Suggestions for Civilization III (page II)

If you want to add new suggestions, please mail them to Allard H.S. Höfelt.

Because of the recent revival of interest for Civilization III following the announcement of the co-working of Hasbro and Firaxis, I have decided to re-open this site that was previously shut down. It is now 100% functional once again after several months of passiveness, and you can add your own suggestions to the list by mailing them to a.h.s.hofelt@student.tn.tudelft.nl
Please type "Civilization III suggestions" for the subject.

9/3/98:
Hi, my name is Thomas Pilott and I have a few ideas for civ 3:

• One thing is that the senate should be less stupid. One time, one of my enemies nuked me, the senate made peace with them straight away, and then the other country nuked me again, and the senate made peace again. If I have nukes as well, they shouldn't be so forgiving. They also don't think about how powerful countries are, which is annoying.
• I think that any civ should be allowed to use anyone's roads, but how do they use your railroads when you are at war with them? Railroad systems could have stations built by engineers that can be captured or bought by spies etc. This would be a lot more realistic than taking an enemy train into their city.

8/3/98:
Don...

• In the caravan/freight trade screen when picking trade goods the cities demanding a good are shown with their size. additionally showing the distance to that city and approximate revenues would be nice.

8/3/98:
Erik Reichert

• The ability to declare war in diplomatic negotiations (if the computer can, why can't I?)
• Restricting certain technologies to certain time periods (it can be easy to some technology too early on, especially at the easier levels... imagine Christopher Columbus discovering the New World in a C-5 Galaxy plane.)
• More emphasis on atomic warfare- separate the atomic from the hydrogen bombs (can you tell I'm a sucker for destruction?).. Some may destroy, say, half the cities population (as in Civ2) but an H-bomb would remove a city from the map.. don't forget fallout and Nuclear Winters!
• Incorporate the seasons into play. (i.e. the northern hemisphere should have different effects on movement/food etc, especially closer to the North Pole, in December as it would in June, etc. etc.)
• Find some way to incorporate world religions (just saying "temple, church, cathedral" is too generic) and make them "interact".
• Spy planes, spy satellites, and assassins (maybe knocking off a leader of a rival's enemy or major economical figure could throw some aspect of a country into disarray.
• Natural disasters. What could be more fun than picking up after a horrible hurricane or volcanic eruption while fending off two countries?
• Scandals that interrupt your (and others) government power. It happened in Roman times, it happens now, it should happen in Civ3...
• Multiplayer capabilities!

9/4/98:
TestTech

Here is one nobody mentioned.....

• What about supplies? Troops can't fight if they don't have food, ammo, gas, etc. and most importantly a way of getting more.
• A player should have to purchase "materiel" to save for later military action, rather than the unit just be paid for by its home city.
• Perhaps this could be the difference between a professional army/navy and just a militia.
• A given civilization should be allowed a certain number of units that do not draw on the reserves of a given city, but rather on the reserves of the nation. The reserves being spent when any unit attacks.
• For those people who dislike nuclear weapons now have new reason to like them. (that is you don't have to feed them).
• Infantry becomes more important, ( beyond defense) because they cant walk without gasoline. tanks cannot.
• Units that cannot get supplies from home, cannot attack, (but can defend somewhat less effectively), and must live off the land, maybe
• pillaging the countryside to do so.
• Fortresses should have a stockpile.
• The idea has a wealth of potential, but may be a bit complex in application. Never the less.....
• More Wonders! I'll leave the details of what they do to someone else.

13/4/98:
Sidhis

• Have the spy able to assassinate foreign leaders. Make this the same risk as putting a nuke in a city. After the assassination, the AI behavious of the victim civ should change (a little bit).
• Bigger land. The cities just look like factories. There should be a lot of land as in real life.
• Make events like floods and fires and hurricanes.
• Make things happen with your people, to make things more real. Say, for example, a scandal erupts in a small town or something.
• Come on, democracy doesn't fall when citizens of one city are in disorder. Take a look at the la riots, yet we are still around. Neither does democracy fall when there is a spy operation that goes wrong.

12/5/98:
Diarra Dunlap
Here is my suggestions for new concepts and Wonders:

• Colonization- Creates the Colony unit. Prerequisites: Navigation and Gunpowder. The resulting colony unit would be set up with the goal of enriching the mother country and would be useful until the Declaration of Independence Wonder is built, after which the country that has built the DoI wonder would get that "new" nation as an ally in perpetuity. Allows: Declaration of Independence Wonder (with Economics).
• Concept of Slavery- Slavery has been a concept of human existence since the early days of civilization. You could use the old standby of capturing enemy units and cities and then siphoning off a percentage for sale into slave markets. Slaves could also be a commodity to be traded, or represented as population that cannot be turned into settlers and are created automatically from the percentage of a population enslaved as set by the player and within the parameters of government type.*Examples: Democracy allows 20% slaves per city; Republic, 30%; Communism, 40%; Fundamentalism/Fascism, 50%; Monarchy, 60%; Despotism; 80%. This would vary according to government type and whether or not one has certain wonders. Slavery would increase food by 2, but reduce shields by 2 and trade by 1. Of course, then you would have to put a limit on the time it would be feasible. Prerequisites: Code of Laws, Trade. Allows: Abolitionism (with Bill of Rights) Expires with: Emancipation Proclamation wonder.
• Declaration of Independence Wonder- Would automatically reduce the ability of a civilization to utilize captured units for slavery, while making Democracy more durable and slowing its collapse from disorder.(Instead of two turns of disorder in a single city for government to collapse, more than half a civilization's cities under democracy would have to be in disorder for three turn.) One Slave would be turned into a free citizen per city. Of course, it would also make one citizen content in each city and effects would never expire. Effects never expire.
• Constitution Wonder- Would end importation of slaves and ensure a Democracy against collapse from disorder, i.e. the United States during the American Civil War. Prerequisites: Bill of Rights Effects never expire.
• Bill of Rights Concept- This would allow the civilization that built it to wage war for longer periods of time as a Democracy or a Republic with reduced penalty, and would also create the State Legislature improvement. Prerequisites: Democracy and Colonization. Allows: Constitution Wonder, Emancipation Proclamation wonder (with Abolitionism), State Legislature Improvement.
• State Legislature improvement- The State Legislature improvement would act similar to the courthouse, temple and cathedral improvements. The State legislature would reduce corruption by two and make one content citizen happy and one discontent citizen content. Prerequisites: Bill of Rights.
• Abolitionism concept- Abolitionism would make it even more difficult for a civilization to maintain slavery. This concept would create two new units, the Abolitionist Publisher and the John Brown unit. Prerequisites: Slavery and Bill of Rights Allows: Emancipation Proclamation Wonder Expires with: Emancipation Proclamation wonder *Once Emancipation Proclamation is built, slavery is ended everywhere and for all time *Note: Possible exception could be made with the creation of the "Concentration Camp" in Fascism. Of course, the Concentration camp would be secret and invisible to the world unless neared or taken by a ground unit or overflown by an air unit. That could lead to a new wonder called the Nuremberg Trial wonder or War Crimes Tribunal.
• Abolitionist Publisher unit- Could be used to set up an abolitionist newspaper in a city. This would be used primarily to undermine an enemy's slave system and make for greater discontent in the free populations of cities. Obsolete with: Emancipation Proclamation Wonder.
• John Brown unit- This special unit would be used to further undermine content in cities and throw the cities into disorder by slave revolt. Of course, both units become obsolete with the...
• Emancipation Proclamation Wonder- The Emancipation Proclamation wonder would bring slavery to an end worldwide and also increase a civilization's industrial capacity and trade. Effects would never expire, and although slavery would be ended worldwide, only the civilization that builds it can reap the increase in shield production (industrial capacity) and in trade. Turns slaves into free citizen settlers. Further, only Republics or Democracies would be allowed to build it *Communist and Monarchy governments would be able to decree slavery to be ended in their lands if so desired, and the Fundamentalist/Fascist governments wouldn't care to build it anyway.* Prerequisites: Abolitionism

Jennifer Brewer
16/5/98:
For the writer of newest wish list : damn too amerocentric. Why does this person think that only ones playing Civ2 are Americans?
My view of slavery:

• War would be different from civ2. When you capture enemy city, it becomes under military rule till peace treaty is made. Cities under military rule can only produce units (not veteran) and build structures destroyed in war. These cities can also build slave units.
• Slaves would be sent to your cities. They act as settlers, but they can't build cities. Instead, they irrigate and mine little bit faster than normal settlers, but not as fast as engineers. They can also be joined to your cities. Any slave working in city has +1 food production and +1 mining, but cannot create any trade. Slaves also create some corruption.
• After you discover Emancipation Tech, you can declare Emancipation. Emancipation changes all your slaves improving terra to Settlers, and all in cities to normal citizens.
  Then, why to declare it? Three reasons.
  1. Slaves outdoors cannot build Railroads, Farmlands or Advanced Mines(refineries, perhaps?)
  2. Slaves indoors can't take advantages of Railroads, Farmlands and Refineries. They also can't work in factories.
  3. After one nation has declared emancipation, reputation of slaveholders starts dropping slowly.
  • When 1 nation has Emancipated, you gain 1 black mark in 20 turns
  • When 2 nations have Emancipated, you gain 1 black mark in 10 turns
  • When 3 nations have Emancipated, you gain 1 black mark in 5 turns
  • When 4 nations have Emancipated, you gain 1 black mark in 3 turns
  • When 5 nations have Emancipated, you gain 1 black mark in 2 turns
  • When 2 nations have Emancipated, you gain 2 black marks in 1 turn

Drew Swiatek
29/5/98:

• I believe transports, aircraft carriers, and all naval vessels should have a comments window. When I play on large worlds I always forget where one of my 12 boats are traveling, usually in circles.

Richard Hughes
30/5/98:

• I think that there should be some boundary line between you and your neighbor, 'cause I hate it when your enemy settler settles right next to a fort or key point that your holding and tells you to withdraw your troops. I wish you could fix a set boundary between you and you neighbor. Or if you could claim parts of land. I think you could control this by saying "only 8 spaces from your furthest city" or something like that. Or people would just claim everything for them selves and this would take the fun out of CIV 2.

Tuukka Takala
31/5/98:

• You should be able to air transport units, like putting a tank in special transport plane etc. There should be air transports like sea transports.

Jeff Brown
31/5/98:

• I think that there should be an Economy (kinda' like a government) for instance capitalism:
  • +1 gold per happy person
  • -1 per unhappy person
• socialism:
  • +1 gold every 3 people
• communism:
  • +1 gold every 2 happy people and
  • +1 gold every 4 normal people etc.

Pedro Chaves
4/6/98:

• Please add the Portuguese to the list of Civilizations.Don't forget that once we ruled the world and had one of the biggest empire ever.
• Create a Satellite-Spy.It could fly all over the world (just before the Apollo Program)and focus in whatever city or region you want and see everything there.Effects would last until the end or the game and could only be destroyed by another satellite.
• Be able to declare war without any effect on your reputation if your enemy refuses to grant you an audience three times in a row;or if the computer doesn't allow you to ask him to retreat his troops.

David Ledgard
9/6/98:

• Have neutral cities that don't attack, can't be subverted, don't found colonies but do defend. The way they do it now, if you attack one neutral city you have a war with them all.
• Stop new cities being founded when playing scenarios. Some games whole new cities grow in a couple of years.
• Have more than 7 players for better historical modeling
  

Benny Johansson
16/6/98:

• Fortress:
  There should be several sorts of fortresses, that should be upgraded to be stronger and have some functions. Instead of building a fortress with your settler, you will be able to build a fort. The fort shall have an upkeep of 1 gold per turn and is capable of protecting 6 units. When you upgrade it, there will be a fortress. This shall cost 2 gold per turn and will protect up to 12 units and have a higher defense bonus it will also repair units faster. After a fort or a fortress is full with units and you move in another, then will it have a half bonus from the fort/fortress.
• Air bases:
  This shall also be a two step upgrade. You start to build an air strip. This have room for 6 air units and 2 land units. The land units serve as protection against sea and land units. Thus will also cost 1 gold in upkeep per turn. With the upgrade to air base you have room for 12 air and 4 land units. It also contain a SAM battery which have a 25% bonus against air units, and a slow airlift capability.
• Naval bases:
  These should be placed at a land square along the shore.They will act as a place to repair ships and store them. First there will be a naval camp which can have 4 sea units in reparation and another 4 in storage. In the Naval base there is room for 4 sea in reparation and 8 sea units in storage + 4 land units.
  The base will also have a higher defense bonus and a higher upkeep.
• Outpost and bases:
  This will be used to repair units and provide control of nearby lands.This will almost be as as city, except that it can not build units and a limited amount of structures. An outpost act likes a base, but I can build more structures and some unit.
• Army:
  There should be a special unit menu in the city, from which you can control the conscription and recruiting from the city and from the surrounding villages. A bigger city means more men. When raising a unit you can specify the size and training. There should be different grades of training like conscript, recruit, veteran, elite. The higher grade of education it will take longer time to build the unit. You should also be able to join several units and also to split them again later.
• Diplomacy:
  When a peace treaty is signed, there should be an option to demand peace tribute from the one who has been defeated like a sum of money, some units, some annual tribute for a specified turns, surrender city and/or land, disband some/all units.
  When in peace treaties there should be an option, when talking to another leader, to ask for permission to use his roads to transport some troops.When two nations have signed an alliance there should be an option to select a form of an alliance, like a science/trade cooperation, allow airbases/fortress in each others territory…
  And there should also be an opportunity to join two civilizations to one or to create a new one.
• Units:
  You should be able to hire generals to let them control a fleet or army. You give orders to the general to move the fleet/army and other orders as: sentry fleet, search and destroy, control, attack, campaign… When having a general attached to an army or a fleet you can assign/decrease more units to him/her. And you get no penalty for stacked units.
• City:
  A city should be able to expand over several squares and the surroundings shall grow with it. It should also melt tighter with a nearby city and create one big one. Each part of the city can build its own things but it can also cooperate with other parts of the city to build faster. You should also be able to put a king or mayor to control the city and give him order to build things, he/she will combine the parts of the city and collect taxes.
• Land:
  When a city is built it should have its surrounding areas under control (= its border), but there should also be an opportunity to claim land with a settler or other units and build a civilization border. When having a settler to claim, you can build an outpost or a base, and with other units you must have them fortified there. You should also be able to create counties, or states in your country and place a duke or a king there to control it.

R. Steven Hasen
18/6/98:

• I am bothered by the fact that we know the tech paths to take in a game. I would like some alternative tech such as Alchemy. This would be randomized, so in some games it would be a dead end, while in other games it would give you a few new units and a short cut to advanced tech.
• I would also like to see "Game Units" these would be the monsters that ancient explorers feared and went exploring any ways. 5-9 should be enough. These Monsters would have zero movement and would be invisible even to adjacent units. Krakens and giant Squids, Dragons.

In short we should face the same challenges or perceived challenges that the ancients faced.

<JCat61E@aol.com
21/6/98: