As I'm new on these forums, frirst things first - hello, glad to be a part of this great community, I have quite high expactations of this game, so I will try and throw something from myself.



Ok, on to the main topic. At the moment we have 2 seasons, basicaly there is a small randomness in changing rate, but it's still somewhat predictable. Adding another seasons as the game progress would be a great thing. I know this would require a large amount of work to implement and some mayor changes in the base gameplay mechanics, but it's something that would add another nice feel of actual life in the game and extend the longevity of the gameplay (or should I say actual game). As for the seasons:



Rainy season: random season that can start up to turn 200 (it could last from few turns up to 20, even delaying winter season, it can't delay the dark season)

Characteristics:

- food +1 (nature is brimming with life)

- industries -1 (harder to work in rain)

- disapproval -5% (people get gloomy because of the rain)



Dark/Night season: can start every ~100 turns, Aurigia gets into planetary conjunction and darkness envelops whole planet (yes, I like "Pitch Black" movie)

Possible characteristics:

- +5~10% science (in the pursuit of uncovering more mysteries behind the conjunction, scientists work harder)

- -25~75% industry (to dangerous to work at night, depending on the concept and season cycle )

- increased aggression of minor factions (chance for them to regain some influence, less intelligent factions show their true nature)

Additional possible bonuses/traits:

- one mayor faction could work/feel better at night, this could be a bonus for such faction resulting in additional movement, vision and/or attack/defence improvement.

- shorten the cycle of the dark season, add a true nocturnal faction which will recieve bonuses at night and penalties during any other seasons OR add a day/night cycle and leave this season as it is



Additional random occurrences during each of seasons:

- during the summer season some of the areas could produce far less food because of the drough

- during the rainy season some of the land mass could get flooded, making it impassable and temporarily disabling any facilities in the water

- during the winter season some of the water could get frozen, making new routes accessible without a boat and at the same time cutting out this area for boats

- during the dark season there could be some fluctuations in gravity becouse of the distance of Auriga to the nearby planets (whole planet is changing, so there is a possibility for a change in the planet axis, which would increase in this situation)



That's it. Any more and this would be too much of a slow down for the whole project. Adding two additional seasons should be enough. Any more ideas?

+1

Nothing to say, like the idea 100%

LordVladec wrote:
+1

Nothing to say, like the idea 100%

I agree !



That's an awesome suggestion u made here !

I support it !



And Vive la France too ^^

Rain could have an effect on rivers, making them cost more movement to cross, or effect more certain biome in certain ways, like dry soil suddenly produces food for a few turns after, or makes cetian tiles produce more science



Also how about when winters start to get longer and longer, the more severe things get, suddenly its not just -1 to food, it becomes -2, then -3 until it zeros out

Nice idea with the winter, in the actual gameplay this could cause unnecessary rush, but it wouldn't hurt to have such a game mode OR actual campaign with the timer. Now, the other problem is how to balance all of the mayor factions here, broken lords and necrophages don't need food to survive, they will have to much advantage in such environment.

of coarse severe winter could be extended to Dust output as well, After 10 to 15 turns of winter you get the next tick of severity, It would have to be a number that would make it so that the first winter would never become more severe, and during the second winter there may be a chance to become severe during the last few days. and so forth. But in the Endless universe the cold adds to science. Severe Winter would lead to gradual increase in Science Production.

+1 for a more active enviroment/ecosphere/exosphere.

and this is why it's good to rummage the forums before making a new post .... I was going to make a suggestion almost identical to this



Season mechanics already exist in the game .. why not expand their use a little



We already have summer and winter, adding a severe summer or drought seams reasonable and the rainy season was a brilliant idea.

The rainy season could be a minor event of just a few turns that happens briefly during any major season. Enhancing crops during summers and creating ice fields during winter.

This is actually one of the first things that struck me when playing EL. I was all "oooh" about the winter but quickly begun to think about other seasons. I kept thinking that if there's summer and winter, where's the rest of the cycle? I had no clue about lore by the time which might explain the sudden winter that seems unnatural to us earthlings. However, the more I kept thinking about it, the more I enjoyed the idea of full yearly seasons. Instead of rainy season (which I perceive as winter, only in warm climates) I'd love to see a complete yearly cycle. Here's a rough idea. All numbers are of course, subject to balance changes:



Spring:

People are relieved to get back to the outdoors after the harsh winter. Brimming with energy, working efficiency is at its peak. Crops are sown but there is still little to eat bar the stockpiles from last harvest. People are optimistic and cooperative, looking forward for a new bright year. New deals and plans are made. In their enthusiasm, people don't find it easy to sit down and think about the deeper aspects of life. It's the season of friendship, cooperation and optimism; a new beginning.



Effects:

-1 food

+1 industry

+2 dust

-1 science

+0 influence

+20 region approval

+1 movement

+1 combat movement

+10% damage



Summer:

The best of seasons. Life is easy and there is little to worry about. Early crops begin to accumulate and people feel content with life in general. Daily chores keep people busy and engaged in their routines. Everything just rolls by, the summer days are easy to enjoy. People feel indifferent about the affairs of the world. It's the season of relaxation.



Effects:

+0 food

+0 industry

+0 dust

+0 science

+0 influence

+10 region approval

+1 movement

+1 sight



Autumn:

Crops ripen and environment gets moist. Food storages are brimming with fresh stocks and the harvest celebrations keep people happy on the outside as they enjoy the fruits of their hard labor. The looming dark season concerns people however and they look to their emperor for guidance on how to survive the coming winter. Everybody is busy with their tasks. People are strong and healthy, yet stressed. Muddy roads and constant rains make traveling somewhat hard. It's the season of harvest and preparation.



Effects:

+2 food

+1 industry

+0 dust

-1 science

+1 influence

+0 region approval

-1 movement

-1 combat movement

-1 sight

-10% ranged attack



Winter:

Darkness and frost settles in. Nobody is safe from the biting cold and people curl up in their homes. There is little to do besides survive. Food is scarce and people rely on the gathered stocks, everything is regulated. Staying in close proximity of each other, arguments and outbursts get the more common the longer the winter lasts. The harsh, unforgiving environment gnaws morale. People seek comfort and shelter in laws and regulations of their emperor, to maintain order. Traveling is rough but the lack of outdoor activities is beneficial for complex concepts of study and research. New ideas emerge as people focus on the theorethical aspects of life. Violent snowstorms ravage the landscape. It's the season of stillness and contemplation as well as stagnation and death.



Effects:

-2 food

-1 industry

+0 dust

+2 science

+1 influence

-10 region approval

-10% health

-10% initiative



The idea is that each season has varied effects that the player has to take into account. I feel that they could be even more specialized, but here's the basic pattern. Each season would have distinct effects on your empire that reflect the time of the year.



And of course there could be some variation in the seasons. A random +-1 to FIDSI for example, that could be consistent through the season cycle. Sometimes you get good crops, sometimes not. Sometimes great minds stumble on big discoveries, sometimes not. And so forth. Winter would get more severe so the initial penalties could maybe be lower while later on it could, for example, destroy regional buildings or cause minor factions to rebel unless they get an extra cut of food.



In order to make the seasons and especially winter really something to take into account, there could be consistent food stockpiling for the winter. Something like adding 10-20% (manually adjustable) of accumulated food to "winter storage" which is then consumed during the dark season. If you happen to run out of food, people starve, causing worker and approval losses. This would make winter preparations a real necessity. It'd force you to give more thought to your empire management, making mid/late-game a bit more interesting.



Overall, I wouldn't mind seeing something like this well polished out in an full blown DLC addition pack, rather than as some hasty patch bonus. Give the seasons some good balancing, a bit of variation and top it off with a few nice extra features (like the winter stockpile, winter storms and minor faction attitudes) to make the package feel really fleshed out.



The ever longer growing winter would add a nice touch of desperation to the playthrough as more and more of your time and resources must be spent to keep people content and fed during the dark season. An option to adjust the winter/seasonal severity in the game setup options would be a really nice bonus. I reckon not everybody enjoys the effect of tough winter as it forces the game into a certain state. Personally I like the mechanic but the customization option would be very welcome (especially if something like above would ever see daylight).

nnwork wrote:


The ever longer growing winter would add a nice touch of desperation to the playthrough as more and more of your time and resources must be spent to keep people content and fed during the dark season. An option to adjust the winter/seasonal severity in the game setup options would be a really nice bonus. I reckon not everybody enjoys the effect of tough winter as it forces the game into a certain state. Personally I like the mechanic but the customization option would be very welcome (especially if something like above would ever see daylight).

Agree completely. My main gripe with the current winter mechanic is that it slows down the game a lot in the beginning but actually becomes much more manageable later on when you have a couple high level heroes with talents, much higher general output in cities etc.

I love the Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter idea -- it’s going to be a little rough, though, to track all the bonuses/penalties, though.

What about a thing where SUMMER is like a GOLDEN AGE a la Civilization 5? So, Spring and Autumn are regular, but Summer’s a bonus just like Winter’s a malus?

I like the Rainy and Dark Seasons. Here's my modification:



Rainy/Monsoon Season:

+1 from terrain and workers

+0.5 on all Luxury resource deposits

-1 from terrain and workers (Rain causes Dust to flow deeper into the ground, making it more difficult to harvest)

+ % health on all units (everyone eats well and feels tough!)

-1 map movement and vision range (mud and rain everywhere)

- % Reduced Attack of Ranger units (rain and wind reduce projectile speed and accuracy. Does NOT affect magical Support attacks)

Some units and factions have "Aquatic" ability so they actually get stronger in this season and not affected by penalties!

((The idea is to make Ranged units less powerful, and also giving defensive/tanky units an advantage)) Rainy season is ideal for GROWTH



Dark Season:

+ % (same as OP)

+ % of trade route income (in the Dark season, the Black Market gets STRONGER!)

Resources and Stockpiles cost less to buy from the Market (Black Market becomes more inclusive to everyone).

Diplomacy proposals cost more (or % reduce Influence income?)

-2 Vision Range (Armies can only see 1 or 2 tiles in front of them!)

-1 range of all range units

- % Attack ower: on all units (soldiers can not see very well, so their attacks are inaccurate).

Some units or factions can have "Nocturnal" ability so they get stronger and not affected by these penalties (same as OP). For example, the Ceratan (spiders) are nocturnal?



Dry/Drought Season: (Extreme Summer season)

- from terrain and workers (obvious)

+0.5 on Strategic Resource deposit

+1 from terrain and workers (when the water evaporates, dust is easier to find and harvest)

Faster Movement on Roads

Mercenaries and Heroes cost less to buy from Market (They become more desperate so they will offer their services cheap for food and water!)

-1 from workers (workers get exhausted and weak)

- % health on all units

This season is ideal for Aggressive combat empires with high initiative and damage so they can kill before they are killed.

I saw it's not get agreement in the feedback list, but here what I think about that.



4 saisons : Yes !

Night and day : Yes !

Climatic changes : Rain, but others one, Fog (fog give more dust, but less visibility), Storm, twisters, etc.



The reason I think all of this can be good to the game : it's not only a question of game mechanics.

It's a atmosphere, ambience, and mood question. Visuals and sounds effects. Living world.

When I play I shut up music, and just listen wind or others sound of game.



All of this are right the spirit of this game.