Territory Expansion

[jdmillard]

When a city reaches size 8 and every subsequent size following it, it can expand its borders into an unclaimed hex. Currently, a little flag is used to mark the target expansion hex. I've encountered numerous occasions when my target hex gets taken first by a neighboring faction (without me noticing) and the city naturally picks a new default target hex. I don't mind losing the hex to my neighbor (I'm always up for some good border competition). What I do mind is when I suddenly notice that my cities have expanded somewhere where that I didn't choose. On large maps, I don't really want to check every city's target hex every single turn.

Just an idea: What if the city never chose it's own flag. Let me explain: The player may choose a target hex if he/she wishes, but in the occasion that he/she does not pick a target hex or the target hex gets taken by a neighbor, the city will continue to grow without issues. When the city finally does grow to the next size, a "Claim Territory" sign will blink (in the same place you typically see "Choose Production" and "Choose Research") and the player will be prompted to choose one because the target was stolen or never chosen in the first place. I would much rather pick my territory like this (on the actual turn of growth) rather than just hope that my target hex will still be available in who-knows-how-many-turns.

Just another idea: What if you could queue territories just like research? Hold "Ctrl" and click the hexes. The flags would light up and numbers would appear on them in the order you click. This way, if your target hex gets taken, the #2 will become the new #1 and the city will expand into a territory you actually wanted. I know that this presents problems like: what if the neighbor's expansion in to my #1 "cuts off" my #2? There were similar problems with the research queuing and they have been resolved without issues. If the #1 target gets claimed by a neighbor and so now it's impossible to claim #2, then it too needs to disappear and the #3 would be the next target. I'm not saying that it's easy to code, I'm just throwing it out there.

Just ideas, don't hate.

[player1]

These are great ideas that would reduce annoyance with current implementation.

[boulugre]

Just an idea: What if the city never chose it's own flag. Let me explain: The player may choose a target hex if he/she wishes, but in the occasion that he/she does not pick a target hex or the target hex gets taken by a neighbor, the city will continue to grow without issues. When the city finally does grow to the next size, a "Claim Territory" sign will blink (in the same place you typically see "Choose Production" and "Choose Research") and the player will be prompted to choose one because the target was stolen or never chosen in the first place. I would much rather pick my territory like this (on the actual turn of growth) rather than just hope that my target hex will still be available in who-knows-how-many-turns.

+ 1

[NightReaper]

++1

[Belanos]

Yes, a little more control would be nice. I've noticed that the city AI isn't all that smart when it comes to prioritizing which tiles to expand to. There might be a resource in the third tier, but it won't select a tile that's right next to it.

[Emmeric]

I like the "Claim New Territory" option also.

[SephiRok]

I think #2 is better because it doesn't force you to use it and automization via queuing is always great -- set it and forget it. Good idea!

[jdmillard]

I think #2 is better because it doesn't force you to use it and automization via queuing is always great -- set it and forget it. Good idea!

Thanks.

With #1, I don't think that players are forced any more than they are in the way that players have to choose the next research or production. Even then, one could "force end turn" with that little button on the right side. Especially if you mix #1 and #2 together, I think that the "claim territory" prompt will seldom be used.

[jdmillard]

Another Idea: When selecting target hexes for the queue, what if there was a way to know what hexes are queued for nearby cities that belong to you? I'm thinking something simple like a dotted line highlighting them. The purpose of this would be for planning among cities and a way to remember which city will control which hex. We all know that we can shuffle hex control around among cities later, but this would still come in handy for early planning and to avoid accidentally queuing the same hex in two cities.

To clarify: I'm not suggesting that these highlighted hexes be un-queueable for the selected city, rather just a way for the user to quickly know what's going on among cites. You know, just to keep things organized and user-friendly.