I think it's time for a few articles about techs that I still think are weak and need something to strengthen them.
Weaving is the first problem tech.
The reason for my concern is to make sure that the tech tree is not overstuffed. The player should, without having to resort to exploits, be able to complete the tech tree in the regular course of a game, while still having each tech feel like a meaningful accomplishment and not have to fly through techs.
- A standard speed game of BTS is 500 turns.
- A standard speed game of AND is 1200 turns.
- We have a multiplier of 2.4, so we can increase the total number of techs by 2.4 and still have techs appearing at the same pace.
- Not counting Future Tech, BTS has 91 techs.
- AND currently has 248 techs.
- This is a ratio of 2.73, so a slightly faster pace in terms of turns/tech.
I've also worked very hard to cut out filler techs. Every tech should, in theory, unlock at least 2 "tricks" worth of content. (If you haven't read the rest of this thread and certain other threads, most things unlocked at a given tech count as one trick each. Health and happiness resources, bonuses to existing buildings/improvements/units, promotions, and items not fully unlocked until a later era count as 1/2 trick each.)
What I noticed recently is that
Weaving doesn't have an accurate trick count. While its current count seems to be a healthy 3.5, there are actually so many other conditions on its tricks that it's practically a one-trick tech. What Weaving currently does:
- Slinger unit. This is actually the only pure trick for Weaving.
- Weaver building. Technically unlocked here, but it also requires Sheep or Cotton or Hemp or Silk. The first is available at Animal Husbandry, the rest not until Calendar.
- Tailor building. This counts as half a trick because it is not fully unlocked until Aesthetics, which is Classical Era.
- Sheep resource. This is a minor trick, and not fully available until you reach Animal Husbandry. It does increase tile yields, but that is all.
- Silk resource. Like Sheep, Silk boosts tile yields but does nothing else until Calendar.
For what to do about Weaving:
- Moving the Weaving tech upwards to (Agriculture OR Animal Husbandry) is possible. Making Animal Husbandry mandatory for Weaving is not a good idea because that pushes up Sailing and Ship Building into the next column and requires substantial gymnastics for Ship Building. Ship Building would effectively become an "orphan" tech in its column, which I really want to avoid.
- Slinger would have to be moved, probably to Hunting, or deleted completely. If Slinger's tech requirement is moved up, that puts it too close to Archery.
- Weaver could lose its resource requirement, but I'm not sure how many little buildings with flat yields and no requirements is a good idea. It's nice to have a few buildings like this to give early cities something to do, but I don't really want to see many more.
So another possibility would be to cut the tech entirely. I haven't committed to this. I'm posting this because I noticed it and want to solicit some feedback.