Roads and Improvements

[Kc7mxo]

Reading DanQ's preview concerning units (part 4), I had two immediate questions.

1.) It sounds like roads can only be built by going from one city to another city. Has building roads for strategic purposes been eliminated?

2.) The description about workers sounded simply like the allocation of population points in the city square, and I couldn't identify any way it differed from previous games. Is improving territory through irrigation and mines still in the game?

[DanQ]

Re: Roads and Improvements

Hi Kc7mxo.

Originally posted by Kc7mxo
1.) It sounds like roads can only be built by going from one city to another city. Has building roads for strategic purposes been eliminated?

Good question.

As far as I am aware, roads can indeed only be built connecting one city to another -- that was the only instance of building roads that was mentioned during the presentation. It is possible that there were other instances that were not discussed, and at the time it didn't strike me to ask. Still, it is also possible that since I saw and played a preview build and maybe even between now and release that there will be changes in this respect still.

2.) The description about workers sounded simply like the allocation of population points in the city square, and I couldn't identify any way it differed from previous games. Is improving territory through irrigation and mines still in the game?

Yes, improving terrain through irrigation is still in the game. There is the Irrigation technology that you must research in order to be able to do so. It's in the third column on the research tree and allows you to take advantage of any Wheat resource.

Mining specifically did not come up during the presentation (nor can I recall it during my own playtesting time), but I have no reason to believe that it's not in the game.

[Heraclitus]

I do wonder what kind of game dynamics limited road buidling would have? Perhaps it would be a positive change? I mean, sure, people will find it limiting. But there are good limits, like the 2 nationla wonder rule of Civ4.


Now the first thing that comes to mind in such an arangement, would be an analogy to the star lanes of some of the Space 4X games, with the difference between the "roaded plots" and the ones without being slightly smaller. But once railroads are built the comparison might just fit.

[dojoboy]

I really hope roads can be built other than between cities. If not for movement bonuses, then for aesthetics alone.