Distance between cities and city improvements

from Elemental Forums

Any way to mod the minimum distance needed to settle a new city and the minimum distance allowed between city improvements? Are there two options or just one? It would suck if both the distance between improvements and the distance to settle were handled by the same value, but I could deal with it. =P

I've noticed that when two cities touch by stringing resources in a straight line from one city to another that it consistently goes to the same city, and it doesn't break the game by crashing or doing anything silly like counting buildings or resources twice. I want to have settle distance 5+ (5, 7, or 10 likely), but let cities build improvements right up against each other. If the two situations are handled by the same value then that would suck, as even putting it to 2 or 3 would likely cause the AI's head to explode.

Thanks in advance.

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Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top


Any way to mod the minimum distance needed to settle a new city and the minimum distance allowed between city improvements? Are there two options or just one? It would suck if both the distance between improvements and the distance to settle were handled by the same value, but I could deal with it. =P

I've noticed that when two cities touch by stringing resources in a straight line from one city to another that it consistently goes to the same city, and it doesn't break the game by crashing or doing anything silly like counting buildings or resources twice. I want to have settle distance 5+ (5, 7, or 10 likely), but let cities build improvements right up against each other. If the two situations are handled by the same value then that would suck, as even putting it to 2 or 3 would likely cause the AI's head to explode.

Thanks in advance.

 

As far as I know there is only one value, which is distance between cities. The distance between improvements built via the build menu must always maintain this distance between towns. However, it is probably possible to have two cities touch each other if the resources are in just the right layout, though I have never personally tested this hypothesis since the chance of this occurring is near enough to zero as to be zero. There is a value in ElementalDefs.xml which states to define this minimum distance between cities, though again I have never tested modifications of this value. You are probably right to say that decreasing it would probably have significantly adverse affects on the AI, though it is possibly that the AI has a particular value hard coded for how far apart cities should be.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

I looked through ElementalDef (a couple times both before and after your reply) and I didn't see anything. I guess I'm just being blind and dumb. Specific name of the value? If it's "ZOCImprovementInfluence" it sounds like it controls more than just the minimum distance.

 

EDIT: Changing "ZOCImprovementInfluence" does not change the minimum distance between cities. =\

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

I think the game really needs a "minimum distance from city center" for new cities.  Set it to about 15 or 20 and it would reduce city spam and still let us expand & develop the cities that still get built.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

I looked through ElementalDef (a couple times both before and after your reply) and I didn't see anything. I guess I'm just being blind and dumb. Specific name of the value? If it's "ZOCImprovementInfluence" it sounds like it controls more than just the minimum distance.

I looked as well and it appears as if this has been either been removed or my memory is faulty. I will ask the devs and other modders this next week about this and see if there is a sort of work around solution.

I think the game really needs a "minimum distance from city center" for new cities. Set it to about 15 or 20 and it would reduce city spam and still let us expand & develop the cities that still get built.

I completely disagree with this. These types of arbitrary limitations do not reduce city spam nor do they address the underlying reasons why city spam is an effective strategy.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting kenata, reply 4


I looked as well and it appears as if this has been either been removed or my memory is faulty. I will ask the devs and other modders this next week about this and see if there is a sort of work around solution.

 

That'd be awesome! Thanks a bunch.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

After talking with Cari, she informed me that this value is hardcoded and is unchangable.

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Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Aw, that sucks, but thanks for finding out for me.