Balancing of Resources via unique specialization options.

from GalCiv3 Forums

So I know that Brad said in a different thread that they were going to be looking at the map generation system and that a large part of this may be due to the strangeness in the map generation.

But in every game I have played I find myself with very little Duratanium, Elerium, and AntiMatter   with HUGE HUGE HUGE amounts of the other two...

The use of strategic resources needs to be balanced...  but I was thinking that perhaps it could be balanced in a different manor...

What if the specializations also altered the resource that a weapon/defense/improvement needed?

So we have Engines...     Thillium makes them smaller,  AntiMatter makes them cheaper, Elerium makes them faster  or something...

Manufacturing:   Duranium increases output,  Antimatter makes them less expensive to operate, Promethium makes them cheaper to build...

etc etc..   this gives the player a bit of a choice as to which resource their things will use..  while also allowing certain resources to be much much more valuable..  Say making Thillium or something be tied to anything that makes stuff smaller....     so the player that otherwise always focuses on small stuff... may instead choose to go a different route cause they happen to have too much say  Antimatter.


This could also be a sub tier choice that is made independant of the current specializations...     make it like a one turn research blip that the player choses that is unique and cannot be traded.  

 

thoughts?

9,273 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

It's a better idea but implementation is likely difficult/impossible without creating a bunch of new technologies just to handle that.

It also means none of the basic resources would be strictly necessary anymore.

I do like the idea that resources influence which weapons get manufactured, but i admit it usually just ends up being like "in a galaxy blessed with antimatter, everyone just builds missiles."

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I don't mod so I don't really know how they individual techs are built...


Is the components used by the tech written into the tech itself?    what about the modifiers?   so with Engines if you have an Ion Engine of X size and you then research miniturization is that a completely new component, or do you have Ion Engine + Miniturization + X + Y = end result?

If you have the + X + Y = End result, all you need to do is create the modifier string that removes X component and adds Y component to the Base item.  

 

 

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Reply #3 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

The two simple solutions to this issue are: Trade for it; Take it from someone else with that Fleet of ships you have hanging around your home world to impress the locals.

Why do so many people think everything needs to be "balanced"? Obtaining resources is just part of the challenge.

Reply #4 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

In a single player game I have no problem with unbalanced mechanics as such.

Reply #5 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

....   I don't care so much about balance of availability.   resources should be scarce and sometimes a shortage is an interesting challenge to work through.


But the Galactic resources should have "balance" in their usefulness...      for every single game to be a shortage of one type and a plethora of others...  means something was not built for optimal option....