War-time Terrain Improvements

[des-esseintes]

1. Ditches.

Req: Nationalism
Effect: A unit uses ALL of its movement points to enter a Ditched square. Can not be placed in mountains. Will auto-pillage Roads and Railroads if placed on such squares. Can not be destroyed by artillery or pillaged. The only way to remove a Ditch is to have a Worker build a Road on it. Units will be affected by ditches even if they are in friendly territory. Can be seen on the WM if your maps are updated.

Represents anti-tank barriers, barbed wire, tipped-over tree trunks and the like. Would help a lot in MP against the slightly cheesy "Mass MA, blitz, use their conquered railroads and drive them into the sea in one turn" strategy, will buy you valuable turns to form a counter if you have warmongering neighbours and are fearing an attack. Note that it has no effect against units with 1 MP. The downside is the loss of commerce from R&R, and the loss of trade from whoever you're ditching, of course


2. Minefields.


Req: Replaceable parts or Mass Production

I can't believe they didn't include Minefields in the retail. Such an important part of modern warfare, and it's not included in the greatest strategy game of all time? Shame on firaxis

Effect: Hmmm. Not sure on this one, except that it should definitely be included. Problem is: This is clearly a military unit of its own, seeing as it can damage enemies. Military units cost money and shields. Worker actions only cost time.

I think the easiest way to implement Minefields would be to make it a special unit with no attack and 1 MP that you can move around as you wish, and when you press "deploy" or whatever it will kill itself, filling the square with mines.

Though. Should it kill enemies outright, or just wound them? Should it last unlimited, or should there be a cap on the amount of enemies it can stop? Should there be a special unit called the Mine Detector, which can detect minefields, and, in a few turns, neutralize them? You guys decide.

This would be a more effective method of halting an army than Ditches, and is balanced as such with the cost of the "Minefield" unit.

Post yer thoughts ppl!!!

[Andrew_Jay]

I think the best way to implement mine fields would be an improvement that was invisible and bombarded enemy units when they passed through (kind of like coastal fortress now that I think about it). They wouldn't die, but might lose 2 or 3 hit points. Workers would be safe and they could be used to remove them.

[rmsharpe]

If landmines were included, they should have effects on people's happiness under republics and democracies, maybe increased war weariness?

"How can you tolerate innocent children dying from landmines!?"

[Robert Plomp]

If landmines were included, they should have effects on people's happiness under republics and democracies, maybe increased war weariness?

or just add messages like: Because of the mines, there are currently living 495,294 and a half people in this city

[NeoStar]

Hmm...

On that idea I wouln't mind seeing normal improvements need 2-3 turns to pillage when mobilised for war.

Sort of to simulate 'extra security'.

[Bleyn]

Not quite a terrain improvement, but a unit variation I thought of to mod into PTW along the same theme.

Combat Engineer
Type: Land
Attack: 2
Defense: 8
Move: 2
Cost: 80
Appears at: Motorized Transportation
Requires: Oil
Specials: Build road, Build Fortress, Build Airstrip, Build Outpost, Build Radar Tower, Pillage

Has a small attack and defend numbers since combat engineers are military formations just not ones typically called on to attack very often. The extra movement point makes it useful for getting into a contested region and getting started on the needed work quickly. And its got just the sort of improvement capablities you would want in a combat zone. In fact it was sort of inspired by the idea that when marching across an enemy held region I might want airstrips but would be less than enthusiastic about commiting workers to build them. The cost might be a bit low though. Might need to be higher to discourage too much usage of them.