I've played my first game of Imperialism in overfour years, thanks to this project
here's some stuff I like from other games and/or things tht lack in the original game.
- a concept of culture. It shouldn't be as complex as culture is in the game Victoria by Paradox. For it remain simple Each province has only one dominant culture. If a province isn't of your culture, it has revolt risk. Minor nation can be of the same culture group as a great power. Compare with fractured Germand and Italy in the 1800s. Same culture minors are more inclined to join your empire either by diplomacy or show of force (defending them from other GP's or threathening them?!). Lets say every GP is ita own culture and there's a very small chance one or two GP get one or two minor neighbours with the same culture.
- revolt risk. When you conquer provinces, you'll experience revolt risk in the conquered procinces. Revolt risk lowers productivity in the province, so instead of two coal from level I mine, you'll get only one or half coal (to give an example). Perhaps developments (railroads, mines, etc) have a small chance to be destroyed (sabotage) each turn. Extra regiments in the province capitol lowers revolt risk. Revolt risk disappears after time. Can flare upagain by random event.
- random events. To provide flavour to your games. Both positive and negative events. Good/bad harvest, harsh winter, floods, earthquakes, mining accidents, economic booms, wave of nationalism, etc etc
- a system of "cores" a la Europa Universalis. In Imperialism all provinces are equal. When I take provinces of Kem, they don't really care, come groveling for peace and ignore me for the rest of the game. The AI should " know" which provinces are rightfully "his own". It provides focal point for war also. Compare with Alsace Lorraine in real life. Both Prussia/Germany and France saw it as core province and Was source of tension and agression. Kem knows I control some of his provinces, they should want them back and plan their military buildup and diplomacy accordingly. Demand provinces back? Buy them back? Or take them by force? With help from allies who recognize their claim perhaps? I always hated how I would retake homelands of an ally that where conquered by a third power, without being able to give them back in a normal way.
- being able to send troops to your allies provinces and fight in their provinces. I'm not talkin minor nations here that you're defending, but Great Power allies you're defending. Lamer option: sending your troops as expeditionary forces (on loan).
- autofill railcars and/or deploy workers when possible/available
- auto upgrade all military units to better model, as much units as your stockpile allows
- show in user interface the conditions you need to meet to grow villages to towns with own industry. Options to support/encourage local industry?
- I kinda missed a jungle tile in Imperialism. Hardwood to me are the forests of sweden or USA, not the jungles of Africa or Asia. But maybe that's me!
- random resources: resources can appear or disappear. For example, you've mined all coal, it's all gone, mines close and resource disappears from that tile. Or new technology blahblah enables to mine previously unavialable deposits; coal/iron/gold/oil appears on a tile.
- destroying previously build improvements (railroads, stations) if you've build them in the wrong place.
- autobuild railtrack to [selected waypoint on map] or [city]
- build rails to minor nations, neighbours, GP's so you can trade via rail instead of by merchant marine
- population number. A nation of 10 million can only support X number of workers, soldiers etc. But if their workers are more highly trained their productivity.economy could rival or be better than a nation of 40-50 million (think Belgium vs. Russia in the 1800s.) With a large population, you could afford some bloody wars of attrition better than smaller nations.
- prestige stuff such as building Panama or Suez canal. Expeditions to South Pole, North Pole, Himalayas, adventurers "discovering/exploring dark Africa". Ofcourse translated into our random Imperialism game world! Could be random events though.
- I'll think of more later