Obsolete Resources.

[Kubz]

Ivory and Whaling are illegal in the modern era. These indusries were certainly important in another era. This got me thinking that maybe some resources could be obsolete in different eras and new ones would appear. It just seems strange that I have to give out technologies and important strategic resources that could be vital to my national security to another civilization so my people can have incense! Incense might have been important in ancient times but no one is going to cause civil disorder if they don't have incense in the "real world". I can imagine president Bush justifying going to war with England, quote "Cuz they gotz Incense and we donts".
Civ isn't supposed to be super realistic but I always thought this was a bit funny. As far as new modern luxuries I don't really have any ideas. Manufactured luxury resources like automobiles would probably overcomplicate the game.

 

[Mercade]

Ha! Just don't give your GF any perfume for a year and see how happy she is about that The incense is a metaphore for all sorts of related luxuries. You can see it as a representation of all health related products in use now.

Otoh, there is some merit to the suggestion of having luxury resources deplete and re-appear just like strategic resources do. Indeed some new luxuries could pop up over time. Especially as time progresses, populations grow and people demand more luxiries to be happy.

Of course for the greatest length of history, the luxuries were the same, and now still, diamonds are girls best friend. It is only of the last few decades that ivory became too rare and outlawed. Introducing a really modern luxury (such as what? digital video cameras?) is applicable only to a very short period of the game.

 

[Speedo]

You could edit luxuries (or add new ones) that didn't appear until you got a certain tech. I don't think there's a way to make old luxuries vanish though.

I don't really see much point, it would have the same effect, you'd just be seeing a different icon & name.

 

[nova]

Originally posted by Mercade
Ha! Just don't give your GF any perfume for a year and see how happy she is about that The incense is a metaphore for all sorts of related luxuries. You can see it as a representation of all health related products in use now.

Otoh, there is some merit to the suggestion of having luxury resources deplete and re-appear just like strategic resources do. Indeed some new luxuries could pop up over time. Especially as time progresses, populations grow and people demand more luxiries to be happy.

Of course for the greatest length of history, the luxuries were the same, and now still, diamonds are girls best friend. It is only of the last few decades that ivory became too rare and outlawed. Introducing a really modern luxury (such as what? digital video cameras?) is applicable only to a very short period of the game.

I definitely think luxury resources should disappear and reappear like strategic ones (with the exception of ones that grow or breed).

I also think it would be interesting -- though not necessary to the game -- if luxury resources changed in importance, sometimes to the point of making "ordinary" items luxury or vice versa (like salt), or if they were very rare and location-specific (porcelain clay) or culture-specific (cowry) or even just more varied (tobacco, hardwoods). What if time caused a resource to gravitate from the strategic to the luxury category? Most cultures still use horses for farming to a greater or lesser degree, but who uses them for warfare? (I know, there are still mounted cultures, especially in China, and ceremonial use in modern militaries as well as symbolic use by the police, but I mean real warfare). And what about purebreds and breeding, racing, dressage, hobby riding, etc.? Surely those create some citizen happiness?

Having said all that, I wouldn't want to be the programmer who had to figure out how to factor into the game a whole history of human preference for things that glitter or smell good. So on second thought, maybe the current system works (except I still think there should be depletion of non-renewable luxuries).

 

[Yeti]

I think it would be quite cool to have some optional techs, that when researched revealed luxuries on the map - like how strategic resources work.