I originally posted this idea back in January. I'm reposting it because I want to elaborate a bit more.

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Add more strategic resources, but limit the number of cities a single resource could serve.

For example an iron outcropping with a number three on it means up to three cities could build units requiring iron at any one time. Luxuries should also follow this model.

The resources should be grouped in an area, much like luxuries are now.

If a resource will be used-up, the number should decrease over some number of turns.

The maximum number of cities which may use the resource would not be known until a road is connected (or maybe a unit is actually positioned on the tile). Other civs may only know the number on a particular resource within anothers borders with a successful spy mission.

Mining, some later techs and/or city improvements could allow more cities to use the resource.

The maximum for all, worked resources/luxuries for the planet should serve about 50 - 90% of the cities, assuming typical placement. Not quite enough to go around. The % range is determined by the type of resource/luxury and the difficulty level played.

Excess units may be traded. (and maybe stockpiled with a "storage" cost or "warehouse" improvement?)

The controlling city with a luxury within it's radius always gets one allocation of that luxury. Excess may be assigned to other cities or traded. By default, luxuries should be assigned to the largest cities.

Some sort of penalty or risk should be experienced when resources/luxuries are assigned between cities not inside a contiguous culture boundry. This will have the most effect early in the game, in cities on the other side of continents on other continents and surrounded cities. Technology such as airports should reduce the effect.


For a civ that has a resource available, and a city that doesn't have the resource assigned to it (within the cultural borders), it may build the unit anyway, but at twice times the cost. For a civ that doesn't have access to the resource at all, and for an otherwise isolated city, a unit may be built anyway at four times the cost (black market, recycled scrap, substituted materials, etc.). These units would also have one less health point.

This model would probably inhibit the ICS playing style.

There were already threads about this.
I'd like to see that each ressource source gives you a number of units of this source and you can stockpile them, trade them, use them to get buildings and units, which would cost a few ressources. Maybe even some units or building could need ressource per turn upkeeps.

No wonder yours was the only responce. Thanks for letting me know, I'll for those threads.

Hmmm, I don't think it should be THAT absolute, but I definitely think you are on the right track! I feel that the size of a resource should be one of several factors in its chance of disappearance! Thus, a size 3 resource will be more likely to *disappear* than a size 8 or 9 resource! Other factors that would effect disappearance rates would be: # of that resource, # of cities in empire, # of units being traded to other civs, # of units/improvements built, in one turn, that require the resource in their construction, and the # of improvements/units currently in existence that require the resource on an ongoing basis!
All of these factors could be factored into a simple algorithm to determine a final *disappearance rate*!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

I agree with this. One of the strangest things in civ 3 is that if there is one unit of iron on the map, and it is owned by a one city empire, that is all it can supply. On the other hand if it is owned by a world empire it can supply every city in the world.

It would be nice if each resource had a number next to it, and the number would determine how many units of the resource there were. Each unit could supply one population unit for one turn. So if there were 10 units and you had a size ten city it would be gone in one turn, but if you had a size 1 city it would last 10 turns.

How about if worker can suravy certin areas to find more resources? There would be a chance, increasing with technology, wonders, and maybe even a trait or two (like the industral trait) for finding more resources

My Thoughts:
Resources are demanded for more than units and improvements. Citizens use them in their daily lives, thus large population leads to large demand.
All resources have two numbers on them, the extraction rate and the supply number.
Resources come in two varieties, renewable and non-renewable.
For renewable resources, the extraction rate determines how much of the resource can be taken without losing supply. If you over-extract, the supply decreases. If you under-extract, the supply grows. Technology will increase the extraction rate.
For non-renewable resources, the extraction rate is the maximum that can be pulled from that resource. Technology will increase the supply(more efficient use) and the extraction rate.
These numbers are not known without a worker first surveying the square.

Cons:
Manageing who gets what resource when supplies are low is a lot of MM.

It's only too much MM if you are limiting resources by the number of cities or the total population served. I like the simplier idea where every resource can still be used empire wide, but the limitations are in the # of units that can be produced off the resource.

You see, though, MY system is still abstract enough that it doesn't involve any MM! It is really just an extension of the existing 'disappearance rates' of resources but, instead of being totally random (which really sucks) it is based more on your real situation!! Its also another way of potentially encouraging civs to stay Smaller! I definitely don't think that there should be any kind of 'absolutes' when determining how many civs a resource can furnish! After all, we don't have those certainties in real life!!
Here are a couple of other things to consider, though. First I agree with 'Surveying'! Basically I think that any tile that is being worked, and/or has an appropriate tile improvement on it, should have a chance of discovering a resource located on it! In fact, I don't think that disoovery of resources should be automatic OR tied to any specific techs! So, lets say you have built a mine in some hills! Well that mine might give you a % chance, each turn, of discovering an appropriate resource-whether diamonds, gold, silver or iron etc! Also, if you find iron, then that iron resource may give you bonuses to researching techs that rely on it-like iron working! Anyway, surveying would be a more active form of finding resources! You click on the tile you wish to 'survey', invest money into it and, depending on your tech level and how much money/shields you invest, you will have a % chance of discovering a resource on that square! The resource will, of course, be appropriate to the terrain type AND to the age you are currently in!! So, though you COULD find oil in the Classical age, it will be highly unlikely unless you invest a LOT of money in it (plus, what would you DO with it? ;))

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

You see, though, MY system is still abstract enough that it doesn't involve any MM! It is really just an extension of the existing 'disappearance rates' of resources but, instead of being totally random (which really sucks) it is based more on your real situation!! Its also another way of potentially encouraging civs to stay Smaller! I definitely don't think that there should be any kind of 'absolutes' when determining how many civs a resource can furnish! After all, we don't have those certainties in real life!!
Here are a couple of other things to consider, though. First I agree with 'Surveying'! Basically I think that any tile that is being worked, and/or has an appropriate tile improvement on it, should have a chance of discovering a resource located on it! In fact, I don't think that disoovery of resources should be automatic OR tied to any specific techs! So, lets say you have built a mine in some hills! Well that mine might give you a % chance, each turn, of discovering an appropriate resource-whether diamonds, gold, silver or iron etc! Also, if you find iron, then that iron resource may give you bonuses to researching techs that rely on it-like iron working! Anyway, surveying would be a more active form of finding resources! You click on the tile you wish to 'survey', invest money into it and, depending on your tech level and how much money/shields you invest, you will have a % chance of discovering a resource on that square! The resource will, of course, be appropriate to the terrain type AND to the age you are currently in!! So, though you COULD find oil in the Classical age, it will be highly unlikely unless you invest a LOT of money in it (plus, what would you DO with it? ;))

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

I really like the gist of the idea, but tying finding resources to active surveying will lead to worker heavy strategies. Here is my changes to make your idea, but without the workers.

General
All map squares have a resource, luxury or otherwise under it. Each one also has the 'concentration number' discussed by Aussie_Lurker, most of them 1 or 2, but a few are rich with 5, 6 or more.
Any square with roads through it has increased chance of discovery(add an arbitraty +1 for detection reasons).
Resources that can be mined will get a +1 increase for discovery reasons if a mine is present.
Resources that are grown(Silk, Horses sort-of) that have irrigation on them will have a +1 chance of discovery.
Resources that are hard to reach without advanced mining technology will have a penalty before that tech is discovered.
Assorted technology will increase discovery rates for resources by various amounts.
Certain government programs(requires techs probably in middle or industrial ages) will increase overall survey rates by various amounts.

Discovery Chance Math:
The more plentiful a resource, the more likely someone will find it. The number used for chance is the 'concentration' of the resource, plus any bonuses and penalties. The rough odds are 'number'^2 / 1000.

Utilization:
The 'concentration' determines how many cities the resource can service. Resource use is by city size only, and is assumed to cover unit construction as well. Here is resource use based on city size (1/2/4). Distribution is first by road based on distance, then port, then airport, then unroaded. Any resources not consumed by your cities can then be sold on the open trade market.
Disappearance rates are based on resource concentration. Over time concentrations of non-renewable resources will decrease, so you can set policies saying the minimum resource concentration of a resource that can be tapped, until technology improves 'concentration'.

Hi Sir_Schwick,

I fear that you beat me to it, as I was JUST about to include a 'clarifying' post!

First of all, surveying wouldn't be 'worker heavy' in my system, as I want a pseudo-Public Works system (i.e., still have workers, but they are limited to either your cities (for local projects) or your 'central pool' (for nation-wide projects)) Even in a worker-based system like civ3, though, it would still be effective as you often find workers with NOTHING to do (or at least, this is what happens to me) Anyway, now for my clarification.

1) A resource (be it bonus, luxury or strategic) can theoretically appear in ANY square, limited only by appropriate terrain type!

2) Each turn you automatically have an x% chance of 1 resource becoming visible on the screen! This x will be very low, and dependant on the scarcity of the resource (so uranium may have only a 2% chance of appearing, wheras horses might have an 8-10% chance of appearing!)

3) If a square lies within a city radius, then this base chance is doubled!

4) If you have any terrain improvements on the tile, then the chance is increased by 50%!

5) If you are currently working the tile, then the chance of appearing is doubled (please note that these numbers ARE arbitrary!)

6) If the resource is connected to a specific tech, then you get a bonus if you have you are in the age where that tech can be discovered (ie, the industrial age for oil/coal!)

7) If you 'survey' a square, then the chance of finding a resource is increased by +x%/ Y gold or shields invested!!

Thus, as Sir_Schwick has stated, you will have between say a 2% and as high as 100% chance of a resource appearing in a square! The size of a resource is proportional to the chance of finding it-so if you get VERY lucky, and a resource randomly appears (but only has a 5% chance of doing so), then the resource will be VERY small in quantity, not much more than a size 1-2, barely enough to furnish a few cities without running out! A resource with an 80% chance of appearing, though, will be on average a size 5-6, but as large as 8-9!!!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

I don't like this idea.

In real life if you find an iron source is the iron restricted to just the cities near it or a certain number of cities?

No, it is quite easy for the iron to be distributed to every corner of the empire.

I don't like this idea.

In real life if you find an iron source is the iron restricted to just the cities near it or a certain number of cities?

No, it is quite easy for the iron to be distributed to every corner of the empire.

Certainly in modern times, but Iron was very valuable in the ancient world. Salt is certianly commonplace in the modern world, but used to be one of the most valuable compounds on Earth.