Hey guy, you are making almost exactly the game I've been looking for and I wanted to offer my feedback. Normally, I wouldn't do that, and I don't think I ever have, but I spent like 12 hours one this game the other day and couldn't get it out of my head. Then I came across this post:
Bronze Age will be "finished"when you can grow from your first 7 citizens to an entire Empire. A dozen major cities, linked with trade networks, and a total population in the thousands. You will deal with the several races of local tribes through both warfare and diplomacy. There will be rival empires along your border, with which you can trade and wage war. Armies in the hundreds will clash on the battlefield. Charriots, spearmen, archers, and auxilaries pledged by friendly Maskling (and other) tribes. The gods themselves will take interest in your empire, as your priests invoke their favor. --Commodore Shaw
Okay, so there are most of my suggestions, certainly the most important ones outside of tin. That really got me excited. So here are some of my other ideas, in no particular order:
- Distinct Regions: Large areas wherein some or all biomes have unique properties and resources. The player should have to build and develop trade routes and settlements in order to progress technologically.
- Rare Tin: Tin was hard to source during the bronze age, mostly coming from europe and southeastern asia. It should be rare to start with tin accessible, and exiting the chalcolithic should be a big deal. Access to tin could also serve as a limiter of sorts, further rewarding efficient trade, expansion, and diplomacy.
- Scouts: A hands off and reliable means for exploration, both civilian and military. It would also be nice to be able to define patrol paths and provide protection for caravans.
- Maritime Trade: There should be a large scale and coherent, if not always convenient, system of navigable waterways connecting all or almost all region types.
- Dyes and Paint: Source these materials to use them to color things like buildings, walls, boats, etc. Some may be unique to certain regions and could be pretty diverse, ranging from ochres to snail secretions. Painted/dyed objects would have enhanced wealth values.
- Temple and Palace Complexes: These would be long term projects, with a definite focus on quality over quantity. Every major city should have them, but they should be unique. A base building would provide basic services with additions providing different effects, with only the greatest of civilizations being capable of creating the most advanced religious and administrative centers.
- Religion: You mentioned your ideas elsewhere and they are more or less in line with mine. My only contribution is the idea of having city gods that can be courted/developed through the temple complex.
- Cool Gates!: I know it's lame, but I want my own special gates, like the Ishtar Gate or Hattusa's Lion Gate. Some of these may be tricky to build: I once read that the glazing powder used to color the Ishtar gate was made using precisely mixed ingredients sourced from distant and disparate regions. Perhaps different types of gate have different upgrades and upgrade paths. Also more statues and monuments, obviously.
I've really enjoyed playing with 1.3.2 so far and can't wait to see where this game goes.
