Umbrathor
Baronet
First of all: quite a bit of discussion in this thread has focused on how to make the settlements less of a drudge. While I favor the options to make the challenges more varied (a different challenge every time), or to see some advancement from one settlement to another (having unlocked buildings, boosts or whatever (rather than having to demolish and start from scratch every time, I thought of a much simpler alternative. Simply decrease the amounts of goods needed for each research. While not changing the drugde, a faster play-through will make the settlements more attractive.
Now that I am in my second settlement, I find that I notice different aspects than in first time:
* it is much easier to fit the buildings in the available area, requiring less extensive puzzling and retooling than in the viking settlement
* a stretch of 8 squares works well enough, since the 'main' houses are 4 in length now. 4 - 1 road - 3 works in a stretch of 8. The 3x3 houses in Vikings made it necessary to have stretches of 12 (a multiple of 3). being able to usde stretches of 8 gives greater flexibility.
* it requires fewer expansions. In Vikings I bought 8 expansions (2, 2, 4), wgereas now I expand as the merchanrt permits me, and found that at something like 7 I have ample room to keep 4 goods buildings funded.
* As said above, it seems like the shrines provide more or less enough diplomacy to not have to tear down roads and such often. Near rthe end, I built two tori gates and left those standing, and built two tea houses.
So yes, it was a more smooth experience. I still feel that repeating this over and over will amount to drudge though.
And the timer remains a sore point. The first few runs one has a lot of time, so many people can finish with the gold timer. But the timer decreases. As it is now, people who can only log in about twice a day can hardly finish the later runs of vikings withihn the gold timer, and I expect the same will true with the later Japan runs too.
I feel that people who have a daytime job should not have to suffer for it.
Now that I am in my second settlement, I find that I notice different aspects than in first time:
* it is much easier to fit the buildings in the available area, requiring less extensive puzzling and retooling than in the viking settlement
* a stretch of 8 squares works well enough, since the 'main' houses are 4 in length now. 4 - 1 road - 3 works in a stretch of 8. The 3x3 houses in Vikings made it necessary to have stretches of 12 (a multiple of 3). being able to usde stretches of 8 gives greater flexibility.
* it requires fewer expansions. In Vikings I bought 8 expansions (2, 2, 4), wgereas now I expand as the merchanrt permits me, and found that at something like 7 I have ample room to keep 4 goods buildings funded.
* As said above, it seems like the shrines provide more or less enough diplomacy to not have to tear down roads and such often. Near rthe end, I built two tori gates and left those standing, and built two tea houses.
So yes, it was a more smooth experience. I still feel that repeating this over and over will amount to drudge though.
And the timer remains a sore point. The first few runs one has a lot of time, so many people can finish with the gold timer. But the timer decreases. As it is now, people who can only log in about twice a day can hardly finish the later runs of vikings withihn the gold timer, and I expect the same will true with the later Japan runs too.
I feel that people who have a daytime job should not have to suffer for it.
