Wonders - Resources and speedbuilding

[BigRich]

Hello,

I've been a lurker on these boards for a while now. Being reassured by an poll of forum member's ages a while ago I've decided to take the plunge and register :-)

I was just wondering about wonders with the new resources system. OK there are unit specific resources (iron, rubber, oil...), will there be Wonder specific resources as well does anyone think? I was thinking that a supply of uranium would be pretty important for building the Manhattan Project for example. And iron would be needed for the Eiffel Tower (although it seems highly unlikely that this would ever be a problem). Also if silicon became a resource you would maybe need it to build the SETI program.

With regard to speed building, I would hope that as the Camel is dead in Civ III, it will be possible to literally make 'worker caravans' ala Civ II, by transferring workers between cities. Maybe it would take two or more worker units to have the same effect as one Civ II caravan depending on how expensive they are to build.


thoughts welcome and apologies if this has been asked before - although I havn't spotted it if it has.


Rich

[Grumbold]

Resources needed for Wonders is an interesting idea. While it makes sense I think the limitation might be a little unfair on peopl who are just unlucky in their start location.

There certainly needs to be a way for multiple cities to help build a WoW but hopefully not with a unit otherwise you get the problems of stockpiling resources to rush build a wonder in one turn. They should never be that fast or easy.

[senowen]

quote: Originally posted by Grumbold on 05-21-2001 08:51 AM Resources needed for Wonders is an interesting idea. While it makes sense I think the limitation might be a little unfair on peopl who are just unlucky in their start location.

Yes it would be unfair, but that only makes the game better. It would make it even more important to either conquer or trade with those who have the resources that you don't. And it wouldn't happen early in the game, as those wonders really don't need any of the special resources.

[SerapisIV]

What about resources and buildings in general? There has only been talk of resources being tied to unit production, nothing of building production. If it was so, then resources could be used to cut off a civilizations culture growth as well. I like the idea of resources being required for buildings or wonders. Though it sounds as if it could be too powerful

[Your.Master]

"The Russians have begun work on the Manhattan Project" so you immediately embargo them from your Uranium supplies. Since they have no means of stockpiling in advance of building the wonder, you win by default. I think this is a bad idea. Perhaps you should have access to uranium on the first turn you begin researching but not check again. Then it won't be possible to embargo just to prevent a wonder being built. I like the knowledge that X has nearly completed Y but it could be too easily abused if you could cut off their ability to build at any time.

Isn't that the whole point though?

If the Russians want to make Nukes, they had better either maintain control of a Uranium supply for research or have an ally who they are VERY close with and ready to bribe. I can just imagine it:

The race is on to see who can build the first Nuclear Bomb. The Babylonians seemed on the verge of conquering the Incas, but now the Incas seem to be just about to complete their Nuclear Project. The Babylonians have many soldiers just offshore of South America, but the Incas have wisely began building the wonder in their continent's interior. The tables have turned, the Babylonians are surely doomed to be destroyed in a rain of Nuclear fire (brimstone) as prophesied in alternate reality Inca mythology. Desperate Babylonian soldiers quickly destroy all roads to the city of Quetzalcoatl and guard the passes with their lives, a last stand to keep the Uranium supply from flowing. If only the scientists of Ur could perfect the Atomic missile before the Incas break through and reconnect supply lines this predicament could be ended, and the Babylon-Inca vendetta would be ended forever...

[Grumbold]

quote: Originally posted by senowen on 05-21-2001 09:36 AM Yes it would be unfair, but that only makes the game better. It would make it even more important to either conquer or trade with those who have the resources that you don't. And it wouldn't happen early in the game, as those wonders really don't need any of the special resources.

"The Russians have begun work on the Manhattan Project" so you immediately embargo them from your Uranium supplies. Since they have no means of stockpiling in advance of building the wonder, you win by default. I think this is a bad idea. Perhaps you should have access to uranium on the first turn you begin researching but not check again. Then it won't be possible to embargo just to prevent a wonder being built. I like the knowledge that X has nearly completed Y but it could be too easily abused if you could cut off their ability to build at any time.

[BigRich]

Originally posted by Grumbold
Resources needed for Wonders is an interesting idea. While it makes sense I think the limitation might be a little unfair on peopl who are just unlucky in their start location.

There certainly needs to be a way for multiple cities to help build a WoW but hopefully not with a unit otherwise you get the problems of stockpiling resources to rush build a wonder in one turn. They should never be that fast or easy.

I agree, although I'm hard pressed to think of a viable alternative model other than rush building the thing. You could argue I suppose that the stockpiling represents the planning phase of the Wonder and is not that unrealistic for an organised civilization. But thats besides the point in gameplay terms.

I guess you could link the production of worker caravans to surplus resources you are producing. Going back to the Manhattan project, say you had control of three uranium deposits you could put three workers (or a multiple thereof to scale for resource abundance) towards your wonder. Although this would probably tie the resource system into buildings a bit more than is practicable or fair.

Hmmm I'm just going round in circles here - most likely a system has been devised already Fun anyway.

Rich