Global Warming

[Nikomakkos]

So, I just heard about this global warming. Can anyone clarify? Was it just added in the newest patch?

[Lighteria]

It's in the original game, I know, my first time playing I got global warming after chopping down almost every forest on the map and building coal power plants in most of my cities.

Spaces start turning into deserts when that happens. It sucks >_>;

[sowings]

I read in the change log that it was modified somewhat in the latest patch. It used to be that it would turn the square to a desert (or hills / plains if it was a hill). Now, if there is a forest in the target square, the forest is destroyed, but the underlying terrain type remains the same.

For anything more specific than that, someone else will have to chime in.

[Nikomakkos]

I never build coal plants. Maybe that's why I never got it? Or maybe I have gotten it and forgotten about it. I haven't played much in the modern age for a long time. I do remember the global warming in civ 2 though. The yellow orb of doom...

[Blaupanzer]

Somewhere, possibly from Snoopy, but he can credibly deny this if he wishes, I got the impression that global warming (GW) is directly related to the use of nukes. No nukes, no warming. Personally, I've played games of BTS to 2000 or later and have never seen GW. I usually have a pretty big empire I keep an eye on, and I am sensitive to the AI's remaining forests (for chopping post capture.) I have not registered any GW effects in any of these games. I usually use the UN to shut down nuke development before anyone has a chance to build the Manhatten Project. You appear to be saying that GW can occur due to pollution effects. Other than on each city page under illness, I haven't identified a way to monitor pollution in Civ IV.

[Supr49er]

Originally posted by Blaupanzer
Somewhere, possibly from Snoopy, but he can credibly deny this if he wishes, I got the impression that global warming (GW) is directly related to the use of nukes. No nukes, no warming. Personally, I've played games of BTS to 2000 or later and have never seen GW. I usually have a pretty big empire I keep an eye on, and I am sensitive to the AI's remaining forests (for chopping post capture.) I have not registered any GW effects in any of these games. I usually use the UN to shut down nuke development before anyone has a chance to build the Manhatten Project. You appear to be saying that GW can occur due to pollution effects. Other than on each city page under illness, I haven't identified a way to monitor pollution in Civ IV.

I wish this was true. I have on many occasions suffered Global Warming without any civ using Nukes. However, I don't know whether they were using Nuclear Plants.

[clarkcd]

Before the latest patch global warming popped up from two sources, nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants melting down. Basically any time fallout hit a map it triggered global warming.

Now global warming can happen just from chopping down too many trees/jungle and having too many pollution producing buildings (coal plants and factories I believe).

[Nikomakkos]

Ok. Who'd build coal plants anyway? Does anyone build coal plants? Should I maybe start building coal plants? Nah...

[Julian Delphiki]

If i need the production boost, and have coal i will build them ASAP on most productive cities (unless unheathiness would really cripple them).

Depends most on what victory i am going for.. early cultural might do without.

[sowings]

So is it true that a Nuke plant or Hydro plant built in the same city after a coal plant replaces it (thereby removing the -health)?

[joncnunn]

When I don't build Sushi's I tend to build a lot of coal plants.
When I do build Sushi's though only a few cities get a coal plant (including the evenual Three Georges Dam)

The new power source replaces the old power source so the Nuke or Hyrdo Plant would remove the coal plant polution. (Keeping the power polution). But building a Coal plant after Three Georges would also cause unheathiness to increase.

[Unimatrix11]

I build Coal Plants - sure. I try to make my cities have +4 health BEFORE i do tho. Then -2 remain from the CP. Loosing one pop for the production is fine for me. On epic building the average aqueduct (the +2 needed to get to the +4 health in comparison to the happy cap) + the plant takes like 10 turns.

[okblacke]

I think it's a stupid game mechanic.

Particularly since you can't fix it. I liked Civ II where anything is fixable. But even fixable at this stage in the game, it doesn't (wouldn't) add anything.

[Blaupanzer]

Originally posted by joncnunn
When I don't build Sushi's I tend to build a lot of coal plants.
When I do build Sushi's though, only a few cities get a coal plant (including the eventual Three Georges Dam)

What is the relationship between Sushi's and coal? You note a clear demarcation between yes and no about Sushi's, but Sushi's has no real affect on power directly. You go on to discuss pollution. Thus making me think that you are trading off power-based pollution with people-based pollution. Couldn't hydro plants solve your problem either way? Also there is some enviro building that you can build to eliminate all building pollution in the city (recycling center?).

[Felch]

Sushi helps mitigate the health disadvantage by giving extra food.

That's my guess.

I'm with okblacke on not liking the fact that it's unfixable.

Maybe if a later technology allowed you to plant trees. . .