Fanatic Demon
Student in Wizardry
Let's brainstorm on how to improve terrain effects in Civ4 
Here are some ideas:
- every terrain should have 6 terrain costs types: legs, wheel, tracked, float, dive and hover
- every unit has one movement type and movement speed
- units can have terrain promotions that modify movement in %
Examples:
• Mounted: gives 100% speed on plains, 75% on grass and 50% on tundra terrain
• All terrain: +100% all terrain
• Alpine: + 100% movement in mountains, snow hills, ice, snow flatland and 50% on tundra terrain
• Motorized: +100% road movement
- movement speed over railroad should be equal for all units which can be transported by rail.
- when moving between different terrain types, both beginning and ending terrain types influences movement cost
- movement over river cost movement points, except when unit is amphibious or a bridge is available
- movement downstream a river will low movement cost allow units to travel faster
- movement inside zone of control of an enemy unit cost movement point
- movement cost inside enemy zone of control depend on enemy units ZoC strength
- roads modify the movement cost by a %, allowing roads over hills to be slower then roads over flat terrain.
- road construction cost is modified by terrain
- special tunnel improvements should be buildable in mountain terrain, allowing units to travel trough mountains
- when unit has insufficient movement and has less than half of requirement movement cost, it cannot move in the terrain
- when unit has insufficient movement and has more than half of requirement movement cost, it can move into the terrain but, it receives exhaustion points equal to the shortage in movement cost
- when a unit has exhaustion points a the beginning of the turn, it loses movement points equal to the number of exhaustion
- terrain defence bonus depend 50% on surrounding terrain instead of current plot only, this allows terrain between mountains/hills/woods/coasts to be better defendable
- depending on the number and angle of enemy units have with each other, a defending unit looses its terrain defence bonus:
Examples:
1 unit: 0 %
2 units 45% angle -15%
2 units 90% angle -30%
2 units 135% angle -45%
2 units 180% angle -60%
3 units 45% + 45% angle : -30%
3 units 90% + 90% angle : -60%
3 units 90% + 135% angle : -75%
4 units 45% + 45% + 45% angle : -45%
4 units 90% + 90% + 90% angle : -90%
5 units 45% +45% + 45% + 45% angle: -60%
5 units 90% +45% + 45% + 45% angle: -75%
5 units 90% +90% + 45% + 45% angle: -90%
6 units 45% +45% + 45% + 45% + 45% angle: -75%
6 units 90% +45% + 45% + 45% + 45% angle: -90%
7 units 45% +45% + 45% + 45% + 45% + 45% angle: -90%
8 units 45% +45% + 45% + 45% + 45% + 45% + 45% angle: -100% (completely surrounded)
- terrain has base maximum fortification level
- units have a fortification level modifier that allows an increase/decrease the maximum fortification level
- units have a fortification bonus modifier
- units have a defensive retreat percentage
- success of defensive retreat is modified by impassable terrain and blocking enemy units surrounding a unit (this will allow you to kill cornered units)
Here are some ideas:
- every terrain should have 6 terrain costs types: legs, wheel, tracked, float, dive and hover
- every unit has one movement type and movement speed
- units can have terrain promotions that modify movement in %
Examples:
• Mounted: gives 100% speed on plains, 75% on grass and 50% on tundra terrain
• All terrain: +100% all terrain
• Alpine: + 100% movement in mountains, snow hills, ice, snow flatland and 50% on tundra terrain
• Motorized: +100% road movement
- movement speed over railroad should be equal for all units which can be transported by rail.
- when moving between different terrain types, both beginning and ending terrain types influences movement cost
- movement over river cost movement points, except when unit is amphibious or a bridge is available
- movement downstream a river will low movement cost allow units to travel faster
- movement inside zone of control of an enemy unit cost movement point
- movement cost inside enemy zone of control depend on enemy units ZoC strength
- roads modify the movement cost by a %, allowing roads over hills to be slower then roads over flat terrain.
- road construction cost is modified by terrain
- special tunnel improvements should be buildable in mountain terrain, allowing units to travel trough mountains
- when unit has insufficient movement and has less than half of requirement movement cost, it cannot move in the terrain
- when unit has insufficient movement and has more than half of requirement movement cost, it can move into the terrain but, it receives exhaustion points equal to the shortage in movement cost
- when a unit has exhaustion points a the beginning of the turn, it loses movement points equal to the number of exhaustion
- terrain defence bonus depend 50% on surrounding terrain instead of current plot only, this allows terrain between mountains/hills/woods/coasts to be better defendable
- depending on the number and angle of enemy units have with each other, a defending unit looses its terrain defence bonus:
Examples:
1 unit: 0 %
2 units 45% angle -15%
2 units 90% angle -30%
2 units 135% angle -45%
2 units 180% angle -60%
3 units 45% + 45% angle : -30%
3 units 90% + 90% angle : -60%
3 units 90% + 135% angle : -75%
4 units 45% + 45% + 45% angle : -45%
4 units 90% + 90% + 90% angle : -90%
5 units 45% +45% + 45% + 45% angle: -60%
5 units 90% +45% + 45% + 45% angle: -75%
5 units 90% +90% + 45% + 45% angle: -90%
6 units 45% +45% + 45% + 45% + 45% angle: -75%
6 units 90% +45% + 45% + 45% + 45% angle: -90%
7 units 45% +45% + 45% + 45% + 45% + 45% angle: -90%
8 units 45% +45% + 45% + 45% + 45% + 45% + 45% angle: -100% (completely surrounded)
- terrain has base maximum fortification level
- units have a fortification level modifier that allows an increase/decrease the maximum fortification level
- units have a fortification bonus modifier
- units have a defensive retreat percentage
- success of defensive retreat is modified by impassable terrain and blocking enemy units surrounding a unit (this will allow you to kill cornered units)
