Interesting game?

[steelehc]

I have beaten the AI on every level except Diety and King.
My current game is on Cheiftain, and I am playing to build a "perfect" nation, or as good a civilization as possible. Every city has every improvement, I am way ahead in tech, and I have developed the larger of the two continents on my map.

My continent is mostly plains, with large amounts of desert and mountain. A seemingly useless piece of land. However, now that I am in the modern era, I seem to be the only one with oil. I know that every other civ has refining, yet I have not seen any tanks, planes, or destroyers that aren't mine.

What is the formula (if any) for calculating resource generation? Is it random?
Steele

[MarshalN]

As far as I can tell, it's pretty random. You gotta be lucky to land the only oil/coal/rubber. Things like iron and saltpeter and horses are more common than coal or oil from my experience, but then it doesn't mean you can definitely land one of those either...

[steelehc]

Oil

Monarch, not King.

Thanks. It makes sense, I suppose, that its random. It seems random. With another three hours of playing, I still have not seen any enemy oil-powered units.

Has anyone else had a very strange experience like this? I'd hope I'm not the only one.
Steele

PS:I know what it's like to be OPEC now....

[ranald]

It can be weird.

For background, I play on Large maps, usually 80% water,
and either continents or archipelago.

My first game there was only 1 square of coal that I didn't
control, and an ally (that I propped up to restrict the supply)
had nearly all the saltpeter.

My current game I just finished killing the guy who had the
only (4) aluminum squares on the map, and am in the process
of taking rubber from the weaker of the 2 who have it- neither
of whom will trade for a price I can afford (one used to be
affordable but he raised his rates).

[steelehc]

Thanks for replying.

Its weird how that works, isn't it?

Steele

[caralampio]

This limitation which makes only one or two players have a critical resource is really a drag. I mean, it would be better if there were enough oil or rubber or coal so that even if only one or two guys grabbed it all, they could trade it with almost every other player. This would mean of course you need to treat the monopolistic player nice (or invade him) but as it is, several players will have to go through life without, say, gunpowder units. Sucks.

caralampio