[Burnsaber]

Thanks for your input. You raised some very valid points. I'm quite well done with the 0.7 update at the moment, you can check the "fix list" in the first for the things I've done at the moment (it serves as public change log at the moment). I'd like to hear your comments. Tomorrow, I'm going to playtest for a bit before the friday release.

As for the forts and resourcecosts, the expensive forts are there to stay. Like I explained, the citadels were a compromise I was forced into, because 1200gp forts had sucky admin values and those aren't moddable. The change isn't that extreme (200 more gold and 1 more turn to build), it's noticeable, of course and does make the nation slower. Starting a bit slow is thematic for the nation, the nation is all about rising back up from utter ruin. It's also a major MP consideration, mostly because "invicible forts" is pretty dumb stragedy. Ok, it's rather genius stragedy if played right, but boring to play and even more frustrating to play against. Dwarfs are very good on defense even without such tricks.

I have no delusions about the change, it's a big nerf. But I'd rather make a too weak of a nation than too strong, especially when thinking of the first MP game. As for general "power level", the only thing I know for sure at the moment is that I don't want this nation to be as strong as Itza. I've alwyas disliked "Pythium" level powernations.

You also shouldn't worry too mcuh of the res-cost increarses, they are pretty minor, being mostly for thematic reasons and in-nation troop balancing.

I wouldn't worry about slow starts. Prospectors make pretty nutty expanders because the indies just go bat**** insane when faced with border summons. Archers rushing into melee, commanders left alone on front to be shot by crossbows, friendly fire.. it's simply madness!

And if the expensive forts make aggressive playstyle more attracting, that's just a good thing. I belong to the school "Turtling is boring and should be disencouraged". And for the style of dwarfs I'm going for, it's pretty thematic too (Those grudges aren't going to avenge themselves, you know).