Can I mine this?

[sbrylski06]

Will I be able to connect this resourse into my city network? It is my only source of copper. If I can't, I have a site for a new city picked out, but I would have to hurray as its away from my borders:

Also, I have only been playing Civ IV for two days, but early game copper and iron pretty much are the same, correct? What about later? Are the two interchangable or should I ensure that I have both?

 

[Cosmichail]

You could mine it but won't be in trade network unfortunately. You would have to settle a city on it to get it. Also Iron/Copper are not interchangable only macemen can use either. Swords need Iron and Axeman either. However later in the game you will find Iron is needed for a great many things and copper too. For instance you can't build frigates without iron. Copper helps building cathedral if I recall correctly so get both if you can. If anything iron is more crucial then copper in the long run and have noticed it is more readily available.

EDIT: Hint: Make sure you work your mines (citizen working it) and eventually some mineral will pop up.

 

[Sisiutil]

Actually, since that copper island is not within your cultural borders, you can't build a mine there. However, once the cultural borders of that city to the northwest expand to include it, yes, you can build a mine there and yes, it will be in your trade network because it is connected to your mainland by coastal tiles. Coastal tiles count as a trade route, like roads or rivers, IIRC.

What will be funny is to see it again in about 1800 or so when you build a railroad to nowhere on that tile just to increase its production...

 

[El Koeno]

The problem is cultural borders act funny around islands I think. I saw a post about it a few days ago, but can't find it right now.

 

[Ballisto]

I think you have to build a road on the island for it to be connected... can anyone confirm?

 

[Nares]

I think you have to build a road on the island for it to be connected... can anyone confirm?

EDIT: It should be connectable. Just wait for those borders to expand and build the mine. Worst case is that you need to build a road.

 

[The Tyrant]

You would have to settle a city on it to get it.

But since that tile is within two tiles of another city, that won't be possible.

 

[frogger3d]

What will be funny is to see it again in about 1800 or so when you build a railroad to nowhere on that tile just to increase its production...

That would be useless because no city is using it aside from being a resource.

I'm not sure even that will work. I once had a resource on an island which I did use in the city with road and all, but it would not pop up as a resource... I have no savegame to prove it though..

sbrylski06, did you get the resource after it came in your cultural borders?

 

[naterator]

It should be connectable. Just wait for those borders to expand and build the mine. Worst case is that you need to build a road.

i'm pretty sure that it's NOT connectable. a river or city is required to connect roads to the coast.

 

[Dagoril]

My coal popped up on an island like that in a One City Challenge game I was playing. I never did manage to build any railroads on the mainland. The island was inside my cultural borders, I even put a road on it (which became a railroad on that island only), but i couldn't build rail on the mainland.

 

[cabert]

silly message removed

 

[MrCynical]

Actually, since that copper island is not within your cultural borders, you can't build a mine there. However, once the cultural borders of that city to the northwest expand to include it, yes, you can build a mine there and yes, it will be in your trade network because it is connected to your mainland by coastal tiles. Coastal tiles count as a trade route, like roads or rivers, IIRC.

It doesn't work if you try it out. You have to have a city on the same island with a connection to the resource. You'd have ot found a city on the copper itself to access it. Incidentally, although you have another city only two tiles away, you can do this, since it's on a different island. The minimum city spacing only applies to cities on the same landmass.

 

[Cosmichail]

I once had a game with a inlet and at the end of the land mass a small mtn range cutting off the rest of my civ, leaving two tiles, one with sugar. So I thought well cultural borders and a road will make that become part of my resources. NOT Didn't happen.... I had to settle on it.

Same with an island (single tile resource)how would a road connect it to the trade network anyways, it is not connected to anything. Can be frustrating if that's the only source of iron/copper you can get to. Settle on it but the city will be useless for a long time until US or if you do some whipping although good for science with water tiles.