Dragonshard Designer Diary #6

GameSpot has published a sixth Dragonshard Designer Diary, once again with designer Charley Price discussing city building in the RTS/RPG hybrid. Check it out:

As with other real-time strategy games, in Dragonshard there is a population cap that sets a limit on the number of units that you can currently have active at any given time, which is based upon the total number of buildings that you have constructed. However, there is another twist. For every population unit that remains unused, you will gain “taxes” from your population, which amounts to a constant stream of gold flowing into your coffers. While this is by no means the most efficient way of acquiring gold, it provides additional choice, making small elite forces viable rather than always feeling pressured to fill out the population cap to maximize efficiency. In addition, it provides a little extra boost to the player whose forces have just been decimated in combat so that he or she can start getting back on his or her feet, as well as encourages opposing players to keep the pressure on.