Peak Oil Map?

[zaphod2016]

This is the weirdest game I've ever seen. Playing Civ 3 vanilla on Regent level w/ all settings (map, civs) randomized.

I started as the Germans on the large continent, surrounded by Russia and England. I quickly conquered them both, and then found myself stuck on an island waiting for Navigation.

Eventually a Persian ship somehow made it all the way to my continent (how is this possible?). I discovered Babylon and Persia sharing the center continent, but somehow, I had maintained a tech lead over them, even though I had spent the ancient age war mongering.

The Azteks eventually conquered the Americans and Iroquois, and I eventually conquered a small colony at the north end of their continent.

Persia conquered Babylon, and then colonized the south-west island. As soon as I had cavalry, I conquered the south-west island, leaving Persia on its own continent.

I have since researched refining, and traded this tech to both the Azteks and Persians. To my surprise: no one has any oil. I was perplexed. I signed a ROP with everyone, and sent scouts to find the oil within enemy territories. I never found a drop.

This is a world without oil:

Having gone this far, I decided to win by conquest. However, marines & art v. infantry makes for a long and tedious battle. I still haven't conquered the Akteks, and I haven't even started attacking Persia's home continent. Without oil, the seas are still filled with ironclads, and I am forced to rely on airports and galleons to move my troops.

This is the strangest game I've ever seen. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Save game attached.

 

[ecuwins]

I see no desert, tundra, or marsh. Oil can only spawn in these terrain. The upside to this is no one else will ever have it either. Get you some cav armies with artillery en-masse.

Edit: Just a thought -- if you let global warming change a plain to desert can/will Oil appear? Anyone?

 

[zaphod2016]

There were many marshes, but they were developed.

Does this destroy the oil?

 

[ecuwins]

No, it does not destroy the oil but if that oil depletes after all the marsh is developed it will have nowhere to re-spawn.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I thought marsh was a conquests addition - there was marsh in vanilla?

 

[Aabraxan]

Isn't that oil in your screenshot, just to the left of rubber?

 

[AutomatedTeller]

and I agree - build many cavalry, not marines. artillery and cavs can kill infantry and it's faster than marines.

Though, marines can kill from boats, so that might be even faster for the coastal cities.

 

[ecuwins]

He has no oil. I checked in CivAssist.

Yeah, stupid me, he did say it was Vanilla and there are no marshes in Vanilla. But that 'splains it all -- no desert or tundra = no oil. The only way I know of to get some desert is via global warming and I'm not sure that it will net any oil. Maybe a test is in order.

 

[zaphod2016]

What's the difference between "marsh" and "jungle"?

I assumed you meant jungles; which were plentiful.

Is this a common thing? A world without oil?

 

[rysingsun]

Is this a common thing? A world without oil?

I've certainly never seen such a thing, and I've played as many games as most people around here.

 

[MAS]

What's the difference between "marsh" and "jungle"?

I assumed you meant jungles; which were plentiful.

Marches appeared in an expansion pack, you can't build any structure on marches, they need to be cleared first, they don't even auto-clear by plopping down a city. They grand 1 food and a chance of disease to citizen working them, or units fortified on them. They cost 16 turns for a non industrious worker to clear. The underlaying tile is always grass, just like jungle.

Is this a common thing? A world without oil?

If I'm understanding correctly, this is a modified map.

 

[Quintillus]

Wow, I've never seen an oil-less world. Must be funny seeing all kinds of modern stuff and still tons of Ironclads. The closest I've seen is a world with only four luxuries.

I don't think even Global Warming will get you oil. The Editor says that when a resource depletes, it is replaced elsewhere, so I assume that also means a resource can't appear if it wasn't already somewhere where it could be depleted.

 

[Tone]

I've never seen this before. I wonder what will happen if I use the seed number in conquests?

Eventually a Persian ship somehow made it all the way to my continent (how is this possible?).

Because they had built the Great Lighthouse and there is a safe passage to you using sea tiles. It's a very powerful wonder on maps like this one.

I started as the Germans on the large continent, surrounded by Russia and England. I quickly conquered them both, and then found myself stuck on an island waiting for Navigation.

I suggest that you consider using suicide galleys to gat a full set of contacts earlier if you find yourself playing 'pelago or continents maps again.

 

[D0NIMATRIX]

Now this is strange. But in a way it will be hecka fun, to actually have a tough time conquering the AIs.
Jungle and marsh are different in that fish and oil can appear in marsh, and cities cannot be built in it, whereas jungle can't have fish or oil, and cities can be built on jungle. The def bonus for marsh is 20% instead of 25%, and the MP cost is 2 instead of 3.
Seeing as it's Vanilla, use cav instead of marines because the 2 atk isn't worth the 2 mp, and draft some infantry, free cavalry-equivalents for no cost.

 

[Whoman69]

Granted, I'm not very experienced, but in the game I just completed there started out with only one oil in India's territory, which he could not take advantage of because he didn't have the tech. I invaded to get the oil (sound familiar) and as soon as I took it over, it depleted after one turn. I then had to invade again to get to where it moved to and had to build a colony because the cities I took over didn't have the coverage anymore. Eventually I did get an oil icon in my territory, but that was on a continent where my production was too far from the capital to even matter.

 

[D0NIMATRIX]

Just use a trade network to get it there then. Is oil-less maps all that common, because I had a similar fate befall me on a random map. I had only one oil, and 10 turns after getting it, it depleted.

 

[gmaharriet]

Is oil-less maps all that common, because I had a similar fate befall me on a random map. I had only one oil, and 10 turns after getting it, it depleted.

The number of any specific resource is proportionate to the number of civs in the game. I'm not sure of exactly what the proportions are for oil, but I generally play a standard-sized map with 8 civs, and there are usually approx 4 sources of oil. Fewer civs on the same sized map would mean fewer oil resources.

 

[Snarkhunter]

The number of any specific resource is proportionate to the number of civs in the game. I'm not sure of exactly what the proportions are for oil, but I generally play a standard-sized map with 8 civs, and there are usually approx 4 sources of oil. Fewer civs on the same sized map would mean fewer oil resources.

I usually find more oils. I was a little surprised to find only 6 in my current game. (I was not surprised to find I didn't have any of 'em--that seems to be the usual case )

kk

 

[CornishGuilt]

I prefer it when there is only about 5 or 6 oil deposits. It then makes world military dominance simple (in strategy). You just conquer small region where the oil is located, then resist counterattacks until the Civ you have atacked accepts peace, and so on and so on until you have a total monopoly on a key military technology. You can then regulate the tech-level and size of rival armies by giving and cutting off oil to client states.

 

[D0NIMATRIX]

Welcome to CFC CornishGuilt !!!

Yes, maps like that are strategically simple, but then it makes it less challenging, because all the good units come of oil, and it would be boring beating down cavalry and riflemen with tanks and bombers after awhile.