Calamities - Maybe like a year ago I suggested like an "age up" mechanic. Basically you can choose to enter a new era of technologies whenever you like. But your empire has to go through like a transformative event. The earlier you click up, the harsher the event. Any of those calamities could apply.
I really like your idea of, as I understand it, entering new technological era coming with a risk/gamble the bigger the earlier you enter it (relative to other players). It kind of makes sense - earlier adopters of revolutionary new technologies, civics, philosophies etc may be destabilized by them, or find in them seeds of their downfall, as they are entering entirely new territory not yet charted and tried by anybody else.
Honestly, that's one of the best Ideas that I have seen that can prevent early Snowballing and keep the Game more interesting throughout the Eras. I like the Ideas presented by Krajzen, and it was Fun trying to design them to fit the Theme and Design of Civ6 specifically (I couldn't resist lol), so allow me to share what I came up with with you:
- Either
(1) For every Tech or Civic of the next Era that you have researched, you get -1 Loyalty in your Cities for every 2 Players that don't have it yet. If you're in a Dark Age it's -1 Loyalty for each Player that doesn't have it yet, if you're in a Golden/Heroic Age it will be -1 Loyalty in your Cities for every 3 Players that don't have it yet.,
OR (2) For every Tech of the next Era that you have researched and others haven't you get a Loyalty Penalty, and it's calculated as follows:
[((All Techs from the next Era that you have researched * all the Players in the Game except you) - (Sum of all Techs from the next Era that all other Players have researched)) / all the Players in the Game except you] + [((Sum of Players that didn't research any Tech of the next Era) - (Sum of Players that have research a Tech from the next Era)) /(2 if you're in a Normal Era. 1 If you're in a Dark Age. 3 if you're in a Golden/Heroic Age)] = - n Loyalty Penalty in All Player's Cities.
Example: We have 12 Players in the Game, including You.
- You have researched 3 Techs from the next Era
- 2 other Players have researched 2 Techs from the next Era.
- 1 other Players have researched 1 Tech from the next Era.
- 8 other Players haven't research any Tech from the next Era.
The Loyalty Penalty equation will go like this:
Normal Era: [(3*11 - (2*2+1*1+8*0)) / 11 ] + [(8-(2+1)) / 2] = ((33 - 5)/11) + 5/2 = 28/11 + 2.5 = round(5.04) = - 5 Loyalty in your Cities
Dark Age: [(3*11 - (2*2+1*1+8*0)) / 11 ] + [(8-(2+1)) / 1] = ((33 - 5))/11) + 5 = 28/11 + 5 = round(7.54) = - 8 Loyalty in your Cities
Golden/Heroic Age: [(3*11 - (2*2+1*1+8*0)) / 11 ] + [(8-(2+1)) / 3] = ((33 - 5))/11) + 5/3 = 28/11 + 1.66 = round(4.21) = - 4 Loyalty in your Cities
Another Example: We have 12 Players in the Game, including You.
# You have researched 3 Techs from the next Era
# 3 other Players have researched 2 Techs from the next Era.
# 2 other Players have researched 1 Tech from the next Era.
# 6 other Players haven't research any Tech from the next Era.
The Loyalty Penalty equation will go like this:
Normal Era: [(3*11 - (3*2+2*1+6*0)) / 11 ] + [(6-(3+2)) / 2] = ((33 - 8)/11) + 1/2 = 25/11 + 0.5 = round(2.77) = - 3 Loyalty in your Cities
Dark Age: [(3*11 - (3*2+2*1+6*0)) / 11 ] + [(6-(3+2)) / 1] = ((33 - 8))/11) + 1 = 25/11 + 1 = round(3.27) = - 3 Loyalty in your Cities
Golden/Heroic Age: [(3*11 - (3*2+2*1+6*0)) / 11 ] + [(6-(3+2)) / 3] = ((33 - 8))/11) + 1/3 = 25/11 + 0.33 = round(2.6) = - 3 Loyalty in your Cities
Other Penalties include:
- For every Tech of the next Era that you have researched, you get -2 Gold in your Cities for every Tech of the current (not next) Era that you haven't researched yet.
- For every Civic of the next Era that you have researched, you get -1 Culture in your Cities for every Civic of the current (not next) Era that you haven't researched yet.
- For every Civic (or 2 Civics maybe?) of the next Era relative to the current
Game Era that you have researched, you get -1 Loyalty in your Cities.
- For every 2 Civics of the next Era relative to the current
Game Era that you have researched, you get -1 Amenity in your Cities.
- If the Game is in Classical Era, for every Tech from the Medieval Era that you have researched, you receive -1 Food and -1 Gold Penalty in your Cities.
- If the Game is in Medieval Era, for every Tech from the Renaissance Era that you have researched, you receive -2 Gold and -2 faith Penalty in your Cities.
- If the Game is in Renaissance Era, for every Tech from the Industrial Era that you have researched, you receive -2 Culture and - 2 Food Penalty in your Cities.
- If the Game is in Industrial Era, for every Tech from the Modern Era that you have researched, you receive -4 Gold, -2 Food and -2 Production Penalty in your Cities.
- If the Game is in Modern Era, for every Tech from the Atomic Era that you have researched, you receive -2 Diplomatic Modifier with all Players and -1 Favor per Turn.
- If the Game is in Atomic Era, for every Tech from the Information Era that you have researched, you receive -5 Gold and -3 Culture Penalty in your Cities.
- If the Game is in Information Era, for every Tech from the Future Era that you have researched, you receive -3 Food and -10 Gold in your Cities and -4 Diplomatic Modifier with all Players Penalty.
- Some Policies, Governors and Wonders might negate/reduce some of those Penalties (either globally, or locally in case of Governors and some Wonders).
Sounds Fun to me, maybe I will make a Mod out for this at some Point (after more thinking it through ofc) ^^