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I was toying around with a different layout for the main GUI (mostly leaving it alone, but changing the way the menu options "flowed"), and in thinking I realized something.
There needs to be an Action Interface. Allow me to explain.
There are many significant decisions to be made as a Ruler, and these can most easily be modelled as an "Action" (or "Ruler Action", if you want to type more letters).
I usually use something "unpleasant" as an example, as part of my increasing regard for "explanation through absurdity", and this will be no exception. As an example of what I mean, take the Aztecs and their Human Sacrifice.
In my proposal, this is how this would go, from the perspective of the player:
You bring up the Action Interface. You have a Holy Site and your religion allows sacrifice (or it will once you say it does...), so "Conduct Sacrifice" is a listed action.
You click/double-click on the action and bring up a menu. You can choose what to sacrifice- animal or human. You choose human, and get to decide what specific kind of people you're going to sacrifice, and each has it's own effects (which vary depending on many factors, but I'll just deal with the simplest ones).
You can choose Criminals to reduce crime, Slaves to be "religious" without bothering your citizens (assuming they don't oppose sacrifice or slavery), or certain ethnic groups. In the latter case you can use the opportunity to "cleanse" your society of a troublesome group (such as one that opposes you politically, religiously, ideologically (sacrificing people that oppose sacrifice seems appropriate), or some your people dislike/hate).
So, being a fan of twisted poetic justice (and favoring ruthless efficiency), you choose to sacrifice a group that strongly oppose sacrifice and that is spreading. Nip it in the bud, you decide, before they come up with some crazy idea like "mass-murder is wrong".
You can choose whether the sacrifice will be ongoing or a one-time deal, and whether it will be one that's Minor, Major, or Massive (will be just bare numbers in the begining, which can later be hidden behind such options).
Then you get a menu that reviews your choices, and might give some forcasts of it's effect in the future; such as "1,000 NoSacrificeites will be sacrificed before the end of the month, 15,000 NoSacrificeites will be sacrificed before the end of the year. NoSacrificeites could be illiminated within 10 years. The BloodthirstyCretins will love you for it, and the NoMurderites will hate you for it. The average support for you as Ruler among the people will likely increase."
As a matter of coding a "KillMenu" should probably be used, which takes arguments to choose what choices should be filtered out (such as saying that you can't kill certain things, like members of your own religion, etc). It could then be used for any option which kills/sacrices/cleanses/deletes/destroys/blasts into outer-space groups of people.
For instance it could be used for Sacrifice, "Cleansing", Radical Medical Testing, and plenty of other items.
Now as for Actions, consider all the other options that could be made available here:
Ban behavior(s)/substance(s)
Hold Festival
Hold Competition
Declare Emmergency
Conduct Sacrifice
Conduct Cleansing
Conduct Radical Medical Testing
Declare Holiday
And many others, though some ideas I didn't (and some I did) mention could be handled best elsewhere (Declare Jihad in a military or religious screen, a Law screen for bans, etc).
If done properly it could be fantastic for modders, but also it could serve to simplify and enrich gameplay on the whole.
Thoughts and opinions?
There needs to be an Action Interface. Allow me to explain.
There are many significant decisions to be made as a Ruler, and these can most easily be modelled as an "Action" (or "Ruler Action", if you want to type more letters).
I usually use something "unpleasant" as an example, as part of my increasing regard for "explanation through absurdity", and this will be no exception. As an example of what I mean, take the Aztecs and their Human Sacrifice.
In my proposal, this is how this would go, from the perspective of the player:
You bring up the Action Interface. You have a Holy Site and your religion allows sacrifice (or it will once you say it does...), so "Conduct Sacrifice" is a listed action.
You click/double-click on the action and bring up a menu. You can choose what to sacrifice- animal or human. You choose human, and get to decide what specific kind of people you're going to sacrifice, and each has it's own effects (which vary depending on many factors, but I'll just deal with the simplest ones).
You can choose Criminals to reduce crime, Slaves to be "religious" without bothering your citizens (assuming they don't oppose sacrifice or slavery), or certain ethnic groups. In the latter case you can use the opportunity to "cleanse" your society of a troublesome group (such as one that opposes you politically, religiously, ideologically (sacrificing people that oppose sacrifice seems appropriate), or some your people dislike/hate).
So, being a fan of twisted poetic justice (and favoring ruthless efficiency), you choose to sacrifice a group that strongly oppose sacrifice and that is spreading. Nip it in the bud, you decide, before they come up with some crazy idea like "mass-murder is wrong".
You can choose whether the sacrifice will be ongoing or a one-time deal, and whether it will be one that's Minor, Major, or Massive (will be just bare numbers in the begining, which can later be hidden behind such options).
Then you get a menu that reviews your choices, and might give some forcasts of it's effect in the future; such as "1,000 NoSacrificeites will be sacrificed before the end of the month, 15,000 NoSacrificeites will be sacrificed before the end of the year. NoSacrificeites could be illiminated within 10 years. The BloodthirstyCretins will love you for it, and the NoMurderites will hate you for it. The average support for you as Ruler among the people will likely increase."
As a matter of coding a "KillMenu" should probably be used, which takes arguments to choose what choices should be filtered out (such as saying that you can't kill certain things, like members of your own religion, etc). It could then be used for any option which kills/sacrices/cleanses/deletes/destroys/blasts into outer-space groups of people.
For instance it could be used for Sacrifice, "Cleansing", Radical Medical Testing, and plenty of other items.
Now as for Actions, consider all the other options that could be made available here:
Ban behavior(s)/substance(s)
Hold Festival
Hold Competition
Declare Emmergency
Conduct Sacrifice
Conduct Cleansing
Conduct Radical Medical Testing
Declare Holiday
And many others, though some ideas I didn't (and some I did) mention could be handled best elsewhere (Declare Jihad in a military or religious screen, a Law screen for bans, etc).
If done properly it could be fantastic for modders, but also it could serve to simplify and enrich gameplay on the whole.
Thoughts and opinions?
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