Resources drying up

[galanti]

Does anyone know why resources dry up so quickly? My sole source of iron dried up in 7 turns after linking to it, and I hadn't even built anything requiring it.

This kind of rains on my parade, as one the more exciting new features of civ3 was the concept of strategic resources, but they're kind of useless if they last this long.

Can I fix this in the editor? I'm at work now and can't figure it out for myself.

[Shiva]

Hehe I had one source of iron dry up the turn after I linked it. Made me want to punch the monitor.

[mmtt]

They often last a lot more, I had a saltpeter resource during till 1900+, I think.
It's only chance...

[fossicker]

They tend to do that. My last game I fought a war for some coal, and then about 6 turns after I linked to it "POOF" all gone.

If you check out the editor you can see there is something there about resources and what are the chances for them to disappear, some like coal go quickly, others like horses don't go at all.

If it is any consolation, I think that the resources reappear somewhere else on the map after you lose them, so therefore the number of coal on a map is always constant.

In other words your rivals are probably enjoying your iron.

[KingSponge]

Hmm, in two games so far (up to about 1500AD) I've had only one resource dry up but another appeared soon after about 3 squares away from the first.

Sounds like you were just very unlucky.