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Introduction
The economy is the backbone of a nation, and trade its lifeblood.
The following are suggestions of ways to improve the way it is handled in the game.
The Ideas
1.0.0 Resources
1.1.0 Use of extra resources
Each additional resource of the given type beyond the first give a +1 shield bonus per turn for the production of units or structures that require that resource. It is simple, intuitive and makes the player actually loose something by trading away a resource unlike now. - Roman
1.1.1 Extra resources have some benefit
I think that you should get more benefit from having different luxuries than many of the same luxury, like maybe just have additional luxuries increase gold. - Jon Miller
1.2.0 One luxury resource isn't enough
I'd rather get rid of the "one is enough" model that we have. So let's say that one source of spices is enough to go around to 100,000 people or so (numbers out of thin air, here). Now securing a second source is good if you don't trade it because that's twice the spice, and none of it is extra (unless you amass enough spice to outnumber your citizens... unlikly I hope!). The trade off from trading is now simply... if you trade it, it's worth a lot. If you keep it, your people get it. - Fosse
1.2.1 Luxury resources limited by radius
I like the idea that each luxury deposit can only help so many people, or perhaps cities at a certain radius. Additionally, you could tie this into certain techs or buildings perhaps that would extend the range. So at the beginning, only the city next to the lux would get the boost. when you research somehting like trade or alphabet or pottery (you get the point), the radius would extend. And you could have the city near the lux build, say, a diamond mining camp, or spice factory or something (sorta mix in a little colonization magic) - asleepathewheel
1.3.0 New luxury resources over time
And what about new luxuries as time goes by. Furs are sooo out these days. The tulip craze came and went. The diamond fad was manufactured. Etc Etc. You could randomize this as "events" (I know certain people that would hate that, as you couldn't micro your citizens as effectively due to the, eek randomness
) -asleepathewheel
1.4.0 Strategic resources are finite
I would rather each resource deposit build up a surplus which you could use or trade, so that if it magically disappeared, you wouldn't be screwed. Say an iron deposit created 100 iron units a turn. A swordsman would require 10 iron units to be created. The left over iron accumulates and can be used or traded in the future. - asleepathewheel
Yes, though, more occurances of would almost certainly be needed to get any sort of balance. For example, on an earth map there might be five occurances of oil in Texas, and fifteen crammed into the Middle East. East occurance would provide exactly the same amount - to forgoe any unneeded complication - so having more in one place represents a very rich supply. - Fosse
1.4.1 Economic advisor keeps track of resource consumption
It seems to me that if you are mining aluminum and you go to build a fighter, but you are not mining enough to start another production using aluminum, you could consult the Economist Advisor (or whatever) to see what's going on. If you have enough aluminum, you can just select the build and not bother with the screen. This would make the trading subsystem much more important. You would think carefully about parting with some resource for a lousy 20 gpt. - Shogun Gunner
1.4.2 Limit storage of strategic resources, new city improvement increases storage
As a civilization, there should be a limit to how much iron or horses you can store. This would also lead in nicely to a city improvement which allows the national storage of a single resource to be increased significantly. Newcastle and coal, for example. Loss of this city would of course mean loss of a majority of that stored resource. - Skanky Burns, Roman
1.5.0 Strategic resources increase production
I just remembered an idea from the C3 list that I think may work well and satisfy everyone (for strategic resources). Make it so that you don't need a resource to build a unit that "requires" that resource. Rather, you can allocate each instance of each resource you have to a city, and it provides some number of extra shields (a lot) per turn towards the production of something that requires that resource. - skywalker
1.5.1 National benefit from a strategic resource
It would be nice to have resources that conferred a particular national benefit - for example, perhaps 10% increased production or so on, something like that. - Provost Harrison
Related links:
Majority say to give resources quantites.
2.0.0 Economic Systems
2.1.0 SMAC-Style Economic Systems
Free economies of two different civs automatically generate trade the way SMAC pacted bases did. Makes sense, simulates real world, and gives you a reaso to try to convince your friends to use the same economy that you do! - Fosse
3.0.0 Domestic Trade
3.1.0 Cities on Trade Routes gain extra benefit
Whenever a trade route is started, a path is made through cities and the like the cities that the trade route goes through all get bonuses to trade, as long as the trade route is in place as well as the starting and ending cities. - Jon Miller
3.1.1 Trade Bonus related to number of cities on trade route
Maybe have # of cities utilize affect bonus payoff - Jrabbit
3.2.0 Food trade
Make it so that food can be exchanged between cities with a road. - Jon Miller
3.2.1 Shield trade
Shields can be traded by cities connected with a railroad.
Make it so that there can be a choice when you are building (like hurry) but is emphasize production. What this choice would do is steal 1 production from all cities connected by a rail road to that city and give it to that city for the duration of the contruction (you would also need to make it so that there is a penalty, like 30% of the shields gotten this way are lost)- Jon Miller
3.3.0 Military garrison
Under certain government types, Military garrison help reduce corruption as well as unhappiness. - Strider_479
4.0.0 International Trade
4.0.1 Caravans can be built and stored
I like the idea of building caravans that can be stored for use for any trade links, then when you make a trade route you use one of your stockpile and define the route. - Rasputin
4.0.2 Caravans as units initially, then go to auto-trade routes
Bring back the Camel Seriously, the delivery of individual caravans, the dangers accomanying them, the use of caravans for exploration and making contact, was historically important. I realize that delivering large numbers of caravans got tedious in the late game, and that Civ3 seems to have done ok without camels, but is there not seem to work this in? Perhaps use camels, then trade routes after a give tech level achieved? - lord of the mark
4.0.3 Trade boats as units
I would like to see trade conducted via harbors and trading ships, instead of just harbors. i.e. harbor - tradeship - harbor, or harbor - tradeship - tradeship -harbor. The change involves altering the way harbor type improvements work and introducing a new naval unit the tradeship. This new unit behaves like a worker unit that is consumed when a colony or airfield etc is built. The tradeship has an operational radius (e.g. 10 tiles) and trade can only take place when either harbors or other tradeships are within this radius. It in fact behaves like a harbor but is at sea. - Harrier UK
4.1.0 All caravans computer-controlled
A boat or camel gets created that you do not have any control over. It is a neutral unit that travels the shortest possible distance, to connect the two land cities or the two ports it basically just moves back and forth but it can be raided by military units, and when it does so it stops the flow of the resources. - Jon Miller
4.1.1 Physical Caravans show trade routes
Civ3 bartering style to decide what gets traded to whom, but then GalCiv style trade routes with caravans are established from the supplying cities to the receiving. This serves as a visual clue to what trades are gonig on in the world, as eye candy (hopefull the immersion kind, not the gratuitous kind!), and gives a potential miliatry target. - Jon Miller, Fosse
4.1.2 Trade automatic (SMAC style)
Trade is another feature that was improved in AC but went backwards in Civ3. It should naturally increase with bordering nations with whom you are at peace. If you invest in a navy and build docks, it should also increase with other maritime nations. It should also benefit from railroad and road connections, and from some technologies: currency, trade, navigation, economics, the corporation, market globalization, etc.
Again, trade would come into play with culture: nations who trade together gradually share their culture and their values.
Custom fees, embargos, free trade agreements would be part of diplomacy. - Oncle Boris
4.1.3 Trade GalCiv style
I think the GalCiv method is perfect and should be shamelessly copied. It would be awesome to have little icons for trade ships/caravans moving across the map during the game. This would lend a real feeling of a vibrant, populated world. - Boris Godunov
4.2.0 Visible, piratable traderoutes
I would like CtP style trade. The trade routes are visible on the map as a line. If a foreign unit steps on this line, there is a "Pirate" option. The line dissapears, and you lose a caravan. The line always follows the quickest route to move (so water, roads, rail etc.) as opposed to the shortest. - Frozzy
4.2.2 Pirating traderoutes takes time
How's this for an idea: Use CtP-style trade routes - that is, visible routes on the map that can be interfered with by other nations. However, to actually pirate or disrupt trade, a unit would need to stay in one place on the route for a fixed number of turns - like, 5 or so.
With a delay like this, it would give players the ability to patrol their routes and stop problems before they happen, but someone that's sneaky enough can still get units in to wreak havoc if they play it right. - ixnay
4.2.3 Pirating or raiding traderoutes
I love this idea. How about having two options: One is destroy the trade route, another is raid. Raid gives you some gold, keeps the trade route in tact and increases anger with the nation.
(One thing about CtP some people forget is that sometimes their were survivors of the piracy who saw your flag. In other cases, there were none, so you got away free without the civ knowing that it was your civ who pirated them),
Destroying, on the other hand, takes more gold, eliminates the route and is an act of war. - Frozzy
4.3.0 Explorers can conduct trade
How about an explorer unit who can also create instant trade - see "The Great Game" for the many instances where explorers also conducted trade - also the history of Portugese expansion, etc. - lord of the mark
4.4.0 Hidden nationality trade
We have hidden nationality unit already, privateers. This is for carrying out covert military ops. Why not bring back caravan/freight unit as a hidden nationality for covert trade. This unit could be used for some or all of the following reasons: to traffic 1)illegal goods; 2) trade with a civ you are at war with; 3)provide a fascist govt a means for trade revenue. If any nation intercepts this unit as it tries to reach its destination, a reputation hit is suffered. - bfg9000
Respectfully Compiled - Skanky Burns
The economy is the backbone of a nation, and trade its lifeblood.
The following are suggestions of ways to improve the way it is handled in the game.
The Ideas
1.0.0 Resources
1.1.0 Use of extra resources
Each additional resource of the given type beyond the first give a +1 shield bonus per turn for the production of units or structures that require that resource. It is simple, intuitive and makes the player actually loose something by trading away a resource unlike now. - Roman
1.1.1 Extra resources have some benefit
I think that you should get more benefit from having different luxuries than many of the same luxury, like maybe just have additional luxuries increase gold. - Jon Miller
1.2.0 One luxury resource isn't enough
I'd rather get rid of the "one is enough" model that we have. So let's say that one source of spices is enough to go around to 100,000 people or so (numbers out of thin air, here). Now securing a second source is good if you don't trade it because that's twice the spice, and none of it is extra (unless you amass enough spice to outnumber your citizens... unlikly I hope!). The trade off from trading is now simply... if you trade it, it's worth a lot. If you keep it, your people get it. - Fosse
1.2.1 Luxury resources limited by radius
I like the idea that each luxury deposit can only help so many people, or perhaps cities at a certain radius. Additionally, you could tie this into certain techs or buildings perhaps that would extend the range. So at the beginning, only the city next to the lux would get the boost. when you research somehting like trade or alphabet or pottery (you get the point), the radius would extend. And you could have the city near the lux build, say, a diamond mining camp, or spice factory or something (sorta mix in a little colonization magic) - asleepathewheel
1.3.0 New luxury resources over time
And what about new luxuries as time goes by. Furs are sooo out these days. The tulip craze came and went. The diamond fad was manufactured. Etc Etc. You could randomize this as "events" (I know certain people that would hate that, as you couldn't micro your citizens as effectively due to the, eek randomness
) -asleepathewheel1.4.0 Strategic resources are finite
I would rather each resource deposit build up a surplus which you could use or trade, so that if it magically disappeared, you wouldn't be screwed. Say an iron deposit created 100 iron units a turn. A swordsman would require 10 iron units to be created. The left over iron accumulates and can be used or traded in the future. - asleepathewheel
Yes, though, more occurances of would almost certainly be needed to get any sort of balance. For example, on an earth map there might be five occurances of oil in Texas, and fifteen crammed into the Middle East. East occurance would provide exactly the same amount - to forgoe any unneeded complication - so having more in one place represents a very rich supply. - Fosse
1.4.1 Economic advisor keeps track of resource consumption
It seems to me that if you are mining aluminum and you go to build a fighter, but you are not mining enough to start another production using aluminum, you could consult the Economist Advisor (or whatever) to see what's going on. If you have enough aluminum, you can just select the build and not bother with the screen. This would make the trading subsystem much more important. You would think carefully about parting with some resource for a lousy 20 gpt. - Shogun Gunner
1.4.2 Limit storage of strategic resources, new city improvement increases storage
As a civilization, there should be a limit to how much iron or horses you can store. This would also lead in nicely to a city improvement which allows the national storage of a single resource to be increased significantly. Newcastle and coal, for example. Loss of this city would of course mean loss of a majority of that stored resource. - Skanky Burns, Roman
1.5.0 Strategic resources increase production
I just remembered an idea from the C3 list that I think may work well and satisfy everyone (for strategic resources). Make it so that you don't need a resource to build a unit that "requires" that resource. Rather, you can allocate each instance of each resource you have to a city, and it provides some number of extra shields (a lot) per turn towards the production of something that requires that resource. - skywalker
1.5.1 National benefit from a strategic resource
It would be nice to have resources that conferred a particular national benefit - for example, perhaps 10% increased production or so on, something like that. - Provost Harrison
Related links:
Majority say to give resources quantites.
2.0.0 Economic Systems
2.1.0 SMAC-Style Economic Systems
Free economies of two different civs automatically generate trade the way SMAC pacted bases did. Makes sense, simulates real world, and gives you a reaso to try to convince your friends to use the same economy that you do! - Fosse
3.0.0 Domestic Trade
3.1.0 Cities on Trade Routes gain extra benefit
Whenever a trade route is started, a path is made through cities and the like the cities that the trade route goes through all get bonuses to trade, as long as the trade route is in place as well as the starting and ending cities. - Jon Miller
3.1.1 Trade Bonus related to number of cities on trade route
Maybe have # of cities utilize affect bonus payoff - Jrabbit
3.2.0 Food trade
Make it so that food can be exchanged between cities with a road. - Jon Miller
3.2.1 Shield trade
Shields can be traded by cities connected with a railroad.
Make it so that there can be a choice when you are building (like hurry) but is emphasize production. What this choice would do is steal 1 production from all cities connected by a rail road to that city and give it to that city for the duration of the contruction (you would also need to make it so that there is a penalty, like 30% of the shields gotten this way are lost)- Jon Miller
3.3.0 Military garrison
Under certain government types, Military garrison help reduce corruption as well as unhappiness. - Strider_479
4.0.0 International Trade
4.0.1 Caravans can be built and stored
I like the idea of building caravans that can be stored for use for any trade links, then when you make a trade route you use one of your stockpile and define the route. - Rasputin
4.0.2 Caravans as units initially, then go to auto-trade routes
Bring back the Camel Seriously, the delivery of individual caravans, the dangers accomanying them, the use of caravans for exploration and making contact, was historically important. I realize that delivering large numbers of caravans got tedious in the late game, and that Civ3 seems to have done ok without camels, but is there not seem to work this in? Perhaps use camels, then trade routes after a give tech level achieved? - lord of the mark
4.0.3 Trade boats as units
I would like to see trade conducted via harbors and trading ships, instead of just harbors. i.e. harbor - tradeship - harbor, or harbor - tradeship - tradeship -harbor. The change involves altering the way harbor type improvements work and introducing a new naval unit the tradeship. This new unit behaves like a worker unit that is consumed when a colony or airfield etc is built. The tradeship has an operational radius (e.g. 10 tiles) and trade can only take place when either harbors or other tradeships are within this radius. It in fact behaves like a harbor but is at sea. - Harrier UK
4.1.0 All caravans computer-controlled
A boat or camel gets created that you do not have any control over. It is a neutral unit that travels the shortest possible distance, to connect the two land cities or the two ports it basically just moves back and forth but it can be raided by military units, and when it does so it stops the flow of the resources. - Jon Miller
4.1.1 Physical Caravans show trade routes
Civ3 bartering style to decide what gets traded to whom, but then GalCiv style trade routes with caravans are established from the supplying cities to the receiving. This serves as a visual clue to what trades are gonig on in the world, as eye candy (hopefull the immersion kind, not the gratuitous kind!), and gives a potential miliatry target. - Jon Miller, Fosse
4.1.2 Trade automatic (SMAC style)
Trade is another feature that was improved in AC but went backwards in Civ3. It should naturally increase with bordering nations with whom you are at peace. If you invest in a navy and build docks, it should also increase with other maritime nations. It should also benefit from railroad and road connections, and from some technologies: currency, trade, navigation, economics, the corporation, market globalization, etc.
Again, trade would come into play with culture: nations who trade together gradually share their culture and their values.
Custom fees, embargos, free trade agreements would be part of diplomacy. - Oncle Boris
4.1.3 Trade GalCiv style
I think the GalCiv method is perfect and should be shamelessly copied. It would be awesome to have little icons for trade ships/caravans moving across the map during the game. This would lend a real feeling of a vibrant, populated world. - Boris Godunov
4.2.0 Visible, piratable traderoutes
I would like CtP style trade. The trade routes are visible on the map as a line. If a foreign unit steps on this line, there is a "Pirate" option. The line dissapears, and you lose a caravan. The line always follows the quickest route to move (so water, roads, rail etc.) as opposed to the shortest. - Frozzy
4.2.2 Pirating traderoutes takes time
How's this for an idea: Use CtP-style trade routes - that is, visible routes on the map that can be interfered with by other nations. However, to actually pirate or disrupt trade, a unit would need to stay in one place on the route for a fixed number of turns - like, 5 or so.
With a delay like this, it would give players the ability to patrol their routes and stop problems before they happen, but someone that's sneaky enough can still get units in to wreak havoc if they play it right. - ixnay
4.2.3 Pirating or raiding traderoutes
I love this idea. How about having two options: One is destroy the trade route, another is raid. Raid gives you some gold, keeps the trade route in tact and increases anger with the nation.
(One thing about CtP some people forget is that sometimes their were survivors of the piracy who saw your flag. In other cases, there were none, so you got away free without the civ knowing that it was your civ who pirated them),
Destroying, on the other hand, takes more gold, eliminates the route and is an act of war. - Frozzy
4.3.0 Explorers can conduct trade
How about an explorer unit who can also create instant trade - see "The Great Game" for the many instances where explorers also conducted trade - also the history of Portugese expansion, etc. - lord of the mark
4.4.0 Hidden nationality trade
We have hidden nationality unit already, privateers. This is for carrying out covert military ops. Why not bring back caravan/freight unit as a hidden nationality for covert trade. This unit could be used for some or all of the following reasons: to traffic 1)illegal goods; 2) trade with a civ you are at war with; 3)provide a fascist govt a means for trade revenue. If any nation intercepts this unit as it tries to reach its destination, a reputation hit is suffered. - bfg9000
Respectfully Compiled - Skanky Burns
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