BUG: Multiple Economic Captials (and other capitals too!)

If a planet was built up to be a manufacturing capital by another race, why should the capability of the planet be reduced once you own it?

This is the way it is supposed to be and not a bug.

Still seems like a minor exploit. You end up having a building that you shouldn't be able to have.

New minor races that appear are already a good enuff bonus (free planet!) without being able to farm them for extra capitals.

yeah it seems fishy. These capitals are supposed to be some sort of "imperial focus" of your empire-wide efforts to make a certain location as efficient as possible. It is not a building that magically makes things better. Once you takeover another planet with one of these, it would stand to reason that the infrastructure on the new planet that supports the 2nd capital would collapse since it was all tied to the original government.

~SDC~

Hmm. Agreed. Otherwise, if your empire can support two manufacturing capitals after taking over a planet, why can't you build and support two at the same time on your planets?

It's NOT an exploit. It clearly been built in to the game- read the manual: "An economic capital becomes a target for the enemy."

I just take it to mean that this planet is developed in a way particular to that alien species that we can't reproduce but can take advanatage of once we control it.

I LIKE that this is in the game!!!

~SDC~

A nifty solution could be to tie it to government type... only 1 capital of each type for default gov't, +1 for each step in devolving centralised gov't.

i read that "becomes a target for the enemy" to mean you would target it to cripple the enemies economy, not to steal it.

~SDC~

I took it to mean a target for your great big honkin' space guns as well.

It would be a 'feature' if the race that lost it's Capital in this way could not then build a new one. If it can rebuild the one it 'lost' then it could definitely start getting into exploit-ville.

~SDC~

The funny thing about capitals in real life is that you only get one per country (london, washington dc, paris, etc). The very act of taking over another country causes it to lose its capital. IMHO It should be a target to help cripple your oppenent, not help you.

In opposition to my "realism" argument in the Fleet Combat threads, one could make the following argument: In the taking of another country's (or planet's, or system's) capital, you would have access to an immense amount of resources justifying the additional capital bonus, PROVIDED you could quell the outrage and disobdience of your new enslaved masses. But as I alluded to before, realism in a science fiction game is highly subjective.

~SDC~

Galactic Achievements can be built by any race once.

They are not wonders. Each race can build an economic capital.

Yes Brad but I can end up owning several economic capitals, and getting the benefits from each. All I need to do is take the appropriate planets

"They are not wonders. Each race can build an economic capital."

Yes, but once you conquer someone else's, you have two... should that be allowed?

- Ash

~SDC~

But then on the other hand, If you are not allowed to BUILD more than one capital of any kind for whatever reason, why are you allowed to MANAGE several capitals?
So what exactly is it then that prevents your workers from BUILDING another capital rather than conquering one?
Capitals are EXTREAMLY powerful in that you can finnish of any kind of activity VERY quickly (including trade goods) Thus, A slight technologial advantage combined with, say, multiple manufacturing capitals and thats pretty much the end of the game

I think the point people are trying to make is that when you may capture a "caplital" planet...you do capture all of the existing infrastructue and expertise there as well. Just because Germany may capture Switzerland does not make all of the International Banking there useless...It may be less effective...but it should still give a good bonus. Conversely however if you lose a "capital" you should be able to build a new one someplace else. I would agree to a halving of bonuses a captured "capital" may give.

It leads to the following 2 abuses:

1. Build a capital. Load all the pop onto a colonizer and a transport sitting next to the planet. Trade the planet to the AI for something good. Start a new capital somewhere else. Now take the planet back. You *might* have to give the planet away again just before the new capital finishes...I am not sure.

2. Take another empire's capital. Wait for them to build a new one. Take it. Repeat as necessary. If the AI gets low on planets, you can even give him some of yours that you would like him to build capitals on.

~SDC~

What's the big deal? You can still build all the capitals you want via the Generic manager.

Especially since Frogboy missed the point that if the French captured DC, it wouldn't result in them having 2 capitals... Paris and DC.

A captured capital shouldn't be worth much to you. Other then bragging rights, so long as capitals are ment to be unique per race. It's game mechanics and play balance.

How much of the infrastructure and people survive when you capture something? A capital isn't so much about the physical infrastructure, as it is the people organization and their social infrastructure. In GalCiv, you kill off all the other people in military invasion. And in cultural conquest, they decide they are part of your culture and doing things. That's like if England joined the United States, DC would become their national capital.

There isn't much a point to say 'realistically' in game terms, but we can look to realism as a possible model for how to handle it in the game. And decide if that helps, hinders, or doesn't matter to the fun we have.

What is more fun for you?

Yes, you can have multiple capitals. This is mentioned explicitly in the user manual I believe.