Resources: How to handle

[Shogun Gunner]

Originally posted by Sore Loser
Um, I take it you agree then? The main concern is not complexity, but micromanagement.

Yes, I agree (I could have made that more clear ) It's not the complexity as the main issue.

Quite frankly, I don't think I would mind the micromanagement either...THAT'S where I think I'm in the minority.

It seems the list of resources/luxuries could be listed on one page. In fact, I think the Resource Screen is the worse advisor screen in Civ3. It tells you the least of all of those advisors. Fire her and get an Economist in there!

[Sore Loser]

Complexity and micromanagement often walk hand in hand, unfortunately. Much of it can be done away with by allowing intelligent automation of predictable processes. Transporting ressources around, in particular, shouldn't be a great hassle to players, or they'll grow frustrated.

[Fosse]

Agreed that the two often are of the same coin, but they don't always have to be.

I want to be clear that I do not support the player having to move resources himself. Instead resources should be more or less global in the sense that if you have some oil and iron, you can select tanks to build in your cities until you run out of one or both. And you can choose to trade any resources you aren't currently using.

And as far as luxuries, I don't want to the player to distribute these (except to "take them out" of his own economy by exporting them) at all, but rather let it happen automatically.

[Sore Loser]

I envision the player making templates and standards to get around those. Distribution of luxury goods should not be manual, but should still be decided on by the player. Which means slide bars or percentages or whatever. I think something similar can be done for caravans, taking away much of the hassle for the players, if not all.

[Kuciwalker]

Complexity can be bad in its own way - the player has to be able to understand and use the underlying mechanics of the system.

[Shogun Gunner]

Yes, but the trend seems to be computer aided assistance like governors. It seems that templates could function in this manner as well.

I don't mind these automated functions being present, but a little less efficient VERSUS investing a little time and getting better results.

Players are left with a choice and both systems work. People play the game differently. For some people that is fine.

[GePap]

I am a big supporter of making resource quantity count- and it need not be that difficult.

Each instance of a resource should be given a number , so you might see a lump of iron with 100 over it. Now, that now means your empire has access to 100 units of iron. That 100 units of iron would support a certain number of units or factories or so forth. Now, once you mine it, or build a road, that is all you need to do, now you have 100 units. Now, lets say you need a much bigger army, or more factories, whatever-well, you can no koinger uswe those 100 point, but need to trade for more or capture more iron. That simple. In essence, each tile of a resource would take you only so far-of course, if you strike it rich with one reosurce, you can trade it for handsome profits. But this also negates the possibility of one civ having a monopoly, since now you can spread out resources more widely.

Another big change-with tech changes, the visibility of sources would change- mines of iron you could have never gotten before now are avaliable, or exiting mines now yeiled far more- creating an even bigger bond of tech with resources. Finally, as tech changed, the necessity would change- primarilly, you might waste less, so that same gets you further. All this could be done without any significant change to the shield system of city production.

But what you could introduce is manufactured goods-for example, forms of luxuries that are made (like TV's, or cars, whatever)-so that if your factories are idling and not building units or buildings, they can build luxuries you can not only use for internal happiness, but to trade.

[Shogun Gunner]

Very interesting suggestion GePap. I like the idea of a resource being worth a relative value. This concept provides for granularity - and not an absolute black or white which translates to HAVE IRON or DON'T HAVE IRON. Very cool. it improves both the production/military aspect of the game AND the economic/trading aspects.

Double for this idea.

[TheBirdMan]

That must be the second option for me as I think resources and trade should be important in a future game.

I would like if the game handled money/gold as a resource with the posibility to loan money from other players. And to negotiate how(much) to pay back and when. A player should be able to "cancel" his loan (I will not pay you the rest). What reaction this would lead to belongs under the diplomacy (a good reason for war I think). The one, who is leanding out money should of course also be able to cancel the others debt (a truly allied might do this).

Of course the AI should be able to handle this in a decent manner.

[LDiCesare]

I don't like the resources in civ3 very much. The main thing I dislike is you can get iron working without having iron in your territory. How did you come to find out how to work iron if you never saw any? Iron working shouldn't be available unless you have iron available on your territory.

As for limits about the number of units built, I think it's too much hassle. Having separate wood/metal (and also stone?) productions could be interesting, but would probably be too complex to manage. Considering it doesn't take 200 years to build a library or train warriors to use a hoplos, I think realism doesn't matter much, and a single iron mine is enough to fuel as many units as you like.
The resources do cause some problems in the early game, though, because lack of horses and irons means you'll lose the game due to bad luck, or crush a civ thanks to luck, which I don't like.

[Kuciwalker]

GePap

[Kramerman]

nice idea Gepap

[GePap]

The number of key resources should be kept low- the more things you need, the more compliacted- as i said, I like an end to the "one ron is enough for everything" abstraction, but the way to end this is not to implment some sort of resource system like in RTS's, which is not that good.

On resources, one idea I am playing with in my head is making fresh water such a resource- in order to support people or make irrigation tiles, you need fresh water (which is already true in civ3)-the difference being that each tile would have a sort of fresh water production- and remove the arbitrary limit of 6 and 12 for cities- cities should be able to grow as big as food supply (which for good sakes, MUST be something than can be moved around, how far to be determined by tech levels) and water supply allow. Th danger of huge cities shoul be the omnipresent danger of great pandemics (and addition to any civ game that I see as a must, but not a resource issue). The point of aqueducts woul be to tap new water resources for cties (thus allowing growth, but not a must for all cities not next to rivers), while sewers would limit disease.

[Shogun Gunner]

Yes, city improvements to be influences not hard core limiters to growth and the city's well being... Interesting idea.

I totally agree about the mobility of food. You would think even stone age hunter/gatherers could pack up a few donkeys and cart some food about...

[Merp]

So are we saying that

1. There are 2 types of resources: Named resources (strategic and luxury) and Unnamed Terrain Resources (say timber from worked forest tiles)

2. Named Resources are quantified by the rate at which they are available, rather than their total quantity. Come to think of it this is already the way Unnamed Terrain Resources work.

3. Slightly offtopic, but mentioned here: The production of shields in a city is partially informed by the availablity of Unnamed Terrain Resources at a rate dependent on the terrain and the governing improvement but this is at limited rate. ie. Important in the start game, less so later. The other source of production shields not tied to the working of tiles is determined by population not assigned elsewhere in conjunction with improvements.

To rephrase: exactly like traditional civ but production shields produced by labourers or factories etc are not tied to the city's worked terrain as a multiple or percentage increase. Thus working terrain like forests might be very important at the start of game, with limited population and improvements, and dramatically less so later.

4. The only intersection between city production and named resources is in the building of units or improvements that require it.

5. Additionally, cities can funnel production into making manufactured luxuries for local, national or international disposal.

Is that about right?

Off-topic:
Admittedly, I think the tax, science and luxury sliders should go! It doesn't make sense when you think about it. After all, if you increase tax you merely increase the amount of revenue collected that is provided in coin. Obviously if you decrease tax you are still collecting the same amount, else why does science or luxury provision increase? Why then does the population become unhappy when tax is too high?

IMO The solution is to make tax a slider, tie it to happiness, but have the science and luxury output determined by the allocation of the population to these tasks. This is overall much more consistent since we already have scientists and entertainers. This just extends the concept further so it can stand on its own two feet.

Other (On-Topic) Considerations:

1. Do we want named resources to still expire? Is this dependent on the rate one produces units or improvements that require them?

2. Are surplus resources stored? If so, how? Invisibly with no limit? Transparently with no control? As a city improvement? As a tile improvement? (IMO it would be good if reserves could be targeted).

3. Are luxury named resources quantified?

4. Obviously a mine built in 1000 B.C. will not produce a named resource at the rate one built in the modern day would. To what extent is the resource rate dependent on a tile improvement and its era?

5. Can an AI manage successfully a complicated system, both for itself and the player who doesn't want to get involved except when necessary?