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"real" pop city model
I have been thinking about how to implement a city model that uses "real" population numbers instead of "heads". I think that "real" pop is better not just because it is more realistic (It would make the game seem more real to have a city of 230,000 than a city of 23 heads)but because it would in turn make combat a lot better. With "real" pop, you can have "real" armies. Instead of fighting with units that take damage, you could have a real army (for example, an army of 2000 infantry, 34 tanks)that would take casualties, or become prisoners.
I think that I have come up with a city model that uses 'real" pop and does not have too much micromanagement.
You would have a city view (it could be 3D or not, it does not matter) where you see each city improvement and the surrounding terrain. Next to the city view, there would be a box with the amount of ressources the city has stored (food, stone, gold, weapons, etc...), the number of unemployed, the number of idle citizens, total population and pop growth. New citizens and citizens that arived from somewhere (immigrants) would appear in the idle section. (you could have the computer automatically assign idle citizens to a certain task, to reduce micromanagement).
-collecting resources
To collect a certain ressource, you would simply click on the resource in the city view, a window would pop up letting you increase or decrease the amount of people working in that square. increasing pop in that square takes pop from the idle column and move them to the resource. Decreasing would transfer people from the resource to the idle column. The more people working a tile, the more of that resource would be stored each turn.
-building city improvements
To build a new city improvement, you would click on an empty square in the city view and select the city improvement and the amount of people to want to build it. The amount of people would be taken from the idle column and begin constucting the improvement (or wonder). You could have build queues: click a second time, third time etc on an empty square and set a city improvement but assign nobody to work there. After completing the first city improvement, the workers there would automatically move to the next build order.
Unlike, the current civ city model, this model would allow you to build several improvements simultaneously. Click an empty square, pick improvement, assign workers, click a second square, pick improvement, assign workers, repeat as many time as you want (as long as you have enough workers) and each improvement would be constructed simultaneously. If one improvement were finished before the other, the workers would add to the next improvement being built. If that was the only build order, the workers would go to the idle column and the player would be prompted about it.
-working city improvements
Once city improvements are built, you would assign people to work in them, by clicking on the city improvement in the city view and assigning people from the idle column. Naturally, the more people assign to a city improvement, the faster it would do what it does. For example, a research lab would make reseach go faster the more people assigned to it. Each city improvement would have a maximum limit of pop that can be assigned to it. So for example, if a research lab reached the maximum amount of people it can hold, you would neeed to build a second research lab to increase your research further.
-changing tasks
The idle column would be used to transfer pop from one task to another. It would be a two step process. First decrease pop from task that you want to reduce. The pop would go to the idle column. Then increase pop of task that you want to increase and the pop in the idle column would go to that task: You've transfered people from one task to another.
-resources
At the end of each turn, the amount of each resource (like food, ressources to build city improvement or weapons,energy etc) that the city is consuming would be automatically deduced from the resources stockpiled. Note: the energy model could be implemented. Energy would be a resource that would have to be produced. Improvements like the nuclear plant would produce energy for example. Some improvements would need enegy to function.
-Happiness
Happiness would work on a group by group level. ie, the group assigned to produce food would have its own happiness level, the group working in research lab its own, etc...
So, instead of the current civ model where the entire city riots and shuts down, this model each group would riot or throw a "we love ..." individually. If the group producing food rioted, the city would cease producing food but the rest of the city would function normally. If a group reached a "we love..." day, it would do its taks faster. If things were allowed to get really bad, and several goups rioted then they might try to overthrow the city and become independant. So it would be gradual. (Interesting note: you would not want the group that is your army to riot!)
With the proper micromanagement help (I mentionned a few), this model would not be too hard to manage.
This model also implements a lot of other ideas (recruitment, energy model, simultaneous build orders etc) that people have suggested into one model.
Any questions? Comments? Please, don't hesitate.
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No permanent enemies, no permanent friends.
I think that I have come up with a city model that uses 'real" pop and does not have too much micromanagement.
You would have a city view (it could be 3D or not, it does not matter) where you see each city improvement and the surrounding terrain. Next to the city view, there would be a box with the amount of ressources the city has stored (food, stone, gold, weapons, etc...), the number of unemployed, the number of idle citizens, total population and pop growth. New citizens and citizens that arived from somewhere (immigrants) would appear in the idle section. (you could have the computer automatically assign idle citizens to a certain task, to reduce micromanagement).
-collecting resources
To collect a certain ressource, you would simply click on the resource in the city view, a window would pop up letting you increase or decrease the amount of people working in that square. increasing pop in that square takes pop from the idle column and move them to the resource. Decreasing would transfer people from the resource to the idle column. The more people working a tile, the more of that resource would be stored each turn.
-building city improvements
To build a new city improvement, you would click on an empty square in the city view and select the city improvement and the amount of people to want to build it. The amount of people would be taken from the idle column and begin constucting the improvement (or wonder). You could have build queues: click a second time, third time etc on an empty square and set a city improvement but assign nobody to work there. After completing the first city improvement, the workers there would automatically move to the next build order.
Unlike, the current civ city model, this model would allow you to build several improvements simultaneously. Click an empty square, pick improvement, assign workers, click a second square, pick improvement, assign workers, repeat as many time as you want (as long as you have enough workers) and each improvement would be constructed simultaneously. If one improvement were finished before the other, the workers would add to the next improvement being built. If that was the only build order, the workers would go to the idle column and the player would be prompted about it.
-working city improvements
Once city improvements are built, you would assign people to work in them, by clicking on the city improvement in the city view and assigning people from the idle column. Naturally, the more people assign to a city improvement, the faster it would do what it does. For example, a research lab would make reseach go faster the more people assigned to it. Each city improvement would have a maximum limit of pop that can be assigned to it. So for example, if a research lab reached the maximum amount of people it can hold, you would neeed to build a second research lab to increase your research further.
-changing tasks
The idle column would be used to transfer pop from one task to another. It would be a two step process. First decrease pop from task that you want to reduce. The pop would go to the idle column. Then increase pop of task that you want to increase and the pop in the idle column would go to that task: You've transfered people from one task to another.
-resources
At the end of each turn, the amount of each resource (like food, ressources to build city improvement or weapons,energy etc) that the city is consuming would be automatically deduced from the resources stockpiled. Note: the energy model could be implemented. Energy would be a resource that would have to be produced. Improvements like the nuclear plant would produce energy for example. Some improvements would need enegy to function.
-Happiness
Happiness would work on a group by group level. ie, the group assigned to produce food would have its own happiness level, the group working in research lab its own, etc...
So, instead of the current civ model where the entire city riots and shuts down, this model each group would riot or throw a "we love ..." individually. If the group producing food rioted, the city would cease producing food but the rest of the city would function normally. If a group reached a "we love..." day, it would do its taks faster. If things were allowed to get really bad, and several goups rioted then they might try to overthrow the city and become independant. So it would be gradual. (Interesting note: you would not want the group that is your army to riot!)
With the proper micromanagement help (I mentionned a few), this model would not be too hard to manage.
This model also implements a lot of other ideas (recruitment, energy model, simultaneous build orders etc) that people have suggested into one model.
Any questions? Comments? Please, don't hesitate.
------------------
No permanent enemies, no permanent friends.
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