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So, people have been toying with ideas for trade, suggesting that XP2 should be trade-focused, etc., but most of the ideas I read involved large overhauls of the system that would be more appropriate for Civ6.
Then there've been threads on how the naval aspect of the game needs to be improved, and I've agreed with the premise, but, as a warmonger, my ideas have been almost exclusively military; coming off the back of the release of a warmonger-themed expansion, this isn't particularly useful.
Well, here's a trade-themed naval improvement idea: merchant shipping. It's been a significant in history (think gold-laden Spanish galleons, WW2-era supply convoys, etc.).
I envision something along the lines of the Civ2 caravan unit, except that it goes on water. It could carry shields ("hammers"
), or perhaps commerce or food, the yield of which would increase as the distance it traveled increased, or even if the origin continent has access to a resource to which the destination continent doesn't. To prevent exploits, perhaps it should require that the origin and destination cities are not connected by cultural influence, or are on different continents, or something. But the benefit should be large enough that it's worth the players time and energy to build fleets of them and send them across the oceans. I'm not sure if the benefit should accrue only to the destination city (so if you're supplying an ally, you don't get anything except his increased ability to fight for you) or not.
But they should be pirate-able (if that's a word). Other civs should have an incentive to seek out your treasure-laden vessels and attack them. Perhaps we could see the Privateer return for this purpose. So, you'd want to defend them well.
Can you see it? U-boat wolf packs vs. destroyer escorts? Mercenary privateers vs. pissed off Civs that can't do anything to you for it?
Then there've been threads on how the naval aspect of the game needs to be improved, and I've agreed with the premise, but, as a warmonger, my ideas have been almost exclusively military; coming off the back of the release of a warmonger-themed expansion, this isn't particularly useful.
Well, here's a trade-themed naval improvement idea: merchant shipping. It's been a significant in history (think gold-laden Spanish galleons, WW2-era supply convoys, etc.).
I envision something along the lines of the Civ2 caravan unit, except that it goes on water. It could carry shields ("hammers"
), or perhaps commerce or food, the yield of which would increase as the distance it traveled increased, or even if the origin continent has access to a resource to which the destination continent doesn't. To prevent exploits, perhaps it should require that the origin and destination cities are not connected by cultural influence, or are on different continents, or something. But the benefit should be large enough that it's worth the players time and energy to build fleets of them and send them across the oceans. I'm not sure if the benefit should accrue only to the destination city (so if you're supplying an ally, you don't get anything except his increased ability to fight for you) or not.But they should be pirate-able (if that's a word). Other civs should have an incentive to seek out your treasure-laden vessels and attack them. Perhaps we could see the Privateer return for this purpose. So, you'd want to defend them well.
Can you see it? U-boat wolf packs vs. destroyer escorts? Mercenary privateers vs. pissed off Civs that can't do anything to you for it?
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