Depopulation

Truper · #1 September 25th, 2003, 05:49 PM

One thing I've often wondered about in Dom I (and whether it might be different in II) is the issue of depopulation. I never participated in a long pbem, but I'd expect that by the end, players are fighting over a nearly dead world. There are an awful lot of ways to kill off the local populace when you consider pillaging, Murdering Winter, patrolling for $, Ermor's dominion, etc.

So a question for the vets: did the world start feeling empty towards the end of a long game, and how did you feel about it, if so?

Treebeard · #2 September 25th, 2003, 06:03 PM

I would like to see more spells focusing in augmenting the population of a province locally (you can do it with Gift of Nature's Bounty, but it's a global enchantment).

Also, if raising taxes lower the population, low taxes should do the inverse.

Kristoffer O · #3 September 25th, 2003, 06:14 PM

Depopulation was mostly a problem if Ermor was one of the nations in a game. I have seen many games where players crank up their growth scale to get increased populations in their home provinces.

The dominion of Ermor is no longer destructive by deafault, but there is a destructive pangaean theme, so provinces left barren are probably about as common as before.

Slightly off topic:

Population might decrease due to high taxes in Dom II.

To reduce micromanagement patrolling, taxes and the order scale have been remade. The order scale now directly effects the income. High taxes and successful patrolling reduces population making high taxes a short term policy and not something every player must master to stand a chance of winning a game.

High tax - patrolling was tedious and unbalancing. Only vets with high ambitions of winning could stomach the micromanagement issues of patrolling.

Now high taxes are a short time measure. We hope that this is a good solution.

Pocus · #4 September 25th, 2003, 06:19 PM

nice issue to raise Truper. It is true that in doms I you have many population killing spells, but few (one, a global) which do the reverse. I wonder if doms II is a bit more gentle with the poor farmers and workers... I like to be able to reverse a process (is it akin to the fear of death, doctor?). In doms I for example, if you 'liberate' the wasteland which constitute Ermor, you are left with a barren land, without hope of any reconstruction, and despite a growth +3 factor (because the growth is a % bonus of increase, and dont give you a base increase of say 300 pop a turn). Whats more its even stranger when you read your dominions description : it is written that the lush of nature can be seen everywhere, and that harvest is done 4 times a year, but ... nobody live here!

to answer more specifically your question, in dominions I, with growth +3, you can raise your population slowly.

Treebeard : in doms II patrolling wont allow you to increase taxes, if I recall. In fact I dont think there is a tax % to be modified.

Pocus · #5 September 25th, 2003, 06:20 PM

Kristoffer replied while I was typing... so the Last part of my post is obsolete.

johan osterman · #6 September 25th, 2003, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pocus:
nice issue to raise Truper. It is true that in doms I you have many population killing spells, but few (one, a global) which do the reverse. I wonder if doms II is a bit more gentle with the poor farmers and workers... I like to be able to reverse a process (is it akin to the fear of death, doctor?). In doms I for example, if you 'liberate' the wasteland which constitute Ermor, you are left with a barren land, without hope of any reconstruction, and despite a growth +3 factor (because the growth is a % bonus of increase, and dont give you a base increase of say 300 pop a turn). Whats more its even stranger when you read your dominions description : it is written that the lush of nature can be seen everywhere, and that harvest is done 4 times a year, but ... nobody live here!

to answer more specifically your question, in dominions I, with growth +3, you can raise your population slowly.

Treebeard : in doms II patrolling wont allow you to increase taxes, if I recall. In fact I dont think there is a tax % to be modified.

We like it the way it is, it is easier to kill than to repopulate. If you kill off a whole province it only makes sense that it is a very slow process for it to be repopulated.

Mortifer · #7 September 25th, 2003, 07:00 PM

Maybe there should be more global spells what would help to repopulate the provinces...

Treebeard · #8 September 25th, 2003, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by johan osterman:
We like it the way it is, it is easier to kill than to repopulate. If you kill off a whole province it only makes sense that it is a very slow process for it to be repopulated.

Heh, it should much easier to kill than to repopulate, the problem is, it's almost impossible to repopulate. I'd love to get some other ways to raise the population of a province.

licker · #9 September 25th, 2003, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Treebeard:

quote:
Originally posted by johan osterman:
We like it the way it is, it is easier to kill than to repopulate. If you kill off a whole province it only makes sense that it is a very slow process for it to be repopulated.

Heh, it should much easier to kill than to repopulate, the problem is, it's almost impossible to repopulate. I'd love to get some other ways to raise the population of a province.

Why not add a kind of 'forced migration', take a commander and some troops and force a few hundred people from one province to another... You'd have to take a pretty hefty unrest hit, but in some situations it might be worth it to try and get the pop jumpstarted somewhere...

Mortifer · #10 September 25th, 2003, 08:12 PM

That wont help, if almost all provinces are depopulated.

As I said there should be some major spells to populate a province, or maybe some other options.