The Castle Doctrine Forums

The problem with this "ladder to climb" ideal is that there is no incentive to rob a house above you when you go though less risk robbing low level houses. I have no idea how to fix this.

It's an obvious consequence, but it undermines why animal movement was changed to sight-only in the first place...

Firstly, another reset needs to happen, as there are so many now-unbeatable houses that had many pits from back when they were $200.
Also, I doubt this will fix anything. What we need isn't more expensive tools, it's (relatively) less expensive tiles! I say we make starting cash $6000, revert back to old tile prices, and use the 3x tool prices in place previously. This would make building a trap with starting cash viable again, and make robberies about upgrading your defenses, not about attempting to acquire any.
The end effect of this would be more houses to rob, all with a semblance of defense. Because frankly, a game where you're forced to have minimal security, which is only successful because others are forced have limited means to overcome it, isn't fun! I want to be able to build complex stuff, with tricks and side routes and circuits, and this just is limiting my options as a house designer too far.

This is all to complicated for my liking. Here's what I see the root problem as:
Currently, it isn't possible to build any semblance of strong defenses with $2000. While $2000 used to be able to build a decent house, which could be expanded later, $2000 now builds barely a framework for a house, that must be fortified very quickly or else you'll be robbed. What I want to do is make a functioning trap with starting cash, that can be perhaps fortified later, not a cobbled together piece of once-robbable nonsense.
However, I think the tool price/starting cash ratio was good in v15, so I propose this:
Make starting cash $8000, with tools at 4x prices, but keep tiles at the same price. (Alternatively, use $6000 and 3x tool price.) This would allow real house building to take place at the start. Because, right now, I have no time to realize my ideas for a house before it's robbed.

Okay, you or somebody else spent $2000 to rob me for $80. That's ridiculous! Currently, $2000 is so more powerful as tools than as a house that it's hurting the game. Unless that changes, I'm probably going to be taking a break after my house falls, because I don't feel like I'm going to have a chance to build anything new before it gets destroyed by people's new lives that they're just throwing away to irk others, instead of using them for any legitimate reason to further their position in the game.

Also, now that I showed that off, everybody will know which of the new houses is mine.

Anyways, it seems pretty good so far! I haven't seen a magic dance yet!

I see a bit of a problem posed by this new design of "floors conduct power". Even with animals following only on sight, some pretty devious designs can be created, like this one that I whipped up: http://castledraft.com/editor/yzUUWM. Frankly, I think all that'll happen is that houses will gravitate towards hidden combo dances (where you see the animal and buttons, but the combo is offscreen) along corridors of floors.

I don't think limiting power "range" will do much (if, by range, you mean that power can only travel a certain distance), because, using animals, two circuits can be "connected", effectively making the power travel further than its limited range. http://castledraft.com/editor/jXTWvq.

And there's something nobody thought of.

I think that the big problem with these designs is pricing. For these new concepts to work, either tiles need to get cheaper, or tools need get more expensive (with higher spawn cash as well). For example, I tried a $2000 house: http://castledraft.com/editor/w2WgHP and a $4000 house: http://castledraft.com/editor/YMFU9o. Neither of these can stand up very well to many tools... the $2000 house can be safely broken with $200, while the $4000 house would only cost $500. If these could be more balanced, things might work better, so the player has an incentive to optimize their tool use to get a good profit. For example, if the $4000 house has $1500 in vault, and ladders cost more (say, $1000 each), using two ladders on the two trapdoors becomes ineffective. Therefore, there would be incentive to minimize tool use.

Interesting. I'm worried, though, that the $4,000 will only allow people to start with secure magic dances instead of having to use cleverness to start off with a good house. However, I guess that the "free vault" isn't really clever...

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a robber,
Would your money be mine?
Could your paintings be mine?

It's a robbery day in this beautywood,
A robbery day for a beauty,
Would your money be mine?
Could your paintings be mine?

I have always wanted to have a pit bull to maul you,
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So let's make the most of this beautiful day,
Since we're together, we might as well say,
Would your money be mine?
Could your paintings be mine?
Won't you be my robber?

Won't you please,
Won't you please,
Please won't you be my robber?

Here's what I see the problem as being: newer players need more house security, as they don't have the experience to build the fortresses that more experienced players can. Experienced players, on the other hand, need less security, as our fortresses often rely on so much hidden information as to be not fun at all.

A change like this might simply make building a secure house impossible without pit bulls, but I doubt it. We just have to think outside the box about designs.