When I first started playing AC (I refuse to call it smac), I felt like sending a thank you note to Firaxis on the spot when I saw the city build queue. (if there's one AC feature that HAS to make it...) I would also love there to be a settler, xcuse me, a worker improvement queue. I almost always know what I want my engineers to be doing next, and next, and next.

I'm not worried about the worker hordes. I LOVE worker hordes.

CTP's Public Works, good?
Yes 171 / 35%
Yes, but could be better 140 / 28%
No 92 / 18%
For certain tasks... 67 / 13%
No opinion 16 / 3%

I find that poll rather skewed.

First, I presume it was conducted in the CTP/CTP2 forums (but please forgive me if I'm wrong). CTP lovers, in my opinion, have a different mindframe than CIV players. I should know because I'm both of them ... which, I suppose, makes me confused ;-)

Anyway, one of the big factors why most CTP players gravitate to CTP is because of the PW, among other things. So, of course they are going to vote for PW.

Secondly, out of the five options listed, two are votes for PW, one is against, a third is no opinion, and the remaining one is ambiguous: "For certain tasks ..." can be read as both for or against PW. Consequently, you have only one sure-fire vote option against PW.

I certainly won't let the AI go terraforming for me. In Civ 2 and SMAC, I tend to spend ages destroying all those stupid railroads and magtubes that go nowhere.

Roads should give a trade bonus, how else is farmer giles going to get to the market. Railroads should give production for mines too...
Roads go everywhere! railroads connect important sites, but no more...

I really like the public works idea, although it should only work on city radius scale...

however....

A builder unit (and later a combat Engineers Corps.) is essential too. Building forts and bridges (especially if there's a distinction between small rivers and BIG rivers that are uncrossable, that's a cool idea).

Perhaps some normal military units (infantry types) should get to have SOME builder functions, the Roman Legions built the roads themselves, and were as much an army of crafsmen as good soldiers....

quote: Originally posted by SerapisIV on 04-09-2001 02:03 PM Isn't the debate over public works been put to rest yet by the announced Firaxis decisions

consider such a discussion to be in the "general" part of the forum and not on the "suggestions" one

Also, a vote for "CtP Public Works are good" doesn't equal a vote for "SMAC Terraformers are bad."

DOH! I obviously missed it. In that case, "I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:6)

Still, I think Chris has a point. The poll asks if PW is good. It doesn't mention anything about how it compares to settler units. I SUPPOSE the insinuation is there ... but I still find it a bit too ambiguous. Or, perhaps I just don't like the results ;-)

quote: Originally posted by ChrisShaffer on 04-09-2001 05:40 PM 35% "yes" isn't exactly a stunning majority.

Supremus, PW wasn't included because the majority of people didn't want it, a vocal minority doesn't make everyone agree

quote: Originally posted by SerapisIV on 04-10-2001 04:31 PM Supremus, PW wasn't included because the majority of people didn't want it, a vocal minority doesn't make everyone agree

quote: Yes 171 / 35% Yes, but could be better 140 / 28%

hmm, i wonder what 35+28 makes us....

quote: when a 35% clearly says "yes", is that because it was fooled by the poll options??????

quote: CTP's Public Works, good? Yes 171 / 35% Yes, but could be better 140 / 28% No 92 / 18% For certain tasks... 67 / 13% No opinion 16 / 3%

This poll is MOST DEFINITELY skewed toward gathering a sample response in favor of Public Works.

First, the question: "CTP's Public Works, good?"

Skewed. In polling responses, people tend to agree rather than disagree, thereby avoiding psychological conflict. Call it the "yeah, sure, why not?" reflex. This poll should be scrapped for this alone. You would have been better off if you had simply said CTP's Public Works...? and then let each response finish the statement, a la the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality test. Put it another way, would the poll have been different if instead you had asked CTP's Public Works, bad? We'll never know. But let's just say your position on PW was hinted at in the way you phrased the question.

Secondly, this poll only offers us a choice between PW and the total absence of PW. IOW, it offers a void, a "no," as the alternative to PW. And if by the response No the poll means to imply that settlers are an alternative (which I don't have any reason to think it does) than the poll is even more skewed. Why? Uh, because polls that are not skewed do not offer two affirmative "Yes" choices for X while giving you exactly half as many choices in support of not-X by voting yes with an affirmative "No."(???) I mean, it's sorta funny but this poll should not be taken as reliable information.

Pw is the better choice, Why? Because is realistic! Every cities has a pubblic fund for manage the pubblic works. "Ordinary" people can make the work...one settler, in one turn (ex. 50 years) can cultivate only one square (ehm). With PW, and fund for finance the works, i can cultivate even 3-4 squares...now, in the real life, how many km. of terrain i should can work in 50y?

If i want to build a single trait of road (destroyed by a barbaric horde), i really have to take a unit of citiziens, wait tot. turn for the making of the unit, and finally pay tot. of shields? FOR A PIECE OF ROAD?? NO WAY! Why? Because isn't realistic!