I’ve read through a few related posts, and wanted to offer my idea for a new game mechanic to developers that would allow them to incrementally add playable nations to the game in a fun (and profitable $$$) way. This post will break down the mechanic “Colonization,” and how it could be implemented over three phases. It’s written with a love for the game and a respect for the time and effort it would take for developers to implement. Feedback from all is welcome.
PHASE 1: New building (Colonial Base), new single player campaign, new enemy NPC’s
Starting in the Gunpowder Age (which actually coincides almost identically with what’s historically known as the Colonial Age), players would have a new structure added to the Economy tab of their Store: “Colonial Base.” Once built, players who tap their Colonial Base will see one button (aside from Info): “Colonial Map.”
Tapping the Colonial Map button will bring up a world map, similar to that in World War. While most countries on the map will be grey, the player’s Primary Nation will appear in blue, and certain other territories will appear in red. Judging from the nation requests I’ve read on other posts, a dash of personal preference, and some historical liberties I’ve taken, those territories might include any of the following:
Once the player selects a territory to colonize, a confirmation text box will appear, explaining to the player that they can only select one territory to colonize (sorry British). Players can change their colony choice with crowns$$.
Once the player confirms the territory they wish to colonize, all other territories will turn grey, and the player’s selected territory will turn yellow. Clicking on the territory opens up a campaign very similar to the single player campaign already available. However, there are three key differences.
At first, completing the campaign only means that the player now controls that territory as a colony (it is colored green on the Colonial Map). The player's colony will send them a daily tribute of gold or food as a result, which the player can collect at their Colonial Base.
If the devs did nothing else, this would be a really fun addition to the game. However, if they wanted to do more, might I suggest continuing to Phase 2.
PHASE 2: A second nation under your control
The real point of the Colonization mechanic happens here. After this point, players who tap on their Colonial Base will see three buttons (aside from Info): “Impose Taxes”, “Enlist Colonists”, and “Go To Colony.”
Impose Taxes: Before, the player only received a random tribute of gold and/or food from their colony; phase 2 ends this. Now, the player may instead tap the Impose Tax button, and select how much food or gold their colony will send them. The colony will send the player’s “Primary Nation” the amount imposed, or the rest of their resources (if the colony doesn’t have enough). Taxes will have to ship, of course, which will take a certain amount of time (this will depend on the player’s Colonial Base level). Once the taxes have arrived, players may collect them at their Colonial Base.
Enlist Colonial Troops: Ever had to wait on your alliance members to send troops? Ever received the wrong type of troops? Well now you can enlist troops from your colony! Troops will have to “travel,” of course, which will take time, during which, some may die (both of which is determined by the level of your Colonial Base). Once the troops have arrived, they will wait at the player’s Colonial Base until the player chooses to add them to their reinforcements (at which point, they will count as though they were donated from an alliance member, and are subject to the same restrictions).
Go To Colony: Finally, and what I’d like most, players who tap the Go To Colony button can switch from their Primary Nation to their Colony. A Colony is really just a second nation, that starts in the Gunpowder Age with about a level 50 base layout. Because it’s only a colony of the player’s Primary Nation, and not an independent nation of its own, all architecture, nation bonuses, unique units, etc. are the same (though could be slightly different, depending on the devs' time). However, all resources, troops, tactics, blessings, etc. are separate. They can attack and can be attacked, and can even fight in World Wars in the place of the player’s Primary Nation. When a player taps their colony’s Colonial Base, there is only one button (aside from info): Go To Motherland. In other words, it’s just a second nation that you can load and develop on top of your Primary Nation.
Once again, just getting to this step would be amazing fun, and add layers of strategy for avid players of the game. Some players would focus all their energy on upgrading their colony’s economy, just so their Primary Nation could tax them more (kind of like real life, no?). For others, they might develop their nations army first, to ensure getting the best reinforcements for World Wars. In either case, they’ll be DOUBLE the things to spend crowns on $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Finally, to add new nations to this game, I present to you – Phase 3!
PHASE 3: New defensive single player campaign, new nations fully implemented
Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for. The big difference between your Primary Nation’s Colonial Base and your colony’s comes in phase 3. Here, one additional button is added to your colony’s Colonial Base: “Rebel.”
When a player taps Rebel, the Old Wise Man will explain how a rebellion works, but for now, I will.
In a nutshell, the player is returned to their Primary Nation and locked out of playing their colony until the rebellion has ended in either success or failure. Once a day, the player must donate certain troops and an escalating amount of gold to their Colonial Base from their Primary Nation. Once the player does this, the donated troops will be turned into NPCs and will attack the colony (which the player can hopefully watch in real time).
Afterward, the player will be sent a letter, which will tell them if the war is over or not, and the player will be able to view a replay of the battle. The war ends when the player’s Primary Nation destroys their colony’s town center, or when the player’s Primary Nation fails to destroy their colony’s town center five consecutive times, whichever happens first.
Colonial Defeat: Your colony remains a colony and can’t rebel again for seven days.
Colonial Victory: Your colony becomes your Secondary Nation, and both nations have their Colonial Base replaced with a "Foreign Affairs Ministry" building.
When a player taps their Foreign Affairs Ministry with either nation, three buttons appear (aside from Info): Trade, Request Allies, Go To Primary/Secondary Nation.
Go To Primary/Secondary Nation: By this point, it should be understood; it loads your other nation.
Trade: Replaces "Impose Taxes." Now the player's two nations can trade equal amounts of food for gold, or vice versa, once a day.
Request Allies: Replaces "Enlist Colonists." Now the player's two nations can send reinforcements to each other once a day.
This is the ultimate end game of the Colonization mechanic. Imagine starting with the British, colonizing America, and eventually getting to play with both as allies! Or starting with the Japanese, colonizing Eastern Europe, and milking Mother Russia's resources throughout time! The combinations are endless!
This would add so much depth to the game, and really make it different from any of the other similar titles.
Anyway, that’s my idea. What do you think about it? Is there anything you would change? What nation would you like to colonize? Would you eventually rebel and have 2 nations? Or would you milk your colony for troops and resources indefinitely? Let me know your thoughts!!
PHASE 1: New building (Colonial Base), new single player campaign, new enemy NPC’s
Starting in the Gunpowder Age (which actually coincides almost identically with what’s historically known as the Colonial Age), players would have a new structure added to the Economy tab of their Store: “Colonial Base.” Once built, players who tap their Colonial Base will see one button (aside from Info): “Colonial Map.”
Tapping the Colonial Map button will bring up a world map, similar to that in World War. While most countries on the map will be grey, the player’s Primary Nation will appear in blue, and certain other territories will appear in red. Judging from the nation requests I’ve read on other posts, a dash of personal preference, and some historical liberties I’ve taken, those territories might include any of the following:
(In order of requests I’ve seen on posts, from most to least)
The Americas (Could become America, Canada, and/or any number of South American nations.)
Australia (Self-explanatory, but seems to be requested often enough.)
Eastern Europe (Russia may not have developed from colonies, but Eastern Europe was colonized to some extent, and I’ve seen many a request for a Russian nation.)
Middle East (Once again, I’ve read several requests for the Egyptian nation, due in part to Cleopatra, Giza Wonder, and cinematic no doubt. This could also lead to other Middle Eastern countries.)
South Asia (I don’t know that I’ve read requests for the nation of India, but it makes sense to include from a colonial perspective. It would also be a new market for BHGs to target$$$)
(Again, these nations do not need to be developed before adding this feature. The Colonization game mechanic is just a fun way to roll them out eventually, as the devs’ time dictates. Further, the phases I’ve organized them into are just practical assumptions I’ve made related to their development and implementation.)
The Americas (Could become America, Canada, and/or any number of South American nations.)
Australia (Self-explanatory, but seems to be requested often enough.)
Eastern Europe (Russia may not have developed from colonies, but Eastern Europe was colonized to some extent, and I’ve seen many a request for a Russian nation.)
Middle East (Once again, I’ve read several requests for the Egyptian nation, due in part to Cleopatra, Giza Wonder, and cinematic no doubt. This could also lead to other Middle Eastern countries.)
South Asia (I don’t know that I’ve read requests for the nation of India, but it makes sense to include from a colonial perspective. It would also be a new market for BHGs to target$$$)
(Again, these nations do not need to be developed before adding this feature. The Colonization game mechanic is just a fun way to roll them out eventually, as the devs’ time dictates. Further, the phases I’ve organized them into are just practical assumptions I’ve made related to their development and implementation.)
Once the player selects a territory to colonize, a confirmation text box will appear, explaining to the player that they can only select one territory to colonize (sorry British). Players can change their colony choice with crowns$$.
Once the player confirms the territory they wish to colonize, all other territories will turn grey, and the player’s selected territory will turn yellow. Clicking on the territory opens up a campaign very similar to the single player campaign already available. However, there are three key differences.
1. The campaign doesn’t start instantly.
Unlike the single player campaign, the “Colonization Campaign” requires the player’s troops to “travel” to the territory they wish to colonize. To do so, a player selects troops from their barracks and confirms that they wish to send those troops to the territory. The time it takes to travel to the territory depends on the level of the player’s Colonial Base.
(Example: It takes a player using a level 1 Colonial base 24 hours to have their troops “travel” to the campaign, whereas a player using a level 3 Colonial Base can have their troops ready to battle in just 12 hours. This can, of course, be sped up with crowns$$)
(Example: It takes a player using a level 1 Colonial base 24 hours to have their troops “travel” to the campaign, whereas a player using a level 3 Colonial Base can have their troops ready to battle in just 12 hours. This can, of course, be sped up with crowns$$)
2. You don’t start the campaign with all the troops you sent.
In real life, territories were colonized due largely in part to the conquering nation’s superior technology and military force. However, this is game, and needs to be both fun and challenging. As such, players won’t be able to just show up with their maxed out Gunpowder (or higher age) troops and conquer their territory with ease. A percentage of the troops a player sends to fight in his Colonization Campaign will die (of dysentery?) during the trip over. (This percentage depends once again on the player’s Colonial Base level.)
(Example: A player in the Gunpowder Age, using a level 1 Colonial Base, sends the maximum amount of troops from their barracks, 95, to their Colonial Campaign. 24 hours later, 50% of the player’s troops, around 48, are available to play the Colonial Campaign. Likewise, a player using a higher level Colonial Base might see 65%, 80%, or even 95% of their troops survive the journey.)
(Example: A player in the Gunpowder Age, using a level 1 Colonial Base, sends the maximum amount of troops from their barracks, 95, to their Colonial Campaign. 24 hours later, 50% of the player’s troops, around 48, are available to play the Colonial Campaign. Likewise, a player using a higher level Colonial Base might see 65%, 80%, or even 95% of their troops survive the journey.)
3. You have to wait for reinforcements.
This might be redundant, but since a player has to complete the entire campaign with the troops they’ve sent to the territory, death is much more significant. If a player’s important troops die, through either battle or travel, they may be unable to press on without first sending more troops to the territory. This should make the Colonial Campaign an exciting single-player experience, and fighting the indigenous peoples of the chosen territory all the more challenging.
At first, completing the campaign only means that the player now controls that territory as a colony (it is colored green on the Colonial Map). The player's colony will send them a daily tribute of gold or food as a result, which the player can collect at their Colonial Base.
If the devs did nothing else, this would be a really fun addition to the game. However, if they wanted to do more, might I suggest continuing to Phase 2.
PHASE 2: A second nation under your control
The real point of the Colonization mechanic happens here. After this point, players who tap on their Colonial Base will see three buttons (aside from Info): “Impose Taxes”, “Enlist Colonists”, and “Go To Colony.”
Impose Taxes: Before, the player only received a random tribute of gold and/or food from their colony; phase 2 ends this. Now, the player may instead tap the Impose Tax button, and select how much food or gold their colony will send them. The colony will send the player’s “Primary Nation” the amount imposed, or the rest of their resources (if the colony doesn’t have enough). Taxes will have to ship, of course, which will take a certain amount of time (this will depend on the player’s Colonial Base level). Once the taxes have arrived, players may collect them at their Colonial Base.
Enlist Colonial Troops: Ever had to wait on your alliance members to send troops? Ever received the wrong type of troops? Well now you can enlist troops from your colony! Troops will have to “travel,” of course, which will take time, during which, some may die (both of which is determined by the level of your Colonial Base). Once the troops have arrived, they will wait at the player’s Colonial Base until the player chooses to add them to their reinforcements (at which point, they will count as though they were donated from an alliance member, and are subject to the same restrictions).
Go To Colony: Finally, and what I’d like most, players who tap the Go To Colony button can switch from their Primary Nation to their Colony. A Colony is really just a second nation, that starts in the Gunpowder Age with about a level 50 base layout. Because it’s only a colony of the player’s Primary Nation, and not an independent nation of its own, all architecture, nation bonuses, unique units, etc. are the same (though could be slightly different, depending on the devs' time). However, all resources, troops, tactics, blessings, etc. are separate. They can attack and can be attacked, and can even fight in World Wars in the place of the player’s Primary Nation. When a player taps their colony’s Colonial Base, there is only one button (aside from info): Go To Motherland. In other words, it’s just a second nation that you can load and develop on top of your Primary Nation.
Once again, just getting to this step would be amazing fun, and add layers of strategy for avid players of the game. Some players would focus all their energy on upgrading their colony’s economy, just so their Primary Nation could tax them more (kind of like real life, no?). For others, they might develop their nations army first, to ensure getting the best reinforcements for World Wars. In either case, they’ll be DOUBLE the things to spend crowns on $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Finally, to add new nations to this game, I present to you – Phase 3!
PHASE 3: New defensive single player campaign, new nations fully implemented
Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for. The big difference between your Primary Nation’s Colonial Base and your colony’s comes in phase 3. Here, one additional button is added to your colony’s Colonial Base: “Rebel.”
When a player taps Rebel, the Old Wise Man will explain how a rebellion works, but for now, I will.
In a nutshell, the player is returned to their Primary Nation and locked out of playing their colony until the rebellion has ended in either success or failure. Once a day, the player must donate certain troops and an escalating amount of gold to their Colonial Base from their Primary Nation. Once the player does this, the donated troops will be turned into NPCs and will attack the colony (which the player can hopefully watch in real time).
Afterward, the player will be sent a letter, which will tell them if the war is over or not, and the player will be able to view a replay of the battle. The war ends when the player’s Primary Nation destroys their colony’s town center, or when the player’s Primary Nation fails to destroy their colony’s town center five consecutive times, whichever happens first.
Colonial Defeat: Your colony remains a colony and can’t rebel again for seven days.
Colonial Victory: Your colony becomes your Secondary Nation, and both nations have their Colonial Base replaced with a "Foreign Affairs Ministry" building.
When a player taps their Foreign Affairs Ministry with either nation, three buttons appear (aside from Info): Trade, Request Allies, Go To Primary/Secondary Nation.
Go To Primary/Secondary Nation: By this point, it should be understood; it loads your other nation.
Trade: Replaces "Impose Taxes." Now the player's two nations can trade equal amounts of food for gold, or vice versa, once a day.
Request Allies: Replaces "Enlist Colonists." Now the player's two nations can send reinforcements to each other once a day.
This is the ultimate end game of the Colonization mechanic. Imagine starting with the British, colonizing America, and eventually getting to play with both as allies! Or starting with the Japanese, colonizing Eastern Europe, and milking Mother Russia's resources throughout time! The combinations are endless!
This would add so much depth to the game, and really make it different from any of the other similar titles.
Anyway, that’s my idea. What do you think about it? Is there anything you would change? What nation would you like to colonize? Would you eventually rebel and have 2 nations? Or would you milk your colony for troops and resources indefinitely? Let me know your thoughts!!
