Terrain Improvements

Crouchback · October 20, 2001, 07:08

Irrigation
Basic Mine
Road/railroad
Fortress
(Colonies)

Has anyone seen a screenshot with anything more than those four types? There don't seem to be any advanced mines, farms or airstrips. Which surely means workers pretty become redundant post railroads, except as mobile population points and to repair enemy damage?

David

old dog · October 20, 2001, 07:21

Well, do we know yet whether the more radical land transforming (formerly limited to engineers) is still in? Also, there's always the turning of swamps and jungle into more productive land. And cleaning up polution.

Gramphos · October 20, 2001, 07:29

They can plant forests after the invention of engineering.

Sarxis · October 20, 2001, 07:35

I am pretty sure I heard that terraforming is in.

But I don't remember where, how long ago, or any particular details, except the name 'Jeff Briggs' comes to mind.

Earthling7 · October 20, 2001, 07:43

It would seem reasonable that the tile improvements available in Civ2 will be present here. Anything else would be a bit funny.

Crouchback · October 20, 2001, 17:20

Quote:

Originally posted by Earthling7
It would seem reasonable that the tile improvements available in Civ2 will be present here. Anything else would be a bit funny.

Civ 2 didn't include the ability to put mines on grassland, which was a funny idea of Activisions, and if we don't get the engineer upgrade how long will teraforming take?

But it's strange that there is no mention of what sort of terrain alteration is possible. I get the feeling they don't want us messing with their nice new random map generation.

David

Akron · October 20, 2001, 17:29

It's also weird that there has been no indication that farmland is in. I really hope it is, as the current irrigation graphic looks horrible.

Wexu · October 20, 2001, 17:29

Farmlands are just unnecessary micromanagement. I'd be glad if they're gone. Maybe we have now some city improvement which gives more food from irrigations, or maybe a small wonder "farmlands". Who knows..

I wouldn't mind if you couldn't turn deserts to grasslands as in Civ2 with engineers, that was quite silly. They could also make hills from grassland.

I hope we won't see this kind of things in Civ3.

Akron · October 20, 2001, 17:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Wexu
Farmlands are just unnecessary micromanagement. I'd be glad if they're gone.

So farming techniques today are the same as 2000 years ago?

If you feel it is too much micromanagement, just automate the workers (provided the automation function similar or better than SMAC's; civ 2's was horrible). Or don't build farmland, it's your choice. But there needs to be some way to show the increase in food production over time, and it has to take some work, not just a cheap wonder.

Wexu · October 20, 2001, 17:53

Quote:

Originally posted by Akron

So farming techniques today are the same as 2000 years ago?

And they are still walking on the same roads that were build many thousands of years ago? Where are all the highways?? (Highways were a city improvement in Civ2, IIRC

)

Quote:

...not just a cheap wonder.

Ok, maybe a high priced city improvement then? You'd had to build them to every city. That's not cheap.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure there are no farmlands as a terrain improvement, so get used to it!

El hidalgo · October 20, 2001, 18:00

Quote:

Originally posted by Akron

So farming techniques today are the same as 2000 years ago?

If you feel it is too much micromanagement, just automate the workers (provided the automation function similar or better than SMAC's; civ 2's was horrible). Or don't build farmland, it's your choice. But there needs to be some way to show the increase in food production over time, and it has to take some work, not just a cheap wonder.

I like farmlands ok, but I think tech advances by themselves, such as biotech, would increase food yields after farmland.

Lawrence of Arabia · October 20, 2001, 18:52

In Civ2, you farmlands by themselves didnt do anything. You needed farmlands and supermarkets to double food output. Maybe in Civ3 they just cut off the farmland and kept the supermarket

The Templar · October 20, 2001, 18:59

I, for one, was not all that happy with planting farmland. It detraced somewhat from the overall fun of the game (what herding flocks of engineers around and all). What might be cool would be an agricultural advance (one in the middle ages, one in moden times) to increase food production once the advance is achieved. Or as Lawrence said, build some sort of city improvement, like the supermarket, that ups the value of the land.

HalfLotus · October 20, 2001, 19:23

I agree with templar. Messing with engineers in the late game of civ2 got tedious. Farmland was realistic, but no fun.

Mars · October 20, 2001, 19:24

Personally i think they should get ride of the supermarket and keep the farmland. I liked farmlands

Bakunine · October 20, 2001, 20:57

I

tile improving.
I

Tile modification.

Mars · October 20, 2001, 22:42

wheres the fun in leaving it at just irragation anyways. how boring

. Anyways what else are you going to do with your workers in modern times

dainbramaged13 · October 21, 2001, 00:50

u cant take out the farm, it would be too easy to double food prod.

TVA22 · October 21, 2001, 02:08

I too loved tile improvements!!!

I dunno, maybe I was strange, but my fav. part of civ games was improving my infrastucture. I hated building things in my cities, because the city improvements are so intangable. But building roads and irrigation and mines etc etc was something you could actually see, which was great fun for me.

I was never much of a warmonger though, that got just as tedious for me as you all say infrastructure is for you. Personally, I just liked all the micromanagement. No governors for me!!

Crouchback · October 21, 2001, 07:11

Thing is it was the increase in food production through farming developments that allowed for cities and nations. But I always liked the feeling that my civilization had taken control of the landscape, made the land ours. How boring to have the same map throughout the whole game, marred by that awful irrigation, pockmarked by self-effacing mines everywhere, and tied down by roads on every tile (why are they there?).

David

Boris Godunov · October 21, 2001, 11:58

I agree with whoever said they liked putting in farms because they looked a lot better than irrigation.

For me, part of the fun of the game was continually making terrain improvements around my city, building it up until it sprawled over the maximum radius. I liked the look of turning irrigation to farms, and of seeing my mighty cities compared to the weak, merely irrigated cities of my foes! Bwahaha!

*ahem*

That being said, perhaps the irrigated tiles might automatically update to farmland at some point, either after a certain tech advance or a certain city improvement is built? Probably not, but it would be a cool thing (and would save the tedium of having hordes of engineers running around)

Cheers.