Mapping hidden resources

[Stuff2]

U don't always know what resources can be taken from a plot of land.
Increased tech should increase knowledge of where resources are hidden. But many resources are discovered trough projects.
I think that u should be able to do "resource-mapping" for the kind of resources that aren't easily found. It will cost money and provide useful information depending on how far tech has progressed.

This goes well with the idea of different kinds of maps. U should be able to have different kinds of maps over infrastructure, resources, population etc.
This will add a whole new meaning of stealing a map from a rival civ.

[Ari Rahikkala]

Just one word could be enough: Micromanagement!

But, it adds its own excitement to the game. Now you can build a city on a 'potential' oilfield and then just map it. Mapping resources could be much cheaper around cities. Of course, it also benefits builder style: When you have the resources to find more resources, you can destroy those pesky warmongers even more easily.

Maybe companies could also seek resources. Maybe there's no more seeking for those four-special sweetspots. Maybe that's a really good idea. Maybe this and that do also happen. Maybe cows fly.

[MadWoodster]

What was suggested on the energy model is that not all resources are seeable till you get a certain tech, how about expanding this to all goods, it seems stupid that some things like oil are usuable at the same rate throughout the game even after I've discovered oil refining.

[Urban Ranger]

To simplify things, a screen - I'll call it the Prospecting Screen - can be added. It should be pretty simple. You can allocate a percentage of funds towards prospecting, and specify priorities for various resources. You may also specify you want to look for resources in a particular type of terrain. The list of resources should be limited by your tech or knowledge (you won't be going around looking for uranium until you know what you are looking for).

[Stuff2]

Thanks Urban...

U have truly understood my point.

[Seeker]

Remember how the prospector/miner works in Imperialism?

[Urban Ranger]

Yeah, I played Imperialism, but that involved moving little units around. It's not too bad for that game, as you never have too many units. It's different from Civ. That's why we are looking for ways to streamline management.