Cities IV: Hinterland

Shockingly, people don't always live near major cities.

I was reading this post again, reminding me that there are places far from established "cities," especially in the general fantasy-scape common to D&D, and my world is no exception.

To be fair, my cities begin at a population of 150...which is barely a hamlet.

But - there should still be people a day's travel from a hamlet, working fields and digging mines. Not to mention providing warm bodies for the king's wars.

Right now, I don't spread infrastructure into hexes without a city. Instead, I'll try restricting it only from entering into a hex that is directly controlled by another hegemony. Then, the hegemony with the most infrastructure contribution can take ownership of that hinterland hex, with the tax revenue and military support that that entails. As far as gameplay goes, this might determine which hexes the ruler of the land grants to the players, or what kind of resistance they might encounter if they desire to clear a hex.

Infrastructure reach

Colored by hegemony

At first glance it looks ok, but I have some weird situations where the hinterlands are cut off from the heartlands. That's not entirely unheard of IRL, but I'd like to avoid it for now.

Much better

I'd like to go back in and add a line to the city expansion code. A new city may pop up within any hex that the hegemony controls, whether or not it's a direct neighbor. This will hopefully allow some spread-out empires as well, with some breathing room.

Not ideal