Shields would then be produced by factory workers who use fuel and Raw materials in different ratios depending on what factories/ mfg. plants they have.

These could then be distributed unevenly around the map. Making different parts of the world differently valuable. eg the middle east with lots of oil, and so really worth fighting over.

This would require fuel, food, and Raw Materials being moved around the map using transports, making trade and sea power very important, and perhaps developing a colonial system.
-this would require some form of trade route system, preferably very automatic.

Civs could buy, sell, and steal fuel etc making diplomacy much more interesting.

Perhaps slightly at a tangent, the resource-squares could become available at different tech-levels, (eg you can't use iron ore until you have developed iron working). so altering the balance of the map during a game.

This is quite a serious change but I think it would make an interesting game.

I am trying to implement a basic version of this although due to exams it may take some time.

Is anyone interested?

Factories and powerplants would require iron/coal/oil to run at full strength. If they already had some resource squares within city range there wouldn't be a problem. Otherwise they'll have to ship it in by trade caravan or truck to get their industry running full strength. Naturally you should be able to put trade routes 'on hold' (embargo) or sabotage them with diplomats and spies in times of war.

quote: Originally posted by dave_shorts on 05-23-2000 11:53 AM I was thinking of implementing the trade routes, as caravans, trucks (now land transports), physically carrying resources around the map (like in colonisation but a lot more automatic). Then the embargoes/ sabotage/piracy can happen naturally. Would having this many units in the game create an unreasonable processor load?

Think like a game designer.
What purpose is served by making resources a token/unit?