Community Feature: Gold!

[Tylerryan79]

I already asked this but I will ask again just in case you skipped it . So we run out of cash, and then our science starts getting deducted 1 for every 1 gold we are under, but will our units start being disbanded once we are at 0 gold?

Also Greg, yes I understand what your saying about trade routes. Thanks!

 

[2K Greg]

I already asked this but I will ask again just in case you skipped it . So we run out of cash, and then our science starts getting deducted 1 for every 1 gold we are under, but will our units start being disbanded once we are at 0 gold?

Also Greg, yes I understand what your saying about trade routes. Thanks!

I am not sure what happens if your research drops to zero. But I mean... man. If you're at that point... the "resign" button is up there at the top of the screen

 

[Calouste]

I already asked this but I will ask again just in case you skipped it . So we run out of cash, and then our science starts getting deducted 1 for every 1 gold we are under, but will our units start being disbanded once we are at 0 gold?

Also Greg, yes I understand what your saying about trade routes. Thanks!

Pretty hard work to run through both your cash and and your science. Science is produced at a rate of at least 1 science per population point. But if you manage to do that, the bailiffs will show up and seize your computer

 

[Gre_Magus]

Greg, since you're being unbelievably responsive, what about trade routes with foreign cities? Is that possible?

 

[Tylerryan79]

I think they are sleeping over at the 2k forums, only one person asked a question there..... And AriochIV busts out some knowledge on deficit spending, booyay!! There all probably like, what!!! How does he know this? Ask questions??? Say whaaaat?

@Greg- I like to push things to the limit sometimes...... Can we spend science like gold at that point? If so I'll be going through gold, then science, then Ill have to move to my culture, then MAYBE I'll think about quiting.

Also you quoted one of my questions, then answered another. I did ask what happens if research hits zero(thanks) but you quoted about units disbanding, like in civ iv if you hit 0 gold soldiers start going bye bye. Does this happen, along with science spending, or will science foot the bill?

 

[ThERat]

Ok, maybe this is a foolish question,but nevertheless important. Are trade posts an improvement by itself (meaning it can be built everywhere on top of other improvements on that tile) or more like the Civ 4 cottage?

I hope it's not the former as everyone would spam trade posts for higher gold output.

 

[Kramer3980]

I'm 99% sure it cannot be built on top of other improvements

 

[AriochIV]

I'm 99% sure it cannot be built on top of other improvements

I'll add an additional .9% certainty to that. We've seen dozens of these things, and never with another improvement.

 

[JonoLith]

If a city is connected by a road and/or harbor to your capital city, that city has a “trade route” with the capital. Each trade route is worth a certain amount of gold each turn, determined by the size of the two cities.

This is the most interesting part of the article to me, as it does represent a significant change in the way trade routes work, in general.

It seems to me that trade routes will be largely passive, but will also be extremely easy to track. You know where each trade route is connected to, and where each trade route is going, so that much is excellent compared to all other civilization games.

My only real questions would revolve around getting more specific with the trade routes. What's the formula for figuring out how much gold a city will produce? Yes, it's been said that the population size of both cities factor in, but how? Is there a base amount of gold that a trade route is worth, and then larger cities just add onto that base? Will it be worth my time to try and cut these routes off from my enemies? How does the Arabian ability of adding 1 gold per trade route stack up? Doesn't this encourage them to have an expansion strategy, or is 1 extra gold to little?

I have many questions.

 

[2K Greg]

Greg, since you're being unbelievably responsive, what about trade routes with foreign cities? Is that possible?

I believe there are no trade routes with foreign cities. That mechanic is only for your own cities to your capitol.

 

[alanthreonus]

I believe there are no trade routes with foreign cities. That mechanic is only for your own cities to your capitol.

I don't like this both in terms of gameplay and realism. It seems like one of the motivations for different civs to remain friendly should be for the trade. Are intercontinental trade routes still more lucrative like in BtS?

 

[helpless_writer]

I don't like this both in terms of gameplay and realism. It seems like one of the motivations for different civs to remain friendly should be for the trade. Are intercontinental trade routes still more lucrative like in BtS?

Yeah, considering back in Civ IV you needed a road or to discover a water route to trade with another civ... does this mean we just have to know them to trade or what?

I mean I would love to be able to cut off a civ's trade route and then a 3rd party gets mad at me for cutting their resources or if someone cuts my routes the people I trade with get upset

 

[King Jason]

After typing this in a different thread it occured to me it might be more on topic here, since reading the gold info just now is what made the idea pop into my head anyway. So here's that;

For an expansion they should consider integrating a system where you can invest your gold into civ-wide benefits. For example, being able to invest (using fake numbers here) 10g per turn to obtain a constant military bonus (+1 str to units, something silly like that)... as long as you continue to invest the X gold per turn, you gain continue to gain the effect. You could have multiple trees/branches, similar to the policy system, but rather make the trees more linear. Have trees emphasize military, growth, etc... as you progress down a tree you reap greater benefits at the cost of greater gold per turn. For example, Military Bonus #1 (1 str to units) would be 10gpt, but bonus #2 might be a total of 20-30gpt.

With multiple trees, and the earlier bonii being cheaper, this would allow choice in how dedicated you want to be to a certain kind of investment. If you're serious about investing in superior military, you just may be prepared to spend tons of gold per turn to reap those specific bonii.. However, if you'd rather spread that 50gpt around, you could get lower levels of various different investment opportunities.

I think something like this, if refined and actually worked on as more of 3 minute thought, would strengthen the value of the dollar... I mean gold. (that was a joke)

Oh, and it also gives the choice of whether you want to hoard gold or spend it for civ-wide bonii. If you begin to lose gold, and reach zero, you'd be forced to abandon a particular investment, and thus lose the bonus, while simultaneously bringing you back into +g -- which would actually create the dynamic of hoarding for a period so that one might invest for a period later... for example, if (still using random fake numbers) it's 100gpt to invest fully in the military tree and gain all of it's cool goodies, but you only make 50g... you might hoard gold for 20 turns to get a surplus 1000g, then declare war, being able to fully invest in military bonii (100gpt) for 10 turns.

In fact it could even be designed around the concept of "temporary buffs" to begin with... since such concepts are already in place with research pacts and golden ages (which aren't gold related... but ARE a temporary buff). That could give research pervue of civ advancement, culture dominion of persistant bonii that affect your entire game, and gold the domain of investing in short term boosts (which requires diverting gold from what you'd otherwise regularly use it for).

could be interesting.

On a different note, I find it interesting that science is what get's affected by running a deficit, I'm also curious how much one needs to be aware of the going-ons of gold in the first place.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

No trade route with foreign cities?

 

[AriochIV]

No trade route with foreign cities?

That's what the man just said, yes.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

That's what the man just said, yes.

I know you have been quite helpful around here, spending time carefully on what will be the features of this game piece by piece, but doesn't this worry you?

 

[bjbrains]

I know you have been quite helpful around here, spending time carefully on what will be the features of this game piece by piece, but doesn't this worry you?

The removal of what was functionally a small commerce boost for having connections/open borders doesn't concern me at all. It's not like there was much interaction or interesting gameplay in Civ 4's random-calculation (and amazing performance taxing) trade routes. I'm much more interested in the new trade route system.

 

[QuantumPion]

So I guess there are no inter-city trade routes for straight up gold, and foreign trade is only important for exchanging resources then?

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

The removal of what was functionally a small commerce boost for having connections/open borders doesn't concern me at all. It's not like there was much interaction or interesting gameplay in Civ 4's random-calculation (and amazing performance taxing) trade routes. I'm much more interested in the new trade route system.

So the new trade route system is not about having the full functionality of having to have open connection with other Civilizations by way of harbors and roads, but simply to make one small contact with them and then you can have the benefits of trading resources, and interestingly to bribe them with gold. Kinda curious what option will you get for the bribery part?

 

[Calouste]

The removal of what was functionally a small commerce boost for having connections/open borders doesn't concern me at all. It's not like there was much interaction or interesting gameplay in Civ 4's random-calculation (and amazing performance taxing) trade routes. I'm much more interested in the new trade route system.

Besides that, we know that it is still possible to trade resources with other civs and maybe city states, so it's not like that is all gone. And then there are of course research pacts, which are also a boost to the economy for which you need to kep the peace.