09-11-2013, 12:10 AM
I'm not fond of this idea. While it would add more "realism", the game is already quite complex enough, and FUEL is already a major concern. No we're not constantly in brown-out mode, but later in the game it does become a challenge with maintaining an adequate resource supply. While it is acknowledged that different people get their enjoyment from different things, and most of us do enjoy a level of complexity in our gaming (or we wouldn't be here), the game is not created for us alone.
If we accept the premise that the goal is to eventually have this game reach commercial viability (ignoring the current decimation of the pay-to-play online market), then it has to remain playable enough to attract new players, and more players. As such, I would not add to the complexity at all, although I wouldn't decrease it much either. If I were to make any change of complexity, it would either be: to remove the whole CNGD / rebel / police / agent dynamic, as well as the private population stockpiles of FOOD and CNGD; or, it would be to provide a great deal more documentation covering the workings of this system in explicit detail. I managed to narrowly avoid both the FOOD and CNGD shortfalls, but it was not a pleasant game starting maneuver. I did not get food into my few scouts on turn 1, and so was delayed by some turns in getting them out, but I wasn't happy about it. I do have to say that it was effective in serving as an early game lesson / reminder in the importance of food management.
If we accept the premise that the goal is to eventually have this game reach commercial viability (ignoring the current decimation of the pay-to-play online market), then it has to remain playable enough to attract new players, and more players. As such, I would not add to the complexity at all, although I wouldn't decrease it much either. If I were to make any change of complexity, it would either be: to remove the whole CNGD / rebel / police / agent dynamic, as well as the private population stockpiles of FOOD and CNGD; or, it would be to provide a great deal more documentation covering the workings of this system in explicit detail. I managed to narrowly avoid both the FOOD and CNGD shortfalls, but it was not a pleasant game starting maneuver. I did not get food into my few scouts on turn 1, and so was delayed by some turns in getting them out, but I wasn't happy about it. I do have to say that it was effective in serving as an early game lesson / reminder in the importance of food management.