A Possible Cue for Resource Discovery

[Psychlone]

I have noticed a tendency in my games that allows me to predict where resources such as coal and uranium will appear. It's not a certain system, and I can't say "coal will appear in THIS square." I haven't tracked any hard data, because I'm not willing to make any sort of effort to keep track of individual squares of terrain...

OK, what I have noticed is this: Discovered resources such as coal and uranium tend to appear on those grasslands with shield squares. Now, in the case of coal, this would be jungles with shields, obviously, but I usually have them cleared before discovery of coal.

So what I do is attempt to grab as much jungle and grassland with shields as possible, and to make sure those squares all all roaded before the pertinent discoveries. In my last few games, I have not lacked for a resource other than iron (because it always freakin disappears on me). Let me tell you, you can get some great deals out of the AI when you have 4 surplus coal to trade.

This may seem like a very basic tip, not even needing to be mentioned, but since I started doing this, my resource woes have been almost nonexistant.

 

[zebomba]

Maybe not. Those grasslands you say are just cleaned forest and jungle.
The easy way is claiming as much land as you can, as the AI does. But since I'm lazy, I just cripple my neighbours down, so I can take the area with resources easily once they appear.
And to add some sob tactics, I usually deny resources to other civs.

 

[PaulNAdhe]

I never trade strat resources to the AI. Never know when one of yours will disappear and you'll have to go to war to get it back.

Luxuries, yes -- strategics NO

 

[Nahuixtelotzin]

The best way to see where resources are that no one has discovered: Look, where the AI places its cities!
Last time I had cities on most jungle spots in a big area, but there were 2 AI cities, built quite early. As it turned out: Those 2 sat on all 5 rubber resources in the whole jungle!!! I hate that!

 

[simwiz2]

"Those 2 sat on all 5 rubber resources in the whole jungle!!!"

Big surprise, add that to the growing list of AI cheats on all levels (and i thought they at firaxis said the AI only cheated above regent)

 

[Troyens]

Yep.

Looks like dissatifsfaction with a game that was clearly rushed to market is growing.

AND THE AI SHOULD NOT BE CHEATING ON ANY LEVEL.

 

[Zorbop]

i can add to that.
look for the best defended, farthest away ai city. IT and IT alone will have recources
one time i was playing on regent and was way ahead in the tech race. i had noticed in the middle ages, an oddly well defended area across the map.
turns out there were 5 coals in that area.
3 oil to!!
of course after i conquered them most of the recources disapeared.

 

[Sodak]

Of course, this doesn't help much once the AI has blanketed the entire planet with towns. On my latest game, real world map, the AI has already (1100ad) settled 11 towns in Greenland - because there is nowhere else to go. Even the Sahara desert is full. Siberia is a teeming mesh of roads and towns. Only the Amazon is somewhat empty, as I managed to settle around the entire coast of S.America and won't let anybody in. Waiting for that rubber to pop up...

It's not a surprize the AI can "see" resources hidden to the player. I don't know what programming it would take to make it ignore them until the requisite tech, but it couldn't be too hard to do.

 

[eyrei]

I am often suspicious that the AI sees resources before they should be seen. Probably just part of my irritation any time the AI beats me to something, but it could be a flaw in the programming. Maybe one of the Firaxians can answer this if they dare to post on this forum anymore considering the abuse they often get for trying to be helpful.

 

[History_Buff]

I believe the AI should be allowed to cheat and see resources, especially when playing at lower difficulty levels. This just allows the computers to stay competitive with the Human Players.

 

[Nahuixtelotzin]

History Buff: That's why there ARE different difficulty levels!

 

[Moulton]

Well, I am disappointed in the aI. It staked out two cities rightn in the middle of my jungle, before I had the city ring completed, and anyway I was busy with a war. I was truly surprised that there was no coal or rubber there. just empty jungle.
However, every resource that has appeared so far, except Iron--which is very early -- has been on land that was not in my original settled tract. It was conquered land. Even iron, I had two, but one disappeared on the second turn. The other was actually closer to babylon... I just got there first, incase the first played out