Way to combat negative traits?

[Spacepup18]

I'm really enjoying your mod so far, I feel like its really combining what I like about both XGM and Diadochi TW, but the Ethnic Traits seem to be getting a little ridiculous.

I've tested the waters with a few campaigns so far, but my Syracusian campaign was the most recent, and it was pretty typical. The traits all my generals gathered during just the conquest of Syracuse left me with no governor I could actually put in a settlement, they all created more unrest than they fixed. Some of the individuals would have been OK, but my Faction leader gave every negative 'Under a _____ Ruler' I think he could have, and all my other generals were gaining the same traits! So it didn't seem like it would ever get any better.

I really like the expanded ethnic traits in XC, but I feel like it's getting a little ridiculous. How do you keep from gettting these traits, and if you get them, is there a way to put your governers in 'rehab'?

[Suppanut]

XC give all different experience from all other mods in term of traits. So like Aristotle said "throw preconception away and do everything like it is first time of you."

Here are some tip for you....

1) Faction Leader is very important figure in XC, the better your faction leader mean that all that under his direct power(all character with name and triat) will under control more effectively. His 3 main attribute will affect them in different way....
Command will have effect on morale
Management will effect on corruption
Influence will effect on their bribe cost, loyalty and ambition

stats more than 5 = positive effect
stats less than 5 = negative effect

Many individual traits of Faction leader will effect other characters too. effect will reset next turn after old faction leader die by take effect of the new one instead.

2) Choose heir which will be your future leader wisely as he is future of your empire. Read their portfolio a bit to eye for some kind of hypocrite character that may doom future of your empire and put them far away from power. Automatic choice of heir made by game not always best choice for you though, as it has many deception in their portfolio of traits

3) Management stat now nolonger just luxuary like in other mod, it is crucial. So all ancillaries with management always good to inherit as legacy of forefather, or else your empire will fallen apart from corruption and fiscal deficit.

4) West civilize faction have lower chance to improve their managment stat than those from Africa and Asia, this is from their culture historically which favor the orator skill rather than labourous paperwork skill. Being good speaker would not mean he is good administrator automaticly.

5) System of ET for XC is design along with whole XC which has completely new economy, which made you have even smaller army than you could have in XGM. And ET-XC also design for anti-blitzing for realistic long term game planning. So you throw all your original plan away and think of new ones.

6) ET for XC design to doom all characters those who too great or too larger than life, history page full of tragic story though. What you need for great empire is not extremely heroic larger than life like Alexander or Napoleon, but a group and series of good men in family of dedications like what roman really do in their constantly expansion of empire. If you plan to walk on Alexander's path in XC, you will likely to doomed future of your empire like what Alexander had done.

7) Try to made your empire poor as much as possible by try to not kept too much money in your treasury. it will lure a lot of vice factionwide for having money too much.

8) Temple are source of both good and bad traits. study about temple a bit before choose what you build.

9) Academy now far more important as this is the main source of management skill.

10) Prevention of vice could be done my many mean like...
- Premarian roman usually immune to most of common vice
- Character with Cynic, Stoic and Pythagorean study will also resist to vice as well.
- Kindness, upright, and prim also made character immune to some vice.
- don't give too many offices ancillaries to one character, as absolute power corrupted absolutely.
- not good idea to allow character to have any stats more than 8 except he has immunity to some vice from above.
- etc.

Welcome to world of real strategy, not clicking reflex.

[Spacepup18]

Thanks for the reply, and I understand what you're saying. I've been naming heirs according to management skills and positive traits for a while now in this mod. The problem I'm having is that my negative traits (Especially concerning Unrest and Public Order) far outrun the positive ones. I'm just wondering if there is anything in specific that is likely to gather negative traits very quickly; like high taxes, letting a general's supplys run low (Other than the obvious 'Hunger' traits), things like that, so that I can slow down the dissolution of my empire?

And likewise is there anything in specific I can do to get rid of those traits, will libraries and things like that get rid of some bad traits, or will they simply give more good ones? Things like that.

[Suppanut]

Oh, so you have very high tax? Very high tax will cause governors in that settlement to get bad trait in most factions, except roman who not favour the soft at all.

I just add 7) to 10) issue on how to fight bad traits or prevent it to spawn on the thread above. I think it will help you.

Library is just give good one. Barbarian elder circle also help you for extremely vice load barbarian.

Temple of law and temple of leadership would help you in fighting bad trait. But most of the vice when they came, they likely to not go away so easily.

Beware temple of fun, love and trade. They are very vice bearing.

I think your problem mainly came from too high tax and bad temple planning along with carelessly on internal politic as well as push some characters too far.

[Spacepup18]

Ya, I think I'm beginning to see my problem, I do like my Trade Temples, and high taxes, I like money, but apparently so do my generals. Thanks for the help, Suppanut.

[Suppanut]

You could put temple of trade anywhere you like as long as you didn't need to put character in that settlement at the end of turn.

[Zarax]

In the future you might find surprises that could help with traits...
Those haven't been implented yet though.

[AchillesXX]

Oh wow, this is an interesting thread. In my Parthian campaign I am building temples of Ahura Mazda all over the place (they produce a fine car for a reasonable price). I am doing this because I like Law Temples in general, but it appears that in this mod they are a particularly good choice.

I always play the game with the maximum amount of taxing I can possible do - usually "very high." From what I have read above this is bad? What do you suggest, just "high?"

The annoying traits I am seeing and don't know how to get rid of involve the father and son relationship. I have seen three different ones - in a nut shell: "father does not care about his children," "father cares about his children," and "father cares too much about his children." They all give some negatives, but the middle one is the better of the three. How do you effect these?

I would like to suggest the the City Barracks give Parthia more than just Parthian Horse Archers. One more unit from higher tier would be nice.

Thanks again, and I have to say, I really like this mod!

[Suppanut]

For most of factions(except roman), high tax is the most reasonable choice as if too low faction leader will question his loyalty but if too high he will soon gone downright in corruption. This will apply to only player in Gamma version.

Family one is relate to how his son will become. If character care too much or not care about his sons, his sons will end up get some negative aspect or become different from his father. "Educator father"(Good family LV2) and "Father care too much about his sons" (Good family LV3) could send their sons to study aboard at education centers which has about 12 around the map to gain a ton of good traits when coming of ages.

[Apollyon]

For most of factions(except roman), high tax is the most reasonable choice as if too low faction leader will question his loyalty but if too high he will soon gone downright in corruption. This will apply to only player in Gamma version.

Family one is relate to how his son will become. If character care too much or not care about his sons, his sons will end up get some negative aspect or become different from his father. "Educator father"(Good family LV2) and "Father care too much about his sons" (Good family LV3) could send their sons to study aboard at education centers which has about 12 around the map to gain a ton of good traits when coming of ages.

I got that, too bad he was also born blind and lame