Colonies

[Dampier]

I miss being able to acquire resources outside of your cultural borders via a colony, ala civ3. That was better than having to build a city there, sometimes far away from your capital, and more realistic as well. I say bring back colonies.

While I'm here I also would like to comment on something else. I like the system of unit promotions in civIV but I also liked the civIII ability to name your units and also form armies under a general.

Any chance of these features coming back at all?

[Will9]

Re: Colonies

Originally posted by Dampier
I miss being able to acquire resources outside of your cultural borders via a colony, ala civ3. That was better than having to build a city there, sometimes far away from your capital, and more realistic as well. I say bring back colonies.

While I'm here I also would like to comment on something else. I like the system of unit promotions in civIV but I also liked the civIII ability to name your units and also form armies under a general.

Any chance of these features coming back at all?

I would really like being able to setup colonies again, but with colonists not workers. Maybe colonies could evetually grow inti cities. Colonists would also cost less than settlers. Maybe if you send more than one colonists the colony will grow faster. Also a tech requirment (writing? which causes esay contact) would be required. If you want to know about armies go to my thread.

http://apolyton.net/search.php?q=armies&domains=apolyton.net&sitesearch=apolyton.net&cof=GIMP:000080

I coulden't the link to work so click on the second option.

[clarkcd]

You can rename your units. When you click on a unit it will show you a picture of the unit in the lower left corner. Above the picture is it's name, like "Archer". Click on the name to open up the rename unit box.

[Prussia]

If you are really intent on armies, you can always get a group of, let's say, riflemen or something like that, and take a mounted unit, cavalry for example, and name it "General," then move them in stacks.

It makes the game more fun.

[Dampier]

Thanks for the tips.

I also like the colonist idea, though if they grew into cities then you might as well send a settler.

[dregor]

Also I wouldn't want the colony to sprout into a city while sitting on a tile with a resource :P

[Prussia]

Why not?

A colony gets no defensive bonus, cities do, and you can build things there.

If it turns into a city, it's awesome.

[Will9]

This is how I see colonies working,

1: They are settled by colonists (cost 25-50 on epic, movement 2, can be carried by caravels, require writing)

2: They have borders exteding no farther than one square from the colony.

3: They grow into cities in 15 turns (epic). The rate is doubled if a second colonist is sent and it automaticly becomes a city is a third colonist is sent.

4: They recieve no defencive bonuses, except from buildings.

5: Enemy units can enter a colonies borders.

6: They have no production, but some buildings (such as walls, courthouses, and some buildings that can't be built in cities like a trader) can be bought with gold.

7: They generate a certian amount of gold for every resource withen the colonies borders ifthe colny is conected to your trade network. The bonus less for every other source of that resourse.

8: They can only be settled beyond 4 squares from cutural borders.

9: Another city or colony can only be settled with beyond 2 squares from the colony.

10: you can prevent them from growing into cities.

11: If left undefended they can captured without war, but all other nations will get angry at you. The formor owner can then declare war on the nation that captured the colony without other nations getting angry, and without decaring war on a nation with a defensive pact. If your enemy is in a team all other nations in the team you will declare war on all other nation on the team. If you chose to declare war defensive pacts will not be broken and teamates will follow you.

12: You can disband them.

13: They can be traded.

14: They only cost gold from distance. Cost is increased if the colony is unconected.

15: Units in the colony will only cost supply if the colony is unconnected.

I see colonies good in four ways: 1) to quickly get territory if you have no time to make a settler, 2) to settle on another continent, 3) to provolk war, and 4) to prevent other nations from settling in land without culture after a war.

[dregor]

Originally posted by Prussia
Why not?

A colony gets no defensive bonus, cities do, and you can build things there.

If it turns into a city, it's awesome.

A city built on a resource doesn't get the full benefit of working the tile, just access to the resource and the standard 2f 1c 1p. Much better to have a citizen work the tile with the resource and corresponding improvement.

[Senethro]

Why would you want a colony to turn into a city? That way you have to pay upkeep costs. If colonies didn't cost upkeep then I'd use them for those hard to reach resources, like the one silver in the middle of the ice.

[Prussia]

Yes, but cities can also make units and buildings and all of those other good things, and are more easily defendable, and have many many many many quirks.

You honestly think they would make colonies not cost upkeep after Civ 3? Fat chance.

You probably could also stunt it's growth, or something, and make it so that it doesn't grow into a city, if you are so gung-ho about it.

[Will9]

Originally posted by Senethro
Why would you want a colony to turn into a city? That way you have to pay upkeep costs. If colonies didn't cost upkeep then I'd use them for those hard to reach resources, like the one silver in the middle of the ice.

Incase you didn't read my second post I am not proposing a return of the civ3 colonies which where basically tile improvements. I am proposing colonies that are more like cities.

Why is it that whenever I propose a return of something from civ3 people automatically think that I am proposing that it should be the same as in civ3?

[Prussia]

Colonies should be made more like limited cities.

The system before was okay, but flawed, in the sense that someone could simply found a city a square away and claim the resource within their borders.

[Will9]

I would also like to say that since colonies are small they wouldn't cost as much gold to upkeep as cities when connected. If the upkeep cost is still to high when it is connected just buy a courthouse. Also, I said you should be able to prevent the colony from growing incase it will be making more gold for as a colony than a city.

[DirtyMartini]

Will9,

In your proposal, colonies grow into cities in 15 turns. That kinda makes them settlers with a long fuse. All the other colony mechanics you describe go out the window in a trivial amount of game time.

edit: oops, missed #10, sorry.