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Posted 10-Aug-02 11:12 by Steffen Gerlach

Intentions+Ideas

This is the list of the rules and AI interface modifications I still intend for version 1.0 by now.

- Sometimes a unit move is not possible due to a zone of control of a unit outside the nation's visibility range. This is very hard to comprehend. In this situation, the visibility range of the nation should be enlarged just as if the move was executed to make the problem visible.

- An additional special unit: Trireme, available with Map Making. Very little strength (0/2 or 0/3) but 2 units transport capacity. This should speed up the contact of nations from different continents and increase the probability of enemy forces suddenly appearing in the early part of the game. With the current rules, a nation needs to research Seafaring or Engineering plus Military Research for the first practical transports -- too high entry costs for the oversea transport, which is essential for the game's excitement.

- With the 0.9 version, I made two mistakes concerning the Army of Slaves. The first one: This unit has an attack capability, thus doesn't count civil, thus can enter modern resource tiles and build forts there. The Army of Slaves should lose its attack power.

- The second one: With the invention of Industrialization, all slaves turn into free Settlers. This is more a big present for the Pyramids owner than an "expiration". Suddenly he'd have a much bigger population (settlers make two citizens when added to a city, Slaves just one) and could found a lot of new cities. He would probably try to produce a lot of last Slave Armies immediately before the discovery of Industrialization. An alternative rule was to simply disband all slaves or to change them to Militia. But this would be too hard, I think. My idea: the slaves simply lose their terrain improvement ability, while the user interface changes their picture and name to "Free Citizens". You can still add them to cities, and they still have their former value when utilized.

- Damaged ships should become slower, like they did in Civ II.

- Heavy terrain is too heavy, I think. The speed advantage of fast units remaining in heavy terrain is so little that they can not move faster than simple 150MP units if the heavy terrain is coherent. The heavy terrain rule should read "In heavy terrain, these costs increase by 20% resp. 30% of the unit speed more than 150". This would give fast units in heavy terrain almost the speed they have in Civ II.

- It always seemed odd to me that a nation can build a Colosseum in every city. I'd like to make it a national project with the cost and effect of the National Theater, while the Theater becomes a city improvement with the cost and effect of the Colosseum. (More a cosmetic than a rules change.)

- A period of anarchy when changing the government form,
just like it's been in Civ.

- Peace treaties should exclude exploiting tiles in each other's territory.

- Some turns after signing a peace treaty, all units still located in the other nation's territory should be "teleported" back to the next own city.

- I'm thinking about giving the alliance pact a bit more consequence: the nations could automatically share all advances and unit designs.

- AI interface changes: none.

Now what do you think?

Steffen

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: This is the list of the rules and AI interface modifications I still intend for version 1.0 by now. : : - Sometimes a unit move is not possible due to a zone of control of a unit outside the nation's visibility range. This is very hard to comprehend. In this situation, the visibility range of the nation should be enlarged just as if the move was executed to make the problem visible. : : - An additional special unit: Trireme, available with Map Making. Very little strength (0/2 or 0/3) but 2 units transport capacity. This should speed up the contact of nations from different continents and increase the probability of enemy forces suddenly appearing in the early part of the game. With the current rules, a nation needs to research Seafaring or Engineering plus Military Research for the first practical transports -- too high entry costs for the oversea transport, which is essential for the game's excitement. : : - With the 0.9 version, I made two mistakes concerning the Army of Slaves. The first one: This unit has an attack capability, thus doesn't count civil, thus can enter modern resource tiles and build forts there. The Army of Slaves should lose its attack power. : : - The second one: With the invention of Industrialization, all slaves turn into free Settlers. This is more a big present for the Pyramids owner than an "expiration". Suddenly he'd have a much bigger population (settlers make two citizens when added to a city, Slaves just one) and could found a lot of new cities. He would probably try to produce a lot of last Slave Armies immediately before the discovery of Industrialization. An alternative rule was to simply disband all slaves or to change them to Militia. But this would be too hard, I think. My idea: the slaves simply lose their terrain improvement ability, while the user interface changes their picture and name to "Free Citizens". You can still add them to cities, and they still have their former value when utilized. : : - Damaged ships should become slower, like they did in Civ II. : : - Heavy terrain is too heavy, I think. The speed advantage of fast units remaining in heavy terrain is so little that they can not move faster than simple 150MP units if the heavy terrain is coherent. The heavy terrain rule should read "In heavy terrain, these costs increase by 20% resp. 30% of the unit speed more than 150". This would give fast units in heavy terrain almost the speed they have in Civ II. : : - It always seemed odd to me that a nation can build a Colosseum in every city. I'd like to make it a national project with the cost and effect of the National Theater, while the Theater becomes a city improvement with the cost and effect of the Colosseum. (More a cosmetic than a rules change.) : : - A period of anarchy when changing the government form, : just like it's been in Civ. : : - Peace treaties should exclude exploiting tiles in each other's territory. : : - Some turns after signing a peace treaty, all units still located in the other nation's territory should be "teleported" back to the next own city. : : - I'm thinking about giving the alliance pact a bit more consequence: the nations could automatically share all advances and unit designs. : : - AI interface changes: none. : : : Now what do you think? : : Steffen :