Buying Territory without Cities

[Blackbird_SR-71]

i have an idea that would allow people to have claim land without actually having to build city their. this is what happens. when you start a random or made map the game would split all lands into numerous territories. the number of territories could be included in world setup screen. anyways when you start out and settle that land you get that territory. that would mean you would have your national borders extend to the edge of your territory and the next territory. then you would use scouting units to go to different territories to claim them. the catch is that you don't a get a territory for free. instead when you get to the territory you have to pay the base price of the land. the base price can flucuate. say 3 civilizations came to the territory before you but all three didn't have enough gold to buy the territory. then the price would go up. but say the same situation instead all three had the more than enough gold to buy land but didn't buy the territory. the price than would fall. also the base price would be calculated by a number of different factors like, size of land, resources availablility, lakes and river sizes and raretiy, the total amount of shields,commerce,food the land generates, and the terrain there. this would be easily implented into the game and it would make the game pretty fun if you ask me.

what do you think of my idea

 

[SwitchbladeNGC]

It has potential, but I think it should be an option to use.

 

[ManOfMiracles]

Does this mean the creation of the "claimjumper" unit?

 

[CiverDan]

This goes back to the whole city-buying argurment, I would like to see city buying back, but make it a steep cost, and only allow it in pre-industrial areas.

 

[Colonel]

i wouldnt want to buy cities but areas of land and if a city falls into that then i get the city and as for cliaming (been discussed before) you should have like a drawing thing to set up your border but other civs would have to agree. So if you tried claiming have the world they would say no but if you claimed all the land inside your terriotory the would accept also if you tried claiming land that would effectively cut off a civ from other civs they would say no cities would still cliam land as usual

 

[Haradrim]

I think this would turn Civ into a beefed up Risk, or the Conquer the World option of RoN. It may be fun, but as SwitchbladeNGC said, it should be an option, if not only a feature useable in scenarios. I would prefer the latter.

 

[K.F. Huszár]

I think it is a good idea to buy (or seize) some tiles without cities.
AND: what about borders??? Should the moving-borders system remain? (I mean the cultural pressure on an other civ's border)? I think not.

 

[Hank Griffin]

Here are some ideas for ways to claim territory without building a city that don't require the complex purchasing scheme proposed by blackbird or any sort of special "claimjumper" unit.

1) Let a manned fortress exert a claim on the surrounding territory (1 square radius). Possibly include a claim to squares 2 away if connected to the fortification by road.

2) Have a manned outpost exert a claim on the surrounding territory (1 square radius). Make it possible to give any unit the worker ability to self-destruct and create an outpost. Give this ability to Explorers and Conquistadors.

3) Make the square containing a colony be territory of the nation that created the colony. Give colonies an innate culture value of 1. Allow colonies to be built on squares that do not contain a resource.

The territorial claims supported by an outpost or fortress would have a zero culture value and would thus lose out to the expanding borders of a city or colony.

Hank Griffin