I always thought that the resources were ok

[Pyrodrew]

Re: I am starting to dislike it as well

Originally posted by BlightCrawler
However, I'm playing on Cheiftain, and none of my allies will even consider trading any strategic resources that I somehow deplete in five years.

The AI should be nicer to Chieftain players. For Regent & up everything is fine.

[Blunderdog]

Re: I am starting to dislike it as well

Originally posted by BlightCrawler

Soon after this annoyance I discover uranium. There are two deposits next to one of my biggest cities. After about 5 turns (give or take a turn, really) BOTH uranium resources run out in the same turn.

Yeah, I've found the depletion to be annoying and strangely coincidental to other events in the game. Two pieces of anecdotal evidence:

1) Regent, have deal to export saltpeter to Russians. During the 20-turn length of the contract, my other source dries up, leaving me with none (the other goes to the Russkies). Later on, I don't really need saltpeter, so I let the contract sit. And sit. Finally, I end the deal AND THE VERY NEXT TURN that source depletes. Uh huh.

2) Regent again. I make it to Refining and discover that I have no oil. Not wanting to let the others catch up, I hunt down a source near a vulnerable city. Turns out to be Chinese, quite a ways away. I gather up some troops and make the trek out there. I take the city (well, I asked for it, but the Chinese weren't feeling generous) and fight a pitched battle to hold it. I finally am able to secure a peace deal and get a worker out to re-establish the road to the oil. Less than five turns later, that source peters out ... and a new one pops up right in the middle of my home territory. Hmmph!

I'll just add these to my list of wonders I've missed out on by one turn.

[Chronus]

It's dissapointing to see how you stopped playing a game cause of that. It adds depth in the game, and there's so many ways around it.

I agree. I played a game where I was the only one on a small continent (tundra occupying almost half of it!) with nothing but lots of silk. I discovered a nearby island (w/ room for 1 town) that had iron but also riddled w/ mountains and hills. I decided to build a town anyway to get at the iron. You guessed it! Before I was able to build the harbor, the iron ran out!

Thousands of years later, I finally had contact w/ the other tribes. Though I was technologically (sp?) backward, I was able to use my silk to trade for techs, bringing me back on par w/ the rest of them. Mind you, these were not simple exchanges . . . the AI always got the better deal but I was in no position to argue.

Eventually, the inevitable happened. The Aztecs declared war on me and things appeared frightening indeed. Then, lo and behold, my little, one town island not only discovered iron, but saltpeter as well! This new buildup of my military, combined w/ some diplomacy alliances against the Aztecs, allowed me to capture a nearby, two-city Aztec island! VICTORY!

Rubber was another problem. I would trade w/ the Zulus to obtain it, build up my tanks, and then attack the Zulus in the hopes of accomplishing a beach head before running out of tanks.

In the last quarter of the game, a resevoir of oil was discovered on my main continent (all that tundra finally paid off). Then another . . . and then another . . . I ended up with 4 oil reserves!

Bottom line: hang in there, look at all your options, and create new options. The bleakest looking games sometimes end up being best.

Why wait for them to get there? Call 'em up, show 'em the tech, ask what they'll give you for it. Take the money, call next civ, etc. This has been very effective for me in the middle game, giving me tons and tons of money, which I naturally plow right back into science.

This is similar to the relationship between the Western countries and the oil producing, middle east countries.

makes every game different. i had nothing but iron so far in my game...and i cannot make my cossacks. it will be interesting

trade for it, build up a military, then take over the source. that adds so much depth to the game.

the resource system doesn't suck because you're playing a game right now in which you have hardly any resources. Those things happen once in a while, deal with it. Become a trade-based civilization.

IMOHO, resources (as handled in Civ 3) are one of the best things to come to the Civ series.

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Barchan
Hmm, that's an interesting concept. I wonder if the AI is blind to strategic resources until it has the requisite technology (I'm sure that MPs would be). That would work to an advanced Civ's benefit, obviously. If you can see the oil and the AI can't, you might be able to wage a quick war and annex the territory from it rather cheaply.

I did exactly that in my current game. The Zulus demanded Replaceable Parts, I said "No freakin' way", they declared war. I then gave every other civ in the game whatever it took to declare war on the Zulus. After a few years fighting and heavy unit losses for the Zulus (although NO territory was won or lost by anyone) they were willing to trade three small cities next to their only source of oil for Peace and a handful of gold. Funny thing is, I had been gearing up for war with the Babylonians at the time becuase I needed oil! In the end, I left the Babylonians in peace and the Zulus oil-less (though they won't know it until the get refining.....).