InvictusByzantium
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I've seen an idea similar to this on the forum, but I would like to take a moment to flesh out my idea for this concept. With the latest expansion the mod is solidly steering to the point where your scattered settlements could join together to form a small, organized nation-state. I think this would be a fantastic direction to take the mod, and here are just a few gameplay features I think would give new depth to the mod with the goal of nationbuilding in mind.
As a warning though, I am well away the scope of this suggestion is massive. This is my ideal end result of a masterpiece overhaul mod, and as such not every piece of it needs to be in one massive expansion to be fun in my opinion. There's easily enough material for at least 4 full sized expansions here if my suggestions were followed to the letter. This is not a suggestion in the sense of "do this thing pl0x", but rather I have written in as much detail as I can manage the direction I would love to see this project take, going well into the extremes of ridiculous over-ambition. My hope is that through this some pieces will inspire further development in this direction.
The Capital:
Every nation needs one, so this would be a fantastic place to start. Once you have a certain number of cities at a certain level, perhaps a total of 10 levels of city, or a total of 30-50 settlers you gain the option to begin a massive new undertaking, and it should be a massive undertaking, requiring a strong industrial and economic base to be viable. Establishing a capital should have an immediate impact, but also incentive to continue to develop it as your other settlements develop and your territory expands. To this end I suggest having tiers of nation. When you set up your capital you instantly get the first level government, which just unlocks the national gameplay. As you get more settlers and settlements, however, you can reform your government to get more specialized bonuses that affect all your settlements. But like I said, just having the capital and forming a level 1 nation would unlock all the core gameplay, which I think should consist of a few main features, namely government/civics, military, trade, and research.
The Government:
Government would be the feature about customizing your play style in the late game. My idea here is that you would have one government style for each of the 5 core aspects of the mod I see if this expansion were made according to my ideas, with each level of nation having a type of government unlocked, and at the end of level 3 a special project unique to each government for an end game goal. At level one you would be a confederation, a simple, loosely organized collective of settlements under one central government. At this stage of a nations development trade is possible, but the settlements are more focused on being self sufficient and trading what excess they have within the confederation. Forming a central, standing army is feasible but local militias and fortifications still do most of the heavy lifting. Research is attainable, but there just aren't quite enough minds to spare to work on intellectual pursuits. Also at level one you gain access to some smaller features, most notably the appointment of a First Minister. Your first minister can be any companion and would give your capital their normal bonuses and maluses at though they were mayor, but in addition they also impart a lesser form of their bonuses and maluses to your entire nation. Some would even be capable of forging alliances with other factions should you appoint them as your First Minister. In addition to a first minister, simply having a capital will allow you to establish a Tax Office, a work station that can provide you with information on the incomes and costs of all your settlements, as well as letting you make adjustments and letting you collect all the taxes to a single place. Once you hit level 2, however, and you have had time to try out the 5 (as I see them) core features of Civics, Industry, Military, Trade, and Research, you are ready to reform your government.
Full details on government types and endgame projects at the end of the post.
As for the core mechanics, Civics is essentially the focus of the original mod, Rise of the Commonwealth, and the government portion of this proposed expansion. Industry is the focus of the Industrial Revolution expansion, as well as some parts of the original mod relating to production of raw resources. The other three, however, require a bit more explanation.
As a warning though, I am well away the scope of this suggestion is massive. This is my ideal end result of a masterpiece overhaul mod, and as such not every piece of it needs to be in one massive expansion to be fun in my opinion. There's easily enough material for at least 4 full sized expansions here if my suggestions were followed to the letter. This is not a suggestion in the sense of "do this thing pl0x", but rather I have written in as much detail as I can manage the direction I would love to see this project take, going well into the extremes of ridiculous over-ambition. My hope is that through this some pieces will inspire further development in this direction.
The Capital:
Every nation needs one, so this would be a fantastic place to start. Once you have a certain number of cities at a certain level, perhaps a total of 10 levels of city, or a total of 30-50 settlers you gain the option to begin a massive new undertaking, and it should be a massive undertaking, requiring a strong industrial and economic base to be viable. Establishing a capital should have an immediate impact, but also incentive to continue to develop it as your other settlements develop and your territory expands. To this end I suggest having tiers of nation. When you set up your capital you instantly get the first level government, which just unlocks the national gameplay. As you get more settlers and settlements, however, you can reform your government to get more specialized bonuses that affect all your settlements. But like I said, just having the capital and forming a level 1 nation would unlock all the core gameplay, which I think should consist of a few main features, namely government/civics, military, trade, and research.
The Government:
Government would be the feature about customizing your play style in the late game. My idea here is that you would have one government style for each of the 5 core aspects of the mod I see if this expansion were made according to my ideas, with each level of nation having a type of government unlocked, and at the end of level 3 a special project unique to each government for an end game goal. At level one you would be a confederation, a simple, loosely organized collective of settlements under one central government. At this stage of a nations development trade is possible, but the settlements are more focused on being self sufficient and trading what excess they have within the confederation. Forming a central, standing army is feasible but local militias and fortifications still do most of the heavy lifting. Research is attainable, but there just aren't quite enough minds to spare to work on intellectual pursuits. Also at level one you gain access to some smaller features, most notably the appointment of a First Minister. Your first minister can be any companion and would give your capital their normal bonuses and maluses at though they were mayor, but in addition they also impart a lesser form of their bonuses and maluses to your entire nation. Some would even be capable of forging alliances with other factions should you appoint them as your First Minister. In addition to a first minister, simply having a capital will allow you to establish a Tax Office, a work station that can provide you with information on the incomes and costs of all your settlements, as well as letting you make adjustments and letting you collect all the taxes to a single place. Once you hit level 2, however, and you have had time to try out the 5 (as I see them) core features of Civics, Industry, Military, Trade, and Research, you are ready to reform your government.
Full details on government types and endgame projects at the end of the post.
As for the core mechanics, Civics is essentially the focus of the original mod, Rise of the Commonwealth, and the government portion of this proposed expansion. Industry is the focus of the Industrial Revolution expansion, as well as some parts of the original mod relating to production of raw resources. The other three, however, require a bit more explanation.