being removed and replaced with ideologies. Its not 100% clear though yet if this is indeed the case

Yup. I'm aware. I was answering Camikaze's assertion that a free Social Policy doesn't matter as much in the late game. I'm of the opinion it actually can matter more.

A free Rationalism tree ain't nothing to sneeze at, either.

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

According to the Analyst site, Ideology consists of the 10th "tree", within which you choose either Autocracy, Freedom or Order.

 

[Calouste]

I'm curious if anybody (who didn't start in the Industrial Era or later) has ever completed the Autocracy tree in G&K. I'm sure somebody out there has done it. Me? I've never even had the chance to start it when going for a Domination VC. But I usually only play on Prince, so maybe things drag out more on higher difficulties.

Just use the Aztecs, should be fairly easy. Although on lower levels there might not be enough units to kill to get all the culture.

 

[nokmirt]

Thank you for those explanations. At least there are more choices for each ideaology, to mold them as you see fit. At least there are more choices for each ideaology, to mold them as you see fit.