Animals and zoos

[ditchhook]

This might be a fun diversion in the game:

Allow units (especially scouts and explorers) to acquire an "animal capture" promotion. With this skill they will be able to capture wild animals they encounter (or fight). The "captured" animals would become part of a "zoo" building that would add culture or comerence to a city. The captured animals would slowly reproduce allowing more zoos to be populated in additional cities over the decades.

To make this more interesting for the entire game, I would suggest a dozen or more different animals be introduced, and make the currently available elephants, deer and beavers also eligible for collection when the appropriate units visits the square. I'd even include the current aquatic animals and aquarium buildings. Currently the attacking beasts like lions or bears disappear relatively early, so their availability would need to be extended-- but not necessarily indefinitely. For example, a set of five contiguous undeveloped squares would be necessary to have an appropriate beast "pop up" randomly during game play. (Even within aculturated territories). Thus extinction is still possible. Some animals would only pop up in tundra, some in jungles, some in deserts, some in fresh water lakes. Some (like elephants) could be perpetual and stationary and be "harvested" just by visiting the square with the proper unit, others would have to be "defeated" in battle first, and rise spontaneously from sets of undeveloped squares. Some animals would be quite common, some very rare (musk-ox, panda, or given Civ's traditional sense of humor, Nesse).

Trading in rare beasts between nations could also be introduced. And the greater the variety of creatures in one's zoo, the greater the cultural benefit the zoo provides the city. Irrigation and refrigeration could be pre-reqs for including certain kinds of animals in one's zoo.

Devoting a few explorers or scouts to collecting critters would not only be historically accurate, it might provide a fun "collecting" diversion for some players.

[Mewtarthio]

As fun as it would be to take those stupid 3-Strength Bears and make them preform circus tricks for you, the people who capture animals for zoos are hardly trained, devoted military units, nor even explorers scouting out a new land. They are for the most part the kinds of people that make up your citizens in a town, working the jungle tiles to catch the occasional panther. Sure, there's the rare explorer who travels off to some malaria-ridden jungle and brings back the Sacred White Elephant, but those types of people are few and far between and not significant enough to merit inclusion in such a broad game.

[ditchhook]

Originally Posted by Mewtarthio

As fun as it would be to take those stupid 3-Strength Bears and make them preform circus tricks for you, the people who capture animals for zoos are hardly trained, devoted military units, nor even explorers scouting out a new land. They are for the most part the kinds of people that make up your citizens in a town, working the jungle tiles to catch the occasional panther. Sure, there's the rare explorer who travels off to some malaria-ridden jungle and brings back the Sacred White Elephant, but those types of people are few and far between and not significant enough to merit inclusion in such a broad game.

I was just thinking of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and of the philosophers who traveled with Alexander the Great, the Roman Circus illustrating their love for exotic beasts, the medieval fascination with unicorns and dragons, Darwin's trip on the Beagle.... But maybe you are right, these people and their motivations didn't have much of an impact on history, and wouldn't make sense in a game about "civilization."

[IrishDragon]

It would be a fun addition to the game but it wouldnt really have any impact. you could get a bonus for collecting all the animals though

[ditchhook]

I'm not sure what you mean when you comment "but it wouldnt really have any impact."

My response would be to ask "impact on what?"

I wouldn't want to seriously mess up current game balance. But of course, I'd want to propose something that had a positive impact on user enjoyment (at least for some substantial minority). I for one am not into winning by conquest and don't see the game primarily as an opprotunity to play a field-marshal. I prefer diplomatic, cultural, and space race modes of winning. I don't find fun in screwing over a loyal AI ally to win a game, that kind of fantasy just doesn't appeal to me. What I hope happens with my proposal is to add some peaceful reasons to explore new territory, especially territory like oceans and ice caps that have no strategic military value.

I hear that the developers want to include some new buildings etc. for expansions, and yet I'm sure they develop these with an explicit eye towards not having any real "impact" on the basic game mechanics while having an impact on enjoyment.

[IrishDragon]

Originally Posted by ditchhook

I'm not sure what you mean when you comment "but it wouldnt really have any impact."

My response would be to ask "impact on what?"

I wouldn't want to seriously mess up current game balance. But of course, I'd want to propose something that had a positive impact on user enjoyment (at least for some substantial minority). I for one am not into winning by conquest and don't see the game primarily as an opprotunity to play a field-marshal. I prefer diplomatic, cultural, and space race modes of winning. I don't find fun in screwing over a loyal AI ally to win a game, that kind of fantasy just doesn't appeal to me. What I hope happens with my proposal is to add some peaceful reasons to explore new territory, especially territory like oceans and ice caps that have no strategic military value.

I hear that the developers want to include some new buildings etc. for expansions, and yet I'm sure they develop these with an explicit eye towards not having any real "impact" on the basic game mechanics while having an impact on enjoyment.

Im saying it should not have any impact on your chances of winning the game or your relaitons with other civs. It would be a bit stupid if you could win the game just because you had a zoo. I do think it would make the game more fun though