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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0028870Heart Of The MachineBalance IssueJun 24, 2024 10:51 pm
ReporterElvarien Assigned ToChris_McElligottPark  
Status closedResolutionno change required 
Product Version0.548 High Visibility 
Summary0028870: deterrence mechanism, softlock, and time as a resource
DescriptionEarly on time is a free resource.
By this I mean specifically outside of events of course.
What I mean by this is that early on you can click end turn, and expect 0 consequences. This means that if you need 3 turns to build something you just click pass turn 3x and it's instantly done from your perspective. Time is a resource you spend without consequence.

So you set all of your units in place, click end turn a few times.
Build a few buildings, spam end turn a few times.
Need to research something? Spam end turn.

That is, until you get your first territorial claim.
It tells you that no matter what you do, the amount of deterrence you need to keep it safe is going to slowly climb up forever from the moment you plant that flag.
Now this first claim happens when you have enough deterrence to like 300% or something it's requirement, and it's climb is so slow that you are technically still playing with time as a free resource but it starts to count. This is good of course, gives you a moment to think about time as a resource but for me I still spam through a few turns to quickly finish a building, more a few units in place, etc. It as a game experience told me time was not going to remain free forever, but does so in a way that very slowly creeps up on you. Kind of like a frog in a slowly warning pot of water. It's not really noticeable so it's easy to just ignore. That is, until those numbers scale faster then your strength as an AI because you just blast through time like it's a free resource.

Deterrence keeps climbing
Either it actually does keep climbing indefinitely, and you reach a point where each of your units has to be dedicated to defence, because otherwise you get attacked and die. OR deterrence does not climb infinitely and then our issue is not the infinite climbing deterrence but the fact as a player I currently believe that to be the case.

It is of course entirely possible I am a human potato and my eyes serve no real function I'll be quick to concede that one but this right now feels like an issue a certain group of players is going to run into.

Either time IS a free resource [outside of events] and deterrence should not infinitely climb, perhaps reach a cap, or have some way to lower it. Hell it'd be fine if the number rises till it spawns a wave, and then goes down again having spawned a wave, kind of like how ai war did some of it's aggression.

Or time is not a free resource [outside of events] and the gradual rise in danger should be indicated at some point or experienced in a more clear example outside of events.

Or all of this is a thing and I have simply not seen,noticed, encountered it.
Which would be an issue with communication.

Or I'm blind which you know, entirely possible.
TagsNo tags attached.

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Strategic Sage

Jun 18, 2024 2:33 pm

reporter   ~0069256

Deterrence does climb indefinitely.

It also climbs *incredibly* slowly compared to your ability to increase your power. You will outscale it very comfortabley unless you spend the great majority of your turns just clicking end turns without doing anything at all.

So Time is a nearly-free but not entirely-free resource.

Chris_McElligottPark

Jun 24, 2024 10:51 pm

administrator   ~0069460

Basically, the short answer -- in addition to what Sage said -- is that to properly defend something, you will always need more than the minimum deterrence anyway. And by the time you are in the later parts, you absolutely have it.

The only place this could possibly be a problem is in the chapter one early furniture and similar deterrence events, and only if the player skips like... 1500 turns, maybe? Even then, there is a workaround, it's just annoying (have some other units help temporarily babysit).

Later on, you'll routinely have vastly more deterrence than you need at deterrence sites, specifically because in order to automatically defend against even casual overland attacks, which are a notable threat, you'll need more than one defender.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Jun 18, 2024 12:49 pm Elvarien New Issue
Jun 18, 2024 2:33 pm Strategic Sage Note Added: 0069256
Jun 24, 2024 10:51 pm Chris_McElligottPark Assigned To => Chris_McElligottPark
Jun 24, 2024 10:51 pm Chris_McElligottPark Status new => closed
Jun 24, 2024 10:51 pm Chris_McElligottPark Resolution open => no change required
Jun 24, 2024 10:51 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0069460