Worker addition

[Oni]

I am not sure how to add worker additions or if this could be done but I just wanted to post this cause I think it is a good idea.

It would be kewl if a worker could build a canal from the ocean or sea inland to a lake or better even to connect a sea to an ocean. And ofcourse making shortcuts between oceans would be kewl too.

Currently I do this (as I am sure most players do), to accomplish a canal. Building a city that is next to both the ocean and sea links them. This works for the case when there is one tile inbetween the ocean and sea but that is it.\

What I am proposing would allow workers to build inland (to a max amount of tiles) that would allow naval boats to travel (would be nice if ground units could still also use these tiles).

Ofcourse this is very powerful and needs to be limited. Here are my suggestions.
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-The task should not be allowed until some tech is reached of course (Engineering or something later even)
-Consumes worker for each canal tile
-Length of canal limitations dependent on world size
-Tile limitations (not sure what they would be but they should be in place. Would be interesting if it was limited to tiles next to rivers but then I think workers shoudl be able to damn and alter the routes of rivers at some point)


Well I think it sounds interested but have no idea how to impliment.

As I said, just thought I would throw the suggestion out there.

 

[cairo140]

Canals are a very good idea, but consider these points:

1. In real life, canals are hilariously expensive.
2. Canals do not have to necessarily be cities.
3. Canals are never built over long strips of land.

Based on these points, here are my recommendations.

Based on clause 1, it makes sense that the worker is destroyed upon building a canal. This can be seen as a sort of "settle" action, but with a worker, making the worker a lesser settler.

Based on clause 2, the canal should not be populated, and I believe that it should not have any food, production or commerce value (maybe 0,1,0 if I'm generous).

Based on clause 3, canals MUST be restricted to one tile. Any more, and although convenient, it is horribly unrealistic. The Panama canal was tough enough, and it would be the equivalent of about a quarter a tile in CIV.

 

[smjjames]

yea, but is this going to be a canal large enough to move ships through like the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal? because that would be an useful stragetic feature, of course though you can just build a city that is touching to water squares on both sides, but a city would have to be defended and doing that costs money, etc.

 

[smjjames]

two squares long wouldn't be unrealistic, the suez canal and the panama canal are both miles long. it could also connect a city, but it could prevent exploitation of building a chain of cities and canals because of the no building a city within two squares of an existing city. that, and any smart player would know better.

 

[smjjames]

well, according to the Panama Canal main site (yes they have thier own site, go yahoo it or something), its about 50 miles long, having a canal 60 or 70 miles long wouldn't be too much of a stretch, as long as the preresquite technologies are available.

the suez canal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal is about 118 miles long, its over flat terrain though while the panama canal goes through hilly terrain.

given the technology and the funds, anybody could build a canal 200 miles long if they wanted to.

 

[Dual]

I really like the idea of canals, I think it would be a great addition to the game.

One way you could balance the power of making canals would be to have a special unit whose only purpose is to create canals, and who is used up in the creation of one tile of the canal. Kind of like the worker boats that create the fish nets, etc.

That way you could have the unit be as expensive to construct in a city as you saw fit (instead of being a cheap worker). With the hammer cost simulating the expense and planning required to build a canal in real life.

 

[Impaler[WrG]]

The Suez and Panama canals are short because (get this) THEY ARE ONLY AS LONG AS THEY NEEDS TO BE!

The Grand Canal of China is over a thousand miles long.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canal_of_China

(Infact I think it would be a cool wonder, it gives all your cities "Ocean access" alowing them to build improvments that require bordering the Ocean and navel units which are imediatly moved to the nearest city which is actualy on the coast)

So theirs no justification for limiting canal lengths, I might see a rule like no canals on hills as being justified but thats about it.