Railroads?

[Master Zen]

Roads should still be 1/3, perhaps have a "superhighway" improvement at 1/9 or more and railroads should have infinite moviement BUT only if you load/unload in a city and the load process takes a turn.

[Robert]

No 3rd options. I'm glad cIIIv removed some unnessecairy tile-improvements. You keep improving otherwise.

roads and railroads are good enough.

Pherhaps a better idea:
roads: 1/3
railroads: 1/9
superhighways: infinite: 1gold/tile/turn

That forces you to think about the places you want to build superhighways. You most probably will only connect cities through superhighways and not flood your entire country with it.

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Master Zen
railroads should have infinite moviement BUT only if you load/unload in a city and the load process takes a turn.

Too many restrictions, IMHO. A superhighway at 1/9 sounds good as an improvement to existing roads that becomes available to workers.

[CarnalCanaan]

The problem is, superhighways -- historically -- came after, WAY AFTER, railroads.

I prefer a return to the superhighways of Civ2 as city improvements that increase commerce. This seems the most acurate simulation.

What I would like to see is a small wonder called Interstate or Autobahn that creates the effects of the Civ2 superhighway in all continental cities.

[Drachasor]

Originally posted by Vince278
I favor the infinite railroad as well. Keep in mind how many years are in each turn. You can go far on a rail in 1/2/5 years. Airlift doesn't compare to rail. Those heavy lifters cost alot. Rail can haul more cargo cheaper.

With that reasoning your Legion should be able to move 10 or more squares a good-sized map each turn. Movement isn't realistic time-wise, that's just how it is.

I believe Civ3 made it so you can't use enemy roads, correct? I for one, think this needs to be done away with, as not being able to use roads is unrealistic. Rails is a bit more understandable, but the whole reason this was done was to prevent Civ2 era fights where you took over half a Civilization in 1 turn (or maybe the whole thing). Instead, cap movement on rails, and you also have gone a long way to solving the problem. "Capturing" rails and road should merely be understood when you use a railway (you don't really capture a road, you just have troops use it).

Perhaps troops in military bases inside your territory should rush to defend cities under attack. This would happen even if it wasn't your turn. Perhaps you set them on "sleep" or "defend" and they'll do that, and fortify keeps them in place.

Both limited movement and auto-defending troops would eliminate the reason why you can't automatically use enemy rails and roads. Anyhow, I understand the popularity of the unlimited movement, and auto-defending mobile troops might be sufficient, if they eliminate the rail splurge (via not needing rails everywhere). However, the mobile troop idea works best with limited movement, less everyone rushes to defend the furtherest city (though perhaps some sort of radius on the auto-defend would work).

-Drachasor

-Drachasor

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by General Ludd
And it's a good way to deal with "traditional" rules that some people are attached to, despite the rules being completely stupid.

You play industrial-era C3 on anything larger than a small map without zero-move RR's and then tell me how you like the MM

I think workers should get zero-move on railroads, even if military units do not.

[Bjarkehingrumme]

How about auto-destruction of improvements occupied by troops in hostile territory. This could represent burned ground strategy, conducted by civilians/retreating troops. It it would keep the gaming mechanic, and also motivate stopping the enemy at the borders instead of hiding in the cities. Perhaps you could even make it an option set globally by each civilization. If the civ suspected an impending surprise attack it would turn this auto-destruction on, to slow enemy advance. This is quite close to the preparations of war that many countries have in their contingency plans.

[Kuciwalker]

Another thing - the economic bonus from RR's must be removed. As I've said before, with it there it's SUICIDE not to RR every tile. And there should be a gpt upkeep.

With that, and a "capacity" for railroads (with zero-cost move still), we'll have effectively the same thing as a simple move bonus, except the RR's would be connectors between cities, not things covering every tile of your empire.

[Robert]

repost of the idea

Pherhaps a better idea:
roads: 1/3
railroads: 1/9
superhighways: infinite. maintanance: 1gold/tile/turn

That forces you to think about the places you want to build superhighways. You most probably will only connect cities through superhighways and not flood your entire country with it.

[Japher]

What's worse current railroad movement, or taking a year to travel 4 squares on a railroad?

[Drachasor]

Originally posted by Japher
What's worse current railroad movement, or taking a year to travel 4 squares on a railroad?

I am not following, are you talking about roads or railroads? They're 3 movement, and that's unrealistic as well.

Proposals for Railroads have been about 9-18 tiles/1 movement point.

As I said before (do people read?) all movement is unrealistic time-wise. All wars are unrealistic time-wise. It isn't going to change, and I don't understand why everyone isn't used to it now.

-Drachasor

[Japher]

As I said before (do people read?)

I don't know how

all movement is unrealistic time-wise. All wars are unrealistic time-wise. It isn't going to change, and I don't understand why everyone isn't used to it now.

maybe because people would like to see a little air of reality thrown into the game. that's the whole point of this thread. Just saying it ain't going to change ain't an argument.

I was just trying to point out that each turn is year or more. Thus, instant railroad movement is not all that unrealistic or at least not all that rediculous.

[Kuciwalker]

Simply making it only a better road is not going to work at all - with the POSSIBLE except that you make workers get infinite move on it.

[Deathmerchant]

Originally posted by Kucinich
Simply making it only a better road is not going to work at all - with the POSSIBLE except that you make workers get infinite move on it.

Well, all I know is I don't like the ability to ship every single troop on your entire continent to defend one city in a single turn. This completely eliminates anything related to strategic troop placement. The fact that I can have my entire force fighting two fronts on different sides of a continent in the same turn is ridiculous. Oh, the Americans just make a sneak attack on one of my northern outpost cities. Well, as long as the railroad is intact we can just ship our 100 tank units to defend it.

Please explain your argument further, I don't understand why we can't make it just a better road. It would allow a 3 or 4 turn delay from forces that are tied up elsewhere. I would think that this is perfect. A sneak attack on a border city shouldn't be able to get a 'rush order' of your entire army into the city within seconds.

Originally posted by CyberShy
Pherhaps a better idea:
roads: 1/3
railroads: 1/9
superhighways: infinite. maintanance: 1gold/tile/turn

That forces you to think about the places you want to build superhighways. You most probably will only connect cities through superhighways and not flood your entire country with it.

Intersting idea, but it still eliminates the importance of troop placement. We now have the possibility to make a major improvment in the way troops are handled, you could no longer just throw troops wherever you want to, you have to actually think about what border needs more protection, it would add more meaning to 2+ front wars, and might make you think twice about attacking two people at the same time.

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Drachasor
Perhaps troops in military bases inside your territory should rush to defend cities under attack. This would happen even if it wasn't your turn. Perhaps you set them on "sleep" or "defend" and they'll do that, and fortify keeps them in place.

I like that idea of a passive auto-defense. Perhaps they can be limited to a certain radius from their base instead of rushing willy-nilly everywhere on railroads.