Renewable Resources

[critic]

Renewable Resources

Currently luxuries and strategic resources are essential part of the way Civilization plays, changing these could bring a whole new approach to the game, resources could be divided into renewable and non-renewable resources. The idea being that coal or gold will eventualy dissapear, while horses or furs can shift to an adjecant square. Resources such as wheat and spices should be made replicable, it doesn't make sense that spice or wheat can't be planted at another location after its discovery, as long as underlying tile squares are favorable, or weather permits. As for non-renewable resources, every age can bring the discovered resources on more difficult terrain, iron could appear only on hills in ancient era, mountains during med-evil era, plains in modern era.
Critic

[curtsibling]

Not a bad idea, really!

[Dauphin]

I like the idea of gradually shifting resources, through prospecting and depletion. It just about happens in Civ3 but not enough.

One thing though. When discussing say, wheat, I don't see it as finding a wheat resource but as reflecting finding a land that is extremely fertile, or extremely suited to growing a particular crop. You could grow coffee, bananas, tobacco etc anywhere in the world, but some places are far far better due to natural climate. That is what I see as being reflected by such resources.

[Aramis]

Shifting resources could cause major shifts in player strategy.
If global warming remains in the game it could alter a tile so wheat, as an example, couldn't be grown there. Grassland could turn to plains, plains to desert.
This would be interesting to see in MP games.

[critic]

The picture I had in mind is cities setting aside a tile or two on which nearby luxuries are grown, supplying other cities proportionally. As for cows and wheat, they are few and far between, if a wheat or cow resource is available near the city it should at least be usable on any city square of that city. Point being that climate and soil characteristics don't vary much over small distances such as the immediate working area of a city.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Dauphin
One thing though. When discussing say, wheat, I don't see it as finding a wheat resource but as reflecting finding a land that is extremely fertile, or extremely suited to growing a particular crop. You could grow coffee, bananas, tobacco etc anywhere in the world, but some places are far far better due to natural climate. That is what I see as being reflected by such resources.

That's an excellent interpretation

You can then have fun effects such as over exploitation.