Training Military Experts (in Barracks) [ACCEPTED]

[raystuttgart]

I thought a bit about a concept to strenghten the Colonial Military a bit again.
Because I currently feel the game is a bit out of balance when comparing Colonial Military to the REF (Royal Expeditionary Force).

But simply reducing REF does not really feel like the right solution, because it would make WOI less spectacular.
So I tried to come up with a solution concept that involves new player choices and options instead.

------

This also only works properly if we also introduce "Upkeep" in parallel - which I however plan to do anyways.
Thus using this feature comes with some "cost" and "consequence" and will not be exploited easily.
(Also see comment at the end.)

By the way, this idea is not completely new but I feel that now* it has become viable and good for gameplay.
(In old releases it would have unbalanced the game in the other direction and have resulted in turtling and exploits.)

Now* referring to e.g.:

• Barracks System preventing turtling (by not allowing all troops in heavily defended City)
• Crime and Law requiring more guard troops (thus not available for offensive wars)
• Upkeep (still just protoye) preventing standing armies without continous cost
• Logistics (still just prototype) preventing Stacks of Doom without suffering penalties
• REF being more diversified (e.g. also having Generals and other new Units)
• Miltiary Overhaul (still just concept) thay may introduce stack damage by Artillery
• ...

------

New Buildings

We add 2 new Buildings in the existing Citadel Building Chain (so no new SpecialBuilding)
1) Military Camp (new) --> 2) Barracks (new) --> 3) Citadel (existing) --> Great Bastion (existing)

1) Military Camp

• requires Chevaux de Frise + Village Hall
• gives 1 Training Slot

2) Barracks

• requires Military Camp + Stockades + Town Hall
• gives 2 Training Slot

3) Citadel

• requires Barracks + Fort + City Hall
• gives 3 Training Slots

4) Great Bastion

• requires Citadel + Fortress + Government Palaces (2 for each Bastion)
• gives 4 Training Slots

New Yield "Training" and new Profession "Recruit"

Basically this will work very similar as currently Eduction does.

1) Barracks can only train a Military Expert if it already finds it in the City.
(It will however check the City Center Plot for Military Experts in a Military Profession guarding the City.)

2) Training a Military Expert will work by Proession "Recruit" producing Yield "Training".
(See current "School"-Mechanic with Profession "Student" and Yield "Education".)

3) At the end of a Training you need to pay a certain price for graduation - just like you do also for Education.
(The logic will check your gold stack and until you have the minimum amout of gold not offer a graduation.)

4) The details will be balanced in XML of course and reuse some existing logic of Education System.
(But there will also be some global balancing in GlobalDefinesAlt.xml)

5) Considering AI it should not be too difficult to teach it. We have taught it already more complicated stuff.
(If really necessary we could also give it "easier rules" - but I think that will not be needed.)

6) Also of course those Military Experts will be removed from normal "Education System".
So the current exploit of training Veterans in Schools will not exist anymore.

Remarks:

It will refuse to train Units that are already Experts just like the Education System.
You first need to clear their specialization. Simply to prevent bugs and user mistakes.

Generally the same Units can be trained as the ones that can be educated.
So it will act consistantly and the balancing will match logically.

------

Well, as I said, this change is in my opinion a necessary balance adaptation to allow the player to acquire a bigger army - without getting expensive by buying.
Because there have been added many mechanisms that require more troops and also many mechanisms using money for other purposes.

Also I think that it also adds additional gameplay and choices to the game by a nice and balanced new feature allowing you a new choice to get Military Experts.
It would also feel ok to me considering immersion and even consistant to the already existing Education System that also allows to train Experts.

All the rest is basically just a matter of how we balance in XML.
(e.g. costs and time it requires to train certain Veteran Units.)

-------

Comment:

People that are afraid of the Colonies being "flooded with Military Units" should remember that I also plan to implement "Upkeep".
"Upkeep" will naturally prevent any "flooding" because having a huge standing army over the complete course of the game will cost a lot of gold.

So this is actually more of a "late game option" to catch up with the "REF" before starting WOI - when you don't have to worry much about money anymore.
I also feel it will work better for gameplay than just buying troops like crazy in Europe - which is actually not that immersive considering historic reality.

-------

Well, like almost always I will let you vote on it.
Also give your feedback if you like.

 

[raystuttgart]

These graphics could e.g. be used as base for the Building Military Camp:

 

[codiac]

I'm undecided about this

I think if you have military training then lieutenants and generals should have some role to play in it. e.g. creating the different building improvements requires some of them as part of the price ... MWAHAHAHAHAH!

 

[raystuttgart]

I think if you have military training then lieutenants and generals should ...

Let us please not make this unnecessary complicated and almost impossible to properly teach to AI without unreasonable effort.
I do not have unlimited time for modding either and don't want to waste it like this without real benefit for gameplay.

What you are suggesting is easily inreasing effort by +100% - basically "just to make it more complicated".
Also I am quite convinced that most players would not like to have to use their Generals / Lieutentants like this.

So a definite no to that idea.

By the way:
The "Instructors" in this concept are the Veterans / Military Experts that need to be in the City or on the City Plot.
It makes more sense to me personally considering immersion to have Recruits trained by Veterans and not by Generals.

 

[Mr. ZorG]

this is a much needed concept. however, I suggest removing the check for a specialist on the City Plot. otherwise it turns out that, say, a veteran Infantry soldier, working as a fisherman, teaches someone his main specialty.
although just having the unit in the City is also not correct, but it is better than the current method (which I suggest to remove).

 

[raystuttgart]

I suggest removing the check for a specialist on the City Plot

I will check for a Miltiary Expert being equipped in a Military Profession (as a Defender on the City Plot), being able to fight.
So only if that is the case he will be able to train new Military Experts of that type in that City.

----

Also of course those Military Experts will be removed from normal "Education System".
So the current exploit of training Veterans in Schools will not exist anymore.

----

working as a fisherman,

See above. That is not possible with my logic.

----

Trust me please, I will create logic that is both immersive and good for gameplay.

 

[Mr. ZorG]

Apparently I misunderstood the description. I'll wait for the implementation