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We aren't playing the game (if not for some posters with "Firaxis" label near the avatar 
), so we are on a mine field discussing feature we don't know in detail and that are probably still in last minute tuning.
Anyway...
Firaxis decided to take SMAC Factions special traits and revamp them into predefined Civ special abilities.
They are intersting, still probably a nightmare to balance
but they add a "distinct" feel to any Civ., not without some problem
First and most relevat problem that come to my mind is they are fixed, from game start to the end, and every game the same.
That's fine if you want a good replica of a part of earth history, as for a scenario that last for a couple of centuries, but what about the whole lenght of human civilization and some years more? or what about creating alternative history?
Are modern Romans (call us Italians
) still "Militaristic, Industrious"? Or English "Commercial, Expansionist" all history long?
Retoric question, obvious answer.
What can we do for a better result?
Randomizing the special abilities is not the way to go, IMHO. You don't know your opponent weak and strenght points in advance, but that will end at first diplomatic meeting or espionage.
What about dynamic change over the initial abilities?
You must start from a point, so let's accept Firaxis initial settings (or give them a tuning, if you really disagree
).
Yet during turns the game engine should consider how the players is acting, then slowly shifts ability (internal) parameters until on a threshold towards another ability couple.
At that moment an advisor should warn you, with a message on the line of "Sire, we aren't exploring and conquering enough, so we are losing our "Expansionism" will, but because of our efforts in city improvements we are now rewarded as "Industrious, Militaristic" from others civilizations."
You can have a warning with some turn in advance, just in time to try to steer away from an unwanted change, or fall straight into it, paying the effort to come back.
If you have enough patience, please follow an example of the model:
Let's assume that every Abilities have an internal meter worth 100 points, with a treeshold of 50 (taken or given 10 inertia points, more explanation later).
You start the Babylonians (Scientific, Religious) and take the corresponding benefits.
Scientific counter is set to 80%
Religious counter is set to 80%
Militarist, Commercial, Expansionist, Industrious are set to 20%
After some turns your research are going pretty well, raising Scientific counter to 90% (e.g. +1% every full turn spent diverting 10 percent more money income to research than treasury, i.e. research 55% money = treasure 45% money),
but you are pressed from a militaristic neighbourg to divert your production from religious improvement (temple) to military units, so your Religious counter lower under 50% and your Militarist counter raise over 50%.
Now you have the warning, and you have still short time to recover, until your civ spend the remaing 10 "inertia points over the threshold". That works both side, while an ability raise or lower.
When this happens, you have a new reputation over the world: you are still Scientist, but now Militarist, and advantage are changed accordingly. Religious abilities is gone, until you go back to a compatible style of play.
Are you still awake and reading? Thanks, this is a great achievement by itself.
Now, just another minute to examine strong an weak points of this model.
Strong: you model your Civ, from your favourite Firaxis benefit to the best example of your personality, as its Greatest Leader.
Any game can be slighty different, and you Civ evolve and react according to your will and events changing during the game.
Of course, during long wars ages all the players involved will probably shift toward a militaristic ability, but that ended anyone will probably go back to this "style", and so will do ability.
You should probably be able to switch off the feature for scenario needs, just to keep the Civs strictly in predefined roles, but in every "free" game and specially in MP you should love that freedom.
Weak points: I only give a glance to the game actions that can modify the Ability Counters. They need a good study and some link rules, or you risk to end with too much counters over the activation threshold on none at all
Of course no laws force us to have only and always TWO active ability, but I keep this for compatibility with current game design.
Just the early promised clarification: as you have noted, the "inertia" is needed to avoid too freequent and unwanted "waving" up and down the threeshold.
Ok, anyone can help me to iron out the weak points?
BTW, I understand is really too late for the game release, but you can never say for sure what a second patch can add under the game bonnet, and surely that's not a feature that add user complexity, so should pass the Sid's Ten Laws
Comments and critics are welcome. Insults, as usually, are automatically redirected to trash bin
edited to better explain some point
), so we are on a mine field discussing feature we don't know in detail and that are probably still in last minute tuning.Anyway...
Firaxis decided to take SMAC Factions special traits and revamp them into predefined Civ special abilities.
They are intersting, still probably a nightmare to balance
but they add a "distinct" feel to any Civ., not without some problemFirst and most relevat problem that come to my mind is they are fixed, from game start to the end, and every game the same.
That's fine if you want a good replica of a part of earth history, as for a scenario that last for a couple of centuries, but what about the whole lenght of human civilization and some years more? or what about creating alternative history?
Are modern Romans (call us Italians
) still "Militaristic, Industrious"? Or English "Commercial, Expansionist" all history long?Retoric question, obvious answer.
What can we do for a better result?
Randomizing the special abilities is not the way to go, IMHO. You don't know your opponent weak and strenght points in advance, but that will end at first diplomatic meeting or espionage.
What about dynamic change over the initial abilities?
You must start from a point, so let's accept Firaxis initial settings (or give them a tuning, if you really disagree
). Yet during turns the game engine should consider how the players is acting, then slowly shifts ability (internal) parameters until on a threshold towards another ability couple.
At that moment an advisor should warn you, with a message on the line of "Sire, we aren't exploring and conquering enough, so we are losing our "Expansionism" will, but because of our efforts in city improvements we are now rewarded as "Industrious, Militaristic" from others civilizations."
You can have a warning with some turn in advance, just in time to try to steer away from an unwanted change, or fall straight into it, paying the effort to come back.
If you have enough patience, please follow an example of the model:
Let's assume that every Abilities have an internal meter worth 100 points, with a treeshold of 50 (taken or given 10 inertia points, more explanation later).
You start the Babylonians (Scientific, Religious) and take the corresponding benefits.
Scientific counter is set to 80%
Religious counter is set to 80%
Militarist, Commercial, Expansionist, Industrious are set to 20%
After some turns your research are going pretty well, raising Scientific counter to 90% (e.g. +1% every full turn spent diverting 10 percent more money income to research than treasury, i.e. research 55% money = treasure 45% money),
but you are pressed from a militaristic neighbourg to divert your production from religious improvement (temple) to military units, so your Religious counter lower under 50% and your Militarist counter raise over 50%.
Now you have the warning, and you have still short time to recover, until your civ spend the remaing 10 "inertia points over the threshold". That works both side, while an ability raise or lower.
When this happens, you have a new reputation over the world: you are still Scientist, but now Militarist, and advantage are changed accordingly. Religious abilities is gone, until you go back to a compatible style of play.
Are you still awake and reading? Thanks, this is a great achievement by itself.
Now, just another minute to examine strong an weak points of this model.
Strong: you model your Civ, from your favourite Firaxis benefit to the best example of your personality, as its Greatest Leader.
Any game can be slighty different, and you Civ evolve and react according to your will and events changing during the game.
Of course, during long wars ages all the players involved will probably shift toward a militaristic ability, but that ended anyone will probably go back to this "style", and so will do ability.
You should probably be able to switch off the feature for scenario needs, just to keep the Civs strictly in predefined roles, but in every "free" game and specially in MP you should love that freedom.
Weak points: I only give a glance to the game actions that can modify the Ability Counters. They need a good study and some link rules, or you risk to end with too much counters over the activation threshold on none at all
Of course no laws force us to have only and always TWO active ability, but I keep this for compatibility with current game design.
Just the early promised clarification: as you have noted, the "inertia" is needed to avoid too freequent and unwanted "waving" up and down the threeshold.
Ok, anyone can help me to iron out the weak points?
BTW, I understand is really too late for the game release, but you can never say for sure what a second patch can add under the game bonnet, and surely that's not a feature that add user complexity, so should pass the Sid's Ten Laws
Comments and critics are welcome. Insults, as usually, are automatically redirected to trash bin
edited to better explain some point
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