No maintenance so what new ways to spend money shall there be?

[kolpo]

For me at least was the main use of money in civ3 paying maintenance and to pay for my small peacetime . Only in times of war or when I was in a cultural war over a city(and had to rush build) became money more important.

So I guess civ4 needs something new to spend money on if they shall no longer have maintenance, remove maintenace from civ3 and I can easily live with very low taxes and all the rest in science especially when i'm a communistic government(they get huge numbers of troops free of support anyway).

One of the new things to spend money on could be civics if they include things like health care, federal police and social security. Because there no longer is maintenance could they also have raisen the support cost of units. What new ways of spending money could there be you think?

[The diplomat]

There could be also be a system where you allocate money to farming, industry etc to increase those areas efficiency. For example, put enough money into farming and all your tiles would produce +1 food.

[petermarkab]

Debt and the Right of Irresponsibility

i think you should be allowed to go into debt up to a pre-determined level; 10% of your GDP for example.

this would stop daft situations where you have zero capital, your expenses exceed your income, and the only assets you have are your about-to-claim-the-luxury-city settler, or your stack of death sitting at the enemy's doorstep, which of course disappear on the following turn!

Income Tax

i think luxury payment should become over time compulsory. think of it as representing the public's net income - income after tax deductions - which none of us would do without.
if the average income tax rate today is around 33%, then your luxury slider should be set at 7! this doesn't give you - the head of state - much money to spend on anything.

[Brent]

The way I play I always wind up in the hole, I guess because I can't resist expanding as much as possible. So for most of the game I have no money to choose how to spend.

I guess we could just recieve less money/ have things cost more.

Health care, social security, etc sound like good uses for money in the game.

A certain amount of allowed debt sounds good too.

[petermarkab]

In one of the other threads, Aussie_Lurker suggested paying maintenance for terrain improvements and transport infrastructure, an idea which i very much agree with.

[Straybow]

Would tile improvements disappear if not maintained? If full funding is not available, does the player get to choose which tiles to pay for and which to neglect?

No, sounds like way more micromanagement than I'm interested in.

[Shogun Gunner]

Originally posted by Straybow
Would tile improvements disappear if not maintained? If full funding is not available, does the player get to choose which tiles to pay for and which to neglect?

No, sounds like way more micromanagement than I'm interested in.

Oh, it's easy..really! It's a three year depreciation schedule. You can find the depreciation table in Appendix T of the manual. You will need to cross-reference the improvement being maintained against your government type and the civ bond rating to reach the proper maintenance figure. Repeat for all remaining improvements.

This remains true until the GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) changes when Firaxis releases a new patch. Then simply go to the website, print out the new Appendix T, rip the old one out of your manual, and staple the new one it!

You see, it's easy and fun! Even a three year old can do it!

[GePap]

Have they said they would get rid of maintenance in Civ4? Thats terrible.

[Nikolai]

They said they'd implement something better.

[GePap]

Better? That's all they said?

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Shogun Gunner


Oh, it's easy..really! It's a three year depreciation schedule. You can find the depreciation table in Appendix T of the manual. You will need to cross-reference the improvement being maintained against your government type and the civ bond rating to reach the proper maintenance figure. Repeat for all remaining improvements.

This remains true until the GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) changes when Firaxis releases a new patch. Then simply go to the website, print out the new Appendix T, rip the old one out of your manual, and staple the new one it!

You see, it's easy and fun! Even a three year old can do it!

I used to do enough of that at work, I don't want to do it in my time off too.

[Modo44]

Originally posted by petermarkab
Income Tax

i think luxury payment should become over time compulsory. think of it as representing the public's net income - income after tax deductions - which none of us would do without.
if the average income tax rate today is around 33%, then your luxury slider should be set at 7! this doesn't give you - the head of state - much money to spend on anything.

The idea is good, but overdone a bit. I don't know how exactly this will work, but in all Civ games to date citizens were getting food, and places to live, from the state. Also, many structures are kept running by the state (Banks, Factories, Harbors, Airports, ...). Count this into taxes, and you'll get to a nice (and bearable) mandatory lux level, around 20-30%.

[Shogun Gunner]

Collecting income tax on "luxuries" only performs a net transfer back to the government for "civic programs" and military stuff. Why not set the wealth/capital flows at the end points?

I was just kidding about liking all the accounting stuff

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by petermarkab
i think luxury payment should become over time compulsory. think of it as representing the public's net income - income after tax deductions - which none of us would do without.
if the average income tax rate today is around 33%, then your luxury slider should be set at 7! this doesn't give you - the head of state - much money to spend on anything.

I always thought of it more as things like Social Security and Medicare (at least in modern times; in ancient times it would be things like festivals and feasts and free bread).

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by GePap
Better? That's all they said?

I trust Soren.