The changes you ask for would put an even heavier toll on the already heavy burdened Civ 4 engine...As most of us know by now, even as the mod is now, the Civ 4 engine has problems handling it "especially" late game. (Not all of your changes)
Obviously new changes will generate more weight to the system. But I think we can't be satisfied never. My suggestions have the goal of discussing ideas and concepts that i wanted to see in a Civ 4 game, trying to approach as much as possible to the reality. I don't know absolutely nothing about coding. Python, C++, XML are greek to me, so I let these to Zappara decide if we can put it or not. I want to discuss not if we can, but if we should or not, and why.
With the military maintenance issue, that sounds like a heavy python (or maybe C++ if someone is experienced enough) and python isn't exactly man's best friend. It's large, it's clunky, it's inefficient, but we must use it. Most of the slowdown usually involves python in fact so adding more would just increase this stress.
Can't we just rise the multipliers of maintenance and associate military units to all the food produced by the cities, creating a limit?
Trade routes, same thing. You'd have to overhaul the whole way Civ 4 handles trade routes meaning that it will probably not run smooth. This is also alot of micromanagement on the player and may become more of a burden than a virtue.
Yes, i agree that the manual management of trade routes can be exhausting if we don't do it right. I thought in a system like the citizens system, that you can automate it. I think hardcore players could enjoy micromanaging it.
The open borders division would have to be some heavy (or maybe light coding) into C++ but ultimately doesn't seem necessary.
Open Borders division is the most clearly necessary change in my opinion. Why can't I have the commercial benefits of a Open Borders Agreement without let my rivals walk with their armies between my cities?
Roads should not cost more. This would be an unnecessary expenditure in early-early game (especially in harder difficulties) but the Railroad expenditure seems fine to me.
I still think that road should cost something more than just time. It can be gold, or hammer or even food. If it will burden the early-game finance, we should think how balance this. How did ancient societies finance the roads construction?
I've never seen or have had anywhere close to a cultural victory in my games (though the score difference is grander -sometimes a 5x difference lol)
The lack of cultural victories in your games may have relation to your great advantage to your AI opponents, or other especific reason. What I said is: If tech victory was delayed, cultural and diplomatic ones should be delayed too.
Stone should never become obsolete lol but I'm ok with obsidian.
What do you have made of stone in your house?
I have new ideas for resources too, i think we can balance the game more using it, just bringing down the benefits. Here goes:
New resource branch:
- Alcoholic Beverages
With a technology named "Destilation and Fermentation Techniques", a building named "Drink Factory" or something like that could be constructed.
This way it goes:
- Sugar Cane (in substitution of Sugar) --> "Drink Factory" --> Alcoholic Beverages
- Grapes (in substitution of wine) --> "Drink Factory" --> Alcoholic Beverages
- Rice and Wheat and corn , -->"Drink Factory" --> Alcoholic Beverages
This resource would be exactly the same of wine, only more common.
Also:
- Sugar Cane --> Sugar Refinery -- Refined Sugar
- Sugar Cane, Corn --> Oil Refinery --> Ethanol (Standard Ethanol Corp. can be deleted)
- Chicken
- I think vulcanized and synthetic rubber can be deleted. That i consider unnecessary weight to the game. Just rubber would do the job, gaining more bonus as the game progresses.
caused by spies getting caught.
