Palace Bug?

[PresidentMike]

Don't know if this has been reported already, but here goes.

In some games I am occassionally given the chance to upgrade my palace, and in other games I am never given that chance. I've noticed this in both 1.16f and 1.17f. I alwaysy keep the palace option on, so I do not understand why I can update in some games and can't in some others.

Is this a bug or something else?

[ACooper]

I've noticed that do. I think the game only give you the option when you reach a certain percentage of happy people. Generally I tend to keep my citizens just happy enough not to go into disorder and never seems to reach that threshhold.

[Moonsinger]

If your culture points too low, you can not upgrade your palace.

[PresidentMike]

Re:

I don't think culture is the problem. This is over the course of an entire game: several centuries. My cities are chalk full of big wonders, small wonders, libraries, universities, temples, etc. I was swimming in culture points.

Maybe it is the "unhappiness threshold", but the situation in my cities didn't seem that bad. Still I could be wrong; it's a better explanation than lack of culture.

[Skanky Burns]

I think there was mention of a bug somewhere that the palace would be stuck not being upgraded until you visited it first by pressing F11. After that, it let you upgrade fine.

Not sure if this is what is happening here, because I have never experienced it, but that might be worth a try to see if it fixes things.

[Scientia]

Re: Palace Bug?

Originally posted by PresidentMike

In some games I am occassionally given the chance to upgrade my palace, and in other games I am never given that chance. I've noticed this in both 1.16f and 1.17f. I alwaysy keep the palace option on, so I do not understand why I can update in some games and can't in some others.

Is this a bug or something else?

Before I installed 1.16f, one of the advisors (Domestic probably) used to appear whenever the citizens offered to upgrade your palace. After installing 1.16f, I noticed that these popups stopped happening, but periodically pressing F9 would sometimes reveal that palace upgrades were available. Oftentimes I was able to make multiple upgrades in one viewing, since I didn't view the palace that often.

I haven't tried this, but I wonder if enabling tutorial mode would reset the palace upgrade popups?

The only time I've played a game an not had palace upgrades available was when I was wedged between the Zulus and the Germans and didn't expand quickly enough to get any nearby iron resources. I was near the bottom of the scoreboard, with fewer techs and cities, so I concentrated primarily on defensive units and culture. My citizens weren't shooting off the fireworks, but I managed to avoid civil disorder. The demographics screen (F11) showed that I had a very low approval rating.

I contrast this game with another one, where the palace upgrade popup still worked and I had a better start, and I seem to remember that I was awarded palace upgrades immediately after certain key events - taking an enemy city, completing a city improvement, etc.

Happiness may be a contributing factor, but I also think accomplishments, in one form or another, also play a role.

Anyone know the "magic" formula for determining when palace upgrades appear?

BTW, still no popups with 1.17f.

[Thrawn05]

My citizens usualy finish my palace with all the add-ons by the 1800s. I'm such a nice guy!

[aahz_capone]

Yeah, this bug has happened to me too. Even if my peeps are happy as hell, at one point I played an entire game with only two palace improvemetns.

I must say I happy that the Palace is back. The Civ2 thrown room was SO crappy. And Now I'm constantly designing different forms of palaces (after first seeing the end result of all cultures ofcourse). Which one do you think is the coolest?

[TheHobbit]

Idea...

It would be awesome if people could post pictures of the complete palaces! I don't know if I have gotten the upgrades or not..I'd love to see them all though. Just an idea

[Thrawn05]

Originally posted by aahz_capone
Which one do you think is the coolest?

Well the Roman one course.

[PresidentMike]

I think that the Mesoamerican (Aztec) palace is missing something: specifically, I'd like to see some blood trails from just sacrificed bodies that have been rolled down the stairs from the top of the pyramid. And how about a nice, big skull rack, packed full of the heads of enemy pows? That would be the crowning touch.

[Thrawn05]

Originally posted by PresidentMike
I think that the Mesoamerican (Aztec) palace is missing something: specifically, I'd like to see some blood trails from just sacrificed bodies that have been rolled down the stairs from the top of the pyramid. And how about a nice, big skull rack, packed full of the heads of enemy pows? That would be the crowning touch.

True, but then they would have to rate the game as M, and in that case might as well show blood in the combat scenes. People today are such touchy feely PC.

[PresidentMike]

In that case, perhaps Fraxis should release an "adults only version". When you research construction you can build brothels in all your cities to keep the public happy. When there was mass civil disorder (and you were in a communist government), you could click the "purge" key to make blood flow throgh the streets and scare everyone back into submission. In combat, your swordsmen would decapitate your foes. Things like that.

[aahz_capone]

Hey, now that's a great idea! I don't know if FIRAXIS would ever do that, not even an adult patch (how the hell will you control who downloads it?) but I'm gonna start making a host of new buildings in the editor!

Brothel: Increases happyness and corruption
Casino: Increases cash flow and happyness
Drug market: decreases pop growth, increases cash flow
Pornography Industry: Increases happyness and cash flow

any more bright ideas?!

[Thrawn05]

Originally posted by aahz_capone
Hey, now that's a great idea! I don't know if FIRAXIS would ever do that, not even an adult patch (how the hell will you control who downloads it?)

Do what the one company (the name escapes my mind right now) did. When I tried to download the new Wolfenstein game, it said I needed to send them my credit card information, one prob... I DON'T HAVE ONE! Perhaps they should take driver license number?