Apolyton CS: Civilization III: The List v1: Space Exploitation

SPACE EXPLOITATION
-Summarized by Thread Master: Sven Milo-
Sven_Milo@village.uunet.com

PAGE 1 | PAGE 2

I'd like to see as little of space as possible. Why? Civilization is a historic game. SMAC is an SF game. But I would really like to play with a few centuries of science fiction, while preparing the voyage to Alpha Centauri (which should last longer itself).

1. ORBITAL LAYER(S)    TOP

1.1) Orbit = a separate map superimposed on the global map, in which there are no special resources and the tiles of which produce nothing without improvement. Certain units will have the ability to "launch" themselves into space, and others will require a "rail launcher" or a space elevator to get into orbit.

1.2) To make orbiting close to real life, space should have two "levels". First the close orbit, where space shuttles, spy satellites and Mir hang around. Then we have the geo-stationary orbit, where communication (and future energy) satellites orbit to stay above the same spot over Earth.

1.3) There must be differed layers: ground and sea units, air units, and orbitals. Every layer must have its own zones of control. One area may have tree civilizations on it An example area: layer 1: a Mongol tank, layer 2: 3 Greek helicopters, layer 2: a German com satellite

1.4) If Civilization III is going to be the same time range as Civilization II, the abstracted space model used in SMAC would be sufficient, but if there's going to be more future-technology involved, an overlay will be necessary.

2. SATELLITES/ORBITALS/ SPACE STATIONS    TOP

2.1) Get satellites into the civilization III game: researching the advance space flight will open options to research other, more specific space flight advances. Each time a specific space advance has been researched a civilization can start building the specific satellites.

2.2) First you should be able to build satellites after "space rocketry" and after a few more technology. advances, be able to build space stations.

2.3) Each satellite network needs at least one dedicated control center to be build in a city by choice. Multiple control centers can be built in different cities to provide back-up centers. If a control center gets destroyed, the civilization looses any benefits from the satellites until a new control center has been build.

2.4) If control center has been captured two things can happen. A) The loosing civilization has a backup control center and takes control from there. B) The loosing civilization has no backup center and looses control of the satellites to the capturing civilization.

2.5) TYPE OF ORBITALS:

2.5a) Fighter satellites: search and destroy enemy SAT's.
2.5b) Teleport satellites: teleporting units.
2.5c) Energy satellites: increases production, decreases pollution.
2.5d) Pillage Orbital: Destroys every terrain improvement in a distance of 1 when you press p.
2.5e) City Bomber Orbital: You can bomb the improvements of an enemy city.
2.5f) Ground Bomber Orbital: Can bombs enemy units when he is above them.
2.5g) Carrier orbital: can stock space fighter units.
2.5h) Hydrophonic station ( extra food )
2.5i) Habitat station (extra pop support )
2.5j) Factory station ( +25% production )
2.5k) Ship-dock ( allow complex space-based wonders and reduce Sat building cost ).
2.5l) Maintenance station (reduce the very high maintenance cost of satellites)
2.5m) Paradrop orbital: can stock units and drop them.
2.5n) Orbitals that can't be moved after launch (labs, solar energy power stations, ...).
2.5o) Ground units that can shut down orbitals.
2.5p) Orbitals that can be normal moved after launch and don't need to refuel (defense satellites, laser satellites,...)
2.5q) High altitude fighters: They must return to base to refuel. (To attack orbitals, To bomb ground units,...)
2.5r) Communication satellites (or network): each satellite build will cover a specific area of the word map, increasing trade, science and happiness. The more communication satellites you build, the more area you cover.
2.5s) Spy satellites: provides high intelligence on cities, units, other satellites, etc (like the investigate city option for diplomats and spies).
2.5t) Solar energy orbital: -1 maintenance for every building in the home city of this unit (because the energy is free). Every city can only have one Solar energy orbital
2.5u) Hotel orbital: +3 credit for the home city. You can only build a limited number of Hotel orbitals in every city.

I think orbitals must be units and not improvements. Space stations would be buildings, just like the different satellites. I wouldn't load the game up with satellite units, but a few wouldn't hurt. Spy satellites have obvious military uses as player-controlled units. Communications satellites would be nice to launch, but certainly not to control; they would make better "improvements" than units. Satellites are not built in cities, but in orbit, they require certain upkeep, and enemy space units ("pillaging in space") can take them out.

3. COLONIZATION    TOP

3.1) On my wish list there are colonization of the Moon, Venus and Mars. Could these be Wonders, or maybe alternative world maps?

3.2) The Moon (and maybe other celestial bodies) would be separate, but simple, maps.

3.3) Once a "moon map" is available, it would be simplicity itself to create a similar "Mars map." In fact, there would be nothing to stop us from making a Titan, Europa, Venus or Ganymede map.

3.4) I think that robots will do the mining work in space. There must only be a few humans to control and program the robots. This means:

3.4a) The population of a space colony may not exceed 2.
3.4b) Only on Mars after the building of the terraform secret project. May the size be 4 (for every civilization).
3.4c) Robotic workers (supply crawlers) will do the mining work.
3.4d) Normally space colonies will only produce minerals (It needs food from earth cities).
3.4e) But after the building of the terraform secret project can mars colonies produce some food.

3.5) And after the building of the resources market can you sell minerals for money.

3.6) Have multiple planets. We reach Alpha Centauri and start to colonize the planet. We would find new materials, allowing new technologies, allowing more regular space travel. Then we get to other planets, as do our opponents.

3.7) You should be able to set up bases on the moon or Mars, although they would cost a very large amount of production and would take some time to reach their destination. After more technology. advances, you should be able to build wonders of the world that completely terraform Mars and/or the moon, allowing Mars or moon bases to be constructed at the same cost as settlers. After more technology. advances, constructing bases beyond our solar system and on Jupiter's moons and Pluto then becomes an option.

3.8) Civilization needs to stay Earth-(and near Earth orbit-) bound.

3.9) Cities on the Moon and Mars should be a wonder. The wonder will give a VERY big pop bonus. Mars one will be bigger, but it will cost much much more.

3.10) Other possible wonder:

3.10a) The asteroid liners (A big production income )
3.10b) Terraforming (Increase Mars pop bonus even more )

3.11) There shouldn't be to many planets available, perhaps about 20. With 4+ civilizations rushing for them this would mean ~ 5 planets per civilization. Apart from planets, that would be managed the same way as earth, you could have smaller planets around other suns that are not capable of supporting life, but instead are just mines or something like this.

3.12) SMAC clearly killed Earth pop by the time the Unity got to AC in 2100, and it left in struggles that were already there in 2050. The game won't push past 2050 technology. That is the time-line.

3.13) Therefore, massive colonization of the Moon and Mars and very unlikely, therefor maps of them are out of the question. The only possible ways out are small outposts with wonders, my suggestion.

3.14) What about the ability to randomly create a solar system, along with randomly generated "world" maps? Maybe even customize a solar system. "Number of planets? 3-5, 6-10, 11-15." "Composition of planets? Mostly gaseous. Evenly distributed. Mostly terrestrial." You would begin to learn about the major planets in ancient times, when you discover astronomy. You might discover more planets upon discovery of, say, optics or lens crafting. Eventually you'd send out unmanned probes to gather data on the planets, as to whether they would eventually be "colonizable" or lend themselves to terraforming. Maybe you'll end up with a system of gas giants, or maybe you'll have a dozen moons and planets to colonize.

3.15) We need a kind of automation for colonization. I'm thinking among the lines of planetary governors that manage a planet's micro-cosmos.

3.16) I wouldn't go any farther than a manned Mars landing, or a primitive Moon research base, at the most.

4. SPACE SHIPS/TRANSPORTATION    TOP

4.1) I would like to see some massive space ships like the Star Destroyer available for usage.

4.2) Along with several planets, I would love to have things like huge space stations in the space between the planets, and solar systems, acting as very small planets. Perhaps, later on, even a Deathstar.

4.3) The transport type will depends on you technological progress. How better your technology how better units you can build too launch units to space.

4.4) Oil rocket: Very slow, can only carry one unit, can only go to the moon.

4.5) Nuclear fusion rocket: Faster can carry 4 units. Can goes to the whole solar system.

4.6) Teleport ship: Can goes to every place in the solar system in 0 turns. Can carry 8 units.

4.7) Interstellar teleport ship: Very costly. When you launch one to AC then the game ends

4.8) These units have just like orbitals a launch option. You can choose about a list of destinations after you have pressed the launch button.

4.9) Companies may institute Space Lanes (a possible technology) and then use them to establish semi-permanent Wakeways (another technology - lanes seeded with fuel). That way, spacecraft would no longer need to bring their fuel with them, decreasing their mass and production cost. "Seeder" craft, probably robotic, could maintain the Wakeways using material mined from comets or asteroids. Then mining or passenger craft could simply act as primitive ramjets, provided they never veer off the Wakeway itself. This isn't the Bussard ramjet working solely on interstellar hydrogen. This would be a cheaper ramjet that could only function along Wakeways.

PAGE 1 | PAGE 2


Apolyton Civilization Site Copyright © Robert Plomp and Jeroen Schweitzer All trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners