A treiste on traits

[DarkCloud]

Civ traits are abolished and this system is administered
All civs are given four choices at the beginning of the game
1.Choose a technology
-choose a tech
2.Receive an extra settler
-recieve an extra settler
3.Irrigation
-Start with all irrigated squares around your first city
4.Diplomacy
-Start already in diplomatic talks with another civ
(More trading/trade)

Any more ideas would be accepted.

[Evil Capitalist]

The irrigation one sounds considerably better than the other ones. Some other suggestions:

Militaristic culture- free warrior unit.

Fertile land: the first city produces +1 food.

Precious metal mines: +1 trade for 1st city

Naval culture: free outriger or similar unit.

[MidKnight Lament]

Forgive my bluntness, but why would we want to do that?

What's wrong with letting people shape their civs by their own actions? Why give them an up-front choice like that? (Particularly when one choice is always going to better than another, no matter how well-balanced they'd try to make it.)

- MKL

[UltraSonix]

How about a compromise - the choices are randomly picked by the computer.

This idea is good because it would serve to highlight the difference between the civs, even at the start of the game.

So in the journal of the game, if you got a free warrior unit, it'll say something like:
"In the year 4000BC, the nomadic warrior tribe, the Australians, settle down and establish Melbourne."

Or, if you got free irrigation,
"In the year 4000BC, a farming community grows sufficiently large to become Melbourne, the first city of the glorious Australian civilisation."

It'll be a cool addition.

(And yes, I think the free irrigation suggestion should be toned down so that only a FEW squares of your first city is irrigated.)

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No, in Australia we don't live with kangaroos and koalas in our backyards...
[This message has been edited by UltraSonix (edited August 25, 2000).]

I think that's a pretty good idea, to make the computer pick the form of advantage.

It could be based on the starting location of the settler. If it's an area on a river with desert and plains around, you get some improved tiles, if there's much fertile land you get an additional settler and so on.

[MidKnight Lament]

People will just keep starting new games until they get the advantage that they know to be tactically superior.

Wouldn't it be better if traits (were they included) were dictated by more in-game influences? For example, a starting city with plenty of river squares is much more likely to become expert at irrigation. Likewise, a civ starting amongst many plains might become better at breeding horses.

A civ that builds many military units early on in their history might become better military tacticians, and those that build many settlers may gain temporary tile improvement bonuses but have military penalties.

Maybe half of these ideas are stupid and would be unbalancing, but my point is that if traits are to be used, they should come about because of actions of the civ (and perhaps terrain), and not because you're given some bonus before you even start. (I understand that terrain-based traits are sort of treading the line there.) But don't just give people the choice.

- MKL