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[gameplay] new kush civ bonus
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Authored by Nescio on Jan 16 2021, 10:48 PM.

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Balancing
Summary

This patch introduces a new civilization bonus for the Kushites, giving their Civic Structures −50% territory decay rate. They won't suddenly win games because of this, but it makes them a bit more different from other factions.
Territory decay is the rate at which capture points are lost when structures are no longer connected to a territory root; halving it doubles the time to recover from a surprise attack. Civic structures include houses, pyramids, and temples; without houses it would be quite useless. It does not apply to other structures, because there is no compelling reason for e.g. farmsteads and applying it to e.g. palisades and walls seems undesirable.
Suggestions for a better name are welcome.
See also D3390.

Test Plan

Check for typos. Agree with the concept and the proposed values.

Event Timeline

Nescio created this revision.Jan 16 2021, 10:48 PM
Owners added a subscriber: Restricted Owners Package.Jan 16 2021, 10:48 PM

I'm not an expert of Kushite history as @Sundiata, but from what I remember they recovered from Egyptian attacks quite well... Maybe that could be a historic reason for this bonus.

Build has FAILED

builderr-debug-macos.txt
fatal error: file '/Users/wfg/Jenkins/workspace/macos-differential/build/workspaces/gcc/../../../libraries/source/spidermonkey/include-unix-debug/js/Result.h' has been modified since the precompiled header 'obj/simulation2_Debug/precompiled.h.gch' was built
note: please rebuild precompiled header 'obj/simulation2_Debug/precompiled.h.gch'
fatal error: fatal error: file '/Users/wfg/Jenkins/workspace/macos-differential/build/workspaces/gcc/../../../libraries/source/spidermonkey/include-unix-debug/js/Result.h' has been modified since the precompiled header 'obj/simulation2_Debug/precompiled.h.gch' was built
file '/Users/wfg/Jenkins/workspace/macos-differential/build/workspaces/gcc/../../../libraries/source/spidermonkey/include-unix-debug/js/Result.h' has been modified since the precompiled header 'obj/simulation2_Debug/precompiled.h.gch' was built
note: note: please rebuild precompiled header 'obj/simulation2_Debug/precompiled.h.gch'
please rebuild precompiled head

Link to build: https://jenkins.wildfiregames.com/job/macos-differential/2911/display/redirect
See console output for more information: https://jenkins.wildfiregames.com/job/macos-differential/2911/display/redirectconsole

Nescio requested review of this revision.Jan 17 2021, 1:14 AM
borg- added a subscriber: borg-.Jan 17 2021, 2:04 AM

I prefer an "active" bonus that doesn't "depend" on your opponent. the main economy of kushites was livestock, so a bonus in corral would be more productive for me.

borg- added a comment.Jan 18 2021, 2:31 AM

A 5% metal discount for all technologies or soldiers is also very interesting and justifiable.

Some kind of metal working, metal cost, metal gathering bonus, or maybe forging bonus would work for Kushites.

Corraling or ranching bonus would work as well or in addition. Perhaps a free sanga cattle at the beginning plus a sanga training bonus or garrison bonus into the corral.

Feel like the bonus could be upped to 100% or even 150% as it provides no early benefit and would come into effect quite infrequently.

I prefer an "active" bonus that doesn't "depend" on your opponent. the main economy of kushites was livestock, so a bonus in corral would be more productive for me.

Can still have more bonuses for them, this doesn't have to be the only bonus they get.

borg- added a comment.EditedMar 12 2021, 9:36 PM

The idea is to work with 3 bonuses per civilization, this would help to differentiate civilizations too.

Basically the current rams bonus cannot be considered a real bonus. We have the team bonus that should affect kushites too, we can give a gold bonus, like starting the game with more metal, or technologies cost less metal and also something for the corral, where most of the economy of these people comes from.

At least three bonuses per civilization would be really nice, but if one has five or six, that's fine too. Not all bonuses have to be equally useful (cf. D3390).

A proposal:

Bonus 1:
1 free Sanga Cattle at start, aka "Special Starting Unit"

Bonus 2:
"Cattle Ranching": Garrisoning Sanga Cattle into a Corral gains a trickle of food resource. (already possible, no need for new component code)
Gives an interesting choice between slaughtering the Sanga for a burst of food or garrisoning the Sanga for a steady trickle

Bonus 3:
"Pyramids of Meroë ": Their current pyramid bonuses

Bonus 4:
"Archery Tradition": Already in-game

Bonus 5:
"Iron Mongers" or "Iron Smelting": A new special technology in the Forge, gives a trickle of Metal for every Forge built

Bonus 5:
"Iron Mongers" or "Iron Smelting": A new special technology in the Forge, gives a trickle of Metal for every Forge built

I would prefer an additional set of forge technologies ("level III") succeeding the current ones ("level I+II"). Maybe only attack upgrades, not sure. They would be resource and time heavy but could be the edge in extended games.

I would prefer an additional set of forge technologies ("level III") succeeding the current ones ("level I+II"). Maybe only attack upgrades, not sure. They would be resource and time heavy but could be the edge in extended games.

We are thinking of adding a level 3 to all civilizations.

Bonus 1:
1 free Sanga Cattle at start, aka "Special Starting Unit"

Already start with a healer.

My idea:

1- elephant suplies should affect kushites too
2- starts with 500 metal, +200 compared to other civilizations
3- corrals are free.
4- Forge gives a trickle of Metal. Similar to the proposal by @wowgetoffyourcellphone, but does not add metal by add forge.

In D3392#161206, @borg- wrote:

I would prefer an additional set of forge technologies ("level III") succeeding the current ones ("level I+II"). Maybe only attack upgrades, not sure. They would be resource and time heavy but could be the edge in extended games.

We are thinking of adding a level 3 to all civilizations.

Bonus 1:
1 free Sanga Cattle at start, aka "Special Starting Unit"

Already start with a healer.

My idea:

1- elephant suplies should affect kushites too
2- starts with 500 metal, +200 compared to other civilizations
3- corrals are free.
4- Forge gives a trickle of Metal. Similar to the proposal by @wowgetoffyourcellphone, but does not add metal by add forge.

I like the idea to incentivise corrals. Corrals can make games more interesting because it allows a player to make less women, dedicate less units to food production, and use cav that service the corrals as a raiding/defending force.

But in TGs almost everyone farms for food because corrals are micro intensive and often slower than just farming.

However, I don't think free corrals would be enough to incentivise corrals (see how ptol players rarely used corrals in previous alphas even though they were free). Also farms/mines are very easy to build a pyramid next to, which make corrals less necessary for Kush. I would add something else like 10% quicker livestock training or 10% cheaper livestock to make corrals a more viable strategy.

Less territory decay is useful if your buildings are not connected to a territory root. Hence this bonus seems to have offensive utility as houses and temples that you capture in enemy territory don't go back to an opponent as swiftly. Anyway, I think buildings decay way to swiftly.

https://code.wildfiregames.com/D4310