Fresh water

[maschinegeist]

Here's something I've been wondering:

How does fresh water figure in the game?
Is it simply a component of Food? ie. Fresh Water (river, lake) + Irrigation = Food
Or does a city need separate access to Fresh Water as well as Food in order to grow? (I don't believe this is the case).

The reason I ask is it would be great to have a separate Fresh Water resource, especially for Modern and Futuristic scenarios, where the scarcity of fresh water could be alleviated by a Desalination Plant improvement which could provide a dry city with enough fresh water to grow. Pillage the plant and the city's in trouble.
Or perhaps the building of a Canal improvement from a Lake could provide fresh water as well.
Fresh water could also become a trade commodity as well, as nations desperate for water must get it from the world market in order to keep their populations going.

Anyway, just wondering

 

[Popcornlord]

Fresh water allows farms to be made and increases the health of cities. But a water resource would be interesting...

 

[maschinegeist]

I think the concept would really fit well with Modern/Futuristic scenarios, adding another reason (scarcity of resources) for civs to duke it out.

I'm not sure how one would separate fresh water out into it's own measurable resource, though. I'm afraid this is beyond my limited XML editing skills.

Anybody out there know how we could go about this?

 

[GeoModder]

Or perhaps the building of a Canal improvement from a Lake could provide fresh water as well.

Oh, you mean an aquaduct.

 

[maschinegeist]

Oh, you mean an aquaduct.

Heh heh , I was trying to avoid reference to the ingame aqueduct which takes [some factor] and turns it into health for a city. I'm looking for a quantifiable Fresh Water resource that can be exploited by improvements (like a new Aqueduct).

But essentially... yeah an Aqueduct .

By canal I was referring more to a very long, multi-tile improvement which could (hopefully) also be used for shipping as well as providing fresh water.
[EDIT] Like what's being suggested in this thread: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=282487

Pipelines would be another idea, which could be built by workers much like they build roads and railroads. Pipelines could also transport oil and gas resources.

 

[Onionsoilder]

Fresh Water is not a resource, and will not boost food production without a Farm. As for the Desalination plant, I like it, but it seems it would be hard to implement it so it adds "Fresh Water" to the city. I think the closest you would get is to preform a river check on the city similar to a Levee or Hydro Plant, but reversed. I'm not sure how you would solve the Fresh Water Lake problem though...

 

[maschinegeist]

I know fresh water isn't currently a resource, what I'm wondering is if there's a way to somehow separate it from Food and make it a resource in and of itself that cities can be dependent upon, in addition to Food.

It's starting to look less and less doable, eh?

 

[Shiggs713]

it would be about as difficult as adding a resource... so fairly easy actually. there's tutorials around here for XML and adding resources, which is about all it would take.

 

[maschinegeist]

it would be about as difficult as adding a resource... so fairly easy actually. there's tutorials around here for XML and adding resources, which is about all it would take.

I agree the resource bit is pretty easy, but what about having city growth dependent upon a fresh water resource? Can that be done through XML?
If so, I'm a happy modder

 

[Popcornlord]

Hmm... You could probably have cities with a small/negative starting health bonus, and then have water give a really large bonus. Or mess in python. The second one would be harder but much less crude.