Oil - My favorite resource!

[UKScud]

In the thread "Civ3 Strategy guide is out, Andrew 1999 says

Mech. Inf: Oil, Rubber
Modern Armor: Oil, Rubber, Aluminum
Paratrooper: Oil, rubber
Tank: Oil, Rubber

Battleship: Oil
Carrier: Oil
Destroyer: Oil
Submarine: Oil
Transport: Oil

Bomber: Oil
Fighter: Oil
Helicopter: Oil, rubber
Jet Fighter: Oil
Stealth Bomber: Oil, Aluminum
Stealth Fighter: Oil, Uranium

It would certainly seem that oil is THE end game resource, as it should be.

Oil 0/1/2 - Refining

All that oil will appear when refining is developed. Note that there is both a production (1) and economic (2) bonus associated with the resource tile.

Some questions to ponder?

Do you think that the reliance of most of the modern (non-nuclear) units on oil will result in the late game becoming an oil hunt?

It would seem that once you have cut off a nations supply of oil in the modern age, they become ripe for conquest.

Do you think warmongers have an easy route to victory this way, or will cutting off the oil supply be harder than it appears?

[zeh]

yep, oil will be very important later on gameplay.
some great wars had started caused by oil disputes and so many will come.
Great add from developers put this as a key to victory in game.

[Faboba]

It useless as far as building a space ship or city improvments though however

[SerapisIV]

No oil in your lands? Time to go for that cultural/spaceship victory.

Too bad Firaxis forgot that plastics are all derived from petroleum, and its guaranteed that significant portions of any spaceships would be plastic.

[UKScud]

No oil in your lands? Time to go for that cultural/spaceship victory

SerapisIV, you've forgotten one very very important thing. How you gonna defend your lands with no oil. If you've no modern units then your resources are going to be up for grabs by the other oil-resourced Civs.

How you going to launch a starship with only saltpeter and coal?

Seriously though, I think this illustrates how integrated the resource model is in any victory condition, and why it is so important that you explore, expand your frontiers and defend colonies in the middle game.

Early game is just going to set you up. Explore the local map, work out where the critical parts of the continent to occupy are, and make first contact with about 2 other Civs on your own continent. The middle game is what will ensure you have a potentially winning end game.

A new question for everyone.

Do you think that oil will be THE most important resource in the game?

Any other candidates?

[The Rook]

I wanna be an Oil baron

[Haphazard]

Originally posted by UKScud


SerapisIV, you've forgotten one very very important thing. How you gonna defend your lands with no oil. If you've no modern units then your resources are going to be up for grabs by the other oil-resourced Civs.

Not all units depend on oil. Artilery and infantry make for a good defensive army, complemented by diplomacy. Will be tricky though.

How you going to launch a starship with only saltpeter and coal?

Could take quite a few turns for a steam-powered ship to reach AC!

Do you think that oil will be THE most important resource in the game?

Any other candidates?

Iron. If you don't make it to 1000AD Oil won't help you....

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Iron. If you don't make it to 1000AD Oil won't help you....

Exactly. The most important resources in each age is probably Iron (ancient) horses (middle) Saltpeter/Oil (Industrial) and Oil (Modern)

[Deathray]

The fact is that oil is the most important resource in the modern world (if you discount living essentials like food, water etc.).

[Dida]

Originally posted by UKScud




How you going to launch a starship with only saltpeter and coal?

Do you think that oil will be THE most important resource in the game?

Any other candidates?

Oil is probably the most important resource in the game, as it is in real life. But just to tell you, powering the space **** has nothing to do with oil. Our spacecraft are powered by liquit hydrogen and oxygen. Other things could be used to replace liquit feul is maybe plasma. But oil never came into play here.

[UKScud]

Iron. If you don't make it to 1000AD Oil won't help you....

I think you're right. The mid-game, which I am coming to realize will be so important depends entirely upon iron.

The following units depend upon iron:

Cannon: Saltpeter, Iron
Knight: Horses, Iron
Pikeman: Iron
Swordsman: Iron

Frigate: Iron, Saltpeter
Ironclad: Iron, Coal
Privateer: Iron, Saltpeter

And the following city improvements require it too...

Coastal Fortress: Iron, Saltpeter
Factory: Iron
Iron Works: Coal and Iron in city radius



Baring the ironclad and swordsmen, all the iron dependant units are certainly middle game.

You CANNOT gain naval superiority during the middle game without iron. You cannot defend against naval superiority (Naval Fortress) without it.

Once you have saltpeter though I am sure you will be building musketmen rather than Knights and pikemen?

I might extend your comment about iron to include saltpeter as well, since the most important middle game units (musketman, cannon and firgate/privateer) depend upon them both.

[UKScud]

Oil is probably the most important resource in the game, as it is in real life. But just to tell you, powering the space **** has nothing to do with oil. Our spacecraft are powered by liquit hydrogen and oxygen. Other things could be used to replace liquit feul is maybe plasma. But oil never came into play here.

I know this, doh!

The point I was trying to make was this...

It doesn't matter if you are well on your way to building the starship or not...if you have no oil, you cannot build the majority of the useful modern day units.

Mobile warfare is impossible, tanks require oil.

You cannot project naval power when your opponent has submarines, destroyers, and battleships, and you have ironclads because you have no oil.

You cannot project air superiority (aircraft carrier), or defend your own skies because your airforce consists of gliders, while the enemy has fighters and bombers. Because he has oil!

All you can do is sit in your cities and fortresses and wait for the carpet bombing and naval bombardment to begin.

If you have no oil in the end game, you are finished, fodder for any aggresive civ that wants your land.

[UKScud]

If you have no oil in the end game you are fodder for any aggresive civ that wants your lands...

...and, a point I made in my first post...

If you deny another Civ the oil that they need to make modern units...

...then they are fodder for you!!!

[Andrew1999]

Oil and uranium are the two resources most likely to be exhausted and disappear from the map.

"Well, Texas has run out, the Persian Gulf has run out, and now the North Sea is out. Quick! Everybody invade Antarctica!"

[Ludwig]

Have the full details of the economic model been published anywhere? Specifically, I'm wondering if the resource requirements are elastic or inelastic. Does quantity matter, or just general accessibility?

In other words, if I have one tile inside my borders that contains iron, or one tile that contains oil, will that be sufficient for as many cities and units as I can muster [assuming everything is connected by roads] or is there a limit to how many units or cities can be supported by/from a single resource tile?

This has gigantic strategic consequences - actually, it pretty much is the deciding factor in determining the relative viability of expansionist and perfectionist styles - but I haven't seen the specific rule defined anywhere. If a single resource tile can support all your units, a perfectionist style is possible and sound - but if there is a support limit per tile, then the expansionist model is self-reinforcing in a feedback-loop sort of way and all other styles of play would pretty much be excluded [the big get bigger and the strong get stronger].