Heavy exploit/bug/nonsense at turn change
Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2020 11:34 am
I can't really believe that this hasn't been reported so far, but I have been here for a while and I haven't seen the discussion so I'll post it.
The sequence of calculation at turn change is as follows:
1. Production points accumulate in each city.
2. Completed production materialises.
3. City Happiness calculated (might have changed because of what was produced.)
- if a population unit was made: population reduced by one and new tiles are chosen
4. Surplus food calculated.
5. City grain store accumulates surplus food (or loss of food).
- if rapture is taking place, population changes.
- if city did not rapture, population changes from grain store.
- - if population changed, new tiles are chosen.
6. Surplus trade is calculated.
7. Trade assigned to gold and science according to national tax rates.
This sequence produces two problems and all of them come from the fact that worker/tile reshuffling happens in the middle of this sequence. One is an exploit allowing a player to yield more tile resources compared to his city size and the other is a problem because the game is effectively preventing a player to exploit resources he may need, basically, making decisions for him.
1. The exploit.
For example, a city in Republic is about to produce a Migrant or a Settler. A mine on a nearby hill is worked on and gives 1/3/0 while a irr/road Grassland (3/0/2) nearby is not. With this sequence, production happens, unit is produced, city size changes and tiles are reshuffled automatically, ending at Grassland (for most food). In the end, the city has effectively produced 3/3/2 with one population point. If the city has more mines and Grasslands, multiply this with the "more".
The same thing happens when a city goes through rapture (if the ruleset allows rapture): you get both the production from the best production tile (if you have set it that way) and food and trade from the best food tile, effectively using more than one tile with one population/worker
2. The bug.
With this sequence, there is no way in hell you are ever going to get trade from goldmine or, in most cases, wine, on the turn when your city changes size, either by production, starvation, rapture or food growth (unless you use a governor, which is equivalent to blowing up your house in order to kill a mosquito). Simply, as trade comes last in this sequence: if the tiles are reshuffled, the game will decide that trade is not as important as food, remove workers from the goldmine and set them to produce food instead.
So, the game sets priorities for you which, in the first place, is not something that should be allowed to happen. Also, this "game deciding thing" is manipulated in the first example to produce unrealistic and unfair gains, and in the second example it produces senseless restrictions and penalties.
And all that has to be done to prevent this is to move the tile reshuffling to the end of the sequence so that it doesn't affect current turn change, but the next, as would make the most sense (because the numbers you have set and been watching and planning the previous turn should be there when the effect happens).
What would also be more logical is to move all the calculation to the first half of the sequence and the effects of the calculation to the end. Namely, something like this:
1. Surplus food calculated.
2. Production points accumulate in each city.
3. Surplus trade is calculated.
4. Trade assigned to luxuries, gold and science according to national tax rates.
---
5. Completed production materialises.
6. City Happiness calculated (might have changed because of what was produced.)
- if a population unit was made: population reduced by one and new tiles are chosen
7. City grain store accumulates surplus food (or loss of food).
- if rapture is taking place, population changes.
- if city did not rapture, population changes from grain store.
- - if population changed, new tiles are chosen.
Basically, the sequence of events within each half can be adjusted further if new problems arise, but there needs to be a clear line between calculation and effect.
The sequence of calculation at turn change is as follows:
1. Production points accumulate in each city.
2. Completed production materialises.
3. City Happiness calculated (might have changed because of what was produced.)
- if a population unit was made: population reduced by one and new tiles are chosen
4. Surplus food calculated.
5. City grain store accumulates surplus food (or loss of food).
- if rapture is taking place, population changes.
- if city did not rapture, population changes from grain store.
- - if population changed, new tiles are chosen.
6. Surplus trade is calculated.
7. Trade assigned to gold and science according to national tax rates.
This sequence produces two problems and all of them come from the fact that worker/tile reshuffling happens in the middle of this sequence. One is an exploit allowing a player to yield more tile resources compared to his city size and the other is a problem because the game is effectively preventing a player to exploit resources he may need, basically, making decisions for him.
1. The exploit.
For example, a city in Republic is about to produce a Migrant or a Settler. A mine on a nearby hill is worked on and gives 1/3/0 while a irr/road Grassland (3/0/2) nearby is not. With this sequence, production happens, unit is produced, city size changes and tiles are reshuffled automatically, ending at Grassland (for most food). In the end, the city has effectively produced 3/3/2 with one population point. If the city has more mines and Grasslands, multiply this with the "more".
The same thing happens when a city goes through rapture (if the ruleset allows rapture): you get both the production from the best production tile (if you have set it that way) and food and trade from the best food tile, effectively using more than one tile with one population/worker
2. The bug.
With this sequence, there is no way in hell you are ever going to get trade from goldmine or, in most cases, wine, on the turn when your city changes size, either by production, starvation, rapture or food growth (unless you use a governor, which is equivalent to blowing up your house in order to kill a mosquito). Simply, as trade comes last in this sequence: if the tiles are reshuffled, the game will decide that trade is not as important as food, remove workers from the goldmine and set them to produce food instead.
So, the game sets priorities for you which, in the first place, is not something that should be allowed to happen. Also, this "game deciding thing" is manipulated in the first example to produce unrealistic and unfair gains, and in the second example it produces senseless restrictions and penalties.
And all that has to be done to prevent this is to move the tile reshuffling to the end of the sequence so that it doesn't affect current turn change, but the next, as would make the most sense (because the numbers you have set and been watching and planning the previous turn should be there when the effect happens).
What would also be more logical is to move all the calculation to the first half of the sequence and the effects of the calculation to the end. Namely, something like this:
1. Surplus food calculated.
2. Production points accumulate in each city.
3. Surplus trade is calculated.
4. Trade assigned to luxuries, gold and science according to national tax rates.
---
5. Completed production materialises.
6. City Happiness calculated (might have changed because of what was produced.)
- if a population unit was made: population reduced by one and new tiles are chosen
7. City grain store accumulates surplus food (or loss of food).
- if rapture is taking place, population changes.
- if city did not rapture, population changes from grain store.
- - if population changed, new tiles are chosen.
Basically, the sequence of events within each half can be adjusted further if new problems arise, but there needs to be a clear line between calculation and effect.