Why so few strategic resources on a large map.

[geardy]

Recently I was playing a large map with continents with five other Civs. I worked my head off trying to get a head, kissed butt to keep out of war and was working toward building a rocket to AC. Well I played all of the way through the game and had a dominate hold on the continent I was located on with three other civs. I worked my way half way through the modern area when I found that I didn’t have the critical Uranium. I lived on the largest continent and no Uranium on the entire continent. The only Uranium I could find was on another continent on the other side of the globe. I had put everything into science to get this far and now no way to finish the game. No time to mount an attack to get the critical resource. I forgot to tell you that the only winning condition was the rocket to AC. I had played another game the day before and was just about ready to blast off when the game ended; I won it on game points. No rocket ship. This game can be so frustrating. I still can’t believe on a continent the size of the one I was on there wasn’t any Uranium, Saltpeter, Rubber, or Oil. This game can be impossible.

Are the Resources affected by the size of Map?
Does the age of world have anything to do with so few resources?
Does the climate have anything to do with so few resources?
Does being selective in the winning conditions have anything to do with it?
Is there anyway a player can choose to have more critical resources available in the game other then making up your own maps?

 

[warpstorm]

The biggest driver for number of strategic resources and luxuries is the number of players. IIRC, there is roughly one of each per player by default.

 

[IbnSina]

I believe the number of resources also depends on the level you play. ... and it is frustrating sometimes. In my current game, I had kicked all the other civs off my continent (archipelago map, so my large island/continent was one of four) and neighboring islands, only to find that in my 1/4 of the landmass I had no coal nor rubber. I'm fighting a war over those right now...

 

[sealman]

as warpstorm said, it is tied to the number of players.

 

[Pentium]

I am playing a huge pangea and of 7 civs left only one civ has only one source of rubber, so I can't even buy it. Then I discovered another one on an island and settled there. Now that's 2 (two) sources of rubber on the whole map.

 

[Cheeze]

It seems to me that alot of strategic resources are RIGHT inside a rival's border, but a little too far to build a new town next to, so I usually end up going to war over some saltpeter or coal.

 

[Woody]

I am playing a huge pangea and of 7 civs left only one civ has only one source of rubber, so I can't even buy it. Then I discovered another one on an island and settled there. Now that's 2 (two) sources of rubber on the whole map.

I would bet that there are more rubber sources than that. Could you post a save so others could find out.

 

[Khan_Asparuh]

Hi,
i've noticed that starts usualy compensate. I mean, with a good grassland start and a luxury nearby you won't have iron nearby.
Otherways, with a not so good start, you still must survive long enough to use the ressource

 

[Scuffer]

It seems to me that alot of strategic resources are RIGHT inside a rival's border, but a little too far to build a new town next to, so I usually end up going to war over some saltpeter or coal.

True, I find that too. I guess it is because the AI knows exactly where there are and sites its cities accordingly,

 

[Masquerouge]

I think the number of resources is linked to the number of players, and was also heavily reduced in C3C... While it can be annoying, it has a good side by forcing you to always be prepared for the worst, that is, declare war to grab a resource.
I remember a game where I had to fight for EVERY resource, save horses... Iron, Salpeter, Coal, Rubber, Aluminium, Uranium, the biggest my empire, the farthest away new resources would pop

But in Vanilla Civ, I think the generation of resources was way too high ; it was quite rare you had to fight for one, so it was a bit pointless to make them pop on the map, if you were sure to have one... just put them in your box when you discover the advance, and voila.

 

[Lockesdonkey]

This is why you do this:
In ancient times, build your cities in truly rediculous, unsustainable places. Build in desert or tundra before you build in the grasslands. Build in the jungle before you build in the plains. And of course, building in the forests and hills is a no-brainer. Also, concetrate on culture, particularly in border towns. No price is too big to pay if you can put massive culture in your border towns. This 1. increases your territory (and thus increases your chances of having resources, particularly if it's in or near resource-dense terrain such as Desert, Hills, Jungle, or Mountains), 2. puts massive cultural pressure on the border towns of other civs, thus allowing you to take cities easily. Whenever I built up culture in a town with the object of taking a city, I almost always succeed, so long as I have built enough culture in the city that's putting on the pressure. And often the effort is ultimately fruitful: in one game I played, one of the cities I took turned out to be a source both aluminum and rubber, plus the third-most productive city in my empire.