A novel idea - Icebergs

[UltraSonix]

I got this very minor but cool idea from DarkCloud somewhere.

How about the icebergs that can break off from the polar ice caps. The more global warming there is, the more bergs are formed. They have "hit points" and will lose hit points like a helicopter, but only if they move towards the equator.

Ships can run into the bergs, and have movies made about the incident later ( - Titanic). But also, in the modern era, you'll be able to use a sea transport to drag an iceberg to a town that has, say more than 5 desert squares, and you'll be able to instantly increase population or something (people are so happy to see the water that they'll want to, um, celebrate ).

EDIT: doh! I left out the most obvious benefit of dragging an iceberg to a desert town - you can instantly convert a few of the squares to plains or something.

Hehe, I know it's pretty pointless, but it'll be *cool*.

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No, in Australia we don't live with kangaroos and koalas in our backyards...
[This message has been edited by UltraSonix (edited September 08, 2000).]

[beyowulf]

I like it! Make it so!

[Shadowstrike]

Hmmm.... dragging an iceberg is hard work... might take some money to start the project... make the iceberg draggers cost a lot...

Oh and make it so that only icebergs lower then a certain amount of HP can be dragged.

[rremus]

Or have the Ice as a trading good?

[UltraSonix]

Not too sure about the trading icebergs - "would you like ten billion billion ice cubes in exchange for my caravan full of gold?"

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No, in Australia we don't live with kangaroos and koalas in our backyards...

[Provost Harrison]

Nah, sounds silly IMHO, but would be an interesting graphic to include on the map if nothing else...

[The Call of Snapcase]

What you need to combine with this is the terrain of Sheet Ice. This would form around the poles (more map space would be devoted to them), and perhaps increase and decrease during environmental temperature changes. There would only be a certain amount of units that could transverse it.

DOGSLEDS (a basic transport unit with a haulage capacity of one)

ALPINE TROOPS

NUCLEAR SUBMARINE (A new class of submarine which, beside this ability, would be stronger and faster than a normal sub)

ICEBREAKER (A large ship which, when stacked with other units, can take those units over the ice)

Now and again, the configuration of the sheet ice would change towards it's rim, so Alpine troops or Dogsleds standing there would run the risk of dying. Also, Icebergs would be formed, that ships could run into.

[Adm.Naismith]

quote: Not too sure about the trading icebergs - "would you like ten billion billion ice cubes in exchange for my caravan full of gold?"

UltraSonix, you make me ROTFL

Seriously now, that list of iceberg use is a bit silly, IMHO. While I agreed on bad terrain able to damage units a bit, I think that on a CIV 3 scale (of time and distances) units are division or naval groups: not realistic they sink on breaking ice or by iceberg crash!

More important, because all the icebergs and polar caps suggestion find a useful place in game, travel on ice zone must have some pratical and realistic use.
If CIV 3 will not have a real spherical map, also flying over poles will be impossible, let alone a way to risk our units.

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Admiral Naismith AKA mcostant

[DarkCloud]

The icebergs should have hitpoints as do barbarian units. They should work as you say but
also like the Gaia units in Age of Empires; i.e. they will be unpredictable.

[beyowulf]

quote: Originally posted by Adm.Naismith on 09-13-2000 11:40 AM Seriously now, that list of iceberg use is a bit silly, IMHO. While I agreed on bad terrain able to damage units a bit, I think that on a CIV 3 scale (of time and distances) units are division or naval groups: not realistic they sink on breaking ice or by iceberg crash!

True, but traveling adjacent to them, in a ship, there should be a percentage chance of damage. In the early days of ship travel, this percentage, should be high, but as technology increases, should decrease. Also, you realize that the iceberg on the surface of the water only represents 10% of the total iceberg, and because the rest is underwater, is the reason why ships can sink when not even near what is the supposed tip.

[Evil Capitalist]

An interesting fact found during WW2 is that if you add 10% sawdust to the ice it becomes as hard as concrete (and presumably doesn't melt), so there could be an opertunity for floating bases.

[UltraSonix]

Really? But how can you add the saw dust to ice bergs? I know you can add to water then freeze, but you can't do that with the already frozen ice bergs. Still, it'll give me something interesting to do in this Olympic period.

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No, in Australia we don't live with kangaroos and koalas in our backyards...

[Az]

????????? like what ? !!!!


ice bergs as units ? as trade goods.... oh man ....




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We don't prohibit smoking . We discourage inhaling .

[DarkCloud]

-ummm.... evil, isn't that going a little bit too far, even for such a complicated idea as this?

[Yog-Sothoth]

I think Firaxis should concentrate on more crucial issues like AI, than trying to implement an advanced iceberg model into the game.