Resources: Did you read this?

Jason Beaudoin · October 8, 2001, 13:17

Quote:

From the Firaxis site:
Additionally, simply by allocating population points to work the tiles inside your city radius, there is a chance each turn that your citizens will discover a new source of a known resource.

Does that mean that a player can get lucky and discover previously unscene resources within a city radius? That's like goodie hunting within your own empire!

Inverse Icarus · October 8, 2001, 13:19

yea. i guess it promotes bigger cities over smaller ones, or really insane micromanagement.

red_jon · October 8, 2001, 13:19

Cool

It would be a bit wierd though...

"England discovers oil under greater London"

Jason Beaudoin · October 8, 2001, 13:21

I know... it is weird, but I like it. I like getting goodies.

Inverse Icarus · October 8, 2001, 13:29

hey question for you (i assume british people may know this), where is Old Jersey?

red_jon · October 8, 2001, 13:45

Quote:

Originally posted by UberKruX
hey question for you (i assume british people may know this), where is Old Jersey?

It's a little British island to the south, near France. Jersey is next to Geurnsey.

I know an old lady whos sister wrote a diary after the Nazis occupied it. I have a copy of it, it is really interesting (they cut off all commuication to the islands).

Bleyn · October 8, 2001, 13:52

Quote:

Originally posted by UberKruX
hey question for you (i assume british people may know this), where is Old Jersey?

I'm not British, but I am thinking that Jersey is one of the Channel Islands. Either that or I'm confusing it with Gurnsey. If its not a Channel Island its one of the shires of merry old England itself, along with "old" York and "old" Hampshire.

As for the idea that you may not see all of the sources of a resource immediately upon gaining the associated tech, I've got mixed feelings on that one. One the one hand, it sounds like yet another encouragement to spread cities out, make them larger, and not ICS. On the other hand, if you don't know where the resources are, how can you position yourself properly to use them?

And whats worse, I have a sinking feeling that if its meant to help combat ICS, it may backfire by encouraging it.

If that same discovery capability extended to workers, I might be more sanguine about it. But I suspect that would just result in a lot of useless road-building just for the chance to find resources.

Inverse Icarus · October 8, 2001, 13:54

thanks

i was just always wondering, i saw York, Hampshire, but no Jersey.

Akron · October 8, 2001, 15:02

Quote:

Originally posted by Bleyn

As for the idea that you may not see all of the sources of a resource immediately upon gaining the associated tech, I've got mixed feelings on that one. One the one hand, it sounds like yet another encouragement to spread cities out, make them larger, and not ICS. On the other hand, if you don't know where the resources are, how can you position yourself properly to use them?

When you discover the appropriate tech, you'll know where all the resources are in the area that you have discovered. However, it is possible for resources to randomly appear and disappear, much the same way they did in SMAC. Making you go around exploring again and again each time you discovered a tech that allows you to see a new resource would be tedious.

Roman · October 8, 2001, 18:05

Can this be turned off?

Crouchback · October 8, 2001, 18:12

Akron is right, you learn more about the world around you along with new knowledge. But perhaps it also works like SMAC, where a new nutrient or mineral resource would spring up inside the radius of a base.

Now that was quite useful and very annoying, it would always appear under the wrong sort of tile improvements. Food under thermal boreholes, etc.

David

Fiil · October 8, 2001, 18:23

Quote:

Originally posted by UberKruX
thanks

i was just always wondering, i saw York, Hampshire, but no Jersey.

So that cleared up the English sounding names!

Now is there also some place called (Old) Mexico - I wonder? Naw it sounds too weird!

SteveJH · October 8, 2001, 18:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Roman
Can this be turned off?

I for one haven't heard anything about turning options off that regard to resources, I can understand why some people wouldn't like the resources but I believe this is a basic game concept.

Roman · October 8, 2001, 18:45

Oh, I don't won't to turn of resources themselves! For scenarios, though, it would be useful to be able to make sure that the resources are in fixed places, so that the entire strategic balance the scenario maker creates does not get upset.

SteveJH · October 8, 2001, 19:02

Quote:

Originally posted by Roman
Oh, I don't won't to turn of resources themselves! For scenarios, though, it would be useful to be able to make sure that the resources are in fixed places, so that the entire strategic balance the scenario maker creates does not get upset.

Oh, I get ya. Hopefully this will be an option in the editor.

Sarxis · October 8, 2001, 23:35

Not entirely sure I like this. Yeah- we all like getting new resources. But this is another 'random' element added to the game, and I had hoped that 'random' things would be kept to a minimum.

Also, as it is in SMAC[x]- if the resources can be found, will they also 'disappear' as if being depleted?

Akron · October 8, 2001, 23:47

Quote:

Originally posted by Anunikoba
Also, as it is in SMAC[x]- if the resources can be found, will they also 'disappear' as if being depleted?

Yeah. I imagine that this random appearance and disappearance will be very similar to the way it was in SMAC.

Jaybe · October 9, 2001, 00:05

Since you see everything within your culture border, putting more emphasis on your culture would seem to be better than ICS.

It's going to be interesting to see how we spread our cities. I envision an initial tight group of cities for mutual protection while culture is small, then branching out to claim more land as culture grows. This would enable filling in the gaps later as resources are found outside of city radiuses.

--
I personally doubt that trying to build historical scenarios in Civ3 will work well: too many distortions in the game.
E.g., having to manipulate culture values in cities to get the borders right.

Of course, it could be fun trying!

Urban Ranger · October 9, 2001, 01:19

Oooo! This is fun.

It's good that new resources can be discovered, because some do get depleted.

Grumbold · October 9, 2001, 05:51

Quote:

Originally posted by Jason Beaudoin

Does that mean that a player can get lucky and discover previously unscene resources within a city radius? That's like goodie hunting within your own empire!

I think this is an interesting idea which works reasonably well for permanent features like mineral resources. Unfortunately it is a bit chicken-and-egg because normally towns would be founded to take advantage of local mineral sources. Not many get founded, grow into cities and only then discover something really useful in their backyard. To pick an extreme example, there is a lot of prospecting going on in deserts, mountain ranges, jungle and Antarctica at present. No-one is founding cities in these spots in advance of any discoveries.

For mobile special resources that can be nurtured it is really stupid. Take horses. If I wanted to produce Cavalry on another continent I would export a herd of good breeding stock, not found a city near some plains and pray for a miracle. On that basis I would rather that it was a worker activity to search for something specific on the correct terrain, with a chance each turn of finding that (and only that) item. The chance cound vary depending on the abundance of that material already in the vicinity/empire/world. Horses would be relatively easy to locate whearas uranium would be much harder.

Skanky Burns · October 9, 2001, 08:19

Sorry Grumbold, but i disagree with you. Sure, your idea is more realistic, but is it fun? As i see it, it would only add micromanagement to satisfy realism, but not add any fun to the game.

sorry

El hidalgo · October 9, 2001, 12:05

I completely agree, Grumbold. Another thing that's backwards: you have to have the tech before you can see the resource. You have to know iron working before you can see iron. But really it would be the existence of iron that would be the impetus for developing iron working, not the discovery of iron-working that would cause a civ to see/become aware of/find iron. How can you learn iron working if you can't find any iron?!

Th0mas · October 9, 2001, 12:22

Quote:

Originally posted by red_jon

"England discovers oil under greater London"

Hey ... thats me.. do you think if I start digging, I may increase the value of my real estate?

HalfLotus · October 9, 2001, 13:07

Quote:

Originally posted by Anunikoba
Not entirely sure I like this. Yeah- we all like getting new resources. But this is another 'random' element added to the game, and I had hoped that 'random' things would be kept to a minimum.

Also, as it is in SMAC[x]- if the resources can be found, will they also 'disappear' as if being depleted?

I dont think there is whole lot of random about it. Seems like when you discover the iron working tech any nearby iron will be immediately visible. Come to think of it, I dont like the sound of that either. Anyway, thats how I understand it.

Jason Beaudoin · October 9, 2001, 14:02

And... it's not exactly a random event because you have to actively search for the new resource. If you choose not to devote a worker to that tile, then, that is a choice you make.

It's not like you have no control.