Missing resources in civ4

[HoMM3 fanatic]

Sorry if this has been discussed here before, but after seeing that thread about missing wonders I thought I could make one about resources too.

*Tar, giving boost to ship production (+50% ??) around middle ages, maybe expires later. It was missing from civ3 too and I think it really should be in game, it was very important resource associated with seafaring.

*Tobacco, $ with plantation, +1 happiness and maybe something negative effects too, like unhealthiness?

*Rubber, don´t know if it´s needed but it was in civ3 as a strategic resource, why not in civ4?

 

[Lightwave]

Sorry if this has been discussed here before, but after seeing that thread about missing wonders I thought I could make one about resources too.

*Tar, giving boost to ship production (+50% ??) around middle ages, maybe expires later. It was missing from civ3 too and I think it really should be in game, it was very important resource associated with seafaring.

*Tobacco, $ with plantation, +1 happiness and maybe something negative effects too, like unhealthiness?

*Rubber, don´t know if it´s needed but it was in civ3 as a strategic resource, why not in civ4?

Someone in the past has mentioned coffee or tea, two nearly world wide resources.

I agree with rubber, but from a similar discussion a while back, there did not seem to be many people that want another strategic resource.

I don't think I agree with tar. Is it really that strategic of a resource? I would classify it under the same logic that caused them to omit Saltpeter for CivIV. It seems that it would be generally available enough to not matter. I could be wrong though.

 

[HoMM3 fanatic]

I´d still like to see tars impact on shipbuilding, it was traded a lot in middleages since not everyone had quality tar.

 

[Mesix]

Tobacco, Coffee, and Tea would be nice additions.

 

[Imrahil91]

Chicken as food resource. It's a very important resource IRL

 

[LemonJello]

I can see the importance of rubber; it was one of the resources Japan needed in WWII that led to them controlling much of the Pacific, along with iron, aluminum (bauxite?) and oil.

A few more luxuries would never be a bad thing.

 

[Munch]

Coffee and tea are obvious oversights, they should definitely be in!

What about potatoes? They're pretty nice. Oh and hemp too, naturally.

 

[Silbeg]

*Tar, giving boost to ship production (+50% ??) around middle ages, maybe expires later. It was missing from civ3 too and I think it really should be in game, it was very important resource associated with seafaring.

Rather than this, I would change it to allow earlier usage of oil. In fact, generally speaking, isn't tar just petroleum that has bubbled to the surface?

If I am wrong, great. However, something like this could add an earlier use to oil.
However, that being said, I wouldn't say +50%... I would perhaps allow +1 while ship building, else it becomes over rated.

 

[GT_OKEZ]

At least you have free gunpowder in Civ4 . Its only a tech and not a resource .

 

[Lightwave]

Rather than this, I would change it to allow earlier usage of oil. In fact, generally speaking, isn't tar just petroleum that has bubbled to the surface?

If I am wrong, great. However, something like this could add an earlier use to oil.
However, that being said, I wouldn't say +50%... I would perhaps allow +1 while ship building, else it becomes over rated.

That is an interesting approach. After he mentioned tar, I looked it up on wikipedia, and there are several different kinds of tar. Oil can be used of course, but mostly it is from coal processing though I do not know how much about coal processing was known "back then." But still, the article says that wood tar was what was actually used to waterproof sails and boats back then.

Still, given a number of other discussions here on this site, (which I partly agree with) striving for perfect realism may actually hinder playing the game. At least, it is something to keep in mind as news ideas are considered (which is fun to do) and whether or how they will impact the playability of the game.

It might be a good idea in the sense of providing a strategic resource requirement for historically important units such as ships that have no resource requirement in the game, but I am a little apprehensive about including the effects of tar in ship building particularly after I read that wood tar was what was used (mostly?). For example, iron is not included as a resource requirement for tanks and modern ships though obviously they require quite a bit of iron. I think the reason is that they did not want so many resource restrictions on building units that you had to control "half the world" to compete.

 

[t_yl_nd]

yes i agree with tobacco, chicken and tea

and i think octopus can be a important resource for Japan or China etc.

 

[Bushface]

Tomatos. (What went into Italian food before tomatos were brought in ?)

 

[Cataphract887]

Salt is by far the biggest item missing from cIV. It has not been rare in history for salt to be more valuable than gold, and has been even used as currency. However, these times are long gone and now salt is a throwaway item obtainable in bulk. I suspect this is the main reason Salt is not in the game as opposed to Gold, which still retains some value. That is to say, firaxis is ignorant about salt's importance. Note that most, if not all, of civs resources still have large value at present day.

 

[Ekmek]

is there a pack of new resources that a modder did somewhere?

 

[Silbeg]

Salt is by far the biggest item missing from cIV. It has not been rare in history for salt to be more valuable than gold, and has been even used as currency. However, these times are long gone and now salt is a throwaway item obtainable in bulk. I suspect this is the main reason Salt is not in the game as opposed to Gold, which still retains some value. That is to say, firaxis is ignorant about salt's importance. Note that most, if not all, of civs resources still have large value at present day.

Salt would be good.
A salt resource would add directly, but should probably give a benefit to the cities. Probably take a mine to harvest, right? So, it probably adds or something, if not more like gold.

Interesting thought.

Remember, the word "salary" comes from the Latin word for salt, which is how the legions were paid.

 

[VLGoldenJew]

HoMM3 Fanatic, I really like the idea of resources like tar that aren't pre-requisite strategic (meaning you need them to make a unit), but do give a bonus to production. Much like stone and walls/castle, for example. You'd probably want to make it a more minor bonus-- like 10-20%, but it'd add an extra dimension without wreaking havoc if you can't find the resource (like games where you have no iron or copper, ugh). Then again, I am a resource whore

 

[t_yl_nd]

There is a patch which called Total Realism. it includes salt, potatoes, saltpeter, cotton . there are many different resource but i forgot. you should download this mod. its fantastic....

 

[HoMM3 fanatic]

I´ve tried that mod but didn´t like it as it was too full of everything. I didn´t even get to research everything in time. There´s just too much of everything, and does it btw even work with bts? I´d only like to see some minor additions and improvements and especially new interesting innovations instead of thousands of more or less useless units/buildings/tehcs.

 

[RuddagerRustin]

Coffee and/or tea. +1

and +1

in your cities.

Coca plant. +1

and -1

for cities until Chemistry, then +5

-5

 

[Jaja]

We also have to reconsider what actually IS a resource... par example, cattle shouldn't REALLY be a resource, since you can have them anywhere where there is grass etc. So they should be more like an improvement on grassland tiles, and maybe plains too, but less profitable there, or something.
Same thing with wheat. Isn't wheat just your everyday farm?
Kinda the same thing with coffee and tea. Sure, the places where you can grow them is limited, and their natural recurring area is also special, but as you can grow it really large scale if you have the right climate, they shouldn't really be in.
I do agree with Salt though. It is naturally recurring and kindof hard to find on other places than those. The largest boost in commerce should be lost with economics, corporations or some other late renaissance theoretic tech.
Tar is perhaps quite replacable. Par example, we might as well put in textiles or something. I mean, you can't really build a old ship without fabric in the sails, right? But of course, pretty much every civilization throughout history could create fabrics. Tar is pretty much the same.