So I've been brainstorming ideas for new buildings that would complement the current production chains without breaking the game (very
difficult balance!)
Here's some ideas I've thought of:
1. Prospector
- Hut: 4 Boards (or alternatively it could be a new "mine" that requires no raw materials under it as goods are deposited)
- Prospects Stones to discover raw materials: Coal (11%), Iron Ore (33%), Gold Ore (3%), Granite (33%), Nothing (20%).
- A Prospector requires food to work (like mines) and uses Stones.
- Worker/Tool: Geologist/Hammer
Notes: The idea is for the ability to gain additional Iron (and if lucky some gold!) when mines are running out or there is none
nearby, but there is a chance you will get nothing or just stone back again (wasting food/stone). So it is a supplement to the
Production chains not a primary source of resources. The percentages are just an initial idea and can easily be refined or balanced.
This would also give more value to Granite Mines as further processing the Stone could yield more useful resources. If Stone supply is
low this is obviously not a good building to have active!
2. Inn/Tavern
- House: 3 Boards, 2 Stones
- Uses Beer or Food to increase the morale of Soldiers/Workers increasing their combat ability/work efficiency.
- Capacity for 6 Soldiers/Workers
- Worker/Tool: Innkeeper/Helper/No tool required
Notes: An additional use for Beer and Food. I'm not sure how difficult or easy the programming would be but a similar button to the
"send the highest rank soldiers to the nearest warehouse" could exist but instead it would be send soldiers/worker to the nearest
Inn/Tavern. As it can be used to boost soldiers there would be a bonus having them near your borders/warehouses near enemies.
3. Printing Press
- House: 2 Boards, 2 Stones
- Turns Boards and Water into Books
- Worker/Tool: Publisher/Hammer
Notes: A new Good/Tool Books is used for training Privates in the Academy and as a Tool for the jobs: Alchemist/Banker/Salesman
4. Academy
- Castle: 3 Boards, 6 Stones
- Uses Books to Train Privates to the next rank. Once promoted they return to the nearest warehouse.
- Worker: General
Notes: With an Academy and a General you can use Books to train your Privates and promote them to the next rank. This saves some Gold
Coins allowing you to be more efficient in your economy.
5. Alchemist
- Castle: 3 Boards, 4 Stones
- Turns 2 Iron and 2 Water into 1 Gold Coin
- Worker/Tool: Alchemist/Book
Notes: When there is an abundance of Iron but not much Gold an Alchemist can augment your supply.
6. Bank
- Castle: 3 Boards, 5 Stones
- Deposit Gold Coins to slowly generate interest. The more coins deposited the faster interest is generated. Coins can be withdrawn
from the bank but you will stop gaining additional ones.
- Only 1 Bank can be built.
- Worker/Tool: Banker/Book
7. Marketplace
- House: 4 Boards, 2 Stones
- Exchange Goods for different Goods.
- The ratio of Goods to different Goods is different depending on the abundance/scarcity in the world.
- For example it may take 10 Boards to get 1 Pig, but due to scarcity only 5 Fish to get a Gold Coin.
- Worker/Tool: Salesman/Book
Notes: There are lots of games when certain Goods start to explode in amount: especially Beer and Boards. With the Marketplace an
exchange could be made. As a way of "converting" Goods into ones your economy is currently lacking. The rarer the Good the more Goods
it takes to make the trade. So swapping for Gold Coins or Ore is more costly than for Stone or Pigs.
8. Lighthouse
- Castle (Coastal): 4 Boards, 5 Stones
- A Coastal Lookout Tower with extraordinary range of vision (2-4x a regular Lookout Tower)
- Can only be built at Harbour Points
- Worker/Tool: Scout/Bow
Notes: In some maps there are a lot of harbour points on the same landmass so an alternative reconnaissance building would be far more
useful than another Harbour Building. These would also be extremely useful when Fog of War is enabled as they give a huge range of
vision over the sea!
Theses are just some random ideas I had and was brainstorming. Rather than creating brand new production chains with complex systems
and new Goods, I was focused on providing alternatives to augment the current economy. Ways to help balance the economy when there is a
lack of a certain resource (Prospector/Alchemist/Marketplace), ways to improve efficiency or effectiveness (Inn/Academy/Bank).
Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas or suggestions!
Thanks for reading!
- aztimh