Strategic Resources (revisited)

[Bismark29]

Earlier this week I made a post concerning the lack of coal on my world. Taking the advice of some of you nice folks I did the ole' shift-ctrl-m (my new best friend) and found where there were several nice deposits in my neighbors continent (poor, poor Ghandi!).

After wrecking is civilization with the help of my allies the Chinese, I set up shop on several of the deposits. All was good---until replaceable parts came around. Now everyone likes infantry and artillery, but you need rubber. Using the ole' clear map technique, I noticed that my good friends China were sitting on just about the entire supply. Which brings me to the heart of the difference between this game and previous incarnations. No matter what---you had better be prepared to: a. go to war for resources and b. turn your back on allies. In times of peace and prosperity you had better building up that army cause aluminum and uranium are just around the corner

In civ2 I would call myself a tech-er, as I would race up the tree quickly in a democracy and then switch to fundamentalism in the late game when my lead was substantial. In civ3 you can't really rely on just racing up the tech tree. You need to aggressively pursue those resources, which unfortunately might be in your ally's territory.

I'd like to hear what you folks do in these situations. I'm still on my first game (1988, huge map, 8 civs) and my ruthless strategy has not caught up with me yet (although the Chinese are still furious), but I have a feeling it will in the end. So the question is, how does one get the resources he needs without damaging his reputation? What do you do?

[Skanky Burns]

If i find a valuable resource in another civs territory, i normally sell them the tech that lets them "see" the resource, and the next turn i trade with them for it. It helps if you just dont want to destroy your friendly neighbours.

[Bismark29]

I never thought of that. Has it ever backfired, in that they won't trade the resource to you?

[Raleigh]

Good point! (about selling the tech to nearby allies)

I only started one war for a resource, and as soon as I got it I sued for peace. I like the system, it stays true to reality and keeps the game going. Also, if you really are peaceful at heart, you really don't need certain stratetic resources like rubber (although I guess you still need coal for factories, or do you, I forget all of the sudden!?).

[Bismark29]

the only resource that you don't truly need, IMHO, is saltpetre. I'm pretty sure that you need rubber, aluminum, and uraninum for your spaceship (but I could be wrong!).

Im going to have to try SB's advice though and sell the the tech and trade for it.

[Gholam]

Heh, in my current game, there's a source of oil sitting on the very border with Germany - but on their side. I have Bonn (the city that controls it) enveloped in pincers of my own cities, pumped full of culture generators, I even moved my palace there, it just refuses to convert to culture I was planning a massive invasion of Germany the moment I get tanks (and I'm researching motorized transportation right now), but it looks like I'm gonna have to build cavalry (which I loathe) and invade prematurely

[Gholam]

Update: my old enemies, the Babylonians (who got wiped out by me very early on but respawned) sold me some oil, so by 1790 AD, Germany's existance as an independent power has been terminated, and a fair chunk has been bitten off their ally, the Zululand