Is the shield concept good enough for Civ 4?

[Optimizer]

One of the most abstracted models in the Civ games is the economy. All since Civ 1, there have been two economic value units - the Golden coin and the Shield.

I think that the next Civ game should split the shields into different Assets, for instance Materials, Workforce and Information.

Workforce from citizens that work within the city - less under a free government

Materials from citizens working in mines and forests - is increased by industrial buildings

Information from your educational and cultural infrastructure - more under a free government

Most buildings and units will cost different amounts of materials, workforce and information. The city's geographic location, its population and your government will determine what assets will be the greatest, and thus what kinds of units and buildings you will prefer to build.

Examples:
If you have got a large population, you will have a great Workforce. Simple infantry units and simple buildings will be cheap. Example: Developing countries

Many mines, forests and factories will give you lots of Materials. It'll be favorable to build ships, heavily armed troops, tanks and large buildings. Example: Germany

If your people is educated, you will have a lot of Information to invest in advanced weapons, intelligence missions and artistic projects. Example: Ancient Greece, Switzerland

Workforce that isn't consumed is lost (unemployment).
Materials that aren't consumed are stored.
Information that isn't consumed is invested in culture, entertainment and research. The ratios would be set with a slider.

Unit and building maintenance would be paid in Workforce, Materials and Information proportional to the construction costs.

Gold would still be used in the game, but mostly for buying and selling things. You would only get Gold from gold mines or trade.

[Sandman]

The shield system makes little sense with the inclusion of strategic resources. Before, you could justify the high resource output of mined squares by imagining that they supplied things like iron, aluminium and coal. But with these made into strategic resources, all that is left for the hills and other 'mined' squares is stone (like that's needed for units) and less necessary metals like tin, lead or copper.

Comments on your system:

Information is doing too much; building, maintaining, research, culture AND entertainment?

Workforce is already there as population, IMO.

[Inverse Icarus]

in my plans for my "dream game" labor is a commodity (infact, one of the major ones)

[DrSpike]

The shield system is fine........though if it can be improved whilst retaining a nice game balance then why not.

[Jamski]

The main problem with the shield system is that a city cannot train soldiers and build a granary at the same time. Howabout if all units cost population, and gold depending on how you wanted to equip them ? To enforce the "guns or butter" principle that underlies civ games, you would need to devote some of your construction "shields" or whatever to the construction of milltary buildings such as barracks, training grounds, stables, blacksmiths, armouries, arsenals, tank factories etc. Now that I would like to see. It would also mean that "meat grinder" wars would be less common, as both sides would start running out of able-bodied men to send to die for their motherland...

Just my 2 euro-cents

-Jam

[Lemmy]

Workforce
Materials
Information a bit to abstract IMO.

[Trifna]

I also think the shield system isn't perfect...
And I would guess Optimizer's system could be pretty neat but I would replace "Information" by "Capacity" which is the people's capacity to make something. Put them on fishing when they have no habit of sailing and you may see some problems at first. Also, puting people on high tech stuff would be quite reliant on education. Education is a key.

[Panag]

hi ,

the shield system is great

keep it , okay it can use some improvement but the basic idea should remain the same

have a nice day

[Trifna]

panag:
It would be nice to have an argument... I mean 300 persons could say "No, it's great" without saying why. So why would it not be better otherwise?...

[MrBaggins]

panag is a Firaxis fanboy and apologist...

Hear no evil
See no evil
Speak no evil

[Cyclotron]

One concept I remember discussing in the days before the release of Civ3 was energy.

As a compromise between shields and getting rid of them entirely, we discussed the use of energy. Energy (you could use little lightning bolt icons or something) represents actual labor power to do something; early on it represents sheer manual labor, while later buildings like water mills, coal plants, and nuclear plants would provide more energy. Shields would become representative of various raw materials.

Consider this: To make something, I need X shields and Y energy. Shields would be produced by terrain squares worked, as it is now, and energy would be produced according to the amount of population in the city (more people present to labor). A unit would be produced when enough shields and energy had accumulated.

The benefit of the system is that you have seperated materials and labor, making the system less abstract.

[Trifna]

Energy would be quite a good way to simplify "capacity/information" and workforce to a single concept. I guess this would really be excellent... Like if you have more educated people here, you'll have more energy in this or this task. It's alot more simple. Great little idea cyclotron

[Optimizer]

Yes, Energy as a basic resource is a great idea.

Maybe one should have Food, Materials, Workforce, Energy and Information then?

Or perhaps one less...

[Sandman]

Why not make energy + materials = shields?

[Panag]

Originally posted by MrBaggins
panag is a Firaxis fanboy and apologist...

Hear no evil
See no evil
Speak no evil

hi ,

yeah right , stay on topic and know something about the person before you post such stuff , .....



have a nice day