Although I can't say I'm happy about imposing limitations, there is now a pretty serious problem with runaway development that breaks both immersion and game balance. Capping dev seems like the most straightforward way to fix this.
However, I think the system I'm sketching has an additional benefit. By focusing dev around arable terrain and major centers, I think it both increases the strategic depth of the game a bit as well as historical enjoyment.
There are two sets of caps I think should be added to the cap: one based on technology, the other based on terrain. I also have suggestions for ways to raise the cap, up to a hard cap of 70 dev.
Terrain Cap
This cap is inherent to terrain and cannot be modified, though certain provincial bonuses can increase the cap up to 70.
Technologic Cap
The technology cao modifies the terrain cap. It limits the player from developing the terrain to its full potential, but it does not allow the player to exceed that potential. Effectively, the province can be developed to whichever number is lower -- tech or terrain cap. This can also be exceeded by provincial modifiers.
There are two ways to handle this cap. One is to have the cap go up by small increments relative to actual admin techs; the other is to have it go up by larger increments relative to institutions. I'll show both possibilities. (It could also go up by Age, but I'm not keen on that idea.) Personally, I prefer tying it directly to tech, as it helps keep the flavour of what the tech is supposed to represent.
Option A: Administrative Tech
Option B: Institutions Embraced:
Increasing Dev Cap
Suggested modifiers for increasing the dev limit up to the hard cap of 70.
Generic modifiers
+ 5 for every level of a Trade Center
+ 5 for Improve Infrastructure (max 10)
+ 5 for capital
+ 5 for Institution origin point
+ 5 for Manufacturies (actual Manufacturies, not the other buildings that can fill the slot)
+ 5 for active Coal resource
+ 5 for Tier 3 (completed) Monument (and Canals)
+10 for all cities in the Celestial Empire (to reflect China's comparatively great wealth for the era -- and offset all the debuffs of the Mandate mechanic a bit)
Special city modifiers
These modifiers all reflect the historical size and importance of certain key cities -- they mostly are there to waive the tech limits of the early game.
- The Eternal City: +5 dev cap for Rome, city of Augustus and St. Peter
- City of the World's Desire: +5 dev cap for Constantinople, "This city deserves an empire."
- Free and Imperial: +5 dev cap for a Free City of the HRE. Maybe remains even if the government form is lost.
- City of the Prophet: +5 dev cap for Mecca
- The New Capital: +5 dev for Edo/Tokyo if the capital is moved there following the unification of Japan
Certain Monuments might also directly increase dev cap, but I'm unsure of which ones to suggest. Perhaps Great Zimbabwe and Kilwa Kisiwani, and of course the Forbidden City. The boost for Mecca could also be tied to the Kaaba instead of directly to the province.
Finally, missions and events that give free dev can exceed the soft cap, but not the hard cap of 70.
All numbers are just a suggestion, though I very much want harsh terrain (desert and jungle) to be capped at ten and farmlands, the best terrain, at 60. I would also welcome suggestions on other cities that deserve a "historical centre" cap bonus.
Edit: Somehting else I've actually thought of for quite a while is terraforming, the transformaiton of terrain from one type into another based on certain technologies, requiring the investment of both MP and gold. The cost I'm not sure of, though it should probably be suitably expensive -- say 50 points of each type and 1000 gold, as well as a construction time exclusive to buildings and Monuments.
Improved Drainage (Admin Tech 14) would allow you to turn Marsh into Farmland. (With perhaps a qualification -- that the province does NOT have the Arctic weather modifier.)
Land Clearance (Admin Tech 21) would allow woodlands to be removed, with Woods becoming Grasslands and Jungle becoming Savannah.
Certain trade goods could be changed with the terrain, such as Naval Supplies (timber) and Furs.
And if anyone is wondering why Forest is treated so differently from Woods -- it's because, looking at the map, Woods seems to represent relatively mild, temperate woodlands while Forest represents woodlands that are more arctic and/or remote.
However, I think the system I'm sketching has an additional benefit. By focusing dev around arable terrain and major centers, I think it both increases the strategic depth of the game a bit as well as historical enjoyment.
There are two sets of caps I think should be added to the cap: one based on technology, the other based on terrain. I also have suggestions for ways to raise the cap, up to a hard cap of 70 dev.
Terrain Cap
This cap is inherent to terrain and cannot be modified, though certain provincial bonuses can increase the cap up to 70.
- Glacial: 0 (effectively 3 since that's the lowest the game can go)
- Jungle: 10
- Desert: 10
- Mountain: 15
- Coastal Desert: 15
- Drylands: 15
- Steppe: 20
- Marsh: 20
- Hills: 20
- Forest: 20
- Highlands: 25
- Woods: 30
- Savannah: 40
- Coastline: 45
- Grassland: 50
- Farmland: 60
With the following terrain modifiers:
- Coastal: +5 for any province with a port
- Oasis: +5, to be used for historical desert cities
- -10 for a single province island -- e.g. Gotland and Venice -- there's only so many people you can cram on there, especially prior to skyscrapers
- Jungle: 10
- Desert: 10
- Mountain: 15
- Coastal Desert: 15
- Drylands: 15
- Steppe: 20
- Marsh: 20
- Hills: 20
- Forest: 20
- Highlands: 25
- Woods: 30
- Savannah: 40
- Coastline: 45
- Grassland: 50
- Farmland: 60
With the following terrain modifiers:
- Coastal: +5 for any province with a port
- Oasis: +5, to be used for historical desert cities
- -10 for a single province island -- e.g. Gotland and Venice -- there's only so many people you can cram on there, especially prior to skyscrapers
Technologic Cap
The technology cao modifies the terrain cap. It limits the player from developing the terrain to its full potential, but it does not allow the player to exceed that potential. Effectively, the province can be developed to whichever number is lower -- tech or terrain cap. This can also be exceeded by provincial modifiers.
There are two ways to handle this cap. One is to have the cap go up by small increments relative to actual admin techs; the other is to have it go up by larger increments relative to institutions. I'll show both possibilities. (It could also go up by Age, but I'm not keen on that idea.) Personally, I prefer tying it directly to tech, as it helps keep the flavour of what the tech is supposed to represent.
Option A: Administrative Tech
- Starting cap is 10 dev
- +5 (15) at Medieval Administration (Tech 3): better administration allows better infrastructure
- +5 (20) at The Scythe (Tech 9): Better farming methods support higher population
- +10 (30) at Improved Drainage (Tech 14): Drain swamps for more land to settle and improve irrigation methods for more food
- +10 (40) at University (Tech 17): Represents the development of science for improvements in all areas
- +10 (50) at Land Clearance (Tech 21): More open land, more room for farms and cities
- +10 (60) at Rotherham Plow (Tech 28): As with the scythe, better farming methods support more people
- +5 (15) at Medieval Administration (Tech 3): better administration allows better infrastructure
- +5 (20) at The Scythe (Tech 9): Better farming methods support higher population
- +10 (30) at Improved Drainage (Tech 14): Drain swamps for more land to settle and improve irrigation methods for more food
- +10 (40) at University (Tech 17): Represents the development of science for improvements in all areas
- +10 (50) at Land Clearance (Tech 21): More open land, more room for farms and cities
- +10 (60) at Rotherham Plow (Tech 28): As with the scythe, better farming methods support more people
Option B: Institutions Embraced:
- No institution: 10 dev
- Feudalism: 20 dev
- Renaissance: 25 dev
- Colonialism: 30 dev
- Printing Press: 35 dev
- Global Trade: 40 dev
- Manufacturies: 45 dev
- Enlightenment: 50 dev
- Industrialization: 60 dev
- Feudalism: 20 dev
- Renaissance: 25 dev
- Colonialism: 30 dev
- Printing Press: 35 dev
- Global Trade: 40 dev
- Manufacturies: 45 dev
- Enlightenment: 50 dev
- Industrialization: 60 dev
Increasing Dev Cap
Suggested modifiers for increasing the dev limit up to the hard cap of 70.
Generic modifiers
+ 5 for every level of a Trade Center
+ 5 for Improve Infrastructure (max 10)
+ 5 for capital
+ 5 for Institution origin point
+ 5 for Manufacturies (actual Manufacturies, not the other buildings that can fill the slot)
+ 5 for active Coal resource
+ 5 for Tier 3 (completed) Monument (and Canals)
+10 for all cities in the Celestial Empire (to reflect China's comparatively great wealth for the era -- and offset all the debuffs of the Mandate mechanic a bit)
Special city modifiers
These modifiers all reflect the historical size and importance of certain key cities -- they mostly are there to waive the tech limits of the early game.
- The Eternal City: +5 dev cap for Rome, city of Augustus and St. Peter
- City of the World's Desire: +5 dev cap for Constantinople, "This city deserves an empire."
- Free and Imperial: +5 dev cap for a Free City of the HRE. Maybe remains even if the government form is lost.
- City of the Prophet: +5 dev cap for Mecca
- The New Capital: +5 dev for Edo/Tokyo if the capital is moved there following the unification of Japan
Certain Monuments might also directly increase dev cap, but I'm unsure of which ones to suggest. Perhaps Great Zimbabwe and Kilwa Kisiwani, and of course the Forbidden City. The boost for Mecca could also be tied to the Kaaba instead of directly to the province.
Finally, missions and events that give free dev can exceed the soft cap, but not the hard cap of 70.
All numbers are just a suggestion, though I very much want harsh terrain (desert and jungle) to be capped at ten and farmlands, the best terrain, at 60. I would also welcome suggestions on other cities that deserve a "historical centre" cap bonus.
Edit: Somehting else I've actually thought of for quite a while is terraforming, the transformaiton of terrain from one type into another based on certain technologies, requiring the investment of both MP and gold. The cost I'm not sure of, though it should probably be suitably expensive -- say 50 points of each type and 1000 gold, as well as a construction time exclusive to buildings and Monuments.
Improved Drainage (Admin Tech 14) would allow you to turn Marsh into Farmland. (With perhaps a qualification -- that the province does NOT have the Arctic weather modifier.)
Land Clearance (Admin Tech 21) would allow woodlands to be removed, with Woods becoming Grasslands and Jungle becoming Savannah.
Certain trade goods could be changed with the terrain, such as Naval Supplies (timber) and Furs.
And if anyone is wondering why Forest is treated so differently from Woods -- it's because, looking at the map, Woods seems to represent relatively mild, temperate woodlands while Forest represents woodlands that are more arctic and/or remote.
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