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On resources (not as long as previous, but almost)
A follow-up to on occupation (long):
The resource system is one of the two fundemental changes to the civ line in civ3 (the other being culture) and this does add depth to the line. Yet the implementation has already spawned various threads of discontent. Here I outline some ideas that I think would a)make the gaming experience fuller, b)make the game more realistic (yet again).
The three fundemental changes would be:
1. Exploitation levels
2. man-made
3. resource points
As a general change, resources would be far more common on the map.
1. Today there is more oil around than ever- the reason is not that more oil is being created, but that modern tech allows us to exploit what we could not before. I think this should be modelled in civ3. So, what would be done, is assaining each deposit of a resource with a level of expliotation, from 1 to x. The first tech that allows one to use that resource would show us deposits with a rating 1, subsequent techs would make higher levels appear. Lets take iron as example: Iron working would reveal level 1 iron, which would represent the most rich or shallowest veins of iron, those veins that man at this level of tech could use. At metallurgy, level 2 would show, signifying deeper veins or ore that was not as rich but now is usefull. Deeper levels would follow. Of course, so resources, like horses, would have only 1 level, and something like rubber only 2, were one represents the best sap, 2 saps that new processes make usefull. Thus, as you advance in tech, you gain more and more resources- why this matters so much will be explained later down
2. The fact is that tech makes it possible for us to synthesize resources, and to manufacture goods. I would implement two ideas in the general category of man-made: Synthetic plants, and manufactured luxuries.
Synthetic plants would allow a player to 'make' a resource that they fail to have naturally. This idea has already been noted by other folks, but my idea is slightly different. A synthetic plant would not give you a resource for free, it would allow you to convert one resource for another, as is in real life. So, 1 plant (which would be very expensive) would turn 1 coal into 1 oil, or 1 oil into 1 rubber. So, a nation rich in coal, for a huge amount of money, could become adequate in oil and rubber (much like Germany in WW2).
Most luxuries today are man-made, not natural (ahem, furs and ivory?). The player would be able to manufacture industrial luxuries by setting their cities to making it. This would function much like wealth. This way, your economy could be geared towards consumer goods, as it is in real life, and greater industry would alsso mean greater happiness or wealth (by trading these goods to other for money). The llist of possible luxuries could be either short or long, and include the likes of furniture, radios, tvs, cars, clothing, so forth.
The most important chnage would be resource points. As is, one single source of something is all you need for even the biggest empires. I think that this decision is in fact, the one that leads to most of the problems some people have noted. I would change this. Every icon you had in your tade box would represent a set number of points. Lets use iron again, and say that it equals 40 points, just to say. Each thing that needs iron would use up a certain number of iron points. Lets say 1 swordman=1 point, a knight =2. So, with one icon of iron, you can have 20 knights, but no more. Want more knights? Get more iron. As i said, everything that needs a resource, from units to structure, would use up a certain amount of points (even RR's), so continious expansion would mean a continious expansion of your resource base, by either trade, expansion, or tech. With this sytem we also see why a strategy of synthetics could take you only so far. Need oil? Then make it out of coal; but what if you need lots of coal too? Then get actual oil, or more coal. This system would work with luxuries also but in a slightly different manner. Your population would be able to absorb a certain number of luxury points. Unitl you reach that point, the full potential of that luxury to make you happy is not reached, but if you have more than your population needs, then its extra and of no use except for trade.
I think this sytem would make gameplay far richer. The concept of having to insure your resource base is kept, and in many ways, made even more important. Having just one little source in the middle of your empire would not be enough- if you want a great army, or huge civ, then you have to continually get more to feed your empire. Yet lets say you ware content being small, well, then you could become rich by trading with those that have the need. So, in one stroke (or is it three?), trade becomes more important than it currently is while also keeping tensions high and the possibility of resource wars alive.
The resource system is one of the two fundemental changes to the civ line in civ3 (the other being culture) and this does add depth to the line. Yet the implementation has already spawned various threads of discontent. Here I outline some ideas that I think would a)make the gaming experience fuller, b)make the game more realistic (yet again).
The three fundemental changes would be:
1. Exploitation levels
2. man-made
3. resource points
As a general change, resources would be far more common on the map.
1. Today there is more oil around than ever- the reason is not that more oil is being created, but that modern tech allows us to exploit what we could not before. I think this should be modelled in civ3. So, what would be done, is assaining each deposit of a resource with a level of expliotation, from 1 to x. The first tech that allows one to use that resource would show us deposits with a rating 1, subsequent techs would make higher levels appear. Lets take iron as example: Iron working would reveal level 1 iron, which would represent the most rich or shallowest veins of iron, those veins that man at this level of tech could use. At metallurgy, level 2 would show, signifying deeper veins or ore that was not as rich but now is usefull. Deeper levels would follow. Of course, so resources, like horses, would have only 1 level, and something like rubber only 2, were one represents the best sap, 2 saps that new processes make usefull. Thus, as you advance in tech, you gain more and more resources- why this matters so much will be explained later down
2. The fact is that tech makes it possible for us to synthesize resources, and to manufacture goods. I would implement two ideas in the general category of man-made: Synthetic plants, and manufactured luxuries.
Synthetic plants would allow a player to 'make' a resource that they fail to have naturally. This idea has already been noted by other folks, but my idea is slightly different. A synthetic plant would not give you a resource for free, it would allow you to convert one resource for another, as is in real life. So, 1 plant (which would be very expensive) would turn 1 coal into 1 oil, or 1 oil into 1 rubber. So, a nation rich in coal, for a huge amount of money, could become adequate in oil and rubber (much like Germany in WW2).
Most luxuries today are man-made, not natural (ahem, furs and ivory?). The player would be able to manufacture industrial luxuries by setting their cities to making it. This would function much like wealth. This way, your economy could be geared towards consumer goods, as it is in real life, and greater industry would alsso mean greater happiness or wealth (by trading these goods to other for money). The llist of possible luxuries could be either short or long, and include the likes of furniture, radios, tvs, cars, clothing, so forth.
The most important chnage would be resource points. As is, one single source of something is all you need for even the biggest empires. I think that this decision is in fact, the one that leads to most of the problems some people have noted. I would change this. Every icon you had in your tade box would represent a set number of points. Lets use iron again, and say that it equals 40 points, just to say. Each thing that needs iron would use up a certain number of iron points. Lets say 1 swordman=1 point, a knight =2. So, with one icon of iron, you can have 20 knights, but no more. Want more knights? Get more iron. As i said, everything that needs a resource, from units to structure, would use up a certain amount of points (even RR's), so continious expansion would mean a continious expansion of your resource base, by either trade, expansion, or tech. With this sytem we also see why a strategy of synthetics could take you only so far. Need oil? Then make it out of coal; but what if you need lots of coal too? Then get actual oil, or more coal. This system would work with luxuries also but in a slightly different manner. Your population would be able to absorb a certain number of luxury points. Unitl you reach that point, the full potential of that luxury to make you happy is not reached, but if you have more than your population needs, then its extra and of no use except for trade.
I think this sytem would make gameplay far richer. The concept of having to insure your resource base is kept, and in many ways, made even more important. Having just one little source in the middle of your empire would not be enough- if you want a great army, or huge civ, then you have to continually get more to feed your empire. Yet lets say you ware content being small, well, then you could become rich by trading with those that have the need. So, in one stroke (or is it three?), trade becomes more important than it currently is while also keeping tensions high and the possibility of resource wars alive.
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