We need more terrains - Page 4

sun_tzu_159 · October 6, 2002, 18:30

Explorer 579,
This natural barrier idea should be exploited more in this game. Rivers, swamps, forests in ancient times formed natural barriers within the landscape. Individual valleys surrounded by high mountains formed there own unique cultures. Too many restrictions on unit movement could be damaging to overall fun of the game. But certainly a good idea to stop railroads in mountains. May slow down some players tactics.

The border drawing should be drawn along mountain ranges, hills, rivers and deserts. It is always difficult for culture to cross these barriers in the real world. There could be a built in factor where the culture has to reach a higher level than normal to spread across such a tile to the next.

I once built a very nice little empire based on the landscape. I had a long range of hills to the north of which was Indian. In the East was a mountain range which bordered the Greeks (For a while) and in the north-east corner was a large desert stopping American expansion.

Yes the units should be restricted to landscape. Cavalry for instance would operate better on a plain than in forest. Maybe the defence/attack statistics could favour some units according to landscape.

I had a thought about another landscape type which is the high plain or plateaux. This could have -1 point on its lowland counterpart but be a habitable area of large mountain area.

Regards
Sun_Tzu

Odin · October 14, 2002, 16:18

Quote:

Originally posted by Explorer579
There should be terrain types for very high mountains. It would be impossible or very very time consuming to build a road there. For example, i don't think there is a railroad in the Himalayah; if there is, it was built in the 20th century!

Such mountains would provide natural protection for countries that have them. Only certain units could cross them.

Awesome idea!

Explorer579 · October 14, 2002, 19:48

In civ2, rivers gave extra moving points (like roads). This makes sense. When the American west was discovered, only river basins were accessible at first. So should civ3. This supports the idea of making certain terrain types inaccessible by early units, and accessible only to advanced units. Obviously, I am for realism in civ3.

Explorer579 · October 14, 2002, 19:56

What happened to the oasis concept of civ2?! I have not seen oases in civ3. I used to like them as long as you don't have too many of them. It makes it possible to have a Palmera like civilization!

Explorer579 · October 14, 2002, 20:00

Rocky shores tiles are needed. Even the best modern armies cannot land armies on rocky shores. Rocky shores tiles are basically mountains next to shores with the characterisitcs of inability to land on them. (With advanced technology you can parachute). I have won many wars by landing my swordmen on a mountain next to an enemy's city. Come to think of it it is not possible realistically. Can you immagine Spaniards landing on the Big Sur shores of California?!

Explorer579 · October 14, 2002, 20:03

Bermuda triangle tiles. These are ocean tiles were ships have a higher chance of sinking!

Just kidding!

Explorer579 · November 13, 2002, 05:43

We need an artic tile that is impassible and inhabitable.

WarpStorm · November 13, 2002, 17:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Explorer579
What happened to the oasis concept of civ2?! I have not seen oases in civ3. I used to like them as long as you don't have too many of them. It makes it possible to have a Palmera like civilization!

Of the ones you've listed, this one is doable by a mod-maker now. It could be done as a resource tile.

Ozymandias · November 14, 2002, 03:45

Quote:

Originally posted by Explorer579
There should be terrain types for very high mountains. It would be impossible or very very time consuming to build a road there. For example, i don't think there is a railroad in the Himalayah; if there is, it was built in the 20th century!

Such mountains would provide natural protection for countries that have them. Only certain units could cross them.

Is there at least some way to edit the terrain characteristics of what APPEAR to be two base types -- the snowy mountains and the pine forests?

Thanks,

Oz

star mouse · November 14, 2002, 04:33

With the terrains being drawn on the top of transitions, we can propose a few needed terrains that won't require too many changes to the art.

Plains mountains
Base tile is Plains
Production the same as normal mountains

Desert mountains
Base tile is Desert
Production the same as normal mountains

Plains hills
Base tile is plains
Possibly produce 1/2 food - works like Shield grassland except it works on food instead

Desert hills
Base tile is desert
Produce no food

These four will avoid the hill-in-desert scenario. I think it's ugly how you get hills in the middle of a vast desert and they're *always* green.

Oasis
Works well as a bonus resource.

Swamp
Always found next to rivers and lakes.
Becomes Flood Plains if cleared by workers.

WarpStorm · November 14, 2002, 17:52

Quote:

Originally posted by star mouse
Desert hills
Base tile is desert
Produce no food

These four will avoid the hill-in-desert scenario. I think it's ugly how you get hills in the middle of a vast desert and they're *always* green.

How ugly they are depends on how well the tile set handles it. It's still wrong even with good graphics.

Panag · November 15, 2002, 14:36

[QUOTE] Originally posted by star mouse

These four will avoid the hill-in-desert scenario. I think it's ugly how you get hills in the middle of a vast desert and they're *always* green.

]

hi ,

, actually in the real world there are many cases where its like that , ....

but the should have created sand dunes , when the map is generated every X tile on somany Y tiles has a dune , that would have been good , and they should have put the oasis back in !

have a nice day

Ozymandias · November 15, 2002, 15:13

[QUOTE] Originally posted by panag

Quote:

Originally posted by star mouse

These four will avoid the hill-in-desert scenario. I think it's ugly how you get hills in the middle of a vast desert and they're *always* green.

]

hi ,

, actually in the real world there are many cases where its like that , ....

but the should have created sand dunes , when the map is generated every X tile on somany Y tiles has a dune , that would have been good , and they should have put the oasis back in !

have a nice day

One of many beautiful passages from Robert Sapolsky's "A Primate's Memoir":

"Instantly I understood it -- it was desert altitude euphoria. Scattered throughout the northern Kenyan desert, insane stinking hot shimmering desert, are occasional mountains, plateaus. On top, higher, cooler, there might be bush. On the larger ones, there are hints of forest. And always, somewhere, there is water -- a borehole, a spring. Invariably, people there staggered up at some point in the unknown past out of desperation [...] They make their way up there and discover it's heaven. Cool, shaded. Water! All the people I've ever met living on the desert plateaus are euphoric, slap-happy, dazed with their good fortune ..."

So certainly not ALWAYS green, but sometimes, sometimes ...

-Oz

Panag · November 16, 2002, 14:06

Quote:

Originally posted by Ozymandias

One of many beautiful passages from Robert Sapolsky's "A Primate's Memoir":

"Instantly I understood it -- it was desert altitude euphoria. Scattered throughout the northern Kenyan desert, insane stinking hot shimmering desert, are occasional mountains, plateaus. On top, higher, cooler, there might be bush. On the larger ones, there are hints of forest. And always, somewhere, there is water -- a borehole, a spring. Invariably, people there staggered up at some point in the unknown past out of desperation [...] They make their way up there and discover it's heaven. Cool, shaded. Water! All the people I've ever met living on the desert plateaus are euphoric, slap-happy, dazed with their good fortune ..."

So certainly not ALWAYS green, but sometimes, sometimes ...

-Oz

hi ,

actually we should have more terrains , thats one !
two , we should have an option again that allows us to do "terraforming"

three , before X-mas would be great !

have a nice day

Ozymandias · November 16, 2002, 14:28

Quote:

Originally posted by panag

... Sorry, couldn't resist

Oz

Explorer579 · November 27, 2002, 20:48

A volcanic tile is a mountain that has a volcano. Next to it, the grassland tiles should be very fertile with lot of food (volcanic plateau). A city that is built 2 tiles away from the volcano should have a 50% chance of being reduced to half its population every millenium!