Terrain Improvements

[Crouchback]

Irrigation
Basic Mine
Road/railroad
Fortress
(Colonies)

Has anyone seen a screenshot with anything more than those four types? There don't seem to be any advanced mines, farms or airstrips. Which surely means workers pretty become redundant post railroads, except as mobile population points and to repair enemy damage?

David

[old dog]

Well, do we know yet whether the more radical land transforming (formerly limited to engineers) is still in? Also, there's always the turning of swamps and jungle into more productive land. And cleaning up polution.

[Gramphos]

They can plant forests after the invention of engineering.

[Sarxis]

I am pretty sure I heard that terraforming is in.

But I don't remember where, how long ago, or any particular details, except the name 'Jeff Briggs' comes to mind.

[Earthling7]

It would seem reasonable that the tile improvements available in Civ2 will be present here. Anything else would be a bit funny.

[Crouchback]

Originally posted by Earthling7
It would seem reasonable that the tile improvements available in Civ2 will be present here. Anything else would be a bit funny.

Civ 2 didn't include the ability to put mines on grassland, which was a funny idea of Activisions, and if we don't get the engineer upgrade how long will teraforming take?

But it's strange that there is no mention of what sort of terrain alteration is possible. I get the feeling they don't want us messing with their nice new random map generation.

David

[Akron]

It's also weird that there has been no indication that farmland is in. I really hope it is, as the current irrigation graphic looks horrible.

[Wexu]

Farmlands are just unnecessary micromanagement. I'd be glad if they're gone. Maybe we have now some city improvement which gives more food from irrigations, or maybe a small wonder "farmlands". Who knows..

I wouldn't mind if you couldn't turn deserts to grasslands as in Civ2 with engineers, that was quite silly. They could also make hills from grassland. I hope we won't see this kind of things in Civ3.

[Akron]

Originally posted by Wexu
Farmlands are just unnecessary micromanagement. I'd be glad if they're gone.

So farming techniques today are the same as 2000 years ago?

If you feel it is too much micromanagement, just automate the workers (provided the automation function similar or better than SMAC's; civ 2's was horrible). Or don't build farmland, it's your choice. But there needs to be some way to show the increase in food production over time, and it has to take some work, not just a cheap wonder.

[Wexu]

Originally posted by Akron


So farming techniques today are the same as 2000 years ago?

And they are still walking on the same roads that were build many thousands of years ago? Where are all the highways?? (Highways were a city improvement in Civ2, IIRC )

...not just a cheap wonder.

Ok, maybe a high priced city improvement then? You'd had to build them to every city. That's not cheap.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure there are no farmlands as a terrain improvement, so get used to it!

[El hidalgo]

Originally posted by Akron


So farming techniques today are the same as 2000 years ago?

If you feel it is too much micromanagement, just automate the workers (provided the automation function similar or better than SMAC's; civ 2's was horrible). Or don't build farmland, it's your choice. But there needs to be some way to show the increase in food production over time, and it has to take some work, not just a cheap wonder.

I like farmlands ok, but I think tech advances by themselves, such as biotech, would increase food yields after farmland.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

In Civ2, you farmlands by themselves didnt do anything. You needed farmlands and supermarkets to double food output. Maybe in Civ3 they just cut off the farmland and kept the supermarket

[The Templar]

I, for one, was not all that happy with planting farmland. It detraced somewhat from the overall fun of the game (what herding flocks of engineers around and all). What might be cool would be an agricultural advance (one in the middle ages, one in moden times) to increase food production once the advance is achieved. Or as Lawrence said, build some sort of city improvement, like the supermarket, that ups the value of the land.

[HalfLotus]

I agree with templar. Messing with engineers in the late game of civ2 got tedious. Farmland was realistic, but no fun.

[Mars]

Personally i think they should get ride of the supermarket and keep the farmland. I liked farmlands