Not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of the fact that I've seen that movie more than once...
I have too, and that's one reason why I've posted the Map
sans improvements - so that if someone wants to put together a mod like that, they can, and have my blessing.
In an attempt to re-rail this topic, Balthazar, here are some ideas I have for resources, some may be more useful than others....
I've already thought about adding some of those animals as units, so discussion of this topic requires that we discuss those first, I guess:
Buffalo\Bison - roam the plains when the game begins in huge numbers (I use the m-unit to make it seem like more), but have 0/0/0 stats so that they can be captured. (I'd like to add a unit: Buffalo Hunter which could have both Euro and Native equivalents, but since Bison are easily captured I'm having trouble justifying creating a special unit to catch them). They have as much monetary value as I can give them. Alas, they disappear very quickly. I need to develop some further use for these (and for Eagles) for the Native Civs - to them, they had both scientific and cultural value. Downside: the AI has been using them as scouts after capture.
Wild Horses (escaped domestic) - also a unit added to the mod in this manner: Wild Horses can, like the bison, be found roaming free, and although they have smaller numbers, their speed (movement 2) keeps them viable through the first era, at least. After capture, they can be brought to a settlement and upgraded to a horseman (costs 1 citizen), or traded (they are
the tradeable unit), or disbanded for value. The Horseman's horse will have one extra movement, and another hit point. A Stables will auto-produce a horse every 10 turns (or so). Euro Civs with a Post Office will be able to build the Pony Express Small Wonder, (Tech: Mail) which would autpo-produce a valuable (200 cost) horseman with a 5 movement. The Trading Post should allow the Building of a Stagecoach Station which would produce a two horse Stagecoach every 20 turns (or so). The Wells Fargo Wonder (tech: Telegraph?) would auto-produce a four-horse Stagecoach every 30 turns (or so) which would be faster, more valuable.
Whales - I've already planned to stock the Pacific with capturable Whales (using the Megaladon, which looks in-game like a whale) which would have benefits similar to Bison.
Other animals might be better as units in the Nature Civ I think: Bison, Horses, Wolves, Bears, Eagles, Deer, Cougars, Whales, Sharks, all auto-produced, so that the Nature Civ can't direct it. As I've noted, some will also be domesticated, and built by other civs. At the start of the game, I'm thinking of preplacing some of these around as barbarian units, though I have to be careful to restrict these to either immobile units or no-stats units. I'd like to place immobile "invisible" barbarian snakes, scorpions, and Alligators (in swamps) about as hazards. I also like the idea of a barbarian Buzzard, and there is a unit for that available.
But we were discussing resources:
Fur\Beavers - Yes, a valuable resource. Especially to our Northwestern Civ, the Oregonians, and to Native tribes such as the Blackfoot, the Nez Perce, and the Haida. I imagine these civs would be able to build more vigorous Trading Posts with access to Furs. Other resources I've thought of for the Northwestern Civs include Lumber/Hardwood Trees,
Salmon, and
Lake Trout.
Longhorns\Cattle - could be a resource (Plains) or a unit (but we have no Longhorn Steer unit yet). I would only place the resource on plains tiles near rivers, I'd think. It should be rare, but allow the building of a Cattle Ranch. We might give +14 Euro cities a Small Wonder called Slaughterhouse, which would significantly increase the value of Cattle and Steer Ranches. A Textile Mill might add value to a Sheep Farm. We could use Tony Boscia's trick for these types of buildings: a Euro Civ could build a pig farm, a Sheep farm, or a Cattle Ranch. These were, arguably, the "power plants" of the old west, and each could supercede the other, i.e., you can only build one, but a Cattle Ranch would be more expensive and produce new product less often than, say, a pig farm which has it's own problem: it has one corruption, due to the stink.
Postscript: I suppose the list of "power" buildings ought to include a regular Farm (which would add +1 food to irrigated tiles). Eventually these could auto-produce new (as yet unavailable) units: a Pig, a Longhorn Steer, a Guernsey or Angus Cow, a Horse without a blanket. We already have sheep.
Other animals that might make good resources include: salmon,
prairie dogs, mountain goats, and
seals, because they would have no use as units. We might include resources such as
Cave,
Eagle's nest, and
Salt Lick to limit where the Nature Civ can produce certain units.
Then there are the "Mineral" Resources you mention:
Copper - could allow Telegraph
Iron - could allow Blacksmith
, among other things
Coal - could allow Steam Engine, Coal heating, and Iron Works
I can see uses for all of that. I would also include:
Gold
Fool's Gold
Silver
Turquoise
Because this mod will be called Goldrush! We must also have Gold, and Silver with impressive uses: improvements such as Claims Office, Goldsmith and Silversmith, and Wonders such as Goldstrike! and Boom Town (producing Golden Ages?). The Navaho and Ute might combine Silversmithing and a Turquoise resource to make a Turquoise Jewelry improvement. I could imagine a unit called Claim Jumper which would be like a cowboy with a "build colony" ability. The 'Fool's Gold' is a mcguffin for the AI to chase, but the icon should look just like gold. It would have no useful effect.
You also mention:
Sagebrush
Desert Tortoise
The trick is thinking of a practical use for them.
Some natural resources that I think might have practical use:
Saguaro Cactus - which you mentioned. Okay, no use that I can think of, but I like it because I'm already using it to augment the landscape..
Lake - definitely using this. Considering waterhole and poisoned waterhole.
Hardwood trees - mentioned above, could allow Sawmill, Lumberjack.
Redwoods - already a terrain type, could allow Californians to build lawn furniture.
Peyote Cactus - allows Peyote Religion to the Utes, Navaho, Apache, and Commanche, and enables the Ghost Dance Wonder.
Hemp - used to make Rope, among other things.
Agave - Tequila, anyone?
Apple Trees - would appear in Northwest following Johnny Appleseed.
Orange Trees - found in California.
Oil - should appear late in the fourth era.
Waterfall - both a bonus resource and Unit, will be used to improve the scenery. I'd like to have more resources like this, particularly an
Old Faithful geyser for Yellowstone.
Grapes - the Missions brought the
Vitis vinifera (Mission Grapes), so a Mission resource would logically allow a Winery. But wineries only flourish where the weather is optimal, so these will mainly be found in the hills north and east of San Francisco on this map.
That reminds me of another last category of resource: Pre-existing structures, specifically
Missions, which were largely already built by the time the settlement of the west began in earnest. Unsure how to handle it, particularly in Mexico; should make the building of a religious place (i.e.,church) unnecessary, but a Mission Building could do handy things, like auto-produce a missionary every 50 turns or so.
And there are two non-appearing strategic Resources:
Native Culture and
Euro Culture, which I created to keep our modding options open.
I've put all of these possible resources in bold lettering, and count 33 resources including 25 strategic/luxury resources and 8 bonus resources (in purple) in this list. What d'ya think?
