Bonus resources and how they could benefit from the amenities distribution system

[leandrombraz]

I started playing on Civ V and something that I always wondered is why the game keep track of how much of each bonus resource I have if I can't use that resource for anything, beside being a good tile (also something you can harvest in Civ VI). The fact that I have 6 wheat doesn't really mean anything to me but there it's in the reports screen, making it harder for me to manage my luxuries because there's an entry for each bonus resource I have, increasing the list I have to scroll through.

I would love to see this change someday, bonus resources should be more than just a nice tile. They could do it using the same system of distribution that amenities use but instead of amenities, bonus resources would give other yelds. For example, I just improved a wheat tile and got one wheat unit. Each wheat give 4 food, which will be distributed to the cities that need food the most, just like luxuries and amenities. I can trade my wheat with other Civs and buy other bonus resources, to get all types of yelds. Unlike luxuries, each copy of the same bonus resource would give yelds (i.e. 3 wheat give 12 food), since each type of bonus resources would give different yelds, including resources that give more than one type of yelds (i.e. 2 production and 2 food).

Pros:

• It would make bonus resources a bigger deal when you're settling your cities, adding more interesting decisions to the game;
• It would make harvest less exploitable, make it more important to keep the resource;
• It would improve trade considerably, adding a whole new variety of items to trade with the AI. Too much food and not enough amenities? Trade some wheat for a luxury;
• It would give the players more control over their empire.

Cons:

• Highly exploitable by the player if the AI doesn't value each resource correctly while trading.

What do you guys think?

 

[Lily_Lancer]

I build a large empire with , say it 100 wheats, and have every city pop like crazy then?

Or 100 deers so every city have extreme production?

 

[leandrombraz]

I build a large empire with , say it 100 wheats, and have every city pop like crazy then?

Or 100 deers so every city have extreme production?

If implemented, it would require some balance on how much yelds they actually give and how much bonus resources of each type exist in a given map. Worse case scenario, just make it work like luxuries and only the first of each type give yelds, though I think the variety of different resources make it unnecessary (luxuries have variety but they all give the same thing, 4 amenities, so the only difference between a unit of whine and silver is the fact that you can't get 8 amenities from two silver). With some proper balance it can work.

 

[leandrombraz]

One way to balance it is to limit how much of a given yeld can go for each city, similar to how each luxury give only one amenity for each city. So even if you have 100 Wheat, each city won't get more than 1 food from your wheat, so you need to trade your wheat for other bonus resource that give food if you want more.

 

[UWHabs]

This could be a good late-game mechanism. Essentially, once "railroads" are online, then your empire becomes much better at moving food around, and then it sort of makes sense in a global environment. That could be another thing that would help remote cities - either they can settle to get some bonus wheat to help other cities, or if your civ has excess from the rest of your empire, then the city gets a boost off the bat to help it develop faster, instead of just using a trade route.

 

[Yevaud]

They did something like this in Civ 4 with corporations. I think it's a decent idea.

 

[Ciarson]

what about "crafted" luxuries? the roman did asked for bread and games, we already got games but we dont have yet the capacity to give bread (and if they cant buy bread give them cake).

something like granary allowing the "crafting" of food luxuries like bread (cattle+ wheat), salted fish (salt +fish), salted meat (cattle +salt, or deer +salt), ...

that would make the luxuries harder to get as it would need 2 bonus ressources and a building.

workshop could build basic luxuries like tools( using extra iron you have), plows (using extra horse you got), clothes (using wool from sheep, or cotton) or jewels (using diamond and/or precious metal).
factories could make complex luxuries like cars.

ofcourse that could make some of the luxuries that we have now less relevant. luxuries like salt could be turned into a bonus ressource that is a component of a luxury instead of being a luxury by itself.
It could however still be both, making first salt being used as luxury (giving +1 amenities in 4 cities) and second salt (that could have been giving +1 amenities to another 4 cities but dont) could be used to craft another luxury (that now would be giving +1 amenities to 4 cities, but rise the problem of a city using salt and salted fish for amenities)

that would in a militaristic way allow for embargoes on a specific bonus ressource to block a nation from crafting some luxuries.

on the same view, some ressources could be specific to building or district. linke incens giving +1 amenities but only to cities with holy site, or wall can only be build if you have a construction material (like clay, stone or concrete (that could be crafted from stone and ? clay?)