Flexable area of influence

[Duke_of_BOOM!]

I am sick of putting my cities in a grid like pattern, what would be nice instead would be the ablity to offset the center square of the area of influence by one and offset it a square in any direction.

While I like the idea of User defined areas of influence, it might be too much micromanaging.

 

[warpstorm]

Why not just move your city one square over?

 

[Duke_of_BOOM!]

Sometimes you can't due to mountains or coastline.

 

[t3h_m013]

i like the idea, you could also then avoid cities sharing so many squares...
maybe a differenct shape grid would help. e.g. octagons not squares

 

[mitsho]

:top:

mfG mitsho

 

[covenant]

Why a grid at all, why not do movement by this unit can move this much space in a any direction...minus or plus for terrain type and you can plant cities anywhere. Resources would be a measurement or type by the square area around the city.

Or another would be, shrink the grid to like 1/100th what it is now. Its there but you dont see it. Gives alot more latitude and all resources are just jut cut down in proportion.

And the hexagon is a much better grid, then squares. Movement and spacing is more natural on a hexagon.

 

[t3h_m013]

i was thinking a hexagon, but then you can only move 6 directions, whereas a grid and octagons allow 8 directions...

i think a much smaller grid would be a good idea, maybe half the size, units take up 4 squares but move 1 set of squares at a time and have double movement values.

 

[PeteAtoms]

i think a much smaller grid would be a good idea, maybe half the size, units take up 4 squares but move 1 set of squares at a time and have double movement values.

I like this idea also. And then different units could take up different # of tiles, tanks would abviously take up more tiles than an archer

 

[Elgalad]

I personally like the notion of changing to a hex based system. Cities would start out occupying one hex, then as they grow occupy 3, then 4, and finally 7 adjacent hexes. Capturing a city would involve more than just attacking one point, and might actually require surrounding/besieging a metro area or reducing it's population (and hex area) to a more manageable size. This might even allow inner city fighting if two or more factions occupy areas of a city.

-Elgalad

 

[PeteAtoms]

Thats a good point Elgalad, i'd also like to see different size cities occupying different # of tiles.

 

[Elgalad]

Had a few more thoughts about the multi-hex based city idea. Given the patterns hexes fall into, I think the best shape/sizes would be 1 hex (village/hamlet), 3 hexes (town/small city), 4 hexes (city-state), and 7 hexes (metropolis). I wonder if we can break from the granary paradigm we have now, where granaries only increase city population growth. I would think a granary or some other form of permanent food storage and distribution is a Necessity for a city to grow in size/area. A growing town should also have a center for non resource gathering activity (barracks, temple, or library) as well. For this reason I suggest that to advance from a village (1 hex) to a town (3 hexes) you would need a 'town hall' type building and a granary Or alternately 4 irrigated land parcels of grassland, plains, or hills, Or one special agricultural resource like cows, pigs, wheat, corn, tropical fruit, or fish within the city radius. To grow from a town to city (3 to 4 hexes) you will need some form of government structure (a courthouse, castle, or forum comes to mind, alternately a university or cathedral would work. Palace automatically counts as one of these as well.) and fresh water in abundant supply, so fit in the aqueduct and/or fresh water river/lake. From city (4 hex) to metro (7 hex) a hospital And a Provincial capital (new building or small wonder, can not be built within 12 hexes of another Provincial capital). That limits your metros and spreads them out some. Palace counts as one of these two, so the National Capital wouldn't need a provincial building.

Also would like to see the city's radius grow, not just once, and not from cultural expansion either, but from the population size. Culture should affect nation's borders sure, but not a city's needs! A one hex village would only support 7 resource gatherers in the 6 hexes around the village and village itself. That's a radius of 1. A three hex town would support 9 hexes around the village and the town itself for a total of 12 (radius 1). Four hex city-states would support 18 hexes around the city and the 4 in the core for a total of 22 (radius 1.5). Seven hex metropolis' would support 30 hexes around the city and the 7 inside for a total of 37 (radius 2).


Civ 3 Current Size and Support:

Settlement/Town = 9 square support (8 rural, 1 core)
City/Metro = 21 square support (20 rural, 1 core)


Suggested City Size and Support:

Village = 7 hex support (6 rural, 1 core)
Town = 12 hex support (9 rural, 3 core)
City = 22 hex support (18 rural, 4 core)
Metro = 37 hex support (30 rural, 7 core)

Civ 3 Current Growth:


Settlement/Town (9) + 10 Culture = City/Metro (21)


Growth Suggestion:

Village (7) + Food source (Granary, food resource, or 4 irrigated hexes) + Community Building (barracks, temple, or library) = Town (12)

Town (12) + Fresh water (lake, river, or Aqueduct) + Government building (Palace, Forbidden Palace, University, Cathedral, Courthouse, Castle/Keep, or Forum) = City (22)

City (22) + Hospital + Provincial Building (Palace, Forbidden Palace, Statehouse, or Provincial Capitol) = Metro (37)


Civ 3 Current max Population:

Town (6) + Aqueduct or River/Lake = City (12)
City (12) + Hospital = Metro (unlimited except by food)

Projected max Population:

This would be strictly a function of excess food. Any other considerations (water, government) are already factored in by the requirements for the city's size.


Understanding this would require shifts in paradigm from the old system, I'm interested in comments. Please dont just say, "too complicated", be specific

-Elgalad