First of all, I love the changes made in terrain rcently, and the CS added ability to improve Your provinces. I think it would be a good idea to push it forward, hence a suggestion to expand the terrain system. 3 main parts: dual terrain type, roads (special upgrade), and influence of terrain on goods produced.
So, whats the deal?
Dual terrain type
Currently every province has one type of terrain, which can't be changed. However, often it doesn't make sense: is it impossible to cut down forrest or clear the march? Is it impossible to have woods on hills or march on coastline? Of course it is!
So I suggest that each province would have two terrain types: primary, which can not be changed, f.e. hills or coastline (since one can't flatten the hills or move the sea) and secondary, which can ( forrests can be cut down, drylands can be fertilized).
A nice example of such thing functioning in game coastal desert.
Roads
A simple change, since they are not quite a building I believe they need a bit special mechanism.
Influence of terrain on goods produced
Quite self-explanatory: depending on terrain type some good should get bonuses and maluses.
Why?
It adds immertion, and gives another layer of control over ones empire. I know it is a huge addition, but hopefully You'll like it enough (propably it's a DLC idea)
Terrain Types
Division
So these terrain types should, in my oppinion, be primary:
Plains (I know there is not such terrain type right now)
Hills
Mountains
Coastline
Highlands
And those secondary:
Farmlands
Forest
Woods
Grasslands
Jungle
Desert
Savannah
Steppe
Glacials (It's heavily dependent on climat, thus no changing it)
Marsh
Drylands
Terrain Effects
Basically, they should be cut in half, since they would be additive (plains having the modifiers from grassland) i.e. a a forrest on plains would have + 8 supply limit (+5 plains, +3 forrest) +12,5% movement time (0 from plains, +12,5% from forrest), -10% combat width (0% plains, -10% forrest), +10% developement cost (0% plains, +10% forrest).
Now, there are two exceptions:
Building Slots: Plains, coastline and highlands get their building slots from secodary types. Hills have -1 building slot (this modifier can't get negative, though, so forrest on hill would have 0 bonus building slots, grasslands on hills as well, but farmlands will get +1 building slot), mountains will get -2 (agains, can't go to negative. So mountains never have a bonus building slot).
Attacker dice roll: Additive, but never higher that -2. Farmlands, grassland, savannah, steppe and desert give +1, but they can never give bonus to attacker (so farmland on grassland acts as 0 modifier, farmland on hills give 0 as well, but forrest on hills will give -2). The "bonus" from farmlands etc is given as balance, since without it attacker would just be hit accross the board, which is not my intention. So now some provinces will get more difficult to attack, some easier.
Possible secodary types
Not every primary terrain type and region can hold every secondary. There can be no forrest in mountains, no jungles in Europe and no savannah in China. So some obvious limits must be applied. There are not limits for primary for two reasons: each of them can be met in every part of the world, and, more important they can't be changed, so there is no need for any limits.
Limits
Farmlands: no arctic climate.
Forests: no arctic, arid or tropical climate, no mountains.
Woods: no arctic climate.
Grasslands: no arctic or arid climate. Not Africa or Central Asia.
Jungle: only tropical climate (basically a tropical version of forests), no mountains.
Desert: only arid climate.
Savannah: only in Africa, no mountains, no arctic climate (not like there is any in Africa)
Steppe: only in Central Asia (specific regions would need to be checked), only plains, no arctic climate.
Glacials: only arctic climate (it's automatic for every arctic climate province).
Marsh: no arctic or arid climate.
Drylands: no arctic climate.
Changing secondary type
Now for the "gem" of this suggestion, the most important part: changing of secondary terrain type. Obviously the imits are applied, and how one can change the terrain type?. Upgrading should cost 50 of each MP (ADM obvious, DIP and MIL since population could not be too happy about it, i can cause some forced resettlement etc. But most importantly, balance. ADM is already used a lot, so I believe it would be best if all MP were needed), 500 $ (same as manufactory), and it should take 10 years (unless specified). Like with every such activity, siege stops, but not cancells, the progress etc. Normal rules applied.
Downgrading takes half the resources, but normal amount of time.
One can change it one step a time, no cooldown needed (it's expensive/time consuming enough).
Each change needs certain ADM tech level to become possible.
Upgrading
Farmlands: propably the best terrain type there is, no possibility of upgrading.
Grasslands: Cultivation: upgrade to Farmland (ADM tech 1) (double the time, returns to normal on ADM 15)
Savannahs/steppes: Irigation: upgrade to Farmlands(ADM tech 4) (double the time, returns to normal on ADM 15)
Woods: Deforestation: upgrade to Grassland (ADM tech 2) (double the time, returns to normal on ADM 15)
Desserts: Irigation of desert: upgrade to Drylands (ADM tech 17)
Drylands: Irigation of drylands: upgrade to Grassland (ADM tech 17)
Marshes: Clearing a marsh: upgrade to Grassland (ADM tech 10)
Forrests: Deforestation: upgrade to Woods (ADM tech 2) (double the time, returns to normal on ADM 15)
Jungles: Clearing a Jungle: upgrade to woods (ADM tech 20)
Glacials: unupgradable (it's not sci-fi game).
Downgrading
Why would one want to downgrade? Two reasons come to mind: first is the "goods" part in this suggestion (a few paragraphs lower), the second is increasing defensive abilities (imagine a high level fort in desert mountains. And then scorch earth there).
Farmlands: decultivation: downgrade to steppe/savanna where aplicable, where not - to grassland. (ADM tech 5)
Grasslands: reforestation: downgrade to woods. (ADM tech 12) Overirigation: downgrade to marsh. (ADM tech 7); Drying out: downgrade to dryland (ADM tech 17);
Savannahs/steppes: undowngradable.
Woods: reforestation: downgrade to woods (or jungle where applicable). (ADM tech 12 (19 for jungle))
Desserts: undowngradable.
Drylands: Drying out: downgrade to desert (ADM tech 17);
Marshes: undowngradable.
Forrests: undowngradable.
Jungles: undowngradable.
Glacials: undowngradable.
Roads
Another small thing I beleive would be benefitial and plays quite nicely with this suugestion is road system. A special province upgrade, which is not a building (and in reality it indeed is not) granting +50% movement speed, costing 300 $ and taking 3 years to build. Cost and time is modified by terrain in the same way it influences developement cost.
Influence of terrain on goods produced
So I will not discover america when I say that some terrains are better for some king of goods, some are worse. The terrain type should influence the good produced in some way, f.e. it's generally easier to mine in hills or mountains than in plains. So a terrain type (both secondary and primary) should grant some bonuses to goods produced (or a discount to increasing production developement, but I think it is actually easier).
Bonus would be +0,1 good produced, unless specified.
Glacials have all goods produced -0,1 (with the exception of manufactured goods)
I will sort it by goods:
(underlined are primary terrain types)
(cursive is for special rules)
Goods
Grain: farmlands +0,2; grassland; plains; highlands +0,05; forest /jungle -0,05; desert -0,2; savannah -0,05; mountains -0,05.
Wine: farmland; drylands; plains; grassland +0,05; desert -0,1; marsh -0,05; forrest/jungle -0,05.
Wool: hills; mountains +0,05; jungle -0,05
Cloth: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Fish: coastline +0,2; river flowing next to province.
Fur: forrest; woods; desert -0,05.
Salt: coastline; hills; mountains +0,05; forrest/jungle -0,05.
Naval supplies: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Metals (copper/iron, no gold since it is already OP): hills; mountains +0,05; forrest/jungle -0,05.
Slaves: desert/forrest/jungle -0,05; plains; farmlands +0,05.
Ivory: desert -0,1; mountains -0,1; savannah +0,2.
Tea: desert -0,2; drylands -0,1; grassland; farmland; mountains -0,05; plains.
Chinaware: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Spices: jungle; forrest; woods; drylands -0,1; desert -0,2; plains;
Cofee: hills; mountains +0,05; drylands; jungle +0,05; plains.
Cotton: drylands; plains; farmlands; grasslands +0,05; mountains -0,05; desert -0,05.
Sugar: plains; mountains -0,05; jungle/desert -0,1.
Tobacco: plains; mountains -0,05; jungle/desert -0,1.
Cocoa: hills; mountains +0,05; drylands; jungle +0,05; plains.
Silk: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Tropical wood: forrest; jungle +0,25. Only possible if the secondary terrain type is jungle, forest or woods. If the province producing tropical wood changes its terrain type a new resource is taken at random, using the colonies/abolishion of slavery mechanism.
Dyes: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Phew... That's it, folks.
Thanks for reading, I know it's long, I know it's large. But I believe it might add a lot in a direction "Common Sense" took us: building a tall empire, which get's as much as possible from the land it owns.
And to make it easier here's how I think it should look:
Of course the picture is very unrefined, but I think it illustrates my idea pretty good.
So, whats the deal?
Dual terrain type
Currently every province has one type of terrain, which can't be changed. However, often it doesn't make sense: is it impossible to cut down forrest or clear the march? Is it impossible to have woods on hills or march on coastline? Of course it is!
So I suggest that each province would have two terrain types: primary, which can not be changed, f.e. hills or coastline (since one can't flatten the hills or move the sea) and secondary, which can ( forrests can be cut down, drylands can be fertilized).
A nice example of such thing functioning in game coastal desert.
Roads
A simple change, since they are not quite a building I believe they need a bit special mechanism.
Influence of terrain on goods produced
Quite self-explanatory: depending on terrain type some good should get bonuses and maluses.
Why?
It adds immertion, and gives another layer of control over ones empire. I know it is a huge addition, but hopefully You'll like it enough (propably it's a DLC idea)
Terrain Types
Division
So these terrain types should, in my oppinion, be primary:
Plains (I know there is not such terrain type right now)
Hills
Mountains
Coastline
Highlands
And those secondary:
Farmlands
Forest
Woods
Grasslands
Jungle
Desert
Savannah
Steppe
Glacials (It's heavily dependent on climat, thus no changing it)
Marsh
Drylands
Terrain Effects
Basically, they should be cut in half, since they would be additive (plains having the modifiers from grassland) i.e. a a forrest on plains would have + 8 supply limit (+5 plains, +3 forrest) +12,5% movement time (0 from plains, +12,5% from forrest), -10% combat width (0% plains, -10% forrest), +10% developement cost (0% plains, +10% forrest).
Now, there are two exceptions:
Building Slots: Plains, coastline and highlands get their building slots from secodary types. Hills have -1 building slot (this modifier can't get negative, though, so forrest on hill would have 0 bonus building slots, grasslands on hills as well, but farmlands will get +1 building slot), mountains will get -2 (agains, can't go to negative. So mountains never have a bonus building slot).
Attacker dice roll: Additive, but never higher that -2. Farmlands, grassland, savannah, steppe and desert give +1, but they can never give bonus to attacker (so farmland on grassland acts as 0 modifier, farmland on hills give 0 as well, but forrest on hills will give -2). The "bonus" from farmlands etc is given as balance, since without it attacker would just be hit accross the board, which is not my intention. So now some provinces will get more difficult to attack, some easier.
Possible secodary types
Not every primary terrain type and region can hold every secondary. There can be no forrest in mountains, no jungles in Europe and no savannah in China. So some obvious limits must be applied. There are not limits for primary for two reasons: each of them can be met in every part of the world, and, more important they can't be changed, so there is no need for any limits.
Limits
Farmlands: no arctic climate.
Forests: no arctic, arid or tropical climate, no mountains.
Woods: no arctic climate.
Grasslands: no arctic or arid climate. Not Africa or Central Asia.
Jungle: only tropical climate (basically a tropical version of forests), no mountains.
Desert: only arid climate.
Savannah: only in Africa, no mountains, no arctic climate (not like there is any in Africa)
Steppe: only in Central Asia (specific regions would need to be checked), only plains, no arctic climate.
Glacials: only arctic climate (it's automatic for every arctic climate province).
Marsh: no arctic or arid climate.
Drylands: no arctic climate.
Changing secondary type
Now for the "gem" of this suggestion, the most important part: changing of secondary terrain type. Obviously the imits are applied, and how one can change the terrain type?. Upgrading should cost 50 of each MP (ADM obvious, DIP and MIL since population could not be too happy about it, i can cause some forced resettlement etc. But most importantly, balance. ADM is already used a lot, so I believe it would be best if all MP were needed), 500 $ (same as manufactory), and it should take 10 years (unless specified). Like with every such activity, siege stops, but not cancells, the progress etc. Normal rules applied.
Downgrading takes half the resources, but normal amount of time.
One can change it one step a time, no cooldown needed (it's expensive/time consuming enough).
Each change needs certain ADM tech level to become possible.
Upgrading
Farmlands: propably the best terrain type there is, no possibility of upgrading.
Grasslands: Cultivation: upgrade to Farmland (ADM tech 1) (double the time, returns to normal on ADM 15)
Savannahs/steppes: Irigation: upgrade to Farmlands(ADM tech 4) (double the time, returns to normal on ADM 15)
Woods: Deforestation: upgrade to Grassland (ADM tech 2) (double the time, returns to normal on ADM 15)
Desserts: Irigation of desert: upgrade to Drylands (ADM tech 17)
Drylands: Irigation of drylands: upgrade to Grassland (ADM tech 17)
Marshes: Clearing a marsh: upgrade to Grassland (ADM tech 10)
Forrests: Deforestation: upgrade to Woods (ADM tech 2) (double the time, returns to normal on ADM 15)
Jungles: Clearing a Jungle: upgrade to woods (ADM tech 20)
Glacials: unupgradable (it's not sci-fi game).
Downgrading
Why would one want to downgrade? Two reasons come to mind: first is the "goods" part in this suggestion (a few paragraphs lower), the second is increasing defensive abilities (imagine a high level fort in desert mountains. And then scorch earth there).
Farmlands: decultivation: downgrade to steppe/savanna where aplicable, where not - to grassland. (ADM tech 5)
Grasslands: reforestation: downgrade to woods. (ADM tech 12) Overirigation: downgrade to marsh. (ADM tech 7); Drying out: downgrade to dryland (ADM tech 17);
Savannahs/steppes: undowngradable.
Woods: reforestation: downgrade to woods (or jungle where applicable). (ADM tech 12 (19 for jungle))
Desserts: undowngradable.
Drylands: Drying out: downgrade to desert (ADM tech 17);
Marshes: undowngradable.
Forrests: undowngradable.
Jungles: undowngradable.
Glacials: undowngradable.
Roads
Another small thing I beleive would be benefitial and plays quite nicely with this suugestion is road system. A special province upgrade, which is not a building (and in reality it indeed is not) granting +50% movement speed, costing 300 $ and taking 3 years to build. Cost and time is modified by terrain in the same way it influences developement cost.
Influence of terrain on goods produced
So I will not discover america when I say that some terrains are better for some king of goods, some are worse. The terrain type should influence the good produced in some way, f.e. it's generally easier to mine in hills or mountains than in plains. So a terrain type (both secondary and primary) should grant some bonuses to goods produced (or a discount to increasing production developement, but I think it is actually easier).
Bonus would be +0,1 good produced, unless specified.
Glacials have all goods produced -0,1 (with the exception of manufactured goods)
I will sort it by goods:
(underlined are primary terrain types)
(cursive is for special rules)
Goods
Grain: farmlands +0,2; grassland; plains; highlands +0,05; forest /jungle -0,05; desert -0,2; savannah -0,05; mountains -0,05.
Wine: farmland; drylands; plains; grassland +0,05; desert -0,1; marsh -0,05; forrest/jungle -0,05.
Wool: hills; mountains +0,05; jungle -0,05
Cloth: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Fish: coastline +0,2; river flowing next to province.
Fur: forrest; woods; desert -0,05.
Salt: coastline; hills; mountains +0,05; forrest/jungle -0,05.
Naval supplies: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Metals (copper/iron, no gold since it is already OP): hills; mountains +0,05; forrest/jungle -0,05.
Slaves: desert/forrest/jungle -0,05; plains; farmlands +0,05.
Ivory: desert -0,1; mountains -0,1; savannah +0,2.
Tea: desert -0,2; drylands -0,1; grassland; farmland; mountains -0,05; plains.
Chinaware: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Spices: jungle; forrest; woods; drylands -0,1; desert -0,2; plains;
Cofee: hills; mountains +0,05; drylands; jungle +0,05; plains.
Cotton: drylands; plains; farmlands; grasslands +0,05; mountains -0,05; desert -0,05.
Sugar: plains; mountains -0,05; jungle/desert -0,1.
Tobacco: plains; mountains -0,05; jungle/desert -0,1.
Cocoa: hills; mountains +0,05; drylands; jungle +0,05; plains.
Silk: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Tropical wood: forrest; jungle +0,25. Only possible if the secondary terrain type is jungle, forest or woods. If the province producing tropical wood changes its terrain type a new resource is taken at random, using the colonies/abolishion of slavery mechanism.
Dyes: manufactured good, no influence from terrain.
Phew... That's it, folks.
Thanks for reading, I know it's long, I know it's large. But I believe it might add a lot in a direction "Common Sense" took us: building a tall empire, which get's as much as possible from the land it owns.
And to make it easier here's how I think it should look:
Of course the picture is very unrefined, but I think it illustrates my idea pretty good.
- 2
Upvote
0