Turn Year Increment

[MikeLynch]

I am playing around with the tech paradigm and the turn year increment, not for any scenario but just for playing a regular (albeit obviously modded) game.

What I had been doing was changing the tech paradigm to 60 and the turn year increment to 10. This seemed to have little noticeable effect on the dating, and though it did slow down technology, it didn't do it to my satisfaction and I'm going to try a tech paradigm of 300.

My question is if anybody knows precisely how the turn year increment works. I have only the vaguest understanding of it. Did anybody ever write a paper on it or anything?

Thx


P.S.-- I'm running ToT, if that matters.

 

[kobayashi]

The year increment has no effect on the game other than the display date. The other setting regarding date is the starting date.

As for tech paradigm, it is purely linear with 100 = normal rate. Some civs with research limitations (like under fanatic government) will not be affected.

 

[MikeLynch]

The year increment has no effect on the game other than the display date.

I know, I'd just like it to sync up with my tech paradigm a little better. When I slow down tech, I'm finding that nobody in the game has any tech better than catapults by 1900 AD, and I'd like to adjust that if possible. It's not a big deal, but it is an aesthetic annoyance.

As for tech paradigm, it is purely linear with 100 = normal rate.

I thought zero was the normal rate. Because I've been using a TP of 60 and it definitely seems to slow down research.

Some civs with research limitations (like under fanatic government) will not be affected.

Does that mean that if I slow the TP waaaay down, say by 500%, it's actually *advantageous* to be Fundamentalist from a science perspective -- that they will get advances faster than non-Fundys??

 

[Mercator]

I know, I'd just like it to sync up with my tech paradigm a little better. When I slow down tech, I'm finding that nobody in the game has any tech better than catapults by 1900 AD, and I'd like to adjust that if possible. It's not a big deal, but it is an aesthetic annoyance.

But surely that's not the only thing. Otherwise you could simply increase it a bit again? Maybe adjusting the tech tree would be a way to fix that.

You do have to remember that if you set your own year increment, the game doesn't use the variable year increment anymore. (50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 year intervals the further you get into the game)

I thought zero was the normal rate. Because I've been using a TP of 60 and it definitely seems to slow down research.

The default is 10. So I suppose kobayashi accidentally added one 0 too many.

 

[MikeLynch]

Maybe adjusting the tech tree would be a way to fix that.

Ugh! I've adjusted it enough. I miss the ability to make certain sciences more costly in beakers than others, as is possible in Civ3. Ah well.

You do have to remember that if you set your own year increment, the game doesn't use the variable year increment anymore. (50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 year intervals the further you get into the game)

Ahhhhhhhh. So THAT's why the ancient era seems pretty normally paced and then the decades fly by later on. Perhaps I'll try setting a TYI of 1.

Suddenly it all makes sense! Thanks Merc.

The default is 10. So I suppose kobayashi accidentally added one 0 too many.

That makes sense. I'm currently trying a TP of 200 and it's definitely a pronounced difference. Of course, my cities soon run out of things to build, which means I stockpile free units (like Diplos) or build/sell Courthouses, which gives me a huge advantage over the idiotic AI -- probably I'll need to crank up the build costs of everything just a bit more.

 

[yoshi]

Of course, my cities soon run out of things to build,...

Why don't you just allow Capitalization form the outset like in Civ3?

You could also save yourself a bit of headache and just Rename A.D. and B.C. 'Turn' and start at 1 (can't remember if tech rate is affected when you go from AD to BC, but if not, then just ignore BC and start the game in AD without having to rename BC). So each turn looks like this: 'Turn 245.' (In addition to that, set the max turns to the limit so you don't need to be worrying about still being in the Renaissance when the game is over.)

 

[MikeLynch]

Why don't you just allow Capitalization form the outset like in Civ3?

That might be the only fair solution. Is the AI known to make appropriate use of Capitalization?

You could also save yourself a bit of headache and just Rename A.D. and B.C. 'Turn' and start at 1 (can't remember if tech rate is affected when you go from AD to BC, but if not, then just ignore BC and start the game in AD without having to rename BC). So each turn looks like this: 'Turn 245.'

Nah, I prefer years. I'll just make do with what it gives me. I never stop when the game tells me to retire anyway.

 

[yoshi]

Is the AI known to make appropriate use of Capitalization?

Oh c'mon! Do you really not already know the answer to that question?

(I suppose this is the reason why the designers neglected to make Capitalization available in the early game.)

What you can do is make improvements more expensive and give the AI a cash boost every turn via events. This way, you may even have to build Capitalization in order to keep your treasury full.

 

[MikeLynch]

What you can do is make improvements more expensive and give the AI a cash boost every turn via events. This way, you may even have to build Capitalization in order to keep your treasury full.

Errrr... sounds like it might be kinda limiting. Good for a scenario, bad for a homebrewed "epic" game.

But getting back to the topic of Turn Year Increment -- I have a theory that it screws up certain events in ToT. I wrote an event that was supposed to spawn a unit on the fourth turn, and only once. But sometimes it was spawning two units on the fourth turn. I think it was doing it because I changed the TYI, because I just started a game where I left the TYI and the tech paradigm alone, and I got just one unit. Yet it seems like every game where I did change the TYI (usually to 10), I got two.

I don't see how the tech paradigm could be to blame b/c the spawning of the unit is unconnected to any tech.

Kobayashi said:

The year increment has no effect on the game other than the display date

...but this makes it look like it might, at least using events.txt in ToT.

Any other ToT users run into weird bugs involving turns after using certain events?

 

[Lord Shadow]

I'm trying to extend the game time in Civ II (MGE), so I have a couple of questions:

1) How do I change the Turn Year Increment?
2) How do I set the ending date for the game?

I want to slow down time and research progression in order to have games last longer than usual (50% to 100% more). If the game behaves as you say and the year is just a number displayed, a lengthened game would end way before 2020, so I need to change the deadline. So far I've only found the Tech Paradigm in the Cosmic Principles of RULES.txt. Now I just need to know what to tinker to affect time progression.

Any ideas?

 

[Mercator]

Use the cheat menu. The options for changing both those are in the cheat menu.