So, here we are again with another Brainstorm. This time we're focussing on construction and buildings. Seeing as the pictures from the last Brainstorm were well received, I decided to include some in this one, too! Anyway, gather your tools and building materials, my friends, as we're marching to Rome...
Now, I'm pretty sure you're all familiar with the screen above. It's the Province Information window. You'll notice a few changes, so lets take a tour of ancient Rome...
Fig. A - Buildings
On the original Province Information window, you had ten blank construction boxes which were automatically filled for you when you built something. So, ten building types for ten construction sites. No thought required. This has changed. As you can see above, there are now only six construction sites. So there's only six building types now, then? Wrong! There are many, many more...
Now we have lots of building types with different effects and some with restrictions, some without. Ignore the building costs and build times seen above (I couldn't be bothered to change them). All building types will have different costs and construction times. So, lots of building types and only six construction sites per province? That's going to require some thinking.
I'm sure you're thinking, "What's the point?". Well, I like to have total control over the growth and development of my country and regions. This new system allows the player to tailor each province to their liking, transforming provinces (and regions) into centres of trade, growth, production, etc.
For example, you reach Britannia as Rome and completely colonise the island. There's no more threats from barbarians and plenty of grain, so construct farms, mills, granaries, etc. and watch your colony flourish. On the flipside, you may wish to protect a frontier in Germania, so you have the option to construct Barracks, Stables, Blacksmith, etc. to be sure that you have skilled troops on the front line.
Obviously, the player won't be able to go on a building spamming run with all the "best" buildings. Some buildings have restrictions (as you can see in the pictures, above the "Build" button). Some restrictions will be stricter than others.
Having the option to build lots of combinations of buildings means that no two games need be the same. These new buildings and restrictions will also make invasions more fun. You can set your eyes on enemy provinces which are to your liking.
Fig. B - Roads & Walls
Two construction boxes will be kept clear and reserved for Roads and Walls. These are two basic construction types and I didn't feel they should take up any of your six building sites.
Fig. C - Exclusive Government Building
There will be one construction box reserved for an exclusive building type that is only available to each government type (Republic, Monarchy, Tribe, etc). This just gives a bit of extra flavour to each government. I feel that this building type should be restricted to the Capital city only or maybe one per region. Here's just a couple of examples of what I mean:
Fig. D - Regional Governor Bonus
You may have noticed that there are symbols above each of the constructed buildings on the Province Information window. Each symbol represents what category each building falls under (these are not fixed icons like National Ideas!). The three symbols are Military, Economic / Production and Public.
So, what do these symbols actually do?
Well, if a region has a collectively dominant building type, the Governor will be granted a small bonus. Take a look...
If a region contains a majority of military buildings, word will spread amongst the Plebs that the Governor has the means to raise an experienced army at his fingertips. Whether he is feared or loved for this, you can be sure his name will become known.
If a region contains a majority of public buildings, the Governor will become known as a man of the people, using the country's treasury to construct buildings to please the mob... and they will love him for it.
If a region contains a majority of economic or production buildings, the Governor will see no reason why he can't take some of the money as a reward for all his hard work. He governs a very lucrative region, so who's going to miss a few Denarii here or there?
So, there we have it. Many classical civilisations are know for their architectual feats and marvels, so let's see this reflected in EU Rome! More choice, more thinking, more flavour, more fun! Of course, if the player doesn't want to be bothered with the micro-management, Paradox can always include an "Arcade Mode" (a la HOI3) which reverts the game to the vanilla construction options.
Sorry for such a long post, folks! By the way, please note that the building types and effects are as examples only!
Now, I'm pretty sure you're all familiar with the screen above. It's the Province Information window. You'll notice a few changes, so lets take a tour of ancient Rome...
Fig. A - Buildings
On the original Province Information window, you had ten blank construction boxes which were automatically filled for you when you built something. So, ten building types for ten construction sites. No thought required. This has changed. As you can see above, there are now only six construction sites. So there's only six building types now, then? Wrong! There are many, many more...
Now we have lots of building types with different effects and some with restrictions, some without. Ignore the building costs and build times seen above (I couldn't be bothered to change them). All building types will have different costs and construction times. So, lots of building types and only six construction sites per province? That's going to require some thinking.
I'm sure you're thinking, "What's the point?". Well, I like to have total control over the growth and development of my country and regions. This new system allows the player to tailor each province to their liking, transforming provinces (and regions) into centres of trade, growth, production, etc.
For example, you reach Britannia as Rome and completely colonise the island. There's no more threats from barbarians and plenty of grain, so construct farms, mills, granaries, etc. and watch your colony flourish. On the flipside, you may wish to protect a frontier in Germania, so you have the option to construct Barracks, Stables, Blacksmith, etc. to be sure that you have skilled troops on the front line.
Obviously, the player won't be able to go on a building spamming run with all the "best" buildings. Some buildings have restrictions (as you can see in the pictures, above the "Build" button). Some restrictions will be stricter than others.
Having the option to build lots of combinations of buildings means that no two games need be the same. These new buildings and restrictions will also make invasions more fun. You can set your eyes on enemy provinces which are to your liking.
Fig. B - Roads & Walls
Two construction boxes will be kept clear and reserved for Roads and Walls. These are two basic construction types and I didn't feel they should take up any of your six building sites.
Fig. C - Exclusive Government Building
There will be one construction box reserved for an exclusive building type that is only available to each government type (Republic, Monarchy, Tribe, etc). This just gives a bit of extra flavour to each government. I feel that this building type should be restricted to the Capital city only or maybe one per region. Here's just a couple of examples of what I mean:
Fig. D - Regional Governor Bonus
You may have noticed that there are symbols above each of the constructed buildings on the Province Information window. Each symbol represents what category each building falls under (these are not fixed icons like National Ideas!). The three symbols are Military, Economic / Production and Public.
So, what do these symbols actually do?
Well, if a region has a collectively dominant building type, the Governor will be granted a small bonus. Take a look...
If a region contains a majority of military buildings, word will spread amongst the Plebs that the Governor has the means to raise an experienced army at his fingertips. Whether he is feared or loved for this, you can be sure his name will become known.
If a region contains a majority of public buildings, the Governor will become known as a man of the people, using the country's treasury to construct buildings to please the mob... and they will love him for it.
If a region contains a majority of economic or production buildings, the Governor will see no reason why he can't take some of the money as a reward for all his hard work. He governs a very lucrative region, so who's going to miss a few Denarii here or there?
So, there we have it. Many classical civilisations are know for their architectual feats and marvels, so let's see this reflected in EU Rome! More choice, more thinking, more flavour, more fun! Of course, if the player doesn't want to be bothered with the micro-management, Paradox can always include an "Arcade Mode" (a la HOI3) which reverts the game to the vanilla construction options.
Sorry for such a long post, folks! By the way, please note that the building types and effects are as examples only!