Starting bonuses and spell bonuses.

from Elemental Forums

So I have seen some discussion around the forums about spells and sov abilitys which add +1 of a resource every turn and how in the long term this bonus doesn't scale and soon becomes pretty worthless. One solution for this that seems to be getting considered is to change these bonuses to a percentage increase. This would allow the bonus to stay relevent over the long term, however this would mean at the start of the game these bonuses would be virtually useless.

Instead of chooseing between these two options why not give us the best of both worlds. These spells and sov traits could both add +1 of the resource and a percentage bonus at the same time. The +1 would be usefull right from the get go and then as it starts to become useless the percentage bonus starts to become usefull and benefit the player.

Just my thoughts on the matter anyhow :) what do you guys think. Oh and sorry if this has already been suggested and covered in another thread, hadn't spotted it if it had.

6,282 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

I think that the +1 bonuses are fine, even if they don't scale.  Being able to start Spell or Tech research on turn 1 is HUGE, and that 'jump' usually keeps you ahead for the rest of the game.

Sure, when you need 480 tech points for that next tech level, it's not as 'powerful', but it still adds up, and you've been benefitting from the earlier techs coming online sooner for quite some time in any case.

Plus, your children may pick up the +1 as one of their traits, so that helps.

 

The +1 gildar has been a godsend in the early game as well.  Sometimes goody huts water it down for a bit, but once you've spent that gold, geting that +1 is helpful again.  The way I look at it, you get a 'free' armor or weapon upgrade every 30-40 or so turns from that +1, due to the accumulating gildar.

 

The +2 mana ability means you can afford two more enchants.  I like that.

 

That being said, r.e. your percentage bonus idea, a 'lowly' 1-2% bonus to tech points wouldn't be too unbalancing in my opinion, as long as you also received the +1 point along with it. 

 

 

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Maybe the +1 gildar is on the weak side. The +1 tech, however, isn't. And the +2 food is huge. Especially since children can inherit it.

Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

That's why the +1 Gildar only costs 5 CP, versus 10 CP for Tech or Arcane.  5 CP for +2 Mana might be a little low, but 10 might be a little high.  Waiting for the jury to weigh in on that one.

The +2 food can be huge in the early game, UNLESS you already have a lot of food nearby.  In the late game, though, it mainly means about another 10 gildar or so in tax revenue every turn (depending on how many people your houses/apartments/etc. hold).  5 CP might be a little low, but I'd argue that 10 is pushing it.

If EVERYONE who designs a sovereign always takes Green Thumb, then it's probably too powerful.  If people are taking it about as often as the other options (maybe a little more because of the lower cost), than the cost is about right.

 

Myself, I'm currently utilizing all of the options (Food, Tech, Arcane, Gildar, Mana) with my Sovereign.  I'm curious to see how my children turn out...

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Hmm I hadn't considered children adding to the stats, coulod get rather op that way. I was thinking Tech, Arcane, Mana, Food would be left as they are but any thing related to gold, mats, crystals, metal might benefit more from this.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

The +1 tech and arcane research are the only two that I consider worthwhile of the +some resource because of the 10-15 turn head start you get on BOTH research progressions (usually it would be about 10-15 turns to get one developed).

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

hmm under the new system, gold is based of of population. i think 10 ppl give 1 gold per turn, multiplied by modifiers. Markets give you +25% fairly quick.

1 food grants a hut for 50 population in kingdom, and that gets bigger later with better tech. (wait i think its 25 food for a hut and 50 for a house)

assuming you build the beacon of hope for example, your prestige will fill that population count  fairly quick, perhaps by 50 turns or so. so lets say by turn 75 you have maybe 100 population. that gives a base 10 gold tax rate, again this is also modified by tech. This sovereign skill has 2 tech modifiers that increase its usefulness. I don't think any other sovereign trait has a modifier like this.

so yeah, i think it is underpriced if it works that way.

 

For comparison, +1 tech give us a one time bonus of a few materials. However, it saves us 1 gold per turn and a population count of 5 but it is not affected by tech modifiers as far as i know. (although that +1 tech lets us invest it into any kind of upgrade you want, but it's a less of bonus than what the food grants us)

The +1 gildar in the new system helps us less than before, however it is useful for replacing some of the taxes, or paying the upkeep of some early army units. It used to be flexible enough to cover the maintenance cost for several buildings but those costs have changed and this skill has not. I think it would be pretty cool for a sovereign or hero to be able to get a level up ability that upgrades this skill. It can start at +1, which you can buy at creation or with a level up, then another level up can change it into a % modifier for a city, than maybe later a % modifier for the kingdom, perhaps the kingdom wide one is too powerful, but it is merely an example. The feat system for heroes has so much potential i'm sad it wasn't implemented and i will root for it every chance i get to make heroes more interesting in this game.