Settlement Specialization thoughts

from Elemental Forums

I'm still building libraries et al in all of my cities. There's still not a reason to focus cities on some improvements over others. The specialization offered by selecting a unique building upon leveling doesn't narrow the focus of the settlement enough. And the fact that the same set of buildings is available for every city achieving each level further dilutes specialization.

As an example, if I pick Gallows for my lvl 1 improvement, I shouldn't be able to build an Almshouse later; instead, there should be another option still focused on reducing unrest primarily, with maybe a secondary benefit as well (I don't know, maybe Alcatraz Tower or something).

One way to examine this may be to remove all normal improvements completely (just as a test case), and permit settlements to gain an improvement only when they level.

 

Or, have each settlement start with rather generic options: workshop, marketplace, library, training ground, etc.  Once one generic building is built, it has a branching tree of additional buildings that can be built.  Also, each additional generic building costs a meaningful amount more than the previous.

 

Just my observations, and thoughts on fixes.

8,562 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Cities are supposedly getting a major revamp in beta 4.  I wouldn't worry too much about current city development issues too much until then or at least until we have a better idea what the revamp will contain.  

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Asking me, more city level (or level up selections) and fewer overall city structures.

Would also makes the feeling of the gap between level 4 and 5 less annoying.

Sincerely
~ Kongde

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

C'mon, we haven't got specialisation at all. 

Generic options a, b and c, pick one, same for every city, every time, does not a city specialisation make.

Nothin' at all special when everything can do it all the time. :banhammer:

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting feelotraveller, reply 3
Nothin' at all special when everything can do it all the time. :banhammer:
End of feelotraveller's quote

I hammer all the time?

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top


Perhaps you do.  Sometimes I like hammering the point home.

From Jon Shafer's 'Make a Better Game' article http://jonshaferondesign.com/2012/04/03/make-a-better-game-limit-the-player/

"Let’s say you’re playing a 4X game and want to specialize a city for the production of money. If this can be done equally well in any city then there’s really no special considerations to make – after all, if every city is just as viable you might as well just flip some coins to decide. Which, for the record, isn’t terribly interesting or fun."

As far as I can tell we have the situation which isn't 'terribly interesting or fun' - certainly this is the case for me.  There should be some limits to make it interesting - needing certain terrain or resources in a city to specialise it in certain ways would be an example of this type of limitation.  Beyond this city specialisation is a misnomer, there being nothing special about the city at all.

I'm rather neutral about the different building options we currently get on level up but please don't call them city specialisation.  And don't get bought off that we have city specialisation either.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

 

Quoting feelotraveller, reply 5
I'm rather neutral about the different building options we currently get on level up but please don't call them city specialisation.  And don't get bought off that we have city specialisation either.
End of feelotraveller's quote

There isn't a lot of specialization at present.  The idea in the latter bit of my post wasn't elaborated much, but I had in mind a branching specialization tree ala Final Fantasy Tactics, Disciples, or Ogre Battle (it's been a while, but I think these are the games).  Pick a class, level a bit, then you get to pick another more specialized class.

Quoting Kongdej, reply 2
Asking me, more city level (or level up selections) and fewer overall city structures.

Would also makes the feeling of the gap between level 4 and 5 less annoying.

Sincerely
~ Kongde
End of Kongdej's quote

I was thinking the same thing! :)

 

I haven't looked at Elemental's XML in a year or two, but implementing such a system for structures may give the specialization so clamored for.