Is Capital City working properly?

[santamonica811]

Game: 97073107

As I read this card, I should always have 2 options (assuming that I have at least $2 available in this hand, and that I have at least 2 unused/unplayed cards in this hand)
a.  Discard in exchange for gaining $2.
b.  Pay $2 in exchange for getting 2 more cards.

But, weirdly, I sometimes am not given both options.  Sometimes I am given only the option of discarding.  Sometimes, I am given only this option, but with a second button for "Don't [do this]."  And sometimes I am correctly given buttons for both A and B options.  (I forgot to take a screenshot of this...when it's working properly.).  I played Cap. City many times in this practice game, and I simply cannot figure out why it sometimes does allow for doing "pay money for 2 more cards" and sometimes does not.  I did try checking out the log as well, to see if we'd somehow gone back to the old bad system of needing to click on hotlinks in the log to activate something.  Nope. 

Bug?  Something I'm missing or misunderstanding???

[Ingix]

The main thing to understand is that formally, those 2 options are not active at the same time, you get first the option to discard 2 cards for +$2, afterwards (if you chose to use the previous option or not) the option to pay $2 for +2 Cards.

The game wants to minimize your clicking, so

a) if you have 2 cards in hand and $2 once the options start, you are given both buttons. That way, if you want to only use the "pay $2 for +2 Cards" option, you don't have to explicitely decline to use the first option, you just click on the second button and the game interprets that as "don't use the first option".

If you want to use the "Discard 2 for +$2" option, then click on the button, and you will be given the option to use the "pay $2 for +2 Cards" option afterwards.

b) If you lack either $2 (and also have no Coffers) or 2 cards in hand, the corresponding option will not be initially given. This is the situation in your first picture (no $2). If you lack the $2 but have the cards, after discarding you usually have the $2, so "pay $2 for +2 Cards" option will be given afterwards (but you didn't discard in your game).

c) The game generally does not go from one phase to another "during the middle of an effect". In your second picture, if you discard 2 for +$2, you have $2, could pay it for +2 Cards, and continue with playing Actions if you drew Action cards. But if you don't want to discard, your Action phase will end, as you can no longer do anything in it (no Action cards in hand).

That's why the "Don't" button appears in that case. The game could show the "End Actions" button, but for some reason does not do that and uses this "Don't" button for you to indicate "No, I don't want to use any of the given options, please end Capital City now".

[santamonica811]

I'm sorry, Ingix, I'm still not understanding.  As you saw from my attached screen grabs (with my OP), I had plenty of money and cards in my hand.  More than enough to discard 2 cards, and more than enough available money to gain 2 more cards.  What should I have done, step-by-step, to see both options?

With Hamlet, the website (after experimenting with a few different approaches) has decided on giving Choice A, and a clear option of accepting or denying this.  Then, regardless of what you choose with A, it then moves on to Choice B, and again gives a clear option of using it or not.  It might take a new player one or two turns to figure out that you gotta go through A to get to B, but after that, it's clear.

I am not seeing how to get past A, since there is sometimes--but not always!!!--no option to simply refuse option A (while wanting to take advantage of B).

[Ingix]

I'm sorry, Ingix, I'm still not understanding.  As you saw from my attached screen grabs (with my OP), I had plenty of money and cards in my hand.  More than enough to discard 2 cards, and more than enough available money to gain 2 more cards.  What should I have done, step-by-step, to see both options?

Treasure cards in hand are irrelvant. What is relevant is if you have generated $2 already this turn, and your screenshots show that you didn't, it's shown as $0:



Compare Capital City's wording with Storyteller:

...
Play up to 3 Treasures from your hand. Then pay all of your $ (including the $1 from this) and draw a card per $1 you paid.

Notice that it gives you explicte permission to play Treasure cards here, which Capital City doesn't. You need to have generated $2 already before Capital City to be presented with both options as the beginning. Militia, Paddock or Allies' new Specialist are all ways of doing so.

Of course, often you don't have played such cards before, so in that case you first get the option to discard 2 cards for $2, then the option to convert them back into 2 cards (a Cellar effect for 2 cards) are keep the $2 (the effect of Mill). If you have generared $2 before, you can spend it to draw 2 cards (similar to Storyteller).

Capital City is a Village and the option work similar to 3 other cards (Cellar, Mill, Storyteller).

[santamonica811]

Ah, got it!  Thanks for the explanation.  While I think the card's wording could have been a bit more clear, I now know when a player will, and will not, get that second option.  So, no problem going forward.

One last question.  :)
Can one use Coffers to do this [ie, to obtain the 2 coins needed for those 2 extra cards], in the cases where you already have 2+ Coffers, but have not earned $2 this turn via kingdom cards you've played?  I believe that the rules for Black Market (for online games) have been changed recently, to now allow for players to supplement their in-hand treasure with Coffers.  Am I remembering this correctly?  If so, my sense is that that same logic would apply to this Capital City situation?  Or is CC different from BM in this aspect?

[Ingix]

You are right, you can, under the new Coffer rules, use Coffers to increase your $ amount for Capital City, and you can do so just before you would have to pay. The game does that automatically, in the following scenario,



if you click on "$2 for +2 Cards" then the Coffer will be automatically converted to $ and then paid:



The first picure shows the state when the blue part in the log ends, the second picture below after the red part in the log ends and 2 cards have been drawn.

[santamonica811]

Thanks again!!!

(If it hasn't been said recently; Ingix, you are such a valuable asset to the online Dominion community.  Una estrella para ti.)   :)