[Suggestion] It is time to buff prestige to encourage fewer cities

from Elemental Forums

The current system that the game uses to discourage early and frequent expansion (Prestige) is far too much of a paper tiger to actually accomplish this purpose. 

 

First, I will explain my understanding of the prestige system and why it works in theory:

* Prestige is a flat quantity that determines your growth rate across your entire empire. Whether you have one city or several, you are assured that X number of citizens will join your empire per turn per prestige point.

* As you expand, your prestige ranking will remain the same, thereby dividing your growth bonus (people per turn as dictated by prestige) among your expansion cities.

* Expand too frequently, and you will have a fractional prestige ranking per city, thereby stifling your growth.

 

Now, let's look at the other systems in the game and how they lessen the influence of prestige:


* There are city improvements that add flat bonuses to growth rate to offset a lower prestige rate. This grants higher, cumulative, growth rate bonuses to empires with multiple cities.

* Cities often reach their "food" limit well before the player is able to research technologies that improve food production. When a city reaches its food limit, prestige loses all relevance. 

* A large proportion (50% - 99%) of a city's production is tied to the "material" rating of the city's "square" rather than population size. Expanding improves empire-wide production rates. 

* Gildar production buildings can be placed in cities at levelup. Expanding improves gildar revenue.

* Research is tied to population-size and a level one spell (inspiration) grants +1 to research for each city that you cast it on. City expansion improves research capabilities.

 

Currently, the player with the most cities in the early portion of the game has a substantial lead on his or her opponents. 

Now, I believe that there should be bonuses to players that have more cities than their opponents; however, the current bonuses for city spam completely preclude the possibility of a player turtling in three cities and pulling off a non-martial victory. Here is my suggestion to make smaller empires more competitive in the game: add additional bonuses for keeping a high prestige ranking. Here are a few ideas to accomplish this.

- For every point of prestige over the number of current cities (Prestige - number of cities), add the following percentage bonuses to the entire empire:

   ` +10% production

   ` +10% research

   ` +10% gildar production

- For every five points of prestige over the number of current cities, temporarily remove upkeep costs for one military unit (highest wage, first).

- For every number of cities over the current prestige total (# cities - Prestige), the player gets a percentage penalty to the following:

   ` - 5% production (corruption)

   ` - 5% gilldar production (corruption)

 The numbers can be changed to account for balance issues, but these are some possible expansions of the prestige mechanic that could allow smaller empires to remain competitive to the larger, expansive forces. Your thoughts?

 

7,215 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Wrote another take on modding prestige vs tons of cities.

"Quote:

9: Make prestige modify population Cap (Food)

This would be an answer to early game city spamming, since mid-game they will all be full of population anyways, especially if you are not putting technology into civilized research, this should not be a major change, but should decrease food slightly so we get a "little" incentive as to not spam so many cities, talking about prestige and cities, it would be great if we started on 2 prestige, but would gain less prestige by technology (get it a bit later in the research tree) this would also help if each city had 5 food for each prestige it was awarded with.

Also meaby make the difference between having 1 or 2 cities on prestige cost a little less steep, meaby the first city only gets 80% prestige, when you have 2 you can use 85% prestige, and 5% more until you hit 100%.

Just putting it in as a suggestion too.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Kongdej, reply 1
9: Make prestige modify population Cap (Food)
End of Kongdej's quote

 

Another good suggestion. Now that I think about it, I have only had a level 5 city once in the hours that I have played in this game. 

Having prestige modify food could promote fewer, larger cities for the non-expansionist.

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

You could probably just start with doubling the current bonuses and penalties with Prestige.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top


don't forget the meditation spell which give you 1 mana which makes the spamming problem worse so every city is a free +2 or 3 reserch points plus 2 or 3 gildar if you bulid that option at lv 2 like you said.

+2 research, 2+ gildar, and gradual troop production if you dont need that accuracy bonus from training grounds. That's a pretty decent reason to build more cities. with numbers like that i love building 3 ro 4 expansions, than i attack the ai at every opportunity. This contributes to the steamrolling i think - that gildar bonus makes it easier to equip your heroes and pay your soldiers wages. unitl you steal your first big city from the ai.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Maybe change the inspiration/enchanted hammers spells to be based on growth rate for bonus instead of a flat bonus?

 

I'd suggest a more radical change.

 

Prestige should be a function of success.  winning battles vs strong monsters, completing quests, winning battles vs stronger empires.

 

Picking on the weak should lower prestige.