new resources, resource managment, and more

[Pathetic Leader]

I posted a thread a while ago about some new resources, and stockpiling. This post replaces that, and hopefull it will broaden the ideas a little.

Idea 1, Resource mangement. First of all I suggested a stock pile. From this ou could build troops etc. The problem with this is it ma make the game a little more tedious. Although it does have the benefit that the all or nothing gambit is cancelled out.

The stock pile would be replenished by workers. The more workers on a resource the quicker the stockpile will grow. The further the resource is from your cities, the longer it takes for it to reach the stockpile.

An addition to this could be that certain resources have a limit, where others are replenishable ie oil is a finite resource but trees can be re-planted. This would make management of resources more critical and trade more important.

Idea 2, aq couple or more new resources, but tie them into existing gameplay.

Beofre you can build your most basic of city improvmens you would need to (research arboriculture/lumberjacking? and) have access to forests (or plan your own). Once you have cleared a forest you can replant it. With this lumber (and maybe Carpentry) you can then buil wooden buildings, such as barracks, primitive city walls, banquetting hall (the first improvement to keep your pop happy as stone is needed for temples). You can also build wooden units such as ships and catapults

Stone could be quarried to allow you to build more permanent structures such as temples and much stronger walls, the granary, palaces wonders etc. Stone, however would be a finite resource.

Clay could also be quarried, with pottery you would have a luxury (pots and ceramics) to export and also be able to make bricks. Which, with suitable techs would allow you to build more modern buildings

Sand could be refined so that the silicon makes glass.

To get to the bronze age, not only would you need to research bronze working, but also have access to tin and copper.

With Farming, you could release the wheat. With leather working, or tanning you could release the cattle resources.

Once you have LW or tanning, you could build a tannery. Any primitive unit coming out of a city with a barracks AND a tannery would have a higher defense rating as they have leather armour. Similarly to get Phalanx/Pikemen (whatever they are called ), or swordsman/legionaries you would need a weaponsmith/blacksmith. musket men nd cannon would need a weaponsmith and ships would need a shipyard.

Suggestions?

 

[Chukchi Husky]

If there were to be more strategic resources they would have to appear more common, otherwise a civ would have new technology but can't use for it.
Oil should be drilled at sea, allowing construction of oil rigs (Britain does this in the North Sea), perhaps a worker on a transport could build it?

 

[Pathetic Leader]

that sounds like a good idea.

there could be a sea worker unit, that can build oil rigs and maybe place fishing nets and lobster pots lik irrigating land... or mybe they could reclaim the sea? (but it would be prone to flooding.

 

[Stid]

just make somekind of worker ship but then you'd have to create more things for it do to which i cant really think of. these are the ones i did think og:
1)Oil rig (which i stole)
2)Minefield laying/Detecting(only availiable in coastal areas and radar navy can detect)
3)Sonar equipment (+1 LOS and to detect subs)
4)....
5)....

 

[crimson238]

I like the oil rig idea. I've always wanted to get oil out of the ocen. Perhaps, ishntead of a worker action, it couild be a unit that sails itseld out to sea and then, as long as it is over the oil field, collects oil. IIRC, the Discovery Channel here in the US, a little while ago, did a documentary on a rig going out into the north atlantic via the fuerdes (spelling?)
Also, making it a unit, it could be captured by enemy fleets. (perhaps making it a unit that once it is set, it cannot be recalled?)
just another incohierent idea.

 

[Stid]

well id be happy with that but ive gotta ask u crimson what the hell were you doing obviously watching something so boring? where u waiting for your tea to be cooked or something?

 

[Chukchi Husky]

Perhaps an ability to manufacture resources?
If copper and tin appeared, it could be used to make bronze,
Iron and coal used to make steel.
Perhaps new resources extracted from oil (doesn't have to be complex, limit to gas, petrol/diesel, paraffin, plastics) and sell them seperatly (petrol/diesel for land based vehicles, paraffin for jet aircraft). This would require an oil refinery.
Aluminium should appear more often (it's the third most common element in the crust)

 

[dh_epic]

Sounds inspired by RTSes... but I'll agree that something needs to be done to enhance the strategy of resources. Civ 3 uses them well, and makes them important... but they're too easy to get a hold of, and with one supply of oil you can power an infinitely sized empire for an infinite amount of time (in theory). This is wrong, in my mind. So much strategy would come into play if nations had to squabble over limited resources.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

A resource should produce a certain amount each turn, and once you reach this amount, you cant use it until next turn.

 

[Stid]

is this resource limitation thingee are we saying that tanks etc need oil every turn to be able to operate or are we saying that once the tank is built it doesnt need oil replenishing? theres been a few threads suggesting this and it may be applied in civ4

 

[Chukchi Husky]

To build a unit, you would use a resource. You can build units that need the resource until there is none left, so you would have to wait next turn to build more.

 

[Pathetic Leader]

iteresting thoughts guys.

Yes copper and tin to make bronze. Hadn't thought of steel or oil refinery but they are both good suggestions.

As to limited resources. I believe each resource should emit a certain quantaty per turn, depending on how many workers, up to a set maximum, are there.

Certain resources such ast stne and steel would be required ONLY in the building phase, however, I like the idea of rationing fuel so each unit has to have a unit of fuel available to move. 1 unit of fuel would be enough per turn, no matter how many moves the unit can make. This just makes it easier, and some units would be more efficient.

 

[crimson238]

well id be happy with that but ive gotta ask u crimson what the hell were you doing obviously watching something so boring? where u waiting for your tea to be cooked or something?

I think it was one of those 3 am things.. sorry for the delay in response.
Nothing beats cable tv at 2 30 when you've got work the next morning

 

[jst666]

I like the idea of limiting one oil resource to building so-and-so many oil-drinking beasts. But I'd not stockpile items, or maximum stockpile the very little. I consider it as interesting part of the strategy to strip your enemy from it's resources by a rapid strike, and then wear them down. Like bomb their oil-rigs to pieces.

 

[Stid]

still thought u could be playing civ or watching the copa america but an oil documentry?! lol ah well its not my place

 

[dh_epic]

I like the idea of limiting one oil resource to building so-and-so many oil-drinking beasts. But I'd not stockpile items, or maximum stockpile the very little. I consider it as interesting part of the strategy to strip your enemy from it's resources by a rapid strike, and then wear them down. Like bomb their oil-rigs to pieces.

I absolutely agree. A lot of people want to talk about how important religion is to world history, and how wars have been started (and finished) over religion. But more wars, I would argue, involved fighting over a resource, or targetting a resource that sustained another empire. This would make war much more interesting.

 

[sir_schwick]

Thoughts on Resources:

(1) This opens a new can of worms, but I think they also need to increase the frequency of extractable resources with technology. This means that in the Ancient Era it was a lot harder to mine Iron ore then even in the Middle Ages, especially once gunpowder was discovered. I think all resources on the map should have a tech requirement flag, basic Iron has Ironworking, then there coudl be some with Construction, Engineering, Gunpowder, Steam Power, etc. This could work for extractable resources.
Now for stuff like Horses, technology should eventually make it so that horses no longer need to have a square to be used. You civ automatically has it. The same with Saltpeter, since Riflemen's Civ32 says, Saltpeter is common by this tme, but you still can't build Frigate's without saltpeter.
(2) I like the idea that resources have a finite amount of use in them(not htis random crapping out stuff). You would require a unit of 'x' resource to build a unit. Fuels would have to be used to move your fueled units. That would add a little complexity, but would add viability to espionage and sabotage covert ops against oil reserves, etc.