Post by jc on Jul 31, 2006 1:19:24 GMT -5
Or "Which Seat of Power is right for me?"
Considering you can only have one seat of power currently...
(Although I'd really like it if you could build more than one, but the required time in that government doubled each time, thus requiring 16 cycles (4 days) for the second Seat, 32 (8 days) for the third, 64 (16 days) for the fourth, 128 (32 days) for the fifth, 256 (64 days) for the sixth, 512 (128 days) for the seventh, 1024 (256 days) for the eighth, and 2048 cycles (512 days) for the ninth (and final)... for a total of 4095 cycles (1023 days, or nearly three years) total wait time for all nine... so it's limiting enough to prevent people from having ALL of them, but nice enough that they can get a couple without too much difficulty...)
And now, the evaluations!
BANK:
For each most common object remaining after Corruption is calculated, players with a Bank have a 2% chance of receiving another of these objects through compound interest. For example, a player with 53 ICBMs as their most common object (experiencing no Corruption) would get one free ICBM for certain and have a 6% chance of receiving a second one
Basically: With the increase for corruption, this is decent at best, unless you're TL 14 and a Technocracy. It's nice, but if anyone hears you have a Bank, you're going to get a bunch of spies attached to you... I much prefer to keep more Coal than other items, personally... and in order to actually have a 100% chance of getting another item, you need 50 items or more, and that just spells doom with rain. Not a good deal, in my opinion...
CASTLE:
Lowers opponent's combat accuracy in local warfare by 10%. Players with a Castle lose two less buildings in distant warfare. (This does not affect victory conditions.)
Basically: This makes you slightly safer. -10% isn't a huge step... basically counters a boost from either Telescope or condoned or Theocrat-with-Church-or-you-with-a-church-but-not-both... Not amazing at all..
And as far as two less buildings when hit with ICBMs... not a huge deal, either. It helps slightly, but doesn't affect if you win or not.
So this one is also kind of medicore, I think...
DOWNTOWN
Empires with a Downtown area experience none of the usual Black Market penalties due to Tech Level and number of contacts. Street urchins may be summoned to write graffiti on any Monuments present.
Basically: Awesomeness. Sheer awesomeness. Basically you count as TL 0 (does Rast know how powerful that is? Blargue traveled all over the world and managed to vassalize me BECAUSE of the Black Market... this is like a dream come true.. you know you can trade a DMND for like 2 ALU or something like that, at TL 0 and full contacts?). To top it off, if you had snagged a Monument, you can write graffiti on it.
LAUNCHPAD:
Players with a Launchpad can engage in distant warfare with any non-adjacent players in the world, via the View screen. Vassals with whom no contact was established when they were conquered do not count towards a player's Most Vassals score.
Basically: WHY THE HELL DO THEOCRATS GET A LAUNCH PAD? Seriously. Give it a different name...
Make it something like the "Harpoon of the Gods" or something. Seriously, here. We're talking Theocrats. This is a nice (but nasty) effect. What is the "View" screen talked about, though? Do you need to type a name in? This just means everyone will have to be on guard for Launchpad crazies, but fortunately they might be stupid enough to attack you when you DO have ICBMs saved up.
WHITEHOUSE
Vassals of a player possessing the Reichstag/Whitehouse Seat of Power cannot be attacked by other players.
Basically: Decent, but this is a rare problem for me. It's nice to keep a vassal for yourself, especially if you spent a bunch of Food on it, but not really completely necessary. Considering when they have less than 4 cycles less they can still go crazy and attack others (and lose) , it's still easy enough to weasle out of vassalages
REINFORCED BUNKER
Operates as a normal bunker. Reinforced Bunkers will always be the last building destroyed in any combat, superceding a Technocrat's advanced builings.
Basically: Also super awesome! Have a great Land Tile? Keep it! Have a Monument? Keep it! If you can build one of these suckers, chances are you can have a high number of fluff buildings, anyway, so NOBODY is going to completely eradicate them from you in a single swoop, as far as I can tell. Of course, you need a land worth keeping for this one.
PARLIAMENT
Diplomats of a player possessing a Parliament gain the special ability Annex. Annex allows diplomats to initiate a single turn of vassalage upon their host for 5 Food. This single turn of vassalage is not affected by any external factors, but can be prolonged with more Food as usual. The new vassal counts towards the Most Vassals score as normal.
Basically: I hope Eudaimonia goes with this. Then would-be invaders can be easily taken care of nonviolently with 3 Glass and 5+ Food. Very nice. I assume "is not affected by any external factors" means you can vassalize anyone (even if they've got 1/4th as many buildings) and doesn't increase/decrease based on Churches.
SUPERCOMPUTER:
A player with a Supercomputer can predict the weather four cycles in advance.
Basically: Quite nice, but not EVERYONE needs one...
WORLD TRADE CENTER:
World Trade Centers act as Office Towers, however, they permit trade with not only a subset of players but with any and all global leaders. In addition, if the owner of a World Trade Center is any type of Leader, their trades will be visible as though they were the Global Leader.
Basically: So basically if you have one, you can trade with all Leaders, and if you ARE a Leader, you can trade with anyone, instead. Kind of nice, but better to let the Leaders take these, and then you get to trade with them, too
Just my 2 cents
Considering you can only have one seat of power currently...
(Although I'd really like it if you could build more than one, but the required time in that government doubled each time, thus requiring 16 cycles (4 days) for the second Seat, 32 (8 days) for the third, 64 (16 days) for the fourth, 128 (32 days) for the fifth, 256 (64 days) for the sixth, 512 (128 days) for the seventh, 1024 (256 days) for the eighth, and 2048 cycles (512 days) for the ninth (and final)... for a total of 4095 cycles (1023 days, or nearly three years) total wait time for all nine... so it's limiting enough to prevent people from having ALL of them, but nice enough that they can get a couple without too much difficulty...)
And now, the evaluations!
BANK:
For each most common object remaining after Corruption is calculated, players with a Bank have a 2% chance of receiving another of these objects through compound interest. For example, a player with 53 ICBMs as their most common object (experiencing no Corruption) would get one free ICBM for certain and have a 6% chance of receiving a second one
Basically: With the increase for corruption, this is decent at best, unless you're TL 14 and a Technocracy. It's nice, but if anyone hears you have a Bank, you're going to get a bunch of spies attached to you... I much prefer to keep more Coal than other items, personally... and in order to actually have a 100% chance of getting another item, you need 50 items or more, and that just spells doom with rain. Not a good deal, in my opinion...
CASTLE:
Lowers opponent's combat accuracy in local warfare by 10%. Players with a Castle lose two less buildings in distant warfare. (This does not affect victory conditions.)
Basically: This makes you slightly safer. -10% isn't a huge step... basically counters a boost from either Telescope or condoned or Theocrat-with-Church-or-you-with-a-church-but-not-both... Not amazing at all..
And as far as two less buildings when hit with ICBMs... not a huge deal, either. It helps slightly, but doesn't affect if you win or not.
So this one is also kind of medicore, I think...DOWNTOWN
Empires with a Downtown area experience none of the usual Black Market penalties due to Tech Level and number of contacts. Street urchins may be summoned to write graffiti on any Monuments present.
Basically: Awesomeness. Sheer awesomeness. Basically you count as TL 0 (does Rast know how powerful that is? Blargue traveled all over the world and managed to vassalize me BECAUSE of the Black Market... this is like a dream come true.. you know you can trade a DMND for like 2 ALU or something like that, at TL 0 and full contacts?). To top it off, if you had snagged a Monument, you can write graffiti on it.
LAUNCHPAD:
Players with a Launchpad can engage in distant warfare with any non-adjacent players in the world, via the View screen. Vassals with whom no contact was established when they were conquered do not count towards a player's Most Vassals score.
Basically: WHY THE HELL DO THEOCRATS GET A LAUNCH PAD? Seriously. Give it a different name...
Make it something like the "Harpoon of the Gods" or something. Seriously, here. We're talking Theocrats. This is a nice (but nasty) effect. What is the "View" screen talked about, though? Do you need to type a name in? This just means everyone will have to be on guard for Launchpad crazies, but fortunately they might be stupid enough to attack you when you DO have ICBMs saved up.WHITEHOUSE
Vassals of a player possessing the Reichstag/Whitehouse Seat of Power cannot be attacked by other players.
Basically: Decent, but this is a rare problem for me. It's nice to keep a vassal for yourself, especially if you spent a bunch of Food on it, but not really completely necessary. Considering when they have less than 4 cycles less they can still go crazy and attack others (and lose) , it's still easy enough to weasle out of vassalages
REINFORCED BUNKER
Operates as a normal bunker. Reinforced Bunkers will always be the last building destroyed in any combat, superceding a Technocrat's advanced builings.
Basically: Also super awesome! Have a great Land Tile? Keep it! Have a Monument? Keep it! If you can build one of these suckers, chances are you can have a high number of fluff buildings, anyway, so NOBODY is going to completely eradicate them from you in a single swoop, as far as I can tell. Of course, you need a land worth keeping for this one.
PARLIAMENT
Diplomats of a player possessing a Parliament gain the special ability Annex. Annex allows diplomats to initiate a single turn of vassalage upon their host for 5 Food. This single turn of vassalage is not affected by any external factors, but can be prolonged with more Food as usual. The new vassal counts towards the Most Vassals score as normal.
Basically: I hope Eudaimonia goes with this. Then would-be invaders can be easily taken care of nonviolently with 3 Glass and 5+ Food. Very nice. I assume "is not affected by any external factors" means you can vassalize anyone (even if they've got 1/4th as many buildings) and doesn't increase/decrease based on Churches.
SUPERCOMPUTER:
A player with a Supercomputer can predict the weather four cycles in advance.
Basically: Quite nice, but not EVERYONE needs one...
WORLD TRADE CENTER:
World Trade Centers act as Office Towers, however, they permit trade with not only a subset of players but with any and all global leaders. In addition, if the owner of a World Trade Center is any type of Leader, their trades will be visible as though they were the Global Leader.
Basically: So basically if you have one, you can trade with all Leaders, and if you ARE a Leader, you can trade with anyone, instead. Kind of nice, but better to let the Leaders take these, and then you get to trade with them, too
Just my 2 cents
Gosh golly, I could offer only 8 trades, but now, I can offer 10. 
I guess it's a benefit for anyone who wanted the extra trade and then switched off of Bureaucracy, but otherwise, it seems kind of lacking. 
