The Game is Stealing Gold – Why?

[miccofl]

In our Democracy Game I have been keeping tabs on our situation quite closely, using a spreadsheet to track most of what is going on in the game (especially our finances.) In so doing a disturbing thing has come to light in that the amount of gold we are supposed to have at the beginning of the turn, according to the previous turn’s record, is almost never what we have and in most cases we are losing gold to an unknown. In addition I have also been tracking, albeit not so closely, taxes, farm income, mine income, trade, corruption and administrative income and just going from turn to turn the plusses and minuses in these categories do not correspond to the figures many times either.

This chart shows how much we lost (and in a few cases gained) each turn for our first 18 turns:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

For a more detailed look at how it was tracked you can download the spreadsheet here (check the Kaiser’s Gold tab): http://www.miccofl.net/M2TW/ImperialDatabase.xls

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon? If so, is it known what causes it and/or how to stop it? I would hate to think we are getting reamed almost every turn because someone at CA failed basic math

Edit: Note to mods: I am aware that I didn't post this in the DGame forum; we don't know why it does what it does and I hope that someone else (not part of the DGame) might.

[SGD2C]

i think it is either corruption in each city and/or ss adds scripts that gives and takes money to balance the game. i know the computer gets money, but i also think you lose a little because otherwise you would easily defeat the AI.

[miccofl]

Thing is, I'm tracking corruption and related things at least as far as what it shows in the settlement details screen. As for it being SS, that can be checked in the console; it shows what it gives and takes (I know, only 10) and I can see where it is giving the AI factions gold and it is not subtracting any from us, at least not on the many turns where I have checked it. On the turn we just finished we lost 699, I checked it out and while it gave 4500 to two and 4800 to another there were only the three entries.

[Evolution]

I don't know why but I am going to take a not really wild guess and guess that the SS team have edited a few traits like 'bad tax man' for example and made it steal money.

[miccofl]

Editing the traits would cause the result to show in the taxes and would not account for the vast discrepancy between turns.

[pwijnands]

Could it be rebels/enemies that are either causing devestation or blocking trade? Money is added at the start of a new turn, not when you click "end turn". If an AI army moves itself on a road/port during the AI factions turn, they will lower income when it's being calculated.

[miccofl]

Devastation would show up on the settlement details screen on the following turn and currently the only devastation we are showing is what we have caused ourselves.

I will agree that the AI army movements may be causing some of our loss but there have been a couple of turns where we lost over 1000 gold and since we are talking about the first 18 turns we would surely notice that many troops moving around. Best possibility I've heard so far though.

[TzuDevil]

You know how when you look at the "settlement details" scroll, some things are blinking or grayed out because they are going to change next turn.... Maybe the amount of gold your treasury is estimating for the next turn does not take these grayed out or changing numbers into account when it estimates how much gold you should have next turn. Then, when the turn runs, those changes take effect immediatley and cause an apparent descrepency....

Just a guess...

Cheers!

PS It may also be boats blockading (or unblockading) a trade partner's port, or an army moving on to a trading partners road while the turn runs so their land trade is blocked that way.....

[miccofl]

You know how when you look at the "settlement details" scroll, some things are blinking or grayed out because they are going to change next turn.... Maybe the amount of gold your treasury is estimating for the next turn does not take these grayed out or changing numbers into account when it estimates how much gold you should have next turn. Then, when the turn runs, those changes take effect immediatley and cause an apparent descrepency....

They may be worth tracking but as I recall we have far more on the plus side than the minus but I could be mistaken. Does anyone know exactly or have any idea at all, how much of the gray and flashing amounts factor into the next turn and/or following turns?

[pwijnands]

The flashing stuff is caused by the calculated bonus for adding new buildings. But since most buildings take more then one turn to complete it's a bit misleading.
Some increases/decreases can also be caused because of governors gaining traits/ancillaries. Most triggers use CharacterTurnEnd as a condition, something the financial overview doesn't consider.

[Ojf]

Nice chart lol

[miccofl]

The flashing stuff is caused by the calculated bonus for adding new buildings. But since most buildings take more then one turn to complete it's a bit misleading.
Some increases/decreases can also be caused because of governors gaining traits/ancillaries. Most triggers use CharacterTurnEnd as a condition, something the financial overview doesn't consider.

So trying to track it down to the last florin is going to be near impossible; guess it is best tracked the way I have been doing it and calling it "game mechanics."

Nice chart lol

My first attempt at making a chart from Excel; I'm still a bit of a n00b with the program

[Grimmy]

This thread title spooked me good. I immediately ran outside and dug up my secret gold stash in my backyard to check and make sure the game didn't steal it.

It's all there.

But now I have to find a new place to hide it. I think the neighbors were spying on me.