Prologue:
Below I will present a compilation of proposals related to the natives, minor factions or whatever you want to call it. Some proposals made by me, others made by other people, and others in which we probably converge.
The goal is to improve the viability of using natives in general, regardless of whether some civilizations like the Africans and Inca civilizations for example already benefit from alliances better than average.
Let’s start with the most basic:
TP in native settlements:
Native settlements cost 200 wood by default, and it’s too high an investment for the cost/benefit ratio to be worth it in the short term. That is why I will propose the following:
A passive bonus similar to the Asian Consulate: Now all the minor factions you are allied with will give you a passive bonus, which means you will have an immediate buff once you build the TP, in case the enemy destroys it, this buff is gone. For example:
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Alliance with Cheyenne: Gathering per hunt is increased by 5%.
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Alliance with the Comanches: Cavalry and shock infantry are 5% cheaper.
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Alliance with the Caribs: Fishing harvest increases by 5% and fishing boats move faster.
(Just to give some examples)
In this way, an investment that helps you progress is justified, with an inherent quality of the ally.
Income of passive resources: Trading Posts now generate a passive income from some resource depending on the civilization. For example:
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Asians: Native TPs generate a slight export trickle.
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Europeans, Pre-Columbian and post-colonial Americans: They receive a slight trickle of experience
For civs that have the plaza as a “how much resource”, instead of gaining experience, native allies give a slight bonus to plaza work. (As if they participated in the politics of said civilization). I read it once and it seemed like a good idea, but I don’t know how much impact it could have on the balance.
African civilizations already generate influence on native and route TPs, so there is no need to emphasize them.
Equitable Alliances:
What do I mean by this? Well, most civs can buff native allies much more than others due to having an arsenal available. For example the Aztecs and the Incas cannot.
- For civilizations that do not have access to the arsenal, in case of allying with minor facsions it would be good that in those places exclusively for facsions without arsenal, there are 3 improvements available:
- In case of being gunpowder cavalry, add the upgrade ‘cavalry snail’
- In case they are skirmishers add ‘anti-infantry rifles’
- In case they are musketeers add ‘socket bayonet’
This would make native allies more useful for civilizations that lack these technologies. For example, when the Aztecs take the alliance with the Jesuits and cannot improve the reach of the conquerors because they do not have arsenal. This would be more useful to the natives for civilizations without gunpowder and at the same time it would give more balance in the game and usefulness to the natives.
Examples:
Alliance of Aztecs with Jesuits.
Another example would be an alliance of Aztecs with the Cree where they have access of anti-infantry rifles.
This will greatly improve the natives for civilizations without access to the arsenal. It would even seem fair to me that the upgrades ‘flintlock rifle’ and ‘paper cartridges’ were also available in these native villages. (If the ally is a skirmisher or musketeer, of course) All of these upgrades are unlocked at age IV for them.
Plot: Well, in this case we can imagine that these minor factions have their own arms race and their own contacts.
In case of a hypothetical alliance between Aztecs and Comanches or Mapuches, their respective cavalries will increase one point of reach for each age they advance (age III: +1 reach. Age IV + 1 reach =+2 Total + 14 reach). Arsenal upgrades for them would be pointless since they don’t use gunpowder.
Native Values:
Most of the natives cost wood and food, but in the long run wood is scarce and they lose viability. That’s why I think that the natives that should cost wood are those that use more primitive weapons, while those that use firearms or metal weapons such as spears or swords cost food + coins.
For example:
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Cherokees should cost coins due to the fact that they use a rifle.
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Tupi can cost wood because they use a bow and arrows.
Cavalry units like Comanches and Cheyennes could also cost coins.
There would still be plenty of units left that would cost wood and food, but I think this is good for variety.
Skirmish-type natives with more range:
Skirmish units like Cherokees and Cree should gain a range point as age 3 and age 4 buffs are applied. These units have a range of 16, so could potentially have a range of 18. (+ 1 of age range III + 1 of age range 4. = +2 /Total 18). They would be 2 rank points below the European skirmish average.
I know that the Cree natives have been readjusted so that the United States does not have too strong use of this unit, but I think that if the range is gradually improved there will be no problems.
Native allies from the metropolis:
All civilizations should be able to have native shipments from age II, and infinite natives at age IV. There are civilizations that have several ‘native infinite’ type cards. It would be fair that the civilizations that lack that have at least one card of this style.
Germans and Ottomans would improve their NR game with just one of these cards.
Improvements to some native related cards:
Many cards that in principle should improve alliances with natives are practically useless, so I propose the following improvements:
Improvements of some cards related to natives:
Native Lore: On top of the current buffs, adds a passive experience income of X.XX/s for the rest of the game.
Native Treaties: In addition to its current benefits, it gives you a cart that can build a native embassy. Embassies give more experience when building them.
Note: In case you haven’t already allied with a tribe before this card arrives, it will give you the corresponding warriors once you build the trading post the first time you actually build the trading post.
Blood Brothers: In addition to the current benefits, the natives from the metropolis arrive faster and are also able to enable some of their improvements in your native embassy.
Note: In this case we will have to enable native cards as a shipment from the metropolis to civilizations that do not yet have them. We could also enable this card for civilizations that do not have it.
Improvements of some cards related to natives (Asians):
Native Learning: On top of the current buffs, adds a passive experience income of X.XX/s for the rest of the game.
Native Alliance: In addition to its current benefits, it gives you a cart that can build a native embassy. Embassies give more experience when building them.
Native Crafts: In addition to the current buffs, add an export X.XX trickle for each native village you control.
Note: They would vary by civilization depending on how strong they can be, because for example the US has some of these cards and the improvements suggested here could make them very strong, but remember that these are general proposals.
The natives influence the markets:
I have always thought that both route TPs and native TPs should have some interaction with the rates that are handled in the markets. There are some interesting mechanics that I propose in this regard. (interesting for me at least. XD)
Explained here: Rework to the markets
Native embassies could generate resources:
Embassies are limited like bars/taverns/churches and monasteries. They might have a passive income from some not very significant resource, and there would be another reason to build native embassies.
I propose that they generate various types of resources at the same time as the ‘sanctuary laws’ card but weaker. This will simulate a commercial exchange. It could vary according to civilization. For example:
Europeans and post-colonial Americans:
- Meal/s: 0.10
- Wood/s: 0.10
- Coins/s: 0.10
- Experience /s: 0.5
3 embassies would match the ‘sanctuary laws’ card
(these are just statistics as examples)
Asians:
- The same, but instead of experience and coins, obtain export.
Africans:
- Same thing, but instead of experience and coins, obtain influence.
Although with its role of just being a building to create units it is fine, I propose it to see what you think. It’s not my idea, but it seemed interesting to me when I read it.
The first trading post should grant an embassy: A free native embassy once the trading post is built. I think that in the ‘napoleonic era’ mod this mechanic was implemented. First Native Trade Post Should Ship An Embassy Wagon
Upgrade each minor faction separately:
Especially the minor Asian and American factions. They are mostly very unviable and even almost obsolete. For this reason, each must be reviewed separately.
Minor African factions are fine, but not many civs have viable options to make an alliance worthwhile. So you also have to give a little more versatility to civilizations that do not specialize in alliances with natives, but can still do it in a better way.I think that with everything suggested above it would be enough to justify an alliance.
In this forum… ([Minor Natives topic] Post here your ideas for every single minor natives so the devs can look at) there are many proposals to improve each native separately, but since it is not usual to implement more than 5 improvements for each minor faction, many of these could become passive bonuses.
That’s it. The minor factions need an update and are crying out for it. I hope this is on the developers’ schedule. Thanks for reading and give me your opinions.
Legendary Native Warriors
Exalted Natives
