CK II - [2.8.3.3] [SAHQ] Invisible +35.3% build cost modifier

[jonjowett]

One line summary of your issue
[2.8.3.3] [SAHQ] Invisible +35.3% build cost modifier

Game Version
[2.8.3.3] [SAHQ]

What expansions do you have installed?
All of the above

Do you have mods enabled?
No

Please explain your issue is in as much detail as possible.
I should have a build cost modifier of -27% (-15% from scholar-bureaucrat, -12% from artifacts).



However, I noticed that the quoted price for buildings was obscenely high - eg. nearly 1300 for a level 3 silk road trade office, which seemed way too high.



I checked the code (common\buildings\00_tradepost.txt), and the base price for this building is 1200:

Spoiler

    trade_offices_3 = {
        potential = {
            trade_route = silk_road
            silk_road_trade_post_trigger = yes
        }
        desc = tr_silk_road_office_3_desc
        trigger = {
            TECH_TRADE_PRACTICES = 4
        }
        gold_cost = 1200
        build_time = 600
        upgrades_from = trade_offices_2
        ai_creation_factor = 5
        add_number_to_name = no
      
        monthly_character_prestige = 1.75
        retinuesize = 150
      
        extra_tech_building_start = 10.0 # Never get at start of game
    }

So, with a build cost modifier of -27%, the build cost should have been 876 (= 1200 * 0.73). However, it was actually acting as though I had a build cost modifier of EXACTLY +8.3% (1200 * 1.083 = 1299.6).

I checked a few other holdings and found the same issue - the game seems to think I have a build cost increase, rather than a build cost reduction.

When I took off my Dragon Amulet, my total build cost reduction should have been -17%. The quoted cost for the trade offices went up to 1419.6, which implies a +18.3% build cost modifier. This is a +10% change from the previous implied build cost of +8.3%, which is entirely consistent with unequipping a dragon amulet.



So, it seems that I have an invisible build cost modifier of +35.3%, which is HUGE. I have checked for province modifiers etc and can't see anything that might cause this.

If this is WAD, please could you add a tooltip explaining how the cost is calculated?

Steps to reproduce the issue.
Load the attached save and note that the cost of buildings is larger than the base cost even though the character should have a build cost reduction.

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[jonjowett]

Update: A few years later, the hidden build cost modifier has changed to +37.5%. What is going on here?! I can afford this I suppose, but this is just bizarre.



1200 * (1 + (-0.27) + x) = 1326 => x = 0.375

 

[jonjowett]

Update2: The problem is much worse than +37% - I missed a couple of sources of build cost reduction: approx -9.5% from construction tech and -2.5% from prosperity level 2 ("flourishing"). So, my hidden build cost modifier is actually more like +50% at this point.

If this is WAD, we really need tooltips to explain what's going on here.

 

[Chnapy]

You got it right, every building (and new settlement) has a +50% cost increase right from the start, which stacks additively with other modifiers, defined in defines.lua as "BUILDING_COST_MULT = 0.5,", with the description : "Increase to the build cost of all buildings that cost GOLD".

The effect being that not only are all base costs 50% higher than what is displayed in the game files (and on the wiki), but also that build cost modifiers only have 2/3rd of the effect you'd expect them to have.

And yeah, it's terrible design.

 

[jonjowett]

You got it right, every building (and new settlement) has a +50% cost increase right from the start, which stacks additively with other modifiers, defined in defines.lua as "BUILDING_COST_MULT = 0.5,", with the description : "Increase to the build cost of all buildings that cost GOLD".

The effect being that not only are all base costs 50% higher than what is displayed in the game files (and on the wiki), but also that build cost modifiers only have 2/3rd of the effect you'd expect them to have.

And yeah, it's terrible design.

Thanks for this - it's good to know I'm not going crazy. I wonder why I only noticed this just now - weird!

Aside: That's a really great variable naming scheme right there - an additive modifier is labelled as "MULT".

Although this appears to be WAD, I'm not quite willing to mark this as "Resolved" because the calculation is hidden. In a game with tooltips describing everything in exhaustive detail, I think it's reasonable for the build cost (and build time) calculations to be documented in a similar way. If you make it transparent, people won't get confused