A new mod enters the ring - Introducing "Close to Home"

[Rusten]

The game is already very rewarding towards city spam. I don't think adding an extra trade route compared to normal BtS is a good idea. I would scrap this bonus entirely, and its current implementation (unlock) has some problems as well.

[civac2]

That again is partly a function of land. Without island cities and bad land spamming cities is not worthwhile.

[NobleHelium]

We are balancing the mod for the games we play here at RB. So yes I am inclined to agree with Rusten. It would be sad to remove it entirely though, so I would try to brainstorm a different bonus. I don't have anything currently.

[mackoti]

maybe as was before in some version of rtr gave flanking 1 to the ships.Good to have , and to be there for all as well.

[Gaspar]

I think +1 TR being too good is a mapmaker problem more than a problem with the reward. As long as we keep making small maps with tons of water where 90% of your cities are coastal you get the following issues:

* Circumnavigation, Great Lighthouse and PRO are all stronger than intended.
* The worst balanced part of the game, naval, is magnified.

The fact that it can often be unlocked by scouts is also a mapmaker problem, not a mod problem. But it is a huge part of what makes it too strong. +1 TR pre-currency as we're often seeing it can rescue a crashed economy - one of the reasons everyone "limps to currency in base BTS." If you can't get it until you have caravels, +1 TR isn't as game-changing as it is on t50 or some of the absurd times we've seen it fall it games recently.

I'm not sure how we get these things fixed though, as not a lot of people really want to make maps. In the interim, if we're going to keep having small maps with tons of water, then yes, circumnavigation should be changed (and IMP nerfed for that matter.) I would suggest maybe moving the Optics sight bonus to circumnavigation?

[Amicalola]

I quite like the idea of an optics-style bonus. Also that having Something as a little mini-goal is nice.

Perhaps we just need to try the next 1-3 games on less lush / larger / less island-y / no pre-optics circumnav (pick at least 1-2), and test it there?

[superdeath]

Perhaps we just need to try the next 1-3 games on less lush / larger / less island-y / no pre-optics circumnav (pick at least 1-2), and test it there?

Make the post, ill make the map

[Gaspar]

larger / no pre-optics circumnav

I think these two are the main culprits. There are a lot of things we can change that would change the quality of the traits, but if we want to control most of the variables and give things like ORG and IMP and EXP a real test, I think simply hitting on this will give us a decent idea.

A larger map with the luxes spread out but not necessarily any less lush gives a decent chance of CHM to come in play as well.

[Charriu]

The pre-opticts circumnavigation is easily solvable. I just require Optics for the circumnavigation quest

[NobleHelium]

I think with game options there is no real reason not to include them.

I would like to point out that more options is not "free".  More options means more things to be voted on or discussed for every game and more possible sources of confusion for new players or players not paying as much attention.  So I would only include game options that provide real value and have a good chance to be used in a given game. I mentioned something related to this in my pregame posts for PB55 but perhaps you did not take my point seriously because my phrasing was rather in jest.

As a corollary to this, I think the inflation modifier option should be removed from CtH because too many people don't understand what it does and they vote for it without realizing what's happening.  And I still don't see any argument that it's worthwhile at all.  I would not be opposed to testing increased tech costs for later eras (I think starting with Renaissance - I wouldn't adjust Medieval or earlier), although I'm not sure the mod is in such a state that it's time to test these lower priority items just yet.