[Nov05] My suggestions for Colonization II by Bradley W. Rose at powerfan@optusnet.com.au from Perth, Australia

I am yet to play your new FreeCol game, but I am extremely interested in the project as I have long believed that Colonization can be improved. And so I offer you my carefully considered suggestions for improving the game. Some, you have no doubt read or considered before, but some may be new ideas. Anyway, here they are. Please let me know what you think.

Commodity Reforms

• Two extra commodities I would like to see in the game - COFFEE and GOLD. Coffee can be grown on all cleared terrains, bar tundra, but especially on savannah. Some savannah squares would be prime coffee locations. Coffee prices would be quite low and constant throughout the game. Gold discovery would be rare and invisible until the square is entered, and when found would produce a "gold rush" in Europe - a la Fountains of Youth.
  [ I believe Coffee can be grown in warmer climates. There are only two major Gold discoveries that I know of in the Americas. The 1849 California Gold Rush and the Yukon Gold Rush in Canada. Both on the West cost. So Gold did not play a significant part in the early Colonization of America (1492-1800), the period the game covers. The Spanish of course thought there was Gold and that the Indians were hiding it leading to much brutality. ]
• Prices for gold and silver would always be high.
• I am in favour of fish being a separate commodity to food, and hence sold for higher prices in Europe.

Unit Reforms

• I am in favour of BLACK SLAVES being in the game. These were often strong men forced to work very hard, hence would have superior abilities as farmers, planters and miners, but have no secondary skills and could not be used as missionaries, scouts or soldiers. Later in the game, they could be freed, producing extra skills or benefits. I like the idea of an AFRICA SCREEN. You should have to haggle for slaves with the black African slave barons, who especially like rum and muskets.
• I believe PETTY CRIMINALS should be removed from the game, their role replaced by black slaves. If they must remain, it's very unrealistic that they be used as either soldiers, scouts or missionaries
• Expert Jesuit Missionaries should also generate a lot of CROSSES if employed as preachers
• I am in favour of trained European mercenaries (HESSIANS) being in the game. These would be expensive and have Continental Army strength, but their number should be limited and they could only be accessed once sufficient liberty bells have been generated. Perhaps they can even be bribed to change sides!
• Once sufficient liberty bells are generated, you should be able to upgrade (or perhaps train) scouts to become AMBASSADORS. Ambassador units could NEGOTIATE with the "other" Europeans and could not be killed by rival Europeans and would not disrupt their progress by blocking squares. They would also be able to negotiate with Indian settlements and with Hessians, and have some ability as spies, informing on rival European colonies.
• I believe fur trapping should be split into TWO separate units. EXPERT FUR TRAPPERS would excel at trapping beaver, and EXPERT HUNTERS would excel at killing both deer and buffalo. EXPERT HUNTERS would produce both food and furs AT THE SAME TIME, as deer and buffalo can of course be eaten as well as skinned. Both of these new units would be trained by the Indians.
  [ The trouble is there was no refrigeration so how could the meat be stored? ]
  Bradley replies: In Sid Meier's Colonization, Expert Farmers are able to produce a great deal of food if on a prime deer square. Therefore presumably they are killing the deer, right? I'm suggesting EXPERT HUNTERS could take over this role. Meat was preserved by salting. If they could skin the animals, presumably they could salt the meat as well.
  [ Regards salting the meat perhaps they couldn't find enougth salt in the interior to salt large quanties of meat. ]
  
• I believe expert ore miners and expert silver miners should be MERGED into the one unit - EXPERT MINERS, excelling at mining ore, silver and gold.

Game Reforms

• I am in favour of PORTUGAL being a player in the game. Their colour should be green. Portugal's "talent" should be EXTRA generation of slaves from Africa and more Indian Converts, especially early in the game.
• Like Spain, Portugal should receive a Jesuit Missionary on their European docks very early in the game. The Dutch, being a nation of many fishermen, should have an expert fisherman appear very early on their docks.
• I am in favour of natural and weather ELEMENTS being a factor in the game, both in the Americas and in EUROPE. There should be the odd drought, fire, or especially in equatorial regions, hurricanes. The occasional food shortage in Europe could see sharp hikes in the price of fish and food.
• I strongly believe that in Colonization, the "other" European military units are simply too aggressive and that this detracts from the game. For example, the automatic and continual mobbing of your colonies with dragoons, even when at peace (and hence blocking squares and disrupting pioneer work), would be seen as an act of war in itself! Instead, colonial wars should more likely break out due to European conflicts, or the activity of privateers or missionaries, not because of the annoying behaviour of overly aggressive military units. But once Franklin is in your congress, the choice of war should really be entirely your own.
• The "other" Europeans should send less-threatening SCOUTS and later AMBASSADORS rather than dragoons to come and negotiate with you.
• You should have better CONTROL on WHERE your privateers and any damaged ships re-enter colonial waters after returning from Europe. The same goes for your frigate after you get John Paul Jones.
• On your European dock, there needs to be better CONTROL of WHICH of your colonists boards WHICH ship.
• Wagon trains should also be able to carry PASSENGERS.
  [ I suggested stage coaches for this. ]

Terrain Reforms

• Terrain utility needs to be more realistic. For example, sugar can also be grown in colder climates and in grassland. Savannah can also grow tobacco and cotton. Prairie can grow some tobacco and sugar, and have food production increased by 1. You can't grow cotton in the desert as cotton is a very THIRSTY crop. Some plains and prairie squares should have prime BUFFALO locations, good for both food and furs. Boreal forest should have lumber production set at 6, not 4.
  [ I don't believe Sugar can be grown in colder climates. ]
• Rain forest squares should be extended closer to the poles, e.g. Canada has rain forest. [ I never knew Canada had Rain Forest! ]
• Major river squares should also allow some fishing. A dock would not need to be present for this.

Naval Reforms

• Ship movements should be more realistic. Caravels were small but quite fast, I have them set for 5 movements per turn, same as merchantmen. Galleons were large, but slow and lacked mobility. I have them set for 4.
• Perhaps the game could add a new type of ship - The WAR GALLEON. War galleons were heavily armed and would have attack capabilities, but they lacked speed and manoeuvrability, hence were eventually replaced by better designed frigates. To reflect this, frigates should not appear before 1610. Like frigates, war galleons would have firepower of 16 and a cargo hold of 4, but they could only move 4 squares per turn (5 with Magellan). Before 1610, your king would offer to despatch a war galleon if your ports were being hassled by enemy ships.
• Ports with a shipyard present should have the capacity to UPGRADE caravels into privateers, and merchantmen into frigates.
• Ships carrying artillery units would have EXTRA firepower, but if these fill half or more of the available cargo space, then the ships are SLOWED DOWN.
• I agree with ships being able to sail on inland lakes, but believe this should be restricted to small ships, i.e. Caravels and privateers. Colonies with access to an inland lake may therefore be able to build a dry-dock and a shipyard. However, during the War of Independence, Men-O-War cannot access these lakes.
• When opening fire on enemy forts or fortresses, warships if successful, should be able to inflict a little damage on whatever is being built in that colony at that time.
• Your ships should be able to contact the "other" Europeans by SIGNALLING their ships.
• You should be able to blame your acts of piracy on rival European powers, perhaps increasing hostility between second and third party Europeans!
• Rival Europeans should offer you a peace treaty BEFORE demanding the withdrawal of your privateers. (e.g. There is no way you would withdraw your privateers to Europe if you were still at war).
• I am in favour of ships being CAPTURED by rival Europeans, but only if war has already been declared. To compensate for this, ships would generally have better evasive abilities
• Ship movements should be more realistic. Caravels were small but quite fast, I have them set for 5 movements per turn, same as merchantmen. Galleons were large, but slow and lacked mobility. I have them set for 4.
• I am in favour of the different European powers each receiving a free ship at a later point in the game. For example, the Spanish (known for their galleons) could get a free galleon around 1560 (same for Portugal), the Dutch a free merchantman around 1560, and the English a free privateer around 1580. The French: maybe a free frigate a little later.

Indian Reforms

• The skills taught by Indians should be more realistic. For example, Sugar was introduced to the Americas by Europeans, therefore Indians should not teach sugar planting skills. In Sid Meier's Colonization, the primitive tribes don't teach fishing skills - this should change.
  [ I believe Sugar IS a native American crop. ]
  Bradley Replies: In some cases the Amerindians made some types of sugar, such as maple sugar, but cane sugar was definitely introduced to the Americas by the Europeans. Cane sugar was grown in Europe in a variety of climates, but was brought to the tropics in the Americas where it grew especially well. For a history of sugar production check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar
• Indian settlements should be more willing to offer food for trade, especially early in the game. They should also be more willing to accept food as a trade item, especially if they're hungry.
• I am in favour of Indians warring against each other. Any tribe at war should be willing to pay a higher price for MUSKETS.
• Indian Converts should certainly be able to perform as SCOUTS and SOLDIERS, and they should also be naturally good hunters and beaver trappers.
  [ Indians certainly worked as Scouts on the great plains but I don't believe they were ever Soldiers directly under European control. ]
• Players should be able to designate special areas for INDIAN RESERVATIONS, and be able to forcibly remove Indians to these locations
• Friendly Indians should NOT BLOCK the progress of a player's units. You should be able to pass through as if they weren't there
• The Inca and Aztec tribes should have the occasional ceremony where HUMAN SACRIFICE is performed. This may help lay players to understand why the Spanish were so keen to convert these heathen tribes.
  [ The Inca's performed very few Human sacrifices. Part of reason the Spanish were so keen to convert the heathen tribes is that is 1492 they had finally driven the Muslim Moors out of Granada, Southern Spain and the bible teaches only the converted can go to heaven. Hence souls to save. ]
• The Tupi occasionally practiced cannibalism - this should be reflected in the game by that tribe cannibalising the odd European.