Peaks and Ice

[uberloz]

I just got the Beyond the Sword expansion and I wanted to post something I thought might go some ways towards redeeming my last thread.

It's about the value of peaks and ice as terrain. Or rather, the lack of value for peaks and ice.

Do they need to be valueless?

I mean when I think about it, peaks; in the real world anyway; offer some great skiing, mountain climbing, camping, hiking, olympic games and tourism. Wouldn't it make sense that if they were within a cities borders they should generate +1 happiness and/or +1 commerce?

And as for ice terrain, don't we have some teams down in Antartica that are doing some serious scientific work? Couldn't those tiles be worth a science beaker or two?

I just can't come to grips with a non-fallout tile being completely worthless.

Maybe these bonus's could come just from having the tile in the city radius, instead of costing a population to work?

[snoopy369]

I think it's just because of gameplay reasons - it's strategically interesting to have a valueless tile, so they have them. It's certainly simple to mod them to have value (even to have an improvement that could give a happy face or something when connected).

[TriMiro]

I agree with the fact that mountains should have some value, but that should come later in the game. No one in the middle ages was skiing on regular basis. Also, no one cared to make scientific research on Antarctica.

One can make something like in city improvements to make mountains better. City improvement, "Ski Resort", requires mountains within city radius (i.e. fat-cross) and gives +1 happy and +1 commerce for every mountain (the happy bonus is not per mountain). Can also build "Arctic Research Lab", gives science for every ice tile in the city radius.

[ColdPhoenix]

Originally posted by TriMiro
I agree with the fact that mountains should have some value, but that should come later in the game. No one in the middle ages was skiing on regular basis. Also, no one cared to make scientific research on Antarctica.

One can make something like in city improvements to make mountains better. City improvement, "Ski Resort", requires mountains within city radius (i.e. fat-cross) and gives +1 happy and +1 commerce for every mountain (the happy bonus is not per mountain). Can also build "Arctic Research Lab", gives science for every ice tile in the city radius.

I like it!

[Ming]

Nice idea...

[uberloz]

Originally posted by TriMiro
I agree with the fact that mountains should have some value, but that should come later in the game. No one in the middle ages was skiing on regular basis. Also, no one cared to make scientific research on Antarctica.

One can make something like in city improvements to make mountains better. City improvement, "Ski Resort", requires mountains within city radius (i.e. fat-cross) and gives +1 happy and +1 commerce for every mountain (the happy bonus is not per mountain). Can also build "Arctic Research Lab", gives science for every ice tile in the city radius.

I like it too!

[Targonis]

One thing that could work would be to have the current techs unlock some functionality for peaks. For example, with the invention of explosives, the ability to tunnel through a mountain(road) would be opened up. It may not provide the usual production or commerce, but you could at least make roads that go through them for better routes in mountainous areas. The function of making a road through such a tile should be VERY high, but would have a small chance of finding a natural resource(gold/silver/stone/marble/aluminum, etc...).

The idea of having certain techs open other recreational uses of peaks could also work, but a system should be put in place so that not every peak can be used for recreation.

Peaks could be used for defense with the proper tech(s).

[uberloz]

Maybe a good tech for allowing "Ski resorts" on peaks would be 'replacement parts'? You know for the ski lift machinery.

And maybe the "Arctic research " would be available after 'optics' and/or 'radio'?

[Tattila the Hun]

What I'd like to see, is the possibility to go around a single, lone mountain. Maybe enable only workers to go there, and after they build a road, it takes one turn for a military unit or settler to cross the tile.

[FIN Marshal]

Originally posted by Tattila the Hun
What I'd like to see, is the possibility to go around a single, lone mountain. Maybe enable only workers to go there, and after they build a road, it takes one turn for a military unit or settler to cross the tile.

I'm not very much into it. Same thing than with the mountain and ice bonuses by themselves; It's interesting to have unpassable terrain nearby.

[gdijedi7]

Oddly, I'm begining to agree with the mountains=no movement thing, even though it's unhistorical to some degree. People have always fled to the mountains, but it IS hard to move armies through them. This may be why refugees flee there.

But anyway... look at Hannibal.

And I do like the idea of a Ski Resort.

[Cyrus The Mike]

[SIZE=1] And I do like the idea of a Ski Resort.

It could even be a special building. only buildable in cities that have mountains within workable tiles. this helps if you have a city thats planted on Iron and surrounded by mountains.

[Bhruic]

I actually got one of the events (was it Truffles? I can't remember) on a mountain. Gave the mountain +1 food and +1 commerce, and actually allowed me to work it with my city. I thought mountains couldn't be worked, and I also thought they couldn't be targets of those type of events, but I was wrong on both fronts.

So if mountains can be worked via events, stands to reason that you could have a tech that enabled them to be worked (gain commerce via skiing, or something similar).

Bh

[Tattila the Hun]

Originally posted by FIN Marshal


I'm not very much into it. Same thing than with the mountain and ice bonuses by themselves; It's interesting to have unpassable terrain nearby.

With an unreachable, unworkable resource on a tile just beyond that one mountain? Just close enough of an existing city to not warrant a new city, and who would want to put a city into such a place anyway?

(Though, I still don't know if forts work as a harbor, tradewise. That would fix the thing.)

[ColdPhoenix]

I haven't tried it but I believe that forts do act as a harbour.