[GS] How do you handle the oil resource?

[planetfall]

First GS game and the idea of using resources is new but I don't see it explained well. I get that there is a limit on resource production and usage but how does it work in your game play?

In particular,

What is the max number of oil resources you can have, is there a hard limit or just X times the number of oil harvesting tiles?
Is oil only generated by mines and offshore platforms?
Oil is used by power plants and for example aircraft, so say you have 10 cities and want to power at least 7, if not all, and have 10 tanks then you would need at least 6 oil sources? Isn't that hard to do with most oil sea based and not land? So how do you play this version and handle consumable strat resources?

 

[cain3456]

The resource management card gives an extra oil per well.
Nationalism & mobilization let you combine your units, while only using one resource for each corps or army.

 

[pokiehl]

The main way to increase strategic resource stockpile caps is Encampments. Every Encampment building gives you +10 capacity for all strategic resources.

 

[InsidiousMage]

Victor has a promotion that generates more strategic resources for the city he is in so if you have a city with a lot of oil that's a fairly good way to increase your output. Corporate Libertarianism also increases your increase your strategic resource generation generally.

 

[Dragabond]

Going to war for oil is just the thing to do. :U

 

[Patine]

First GS game and the idea of using resources is new but I don't see it explained well. I get that there is a limit on resource production and usage but how does it work in your game play?

In particular,

What is the max number of oil resources you can have, is there a hard limit or just X times the number of oil harvesting tiles?
Is oil only generated by mines and offshore platforms?
Oil is used by power plants and for example aircraft, so say you have 10 cities and want to power at least 7, if not all, and have 10 tanks then you would need at least 6 oil sources? Isn't that hard to do with most oil sea based and not land? So how do you play this version and handle consumable strat resources?

Civ3 had a similar mechanic, and it was annoying as Hell! It's not really a realistic or satisfying way to work strategic resources, and nothing short of gamey to a conspicuous level.

 

[Aurelesk]

Strategic Resources are capped to 50, but the cap can be increased by 10 for each Encampment's buildings on Standard speed (I am repeating pokiehl).

Then, you can find a solution to increase your Oil generation, and to decrease your Oil consumption.

To increase it, you have to improve Oil tiles in your empire with a Rig... or a district. It is said that some people are reloading save files before they discover Oil in order to put District over so that it is instantly worked when it is discovered. It works, but it doesn't feel like fair practice.
Then as said by Cain and Insidious, you can chose the Corporate Libertarianism, slot the Resource Management policy card and/or use Viktor (+1 Oil per improvement).

You can secure more by expanding your empire: many can be found in Snow or Desert biome. Use Ctrl+F to search for Oil on the map. Or, as said by Dragabond, you can also conquer your neighbor that have Oil too. If some City-states have Oil, you can seek suzerain status, or send Amani with the Foreign Investor title that allows to enjoy the strategic resources even if not suzerain (or double it if suzerain). There is also a Great Merchant that grants +3 Oil per turn. Or, you can buy it from other Civilization.

To decrease the consumption, you can change your Oil Power Plant to either a Coal Power Plant or a Nuclear Power Plant. You can also build the Hydroelectric Dam building, or put some Solar Farms, Wind Farms or Geothermal Plant: by giving additional Power, it reduces the need there less Oil is converted into Power.

You can form Corps or Army to reduce the strategic maintenance (as said by Cain), or directly sell those units so that the others units do not suffer from the lack of Oil penalty. You can compensate by producing Oil-less units instead (Bombers and Helicopters are fueled by Aluminium).

 

[vorlon_mi]

Civ3 had a similar mechanic, and it was annoying as Hell! It's not really a realistic or satisfying way to work strategic resources, and nothing short of gamey to a conspicuous level.

In Civ3, one either has oil (or iron, horses, coal, aluminum) or one does not. When your empire only has one source, and the RNG Gods decide that it will deplete, it is annoying as hell. It's an incentive to conquer more land to get more than one source.

In Civ6, developing the hex where oil is located adds N oil to your stockpile *per turn*. One does not want to harvest/clear away a strategic resource like chopping a forest. As @pokiehl notes, the max size of your stockpile can increase when you build Encampment districts. Oil Power Plants and certain units drain from your stockpile *per turn*. I've sometimes been successful in buying 5, 10, or 20 of a strategic resource from an AI. Conquering more land to get more sources of Oil is helpful, just as in Civ3. The sources don't deplete, but your stockpile can go to zero if you are draining it faster than it is filling.

 

[planetfall]

In the resources screen, for each resource there is a listing: Num1/Nun2+Num3
What do those mean?
num1== available?
num2== max available?
num3== actual resources activated

 

[cain3456]

^
num1 is the amount of resource on hand
num2 is your maximum capacity, increased by building up encampments
num3 is your delta, the amount of change each turn

 

[planetfall]

thank you