Game Development: Rhyme of the Ancient Seamark

[Ag_Revol]

cost for the sea mark is next to nothing

125 l of tar and 50 bars of metal is nothing? I've underestimated "poor hermits that suffer from big factions".

My lazy hermit character has these supplies.... It's too cheap for what it does.

It's still expensive enough to prevent spam. Or you think that sea marks should be so expensive that no-one would actually use them?

[Kaios]

It's still expensive enough to prevent spam. Or you think that sea marks should be so expensive that no-one would actually use them?

Cost aside the mechanic itself is plain stupid. Why is it reasonable to allow a realm to claim anywhere on the map without first having put a significant amount of investment towards expansion in their starting areas and beyond. Care to explain why you think it’s fair the way it is now?

[Ag_Revol]

It's still expensive enough to prevent spam. Or you think that sea marks should be so expensive that no-one would actually use them?

Cost aside the mechanic itself is plain stupid. Why is it reasonable to allow a realm to claim anywhere on the map without first having put a significant amount of investment towards expansion in their starting areas and beyond. Care to explain why you think it’s fair the way it is now?

I agree they've chosen worst possible mechanic for over-sea realm expanding but I don't agree its cost is next to nothing

[jorb]

What would be the best possible mechanic?

[Hasta]

You could've at least made seamarks work somewhat like road waypoints: second one should have a direct line of sight with the first, laid exclusively over ocean tiles. That way a kingdom can expand over an ocean, but not just "pop up" anywhere in the world on an unsuspecting shore. I'm not sure it's possible to make that check with water tiles instead of "not having an obstacle", but the functional seem to be in place, as far as I understand.

[Ag_Revol]

You could've at least made seamarks work somewhat like road waypoints: second one should have a direct line of sight with the first, laid exclusively over ocean tiles. That way a kingdom can expand over an ocean, but not just "pop up" anywhere in the world on an unsuspecting shore. I'm not sure it's possible to make that check with water tiles instead of "not having an obstacle", but the functional seem to be in place, as far as I understand.

Yes, this.

[jorb]

One thing I didn't like about that is the implied ability to build structures in deep ocean.

[MooCow]

What would be the best possible mechanic?

I think the most popular idea was to create a system of colonization. With colonies linked to the realm. Colonies would be somehow weaker than the realm that creates them, to encourage loyalty to a regional realm.

Once a colony was fully established should probably be just as good, but I haven't spent much time dwelling on this system. People seem to like the idea that it would more difficult to be on two continents than one.

[shubla]

What would be the best possible mechanic?

I think the most popular idea was to create a system of colonization. With colonies linked to the realm. Colonies would be somehow weaker than the realm that creates them, to encourage loyalty to a regional realm.

Once a colony was fully established should probably be just as good, but I haven't spent much time dwelling on this system. People seem to like the idea that it would more difficult to be on two continents than one.

Colonies should have option to declare war against their owner and claim their independence.

[Agrik]

Hi from a hermit and excuse me if my English is too broken.

Seems to me a good idea that a seamark must be lit to function, like a beacon. Thus overseas expansion would require someone on island (or another continent) who is willing to fuel it... or someone from mainland who can sail there and, erm, do it by force. And maybe it will be better for real power contest with fencing and camping... to have seamarks built not in the water, but on the shore "not further than X tiles from ocean water" (like palisade in reverse)?

Second idea is that further the seamark from kingdom, more upkeep it should require. Simply, it should be lit "brighter", consuming more fuel. Though I'm not sure where to measure distance from... each seamark measuring from "nearest mainland seamark" will make claiming even mid-sized islands impossibly expensive, while measuring from simply "nearest" will make them just work in pairs at almost no cost.

Maybe this will need two types of seamarks: one "main", calculating its fuel consumption based on distance from nearest main seamark on the mainland, and one "local", measuring distance from nearest main one.