Hello everyone. I’m making this thread to hear your ideas of civ bonuses or technologies that are unique in some way for hypothetical new civs or civs redesigns, that slightly changes the mechanics of the game giving a unique identity or playstyle to the civ.
The idea is to be realistic in what could be implemented like cuman feudal town centers or khmer farms, and to not go too far with the uniqueness. I say this because I’ve seen proposals for morale/healing auras and hybrid land-water units that not only is difficult to make it work with this engine, but are in my oppinion too much over the top and kind of bizarre for the mechanics of the game.
I’ll begin with some of my ideas and some that I’ve come across in this forum:
Self trade: I originally came up with this one while thinking about a feitoria rework. I thought that feitorias, historically being trade posts in colonies to commerce with the metropoli, could be redesign as a building with the only purpose of trading with yourself, but at a much lower rate than normal trade. It would be just a place to send your trade carts and they would return with gold. No carts or technologies would be able to be created or researched there. Now I think that the concept of self trade could be applied also to turks as a solution to their late game gold issues.
Gunpowder available from castle age. Gunpowder units would still be available only in imperial, but a +1 attack in castle age locked behind an slow to research technology could be an interesting power spike. You still would prefer thumb ring and ballistics first.
Market exchange prices cannot fall below certain value: Another market bonus. I think that the prosperity and power that comes with trade is an aspect not enough covered when civilizations were designed. I was thinking a value of 21 or so. Price would not be able to fall below that numer. The difference of this bonus with saracens’ one is that instead of an early game buff that you can exploit for a strong power spike it’s more of a late game advantage over your opponent in trash wars, and a comeback opportunity when your enemy controls most of the gold mines.
Archers can be created in barracks and stables: Originally proposed by @Sylux1000 in the “my balance suggestion for august patch” thread, as a possible italian buff. As was explained in that thread (iirc), in late medieval italy (and also portugal) citiziens were instructed in the use of crossbows in case of an attack to the city, thus it could be reflected by letting archers to be trained in barracks and stables in addition to the archery range. An useful bonus for faster rushes and save some wood early game. Shine for its uniqueness. I would limit the bonus to barracks only though, just because archers in stables seems weird.
Herdables created in mills: I’ve seen this one long time ago in a tibetan civ proposal (with yaks), and recently come across with it again in this forum (dont remember which thread o by whom exactly), as a buff for tatars (with sheeps). An intresenting mechanic, maybe hard to balance. They would cost some food or wood to create just like farms. Could with some (a lot of) work be taken to an extent of replacing farms entirely, fitting for a nomadic civ like cumans, huns or tatars.
Animals don’t rot: Another one about herdables that I’ve seen in this forum. Again I don’t remember where exactly. Maybe a weak bonus but not as weak as incas’ team bonus. At least it’s unique.
Ok, those are mine (with some borrowed ones). I’m eager to hear your unique ideas, be it a bonus, technology, building or unit.
And fish. This would be interesting not as a civ bonus, but as a map bonus. For example, a herd of deer wanders in at the start of Castle Age. The opposite could also be fun, like sudden famine at a certain time or age. Forest fires?
Or more generally, villagers regenerate HP. It wouldn’t be enough to make them good infantry, but would allow a villager to recover from boar and wild animal wounds.
How about:
You get a % of the gold traded with your market. This would benefit being flank.
Monasteries heal
Pikeman in Feudal Age (to make it a difficult civ to scout rush)
Villager bonus damage against towers (to make it a difficult civ to tower rush)
Villager extra line of sight or automatic town watch (to make it a good civ for nomad / finding resources faster)
Basically, a small variation that would make an existing civ or new civ situationally interesting.
some nice ideas that other people recommended, i like how you point out when you think its too strong, but miss obviously too strong ones like this…
like how good do you think 25 “weak” archers are vs a feudal rush? 130 free “weak” archers are in the imperial age? how effective is raiding when villagers suddenly become 60 archers… theres a HUGE difference between melee and ranged and you want to give them extra damage on top of that? even if they are very short range… (lel 6 range is more than quite a few units…)
my point true for ones like khmer houses (why cant other people hide in their house?), but what i meant was making a civ more logical is not a good move,
in reality a slavic farmer probably did farm faster than a British one, but when you give a civ vills that are smart enough to use their hunting bows for combat?
can’t a shepard breed sheep using food they bought with gold?
i hope you understand
Farms are 2x2
Food gatherers pull 2 wood for every 10 food
Villagers +5 hitpoints each Town Center technology
Can build Storehouse (merged drop-off, TC techs can be researched too)
Trees last 35% longer
Mills, Lumber Camps and Mining Camps support 5 population
Miners don’t need to drop off
Recieve 1/2/3/4 free Fishing Ships in the Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial age
Lumberjack carry +10
Can train Water Buffalo from Mill (maximum 20)
Villagers regenerate 1 hitpoint per minute
Mines last 30% longer
Villagers work 5% faster (expect Farmers)
Farm upgrades give extant Farms additional food
Economic technologies are researched 150% faster
Lumberjacks don’t need to drop off food, but start with -100W (having no lumberjack upgrades)
Recieve 1/2/3 free Villagers whenever a new age is reached and new TCs spawn a villager
Fish last 50% longer
Gillnets is free
Foragers carry +15 and berries last 50% longer
Economic upgrades are available an age earlier
Meat don’t decay
Advancing to the Castle Age is 33% cheaper
Fishermen don’t need to drop off
Farms contain +125 food per age, starting in the Dark Age
Repairers work 100% faster and repairing costs 25% less
Military units (expect Scouts) cost 20% less food
Start with +150 wood
Technologies are researched 25% faster
Start with +2 villagers but -150F
Markets are independent but trading is 15% more expensive in the Imperial Age
Start with +150 stone
Fishing Ships carry +15
Farms give 10 food when built
Wheelbarrow and Hand Cart have double effect on Villagers
Can build Gardens in the Feudal Age (max. 5) [improved Farms]
Hunters don’t need to drop off food
Huntables last 35% longer
Economic upgrades cost 60/80/100% less food in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial age
Start with a Horse and 2 Houses
Own Herdables and Wolves are revealed
Recieve 100W and 100S whenever a new age is reached
Stone Mining and Stone Shaft Mining are free
Start with 3 Farms and a Lumbercamp
