One of the problems in most strategy games is the later stages where you KNOW you've won but you have to mop up.
We try to avoid that sort of thing in GalCiv through a variety of mechanisms. But no mechanism is as straight forward as common sense.
In most strategy games, the AI opponents tend to gang up on whoever is winning. Hence, if you're winning the game, even your closest friends will slowly move away from you.
Nothing causes critical mass problems more than that. And it is, IMO, a very very BAD game mechanic. In the real world, it works the opposite. The more powerful you are, the more other governments will tend to want to get along with you. Sure, they may snipe at you or whatever but they're not likely to go to war with you.
GalCiv works along those lines. If you are winning the game, your friends remain your friends. In fact, they may want to move beyond friends and become your allies.
As a result, mop up usually is a minor thing in the game because AI civilizations who are hopelessly outgunned will beg for mercy and want to eventually become your ally even. Failing that, they'll surrender outright.
But as we were playing this week, it really became apparent just how much of a problem it is when AI designers decide to have relations based on inverse power -- i.e. everyone wanting to gang up on who is most powerful. If game designers would just not do this, much of the issues with critical mass would go away.
We try to avoid that sort of thing in GalCiv through a variety of mechanisms. But no mechanism is as straight forward as common sense.
In most strategy games, the AI opponents tend to gang up on whoever is winning. Hence, if you're winning the game, even your closest friends will slowly move away from you.
Nothing causes critical mass problems more than that. And it is, IMO, a very very BAD game mechanic. In the real world, it works the opposite. The more powerful you are, the more other governments will tend to want to get along with you. Sure, they may snipe at you or whatever but they're not likely to go to war with you.
GalCiv works along those lines. If you are winning the game, your friends remain your friends. In fact, they may want to move beyond friends and become your allies.
As a result, mop up usually is a minor thing in the game because AI civilizations who are hopelessly outgunned will beg for mercy and want to eventually become your ally even. Failing that, they'll surrender outright.
But as we were playing this week, it really became apparent just how much of a problem it is when AI designers decide to have relations based on inverse power -- i.e. everyone wanting to gang up on who is most powerful. If game designers would just not do this, much of the issues with critical mass would go away.
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