Cost/Benefit for Castle types

[RonD]

Here's a different angle on the Watchtower issue.

It seems that the devs thought about the costs and benefits of different castle types only (or at least largely) in terms of resource gathering + defense vs. gold cost + build time. But the MP community generally ignores those issues. The Watchtower is the favorite because it is the cheapest lategame defense against ghostriders.

How about re-balancing the design point costs? Make a "middle" castle the 0-point default, and charge design points for deviations either way.

[Vicious Love]

You just blew my mind.

[TheSelfishGene]

...then everyone would still pick the Watchtower, but simply have 80 more points to spend on magic or scales.

The problem with the Watchtower issue is that armies just aren't valuable enough for long enough, and temples are too vulnerable because PD is too weak. So doing this without any other changes would just tilt the game further toward those with strong early expanding SCs.

[RonD]

TheSelfishGene said:
...then everyone would still pick the Watchtower, but simply have 80 more points to spend on magic or scales.

No - they would have 80 fewer points to spend on magic or scales.

The idea isn't to fix everything, for goodness sakes. Just correct a glaring imbalance in the basic structure. When you choose a 0-point default it should be worse than the alternatives that cost points. A watchtower might still be the best choice for MP, but at least you'd have to pay for that choice by having less of something else. Currently you are rewarded for making the best choice by also getting more of everything else.

[Leadman]

This is a very interesting idea. It would change MP and maybe breathe some new life into it.

Leadman

[Oversway]

Ah, if only we could mod castles

[TheSelfishGene]

Oh my apologies, i understand what you were saying now. I thought you meant to keep the baseline ratios between castles the same but simply make *all* of them cheaper; so the Castle might cost only 40, but the Watchtower would be -40. Your saying to just make the Watchtower more expensive and some of the others less.

Well then i agree with you! Not a bad idea.

[Huzurdaddi]

Currently you are rewarded for making the best choice by also getting more of everything else.

Actually the best choice ( if you do not count cost ) is mage tower. But it's hideously expensive.

Don't I wish that one could mod towers.

[Vicious Love]

Mind you, this still makes no thematic sense. Then again, a tiny watchtower's garrison reclaiming an entire province less than a month after a raid by Ghost Riders doesn't make much sense either, so I suppose we're to conclude the basic watchtower was ma-a-agic in the first place.

Color me impressed.

[The_Tauren13]

maybe just reprioritize the pricing

Code:

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Castle Type      Points  Admin  Def.  Supply  Time  Cost

Mausoleum         150     20     25      25    2    300

Watch Tower       130     10     50      25    2    300

Wizard's Tower    210     30     75     200    2    300

Fortress          110     30    150     100    3    450

Hill Fortress     100     20    250     100    3    450

Castle            140     40    100     150    3    450

Fortified City      0     50    100     500    5    750

Citadel            50     40    200     100    4    600

Mountain Citadel -100     10    350     150    5    750

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