Now that Cradle of Civilization has been out for a few days I was just wondering what everyone's overall thoughts were about this expansion? Coming into it, I was a little sceptical after being burned on The Third Rome which I felt didn't justify its price tag but I decided to give Paradox the benefit of the doubt and I'm glad I did.
I think this expansion succeeds in making the Middle East a much more interesting place to play with the new mechanics like Mamluk government and the changes to other Muslim nations. Whereas before - unless the player pounced early - North Africa/Middle East would just be the Ottoman's stomping ground, now it's a much more dynamic region with different powers all vying for dominance on a more even playing field (I haven't played enough games yet to weigh in on the 'Ottonerf' debate. In my games, before my interference, they've been a top 3 great power although they didn't expand as far as they would have in 1.22)
The drilling/army professionalism mechanic is also a very welcome addition to the game and it's good to see army management get some attention after all these years. It adds a new layer of strategic decision making, especially in the early game when money is scarce, about whether to spend money drilling your army and filling the professionalism bar or to keep maintenance low and spend the money on buildings/advisors instead. The mechanic also challenges the self-evident truth that, if you can afford to do so, you should always have some mercenaries in your army, since doing so now will reduce that hard earned army professionalism.
What are your initial thoughts on CoC? All in all, making the Middle East a far more dynamic and enjoyable place to play along with the new army mechanics makes this in my mind a pretty solid expansion and hats off to Paradox for a job well done!
I think this expansion succeeds in making the Middle East a much more interesting place to play with the new mechanics like Mamluk government and the changes to other Muslim nations. Whereas before - unless the player pounced early - North Africa/Middle East would just be the Ottoman's stomping ground, now it's a much more dynamic region with different powers all vying for dominance on a more even playing field (I haven't played enough games yet to weigh in on the 'Ottonerf' debate. In my games, before my interference, they've been a top 3 great power although they didn't expand as far as they would have in 1.22)
The drilling/army professionalism mechanic is also a very welcome addition to the game and it's good to see army management get some attention after all these years. It adds a new layer of strategic decision making, especially in the early game when money is scarce, about whether to spend money drilling your army and filling the professionalism bar or to keep maintenance low and spend the money on buildings/advisors instead. The mechanic also challenges the self-evident truth that, if you can afford to do so, you should always have some mercenaries in your army, since doing so now will reduce that hard earned army professionalism.
What are your initial thoughts on CoC? All in all, making the Middle East a far more dynamic and enjoyable place to play along with the new army mechanics makes this in my mind a pretty solid expansion and hats off to Paradox for a job well done!
