Variables for Sheilds/Food/Commerce

I am proposing a new idea: varied tile values.

In Civ3, ALL forests produce EXACTLY 2 sheilds and 1 food. Some forests may have unusable wood (cedar), which could bring the sheilds down to 1. Lets say another forest is FULL of oranges (Florida), it could produce one sheild and 3 food. Some forests could be redwood, which is a TON of building materials, which could be 3 or 4 sheilds. One turn there could be a fire that reduced the production by 1 for 5-10 turns. Increased rainfall for one turn may have reduced production for one turn, but the next turn it could produce double. For grasslands, there may be lots of droughts one year. Its food could go down in those turns. Other years, lots of cherry bushes may have grown, so it could have increased food. Some grasslands could be overhunted and as a result, food could be very scarce. Some key rivers could dry up for a while, decreasing food for it. The water in a coastal square could become polluted, which would decrease trade and food. A volcano could erupt in the middle of the ocean, creating some islands. An underwater volcano could frighten fish away. An increased [water] food supply could attract fish and tourists.
The point I am trying to make across is: varying values in terrain. Mother nature does not just sit still, it is ALWAYS changing.

Nice idea, but how would you be able to tell the difference between all the square? Difference pictures or lots of clicking?
Would this add another level of micro to the game though? With players always checking the stats of each piece of land. I think the idea of different values for the same tiles is a good idea, but I think the making it so that tiles can change would just add too many more thing to watch.

I think you are delusional in how useful cedar is. Most traditional Japanese houses use it extensively.

at first i loved the idea! but woodelf9ca (welcome btw, )brought uop a good point in the large increase in MM. if this can be eliminated this would be a breakthrough idea

If only one variable tile only changed every few turns MM would not be an issue, especially if a popup box came up with an advisor telling you about the change. It might be nice if, over time, unmolested turf in your borders might grow something really nice, like a giant redwood forest, or a giant orchard/forest full of delicious black walnuts, apples, such forests would give extra tourism/food as described. After you discover Ecology (or conservation for Industrial Age?) cutting down such forests makes citizens in your city very unhappy.

Call me a spoilsport, but haven't you just described bonus resources? Is there enough of a difference to make this worth doing?

I think a combination of 'Bonus' and 'Landmark' terrain would be adequate to make this idea work without any extra MM-especially if you could have an 'anti-bonus' tile which, as thescareyworker pointed out, actually provided LESS than a normal tile of the same kind (but which, perhaps gave you something in return, such as the 'orange groves' which give extra food, but a -1 production).

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

Bonus resources don't disappear, these could. Also, maybe stuff could appear that might let you build a unique small wonder.

Having ocean resources disappear would be one good reason to have fishing boats to circle around and find new marine resources, this would keep the excitement of exploration going longer, a feature wished for by many. Oil derricks and such could pollute all life out of your nearby ocean tiles, killing off any food there, making deep water fishing more vital.

After reading a little blurb about Krakatoa, I became intrigued, it seems another volcano is slowly building out of the ocean there, and it is as potentially violent as the original volcano. It might be interesting to have a couple marine volcanoes like this, in tropical areas of the world, with a chance for really cataclysmic eruptions at some point. Your turn ends, and next thing you know, where a 1-tile volcano was in the ocean, there are now 9 tiles of roiling black smoke and lava, and the domestic advisor is screaming in your ear, something about a giant tidal wave heading towards the coastal cities...