Ok, so one of the games I'm working on has a lot of potential, but has a number of complexity issues.
One of those issues is collecting and using resources to build stuff.
Right now, if you have a unit on certain areas of the map, you can gain a resource token of that type. You can then build up your stockpile of resources and spend them to make different things according to their resource cost. (Pretty straight-forward)
The problem, is that this can become a bit fiddly and take up more time then is desirable. You end up spending time to see what resources you can gather now, and then do a lot of planning ahead about what resources you have, and what you will need later. This compounded by the fact that some spaces can give different resource types, and you may need to make a decision about what to gather. I want to streamline this process.
What I'm thinking about now is perhaps instead of physically collecting tokens and then spending them, is to use the tokens to indicate what you currently have access to. If you have access to these resources, then you can build these things. Some things might require access of multiple sources of a particular resource. So you don't have to fiddle with a bunch of tokens so much - but it still might be an issue. (In fact you wouldn't even need them anymore - though they would be helpful to quickly indicate what you have access to. Or I could create a 'resource track' that shows what you have)
This might even allow me to eliminate or reduce the number of spaces with multiple resource types, further simplifying selection.
So, this has some real benefits doing it this way, but if comes with a few problems.
1) No stockpile means everyone is extra vulnerable to blockades
One way to deal with this might be to make some basic units to have no required resource access.
2) Refined resources. Right now there are some resources that are made by trading two in, to get a new refined resource. These are used for the more powerful units/things to build.
Tracking which resources are being used to provide refined resources becomes a problem, and I haven't figured out an elegant way of dealing with this.
So, any ideas or suggestions? Perhaps yet a different way to manage this?
The game in general has been going through a lot of ongoing changes. At the moment, the gathering/building aspect is taking too much time. Despite being interesting, it's disrupting the flow of the game. So, yes, I'll have to change other elements of the game if I change the resources, but it'll probably be for the best.
I already have resource tokens for the refined resources, but the issue is under the proposed system they kind of become pointless. Since the resource tokens would no longer represent a discrete unit of a resource, but rather, access to a resource. So instead of spending two resources to make a refined resource, you just need the access and you have the refined. Next turn, you might not need the refined anymore, so you can just have the original two. Meaning a lot of swapping out of tokens. At this point, any time savings by the new system are lost.
Part of the issue, now that I think about it, I guess is that refined resources have already lost much of their meaning due to other changes.
Maybe what could replace the refined resources could be 'upgrade buildings'. Something that has an upfront cost, but would then allow the production of better units.
Or I could simply make the refined resources gather-able like the others, but occur in much more limited supply. Or perhaps make them more difficult to gather, like requiring two units in the space.
Or maybe both ideas by requiring a special structure to be built in that space. Hmmm, I think that has potential.
For instance, if you have a space that yields a regular ore resource, you can get it by having a population unit on it. Or you could turn that population into a structure there that gives you access to refined metals.
As for the resource track, my hesitations here are practical concerns.
1) I'm at the limit of table space as it is. Adding resource tracks might be tricky.
2) Without making some kind of special holder, it would be vulnerable to accidental bumping, etc. A resource access track could be rebuilt. A resource tally track would not be.
EDIT: Oh, I originally misunderstood you, Allknowingfrog. I see what you mean now.