[IDEA] Economic building mod

[GoodGame]

Ok, we've seen the idea before in Civ3 Conquests and Colonization!, and it might just get ported in the new Colonization!, but lets .

Rather than using it to model more commodities like in a raw material to consumer system, it could actually fit the strategy of Civ4 of providing city specialization and more , , , , etc.. And thematically, it'd help a civ stand out. No longer would your civ just be that civ with the huge fur stockpile, but it could also be the only civ with a couture shop culture.

And it might be modified and improved by research. Appropriate techs already in place being currency, guilds, economics, radio, etc..

Ok, preamble aside, the base idea:

1. Each commodity or group of commodities gets a city building. Effectively Civ4 already has that for foodstuffs: harbors/granaries, and groceries/supermarkets and for some of the luxuries: forges.

2. The flavor of the new buildings is not to make new commodities but provide a way for using it. The buildings should mostly give a small additive bonus to culture and wealth, about equivalent to a monastery (for game balance) and much less than a settled great person. E.g. +2-3 , , :research:, , etc..

3. The effects of the new building are totally based in being in supply for the dependent resource. E.g. no gold, no +1 from the forge.


For the overall balance, I think the buildings should have about a total +4 additive bonus and about a +10% to keep them about equal to a monastery, but still reflect that it's harder to get the resource than a religion.


Ok, resource-building pairs that I think are lacking, and suggestions:

1. wine/wheat/rice/sugar/corn

- vinter-tavern-bar
+ (per multiple of alchohol type +1 ). No multiples of per alcohol type, just an extra +1 for this building.


2. dye/fur (fur automatically in effect with Plastics)

- clothier-tailor +2 for fur: +2 for dye
possibly +10% culture flat.
with Plastics.


3. gold/silver/bronze/gems - forge-jeweler

+1 per resource type at forge on top of existing forge benefits.


4. whale---harbor

+2 , +2 , +1 for extra food source, for whalebone and whale oil.
Arguably the culture could become negative over time, say with Television, if the game is tweaked to make whales not go obsolete.


5. sugar/spice---tavern-resturaunt

+1 +2 per resource, and a flat +1 flat the building.


To be decided, building costs, verification that the bonuses are thematic, how these building might modify over time/technology, and a double check that these match up to a slightly strong monastery.

 

[GoodGame]

Ok, next discussion: How the buildings are effected by technology?

First, how do these building arise? I'd say it's from both the marketplace and the guild structure, so I'd say these building are allowed to be built in any city that has a marketplace, and then automatically once Guilds is researched. The material requirement for building these is that resource must be in possession at the start of the build (e.g. must have fur when the city starts building the clothier-tailor).

Next question is what modifies the buildings thematically? First thought is how does resource use change over time (broken down by resource)?

Alcohol basically doesn't change, except once one gets to Mass Media. At that point, I'd say it becomes bigger business, maybe a +10% at that point.

Food basically doesn't change until canning/packaging at about the factory, when preservation becomes easier, and changes again with the supermarket. Possibly more bonuses are needed at about Mass Production, and I'd think the main effect would be on troop support costs. Possibly troop support costs go down per food type per factory or at Mass Production, but I'm not very versed on how those work (Anyone care to improve on this base idea?).
Arguably with Mass Media, cultural aspects of food become more important, and a round of bonuses per food type to represent ethnic cuisine being marketed would be sound.

Whaling becomes unpopular with Mass Media (television), but really it doesn't go obselete as it does in the stock game. Whaling still exists in sea nations that lack food independence to modern day. I think the fix is actually a cultural penalty (maybe 10%) for whaling per harbor, for improving a whale tile with a workboat.

Fur is replaced with Plastics, but clothing and fashion never goes obsolete. Mass Production and Mass Media together increase commerce, so probably a +10% at the tailor. This is a freebie given that Plastics obsoletes fur. I think probably chemistry should obsolete dye, or at least Biology (as biochemistry) obsoleteing dye to give and extra +10% . So in short Biology+Mass Prod+Mass Media = +10% , and Plastics+Mass Prod+Mass Media = another +10% for having a tailor.

Jewelry from metals/gems never goes out of style, but modern production and science makes it more widely available in grades. Net effect should be more , maybe +10% with mass commerce at Mass Media and Mass Production, at the forge-jeweler. I could see Bronze jewelry going out of style with say Guilds, as it's more of a bronze age thing.


On Guilds, I think a +1 to +2 per economic building (excepting markets/banks) would be reasonable and in line with +1 at workshops. If that unbalances the game play of these building, possibly take away a from the intial starting building concept.


Any comments on this aspect?