DESIGN: Native Inhabitants/Population

[SMIFFGIG]

I posted this in another thread but it didnt get any attention (it was tottaly OT for the thread so im not complaining )
I thought it deserved its own thread to see what you people think of it and how you could expand on it etc etc
Heres what I wrote:

Native Inhabitants/Population

The world isnt and wasnt through history a baren land with no humans for 100's of miles then a 12000 strong City appearing on the horizon. There was and always will be a native population.
I think this should be modeled in CTP2 even if its something simple like a number of natives living in an area (tile) and the information appears when u right click on a tile.
This native population should gradually (as your city grows) become part of your cities population, the larger your city getting the more these natives decline and merge into your cities population (of course they will never fully decrease)

This would add a greater depth to where you want to settle as you will want to check what like the native population is before settling in certain areas. Also having battles within a vercinity of a city would decrease the native population in watever Tile the battle took place (civilian casualties is sadly a part of war) and the larger the battles the more it would decrease. So this would give you incentive to avoid battles taking place on your turf

There could even be some sort of mini map, or map view which displayed different tiles in different colours, each colour representing a different amount of Native inhabitants in each square (Blue being 100-500, green being 501-1000) or something like that.

It would add a whole new level and strategy to building cities
Not only will you be looking for where the best land is, but also where the strategic goods are and also where the Native inhabitant population is large.

It could be taken to another level also, where you may not want to settle to close to certain areas as the local inhabitants are TOO much, and may hold resistance and cause pillaging etc etc.

On a flipside to this you could have an agreeable native population and they could help you, possibly significantly decreasing the cost/time of PW improvements on there areas (Tiles) by lending you a helping hand

Resources could appear when you bulid a city in the vicinity of agreeable native inhabitants as they could teach you the ways of the lands and tell you where local resources are.
A basic description could be shown of the tribe/leader name (or watever it maybe) that currently roam/own the lands you are on

Of course they will not be OVER powering in either way (being helpful or non-helpful) but they will play some part, as they certianly should do!

-SMIFFGIG

[J Bytheway]

I always assumed that some of the existing city growth came from immigrants, and of course we do have the settlers and cities you can find in ruins.

My first impression is that this would be a complex addition with little impact upon the game.

[Locutus]

Originally posted by J Bytheway
My first impression is that this would be a complex addition with little impact upon the game.

[Ekmek]

I think the barbarians, goody huts etc. Model this pretty well abstractly. I do like how Civ3 will recreate barbarian encampments if they are not in a civs view. I'd like to see those added

As for immigration, that could be a nice sstem, but only if it was similar to trade though.

Something like for x number of turns a trade route will increase a city population. But it would have to have the nationality concept that is used in civ3 too, where the revolt if you go against there mother civ or can cause culture revolts. stuff like that. So I'd say 'nationality' like in civ3 would be a nice cherrypick from civ3.

[The Big Mc]

Pop is pop It’s you city pop all descendent form the first settler units you get.

Purist amounts us like to bloodbath captured cities or enslave them for a reason(in the moded game).

Immigrants form different cities in you empire yes but not foreigners often with large amounts of foreigners you get massive unhappiness (like in Europe and America with there immigration problems. Plus native pops would be quickly depleted any way and with sea city the native pop is 0.

[tmminionman]

Maybe the concept of natives and barbarians could be combined. Like make a native population centers and units that will attack you if you enter their lland, but youc an placate them with gold. they would almost be like a whole other set of civilizations (i.e. A.I. opponents). They wouldn't be fully featured civs or anything, but just enough of a coordination to simulate tribes and basic bargaining.