Ahoi,
I’m back to ruffle some more eagle feathers with my unorthodox (and probably deeply immoral) Civ Experiments. I’ve decided to shake things up with a new American civ that I haven’t done any previous brainstorming or ideations for. Like some of my other designs, it employs some extreme aspects, but not in the way that might be expected.
Toltecs:
-Technologies are 33% more effective.
Overview: Technology Bonus
Any technology that increases a unit or building’s stats (work rate, armor, etc) has that effect size multiplied by 1.33. For example, gold mining increases the work rate of a miner by 15% for a standard civilization. For Toltecs, this is 15% *1.333 = 20% faster. Where necessary (attack, armor), results are rounded. Obviously this bonus does not apply to technologies that do not increase stats, like Redemption.)
Unique Technologies:
Itztiamiqui (Obsidian Trade): Spear-wielding units +1 attack. Allied Eagle Warriors, Jaguar Warriors, and Kamayuks gain +1 Attack.
200 G 200 S
Quetzalcoatl Itepozhuipilli “Armor (or Scales) of Quetzalcoatl:” Eagle Warriors +3 Melee and Eagle Armors, Archers and Skirmishers +10 Hit Points.
600 F 450 G
Unique Units:
Xochitl Warrior: Female infantry that can switch between spear and bow.
Xochitl Warrior Stats
**Melee: 55 HP, 2/2 armor, 11 AT, +2 vs eagles and cav Elite 60 HP, 3/2 Armor, 13 AT, +4 vs eagles and cav. 0.9 Speed
Ranged: 55 HP 0/1 armor, 4 attack (no bonus), 4 Range, 0.99 Speed. Elite 60 HP, 0/1 armor, 5 attack, 4 Range.
45 F 45 G 20 Sec Train Time.
Upgrade to Elite: 850 F 500 G
Toltecs Description
The Toltec Empire was a powerful Mesoamerican state that inspired later Mexican empires such as the Aztecs, and whose influence can be seen in the architecture and military organization of Mayan city-states such as Chichén Itzá and Mayapán. The Toltecs were so highly esteemed by the Aztecs that the Nahuatl word “Toltecatl” came not only to refer to ethnic Toltecs, but also to any skilled craftsman or artisan, or person who was wise in the arts and sciences. During a civil war, a legendary Toltec queen once raised an army of entirely female warriors, which is the inspiration for the Xochitl Warrior.
The Toltec civilization bonus gives them a host of small benefits that benefit their economy and military, and makes them competent and flexible in all areas, although they lack the concentrated power of Aztec infantry or Mayan archers, and the initial economic strength of either.
Missing Techs: Gunpowder and Cavalry related units/techs, Arbalester, Crossbowman, Elite Skirmisher, Plate Mail Armor, Heavy Scorpion, Heavy Demo ship, Galleon, Fortified Wall, Heated Shot, Keep, Herbal Medicine, Heresy, Sappers, Two Man Saw.
I don’t have a map for this one. Maybe after they fix the Editor.
Technology Bonus Deep Dive on Fractional Attributes & Rounding / Why this Bonus is Not as Strong as You Think **(Long and Possibly both Boring and Confusing)**
For some technologies, such as attack and armor-related, this results in a fractional amount that the game cannot use. To accommodate this, the number is initially rounded down, but the accumulated fraction is carried until the final available technology of the line, when it is rounded up or down following standard rounding procedure. For example, Loom normally provides +15 HP and +1/2 Armor. For Toltecs, this would be +20 HP and +1.33/2.66. Since Loom is the final tech for villager HP/Armor, this is rounded to +1/3 armor.
For Fletching and Bodkin, they would theoretically increase damage by 1.33, then 2.66, but this is rounded down to 1 and 2 (cumulatively) until the final available technology (Bracer), by which time the accumulated fractional amount adds an additional, even 1 to damage with no need for rounding, in addition to the +1 that tech normally provides. (So Fletching and Bodkin add 1, Bracer adds 2 to damage). Fractional attributes that the game can use, such as Attack Range, are used as-is without rounding. For example, a Toltec archer unit with Fletching researched will have +1 Damage, and +1.33 Range. A Toltec archer unit with all of Fletching line researched will have +4 Damage and +4 Range.
In some cases this means the bonus is a little stronger or weaker than it sounds (but usually weaker). For example, Wheelbarrow being 33% “better” sounds strong, but it isn’t, due to rounding. Wheelbarrow nominally increases carry capacity by 25%, but for most units with a base carry of 10, the game rounds the 2.5 carry bonus up to 3 (giving 13 carry capacity with WB). The Toltec bonus applied to the carry element of Wheelbarrow is 1.33*25% = 33%, but the additional 3.33 carry capacity is rounded down to 3, so it actually doesn’t improve the carry boost of Wheelbarrow beyond what any other civ gets. It only improves villager speed by a tiny amount compared to what other civs get (13.33% speed vs +10%). It is only when Hand Cart is researched that this bonus confers any benefit on carry capacity, where it is +2 over a normal civ (22 res from a baseline of 10), which is much weaker than the Aztec carry bonus, which is multiplied from a higher baseline (26 res from a baseline of 13).
Where this bonus may be stronger than it appears is where it rounds up, as with the infantry armor upgrades. Toltecs miss Plate Mail armor, but the cumulative effects of scale and chain mail armor give infantry +2.66/2.66 armor, which rounds up to +3/3.