Distilleries (and Alcohol) for All

[Civ4Gandalf13]

HR has a distillery for the production of alcohol with two Sugar resources. In comparison, Realism Invictus has three different distilleries for the production of Rum, Vodka, and Brandy.

Please allow me to suggest a more comprehensive and realistic approach to alcoholic Beverages. Beer (including ale, mead) is probably one of the most widely consumed alcoholic beverages in the world. It has been brewed since ancient times. So I would suggest adding another building: a Brewery. It should be available during the early part of the game. It would consume two Barley (a proposed new resource which would have other uses, to include Food). It should also add to the Commerce of a Tavern and to the Country (beer sales are usually quite robust and an important part of many economies).

I would also suggest the following types of Distilleries (based in part on nationality and availability of resources) for popular alcoholic beverages. It would also give players much needed flexibility to produce alcoholic beverages even though they do not have any Sugar resources (in reality, alcoholic beverages are available across the world from many different resources and should not be limited to just those with the Sugar resource in the game). Thus, it would also add balance to the game.

Scotch Distillery using Barley to produce one Scotch (Scottish)
Bourbon Distillery using Corn to produce one Bourbon (US)
Rum Distillery using Sugar to produce one Rum (Caribbean)
Vodka Distillery using Potatoes to produce one Vodka (Russia)
Schnapps Distillery using Fruit (NOT Citrus) to produce one Schnapps (Germany)
Sake Distillery using Rice to produce one Sake (Japan)

Thoughts or comments?

 

[Xyth]

The reason that works in Realism Invictus is because it has a system of manufactured resources (produced by buildings rather than found on the map) which HR does not have. I'm not particularly happy with the Distillery as it is in HR and will probably remove or replace it at some point.

 

[Civ4Gandalf13]

I understand your point. However, I would ask you consider adding the Brewery. HR does have a distillery (liquor) and a vineyard (worker constructed). Beer as a widely consumed drink should be included.

 

[Xyth]

Neither a Brewery nor Barley fits in with the current building and resource scheme. I review the buildings quite often though, so maybe in the future. Barley is unlikely though, for reasons similar to the discussion about Pearls in another thread.

 

[Civ4Gandalf13]

Hmm. The standard you raised against adding pearls; was "HR is pretty much at the limit of the number of non-strategic resources it can handle atm, balance-wise. Otherwise Pearls would be a sensible addition."
I thought you had mentioned that there were no upper limits on resources in the game. Would you please explain what other resource (or other factor) would be placed out of balance by the addition of pearls? There would be only a few pearl resources across the map and their overall statistical effect would be minimal on the game and they would provide diversity of sea resources and additional avenues of game development - all high priority.

In the same vein, Barley would not have a significant negative statistical effect on the game balance. It could provide resources for a Beer Brewery to produce food (an important product through out history that would increase wealth and would increase food by a small percentage for some of the cities which would have barley. As the cities apparently do not grow to the larger sizes as in past editions, this is not a bad effect, as I have seen no articles/post claiming/providing a logical/mathematical demonstration that such large cities hamper the game. Barley was historically a widespread historical grain used by the medieval population for both food and beer and for animal feed. It should be included in the game.

Would you present the scheme you use to decide what new/additional buildings/resources/etc may be added to the HR game? I assume that there is a standard set of guidelines/standards/goals that can be objectviely compared to new proposals/suggestions.

 

[dretnoth]

Hi, sorry for late add, but I give the alcohol resource idea a little thinking.

As far I get it, then its better to stay away from creating resource by consuming other. And there is limit that shall be placed on map before it will start go off hand. Media (Sings, Movies, hits) in other hand are generated by wonders. So if--, if *we* want this alcohol resource, so it shall be accessible by national wonder: [ National Brewery/ Distillery/ Crude; or just building buildable from GP ] accessible from Alchemy.

Next we don’t want be owe overwhelmed by loot (50; one per nation ) of different alcohol resource and generate the same/single type is pointless. (it will be good as +1 in all cities) So if we want different types, then looking into cities art difference will be better idea. (Regional art style for cities buildings on main map: Arabia, Baltic, Europe, Iberia, India, Mediterranean, Mesoamerica, Mesopotamia, SE_Asia; +Africa, Andres, Egypt, Mongolia, Natives ) Now you have dropped it just to 9 types. [If I make observation mistake then sorry, my bad]


Next we balancing the wonder production:

Standard: +1 art style alcohol resource

+1 by access to pre set crop resource (currently 6 different +sugar)

+1 by access to sugar (Or have refinery national wonder)

+1 by tech of Chemistry or Refining


Maybe, in this topic sentence, wine shall be turn from luxuries to food. Wonder Stature of Zeus move maybe to plumbing (sooner tech)

The final question shall be if the effect of this alcohol resource shall be happiness, healthiness, grow acceleration or dissent reduction.


And the types? (Don't know, questing)

whisky - Corn - Mesoamerica

Moonshine (vodka) - Potato - Baltic

Sake - Rice - SE_Asia

Beer - Wheat - Europe

Liqueur - Fruit - Mesopotamia

Cider - Olives (or Brandy from berries) - Iberia

Champagne - Vine (because vine berries already in game) - Mediterranean

Milkshake - Cattle (milk) - Arabia

Caviare (cheat) - Fish - India

Extra: Smoothies - (from any plant based luxuries)


When am on it, the wonders as Hollywood, rock and roll, Broadway generate 4 same resource. We can use method: Base: 2; techs: +1 from journalism, +1 from computers, and maybe +1 from aviation (world wide spread)