Synthetic fuels?

[1940LaSalle]

Hey, everyone. Considering upgrading to C$C from C3C, and an idea/question occurred to me regarding resources. Oil may or may not be available within one's own borders; if not, that's a handicap. But is there some provision for researching synthetic fuels as a technology as a work-around? Seems to me that at least two nations (South Africa and Germany in the '30s and '40s--yeah, I know, not the most pleasant regimes) used synthetic fuels to a great degree.

If not, perhaps this is a modification that could or should be made. It would require refining and electricity as tech prerequisites, along with water and coal as resources. There would have to be some quasi-penalty (e.g., a greater likelihood of pollution) for a synthetic fuels plant, but it seems like a reasonable approach.

Thoughts?

 

[karadoc]

There are two corporations in Beyond the Sword that are essentially synthetic fuel creators: "Standard Ethanol" and "Aluminium Co". One provides oil and the other provides aluminium. So if you don't have access to 'real' oil, getting the standard ethanol corporation into your cities becomes pretty valuable. The main disadvantage is that the corporations are only available some techs after the normal resources are available.

 

[kiwitt]

I editted the Coal Plant parameters to have then produce Oil as well.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Lacking oil hurts but it isn't critical...lacking BOTH oil AND uranium is critical...but only on maps where naval supremacy is important.

If I could have ONLY oil or ONLY uranium, I'd take the latter. Ability to build nukes > ability to build tanks or planes.