04-15-2014, 04:10 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-15-2014, 07:08 PM by Lord Diamond.)
I would like to see pcs get an overhaul in 3rd Cycle to make them a lot more interesting and strategically important. PCs are a vital aspect of the game, but individually they are rarely very important. For the most part, each village, town, and city does the same things that every other pcs does. I believe that there are ways to change that dramatically and I think it can be done without an enormous amount of work. Rather, I believe it should be doable without fundamentally changing the foundation of the program.
The first suggested change should be fairly easy. I would like all pcs to start off as ‘Human’ controlled. This is the basic programming concept that would need to be accepted before anything else I am proposing could happen. Why would any pc start out as ‘Neutral’? If the Humans have taken most of Alamaze from the various races, why did they stop with the cities? I say we give them everything else as well. This would slow down the initial rush and would make exploration a great deal more important. Gaining control of the region is beneficial enough without also giving you control of every unclaimed pc in the region. You would still get those pcs that had been turned neutral, but you would have to expend an effort to explore and claim all the rest.
Now that we have passed that hurdle, I want to introduce more non-player races. Instead of the generic ‘Humans’ controlling everything, I say we divide them into nations. This would allow us to give each pc a racial flavor and to further differentiate the pcs by giving each some sort of valuable trait.
The trait can likely be programmed in one of two ways:
1. Some pcs already have traits assigned to them; capitals! If a ‘capital’ can be programmed and given special abilities, it stands to reason that there can be other traits as well.
2. Stationary PC artifacts. Assign these pcs artifacts that give a certain trait but cannot be moved or traded. They may or may not be worth status points on their own.
Let’s talk about the individual ‘Human’ nations and what each would do for a particular pc under its control. I will use very generic names that should be changed if implemented.
1. Arcanist –
a. Natural Trait: Cannot be found using HP divination.
i. This would make pc scouting much more valuable and useful.
b. Benefit: Wizards in groups belonging to the controlling kingdom can raise wizards for 1,000 gold cheaper than otherwise. Much like a minor ‘Stone of All Minds’.
i. This pc would be hotly contested and extremely valuable to find.
c. Application: Perhaps 1-2 cities, several towns, and maybe 1-2 villages as well.
2. Builders –
a. Natural Trait: Defense is x2 normal, food is .75 normal.
b. Benefit: Raising defenses in this pc is half the cost.
i. These would make excellent capitals.
c. Application: Mostly in mountains. Perhaps 1/3rd of the cities, towns, and villages.
3. Growers –
a. Natural Trait: Food production is x2 normal, gold is x.5 normal.
b. Benefit: PC is unaffected by seasons due to local stockpiles and growing techniques.
c. Application: Mostly in Plains. Perhaps 1/3rd of villages and towns in plains areas.
4. Militant -
a. Natural Trait: Food production is x.5 normal.
b. Benefit: Brigades recruited here are automatically considered Veteran.
i. This trait would make the ‘Raise PC Census’ spells actually useful.
c. Application: Possibly 15-25% of towns and 1-2 cities.
5. Travelers –
a. Natural Trait: Gold and Food production are x1.25 normal.
b. Benefit: Only 1 movement point is required to move through this area due to excellent roads.
i. Knowing precisely where these pcs are could have a genuine tactical impact on your game. Essentially, the routes between these pcs would almost constitute a road. Not only would it make a major difference when plotting your group travel, your enemies might be able to anticipate your route. This could launch other changes in group interception and other tactical updates down the road. I believe that this minor change could have the largest and broadest impact on the game of all the pc traits I am suggesting.
6. Vigilants
a. Natural Trait: 20% CE in this pc and is 50% harder to incite rebellion.
b. Benefit: Controller is automatically notified when any character moves into it.
7. Rustics – This would be one of the less desirable pcs. They can’t all be good!
a. Natural Trait: x.75 gold production, x2 the population
b. Benefit: Characters have a 50% chance of failing any 350 order into and out of the pc due to horrible roads.
c. Application: Possibly 25% of the villages and towns in marsh, desert, and forest.
8. Normals – This is the pc we have now.
a. Natural Trait: None
b. Benefit: None
c. Application:
9. Dungeon Keepers
a. Natural Trait: x.75 food and gold.
b. Benefit: Prisoners are 25% less likely to escape this pc.
c. Application
10. Templars
a. Natural Trait: x1.25 gold and x.75 food.
b. Benefit: High Priestesses and Fanatics are 25% cheaper to recruit here.
c. Application
11. Sanctuary
a. Natural Trait: Unable to locate via agent reconnaissance.
i. Agents refuse to divulge the location.
b. Benefit: Agents are 25% cheaper to recruit here and train here.
c. Application
I came up with these in about three hours from concept to post. I am quite certain that my peers here can help make this doable, desirable, and much better.
The first suggested change should be fairly easy. I would like all pcs to start off as ‘Human’ controlled. This is the basic programming concept that would need to be accepted before anything else I am proposing could happen. Why would any pc start out as ‘Neutral’? If the Humans have taken most of Alamaze from the various races, why did they stop with the cities? I say we give them everything else as well. This would slow down the initial rush and would make exploration a great deal more important. Gaining control of the region is beneficial enough without also giving you control of every unclaimed pc in the region. You would still get those pcs that had been turned neutral, but you would have to expend an effort to explore and claim all the rest.
Now that we have passed that hurdle, I want to introduce more non-player races. Instead of the generic ‘Humans’ controlling everything, I say we divide them into nations. This would allow us to give each pc a racial flavor and to further differentiate the pcs by giving each some sort of valuable trait.
The trait can likely be programmed in one of two ways:
1. Some pcs already have traits assigned to them; capitals! If a ‘capital’ can be programmed and given special abilities, it stands to reason that there can be other traits as well.
2. Stationary PC artifacts. Assign these pcs artifacts that give a certain trait but cannot be moved or traded. They may or may not be worth status points on their own.
Let’s talk about the individual ‘Human’ nations and what each would do for a particular pc under its control. I will use very generic names that should be changed if implemented.
1. Arcanist –
a. Natural Trait: Cannot be found using HP divination.
i. This would make pc scouting much more valuable and useful.
b. Benefit: Wizards in groups belonging to the controlling kingdom can raise wizards for 1,000 gold cheaper than otherwise. Much like a minor ‘Stone of All Minds’.
i. This pc would be hotly contested and extremely valuable to find.
c. Application: Perhaps 1-2 cities, several towns, and maybe 1-2 villages as well.
2. Builders –
a. Natural Trait: Defense is x2 normal, food is .75 normal.
b. Benefit: Raising defenses in this pc is half the cost.
i. These would make excellent capitals.
c. Application: Mostly in mountains. Perhaps 1/3rd of the cities, towns, and villages.
3. Growers –
a. Natural Trait: Food production is x2 normal, gold is x.5 normal.
b. Benefit: PC is unaffected by seasons due to local stockpiles and growing techniques.
c. Application: Mostly in Plains. Perhaps 1/3rd of villages and towns in plains areas.
4. Militant -
a. Natural Trait: Food production is x.5 normal.
b. Benefit: Brigades recruited here are automatically considered Veteran.
i. This trait would make the ‘Raise PC Census’ spells actually useful.
c. Application: Possibly 15-25% of towns and 1-2 cities.
5. Travelers –
a. Natural Trait: Gold and Food production are x1.25 normal.
b. Benefit: Only 1 movement point is required to move through this area due to excellent roads.
i. Knowing precisely where these pcs are could have a genuine tactical impact on your game. Essentially, the routes between these pcs would almost constitute a road. Not only would it make a major difference when plotting your group travel, your enemies might be able to anticipate your route. This could launch other changes in group interception and other tactical updates down the road. I believe that this minor change could have the largest and broadest impact on the game of all the pc traits I am suggesting.
6. Vigilants
a. Natural Trait: 20% CE in this pc and is 50% harder to incite rebellion.
b. Benefit: Controller is automatically notified when any character moves into it.
7. Rustics – This would be one of the less desirable pcs. They can’t all be good!
a. Natural Trait: x.75 gold production, x2 the population
b. Benefit: Characters have a 50% chance of failing any 350 order into and out of the pc due to horrible roads.
c. Application: Possibly 25% of the villages and towns in marsh, desert, and forest.
8. Normals – This is the pc we have now.
a. Natural Trait: None
b. Benefit: None
c. Application:
9. Dungeon Keepers
a. Natural Trait: x.75 food and gold.
b. Benefit: Prisoners are 25% less likely to escape this pc.
c. Application
10. Templars
a. Natural Trait: x1.25 gold and x.75 food.
b. Benefit: High Priestesses and Fanatics are 25% cheaper to recruit here.
c. Application
11. Sanctuary
a. Natural Trait: Unable to locate via agent reconnaissance.
i. Agents refuse to divulge the location.
b. Benefit: Agents are 25% cheaper to recruit here and train here.
c. Application
I came up with these in about three hours from concept to post. I am quite certain that my peers here can help make this doable, desirable, and much better.
Lord Diamond
Please do not take any of my comments as a personal insult or as a criticism of the game 'Alamaze', which I very much enjoy. Rather, I hope that my personal insight and unique perspective may, in some way, help make 'Alamaze' more fun, a more successful financial venture, or simply more sustainable as a long-term project. Anyone who reads this post should feel completely free to ignore, disregard, scorn, implement, improve, dispute, or otherwise comment upon its content.
