Luxury tastes

What I mean is your citizens should develope "tastes" for certain luxuries so that, for your citizens, that luxury produces an extra happy face. Your citizens should also be able to develope tastes for any luxuries that you could conceivably trade (travellers bringing the luxury back after their journeys, etc.), even if you do not have an active trade route. For instance, let's say that British citizens develop a taste for tea. China is the only country with tea, so Britain has to trade another resource with them, such as opium. China may decide to cancel the trade (I am assuming, of course, that if drugs were in CivIV, there'd be some negative effect to trading them). So, Britain goes to war with China to extort them into giving tea.

Hmm... Why not, but it would make things a bit complicated. If the taste would be developed during a long time, perhaps then. That would make early luxuries more useful. If we assume that a thousand years would do the trick, then you should acquire as many resources as fast as possible, as they would increase in strength over time.

Would there be penalties then for losing a craved luxury? For some time a lost luxury that the people crave for would actually cause unhappiness? The "taste" should be hard to achieve so it would work. Otherwise trading spices for 20 turns would cause trouble if you lost the deal. You would in effect be somewhat stuck with the deal, which would be too much trouble IMO. It's a good and innovative idea, though! Wonder if it would work...

somewhat like what shyrramar said maybe it couold be the other way around.
I know my idea is opposite of your mewtarthio but maybe if you have had wine for 1000 years your people no longer think it is a luzury, so it no longer produces a happy face, BUT you better not lose it because they wil get mad.
I like this idea because it would allow for the addition of new luxuries into the current system, as is also being debated in this forum.
It could also introduce a new system of micromanagement, limiting the release of luxuries. Suppose you have 6 luxuries available, you get to choose which ones you give to your citizens, so that they never form this need, or sense of entitlement.
Just the idea that came into my head when i saw this new suggestion.

Yeah, I like this. One civs luxury is another civ's forgotten resource.

I have been toying with a scenario (incomplete right now) in which the different culture groups or flavours start the game with their own resources (bonus, luxury and strategic) and cannot see the others not from their area until after trading with other civs.

For example, Horses were brought to the Americas by the Europeans or spices were well sought after by some civs and trades as a result. Now, the Europeans never knew about spices and the First Peoples never knew about horses, but after a little interactions with other cultures, they were aware of these resources which then became demanded.

I like the ideas mentioned here. After thousands of years, Wines may not be that big a deal to that culture, sure that region still enjoying it and benefits from it happinesswise (yes, it's a word, now) , but wouldn't it make more sense to trade for what one doesn't have? I think after learning about other possible resources, civs might want others. Trading would become a bigger part of the game, as would early expansion. The problem of only 8 possible resources working would be eliminated by the oldest (or ones chosen based or based on certain factors) not counting as much or only to a certain type or worker (Scientist, Taxman, etc.)

What I was trying to work on was each flavour or culture group trading the tech that would reveal their own resources, but at an appropriate time to reflect what happened historically. I wasn't sure how to value to the tech, to prevent non-flavour groups researching it, but also not too high, that a civ could trade it for the kitchen sink.

This is something that I would like to see though.....let's hope and see

I agree with this idea. I think there should also be more lux.

really, it should be broken down to the attiude of the civilization towards itself and its neighbours.

i do remember reading somewhere about the fact the culture could influence demand, but i can't remember who wrote it. but it was a good idea for such a demands system, such as 'wow, that culture is so cool! I want a piece of it too!'.

really, if your country is in the golden age of parties, materialism, lots of money to spend and other hedonistic pursuits, of course people would demand such luxuries. they'd be happier with it, than the poor, where luxuries to them is only a quick fix from revolting. what is silk or dye going to do for a poor person who can't afford it anyway???

it was always in my longest belief that your people are not only just graded by happiness, but maybe wealth too. your style of government/civics you employ can also affect who gets happier than who. this way, you can tell which cities are prospering than others. in fact, coming to think of it, maybe the whole city and wealth thing needs to be tweaked more.

Maybe with certain civics options enabled, certain luxuries have a greater benefit?

Neat idea. And maybe the tastes for luxuries can be manipulated by advertising, espionage, or mass production/market dumping?


I definitely like to see late game luxuries that represent finished goods----things you can't just pull out of the ground.

I've got it! What about resources/luxuries that become obsolete. This kind of happens with not needs old resources for units, but what about bonus and luxury resources disappearing from the map all together? After toying with the editor, I was disappointed to find that you bonus resources cannot run out. That should be possible.

But, I would really like to see luxuries becoming obsolete with the discovery of a new tech that gives a new luxury. What do you think?

Also, what about civs being able to "grow" their own luxuries after trading for it enough times. Eventually Europeans got silkworms (albeit underhandedly). Look at potatoes as a bonus resource: They came from South America, we they still trading for them? No, they been grown in Europe for hundreds of years now. Civ should be able to eventually grow their own resources. Trading would still be possible with the new luxuries/resources discovered. Perhaps given the civ the choice of continuing to import or planting their own supply could be given and it would depend on research, immigration of the more knowledgable civ to your borders (peacefully or otherwise), the assimilation ability of your culture and their opinion of the other culture with that resource. Living in Central Europe, I see examples of this, where languages borrow words or smaller countries take on the cuisine of their larger and/or more historically established or prominant neighbours.

Pretty good idea Mewtarthio! It would be cool if luxuries and resources played a bigger part in Civ4, and I also like WilliamOfOrange's suggestions (although they would make trading far more complicated)! Perhaps it could be made possible to choose the difficulty level of the trading at the beginning of the game?

I don't like the idea about luxuries not producing happy faces, and then producing unhappy faces if cut off. Then won't luxury resources become a bit of a liability after a while? I like the idea making certain luxuries worth more happy faces, as the British are addicted to tea and the French to wine. Maybe the longer you own a luxury, the more happy faces it gives, like after 500 years, the happy faces it gives increases by 1.

I think reducing the effectiveness of Luxuries over time is not that far fetched... wouldn't you be mad if alofa sudden ther was no more beer... no more tv and something something jk, but honestly as you get used to a standard of living, you get peeved if it is cut off. Imagine if you couldn't buy milk anymor at the gorcery store, or salt, why well: wisconsin just declared itself independent. I tell you, I'd be anoyed.