Old ideas and new rants...

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You can mod your own game.   Find the below .xml file.  Make a copy of it in your mygames/fallenenchantress/mods folder with the below edits (or whatever you want as an edit).

I've changed the below to be that I don't see a tile unless it has 3 material.   You could change that to be 7 as a minimum total and you'd only see ones with either 2/5, 3/4, 4/3's.  I don't know exactly what the first 2 lines are...but I never see a 4/4.  I once saw a 5/4/2 - that was awesome.

Essence is another story, I do usually Ctrl-N till I get a good 2 essence spot.  3 essence takes WAY too damn long.

Elementaldefs.xml

 <StartingCityTileYield>TileYieldGrain,4</StartingCityTileYield>
        <StartingCityTileYield>TileYieldMaterials,4</StartingCityTileYield>
        <!-- ** minimum materials yield at any tile with a grain yield ** -->
        <MinMaterialsTileYield>3.0</MinMaterialsTileYield>
        <!-- ** minimum combined tile yield at a tile needed for it to have a tile yield at all ** -->
        <MinValidTotalTileYield>6.0</MinValidTotalTileYield>

Also, depending on the type of random map settings you choose can lead to different outcomes on land fertility. Take for example temperate if you want some large settable lands. Set shards to abundant and you should get a higher chance of getting more essence for your cities.

What? you mean i have to change the game code to get a playable map...dont think so, it aint that stable. Still seeing empty seas and other memory problems. Parrotmath, i got that ok? Not my first game! I just want the 2 essence spot near the river instead of 3 squares away. since they took out snaking for some bone=headed reason.....why am i even trying? every game change the designers have made so far except the pony is designed be more difficult to play.

Number one lets take out actually building a city the way the player wants....squares only no snaking toward resources like any reasonable sov would build a city...

number 2 here is a new mechanic called essence thats right your uber sov cant cast a spell on his own damn city unless you have a blue...although the computher can cast on you from all the way across the map

number 3 here have some new maps that you have to pay for with more mountains and other useless stamps that wont make anything any easier to build we will even include a huge map of the most boring fantasy continent in the history of fiction..... a one essence starting spot on a huge empty continent? 

number 4 your cities have to share borders!!! sorry what i cant build two cities anywhere close and you want to share borders? I could string outposts but then we get into the wandering monsters that only attack me....just what i need the dragon on turn ten that leaves a computer players city to walk 30 squares to wipe me out.

number 5 autoturn....omg cant anyone write a decision tree on this code...got to city- finished? got to army- finished..go to next army

instead we have to manually do every damn turn without fail because the game is writtten ass backwards.

Number 6 Next unit flips why in the royal seven hells of beelzebub do you keep snapping to my scout when i am trying to finish my actions with my sov? I kill scouts regularly because i am just tired of looking at them....go walk and leave me the hell alone. Auto explore? yep straight into a dragon...cant expect them to actually be smart enough to walk around enemies or wildlands or volcanoes or quest locations.

Thanks jute seriously i appreciate the help but i dont trust the game enough to mod anything yet. crash fest are us still leaking like a screen door, just got the empty seas tonight.

We have already seen just how misguided this game house can be, so lets try the other direction......sometimes lets see a 4-4-4 spot or hells bells go for a 5-5-5 !!! Why the hell not? Give me one reason that makes any sense at all why sometimes you dont see a legendary start on a map. Lets actually look at terrain features on these maps which NO one is ecstatic about, and rethink them....why waste one third of the map on impassable terrain? We got no boats, lower mountain works exactly two thirds of the time and is as precise as a ten pound sledgehammer raise ground is an even bigger crap shoot if any water is involved. ALPHA Centauri had better terraforming and that was before most of these players were playing anything except colored blocks. 

Seriously when was the last time any on of you players uncovered something on the map and went woohoo? Kael knows better---go and look at all the unique locations in Fall from heaven......holy crap was that some mind blowing stuff to find on the map......you could change you entire gameplay depending on what you built near. Instead we dont even have independant cities anymore.

Back to game ctrl-n engaged

hound out

You can try out my snaking mod. It adds that particular feature that they removed back into the game. You don't have to mess with any files, just extract my zip file into your mods folder and have mods enabled. It does nothing else but allow you to snake to forests and rivers and build the appropriate lumber camp and pier.

I used to feel your pain, but i solved my own problem with it, maybe this will work for you as well.  Go to your C:\Users\Username\Documents\My Games\FallenEnchantress\Mods directory and create a text file using notepad, and copy paste this into it.  Then, save as " CoreBuildings.xml "

This is a "modlet" that adds one building for food, one for materials, one for essence.  These buildings are nice and cheap, inspired by the building "Scrying Pool".  Personally, i copy-pasted the snaking mod info into this file as well!  If you want them cheaper, you can reduce the <LaborToBuild> cost.  There is a little more advice below this copy-paste textwall.

You can give a prerequisite to prevent them from being open from the beginning, i chose no prerequisites.  To add one, just do this.

Type tells you that you must have an ability.

Attribute tells you this ability must be the ability "Binding".  You can make it Enchanters, WarriorsTech or anything else.  In fact, you can do this as well.

The first prerequisite here demands your city already have one essence.  Likewise, you can use the second one to tie these buildings to a tech. The third one makes it Empire (or kingdom) only!  A fourth makes you require legacy of Serrane ability. You can also change it to CivicsTech.

RestrictedAbilityBonusOption is used to make something ONLY unlock at this tech, such as the mana temples and shrines.  While AbilityBonusOption calls on an alternative version, such as Resoln Temples. Whether or not you knew it, Resoln has different temples, and AbilityBonusOption lets this happen. Look, i won't tell you what to do with them!  Your game, your fun.  Use them how you want, make it give 3 essence and leave it open, you can tie them to techs, or empire/kingdom or you can even add them to a tech. 

I know, i know.  You didn't ask for code, and you don't want to go around tinkering with this stuff.  As is, the code will simply add 3 buildings with no prerequisites.  This is my effort to give you a "Copy-Paste" solution to your problem, and i hope it helps.  I know i can't live without it!

You can even attach it to this with 

You can be sure only you will have these buildings because this ability does not exist in the game.  It is a champion feature like Adventurer, Warlock and General.  It gives 20% research bonus.  You can "Power it up" by changing the <Value>20<Value> or you can power it down.  Oh, and where you place the prerequisite!  Under <PreferredTerrain> .  so, this is my shaman hut with a prereq of scholars.

Well each to their own opinion, personally i'm quite ok with the way essence works.  I don't use Ctrl-N at all... just take the start that i'm given.  Sometimes you might start on a crappy spot.... but then if you send out a few scouts there might be a couple of great locations not far off where you can settle 2nd and 3rd cities.  Makes the explore part interesting me thinks.... sneaking a few scouts/pioneers past the ogre lair to that nice 4/3/2 location you found 8 turns in.

I think it would be boring as heck if you just started with a 3/3/3 next to a forest and river every time.

You guys certainly do give helpful advice thanks a lot.

I would recommend checking out the ecomental mod.