I’ve thought about how resources might be able to work tonight and how to potentially make dealing with resources at least non-invasive for players.
My thought was for there to be options before starting a play through/generating a new planet,
for how to deal with resources.
1 (Realistic)- The most painful on most players and ones computer as resources would be able to be depleated and non-renewable resources such as metals don’t regenerate which would be the most realistic and have the potential for scarcity and resource wars but most likely to screw the player over at some point especially on resource poor worlds.
Alongside having to compute the resources being depleted and having to either micromanage things like mines or have the game manage it, this system would most likely be the most or 2nd most intensive system on this list.
2 (Renewable Resources)- Under this system while being less realistic due to things like metal regenerating alongside oil at a non-geologic timescale thus meaning resources regenerate on the scale of years or at most decades.
Basically easier then the 1st but takes more computation alongside forcing the player to stockpile more if they ever have to have extraction outpace renewal and somehow deplete meaning they’ll have to find another deposit or wait for the resource to renew.
This could also be used to potentially grow some resources in new places if there was a particular Ascension perk for the like.
Also the player or the civilization could have it to where extraction is around the same as the renewal rate with potentially the renewal rate being increased through technologies, government policies, and even Ascension Perks.
Another thing would be that when low on resources the production would increase even further then when low on resources on the 1st system so the renewal can properly take place here.
Alongside this perhaps special events could take place in this system such as a surprised fast renewal or cultural inspirations that could inspire cultural Great Works or even breakthroughs in science such as if the deposit has a high enough population density around it or scientists studying it.
2.5- Basically the 1st system for most deposits but with some deposits of every nonrenewable resource type being the 2nd one thus having an interesting time of resource wars as the player or AI freaks out when they run out on a deposit and the Renewal Deposits become extremely sought after.
3 (Civ/Humankind system)- Basically have a system in which the resources and infinite so basically if you’ve played those games or some like Dawn of Man except if you couldn’t deplete any resources at all.
The simplest and least computationally extensive but the least complex.
These also could play a role in earlier stages at least for creatures that consume iron and sulfur which could drive your creature to extinction on the 1st (Realistic) or even 2nd (Renewal) systems. Any of the systems could have iron eating creatures fight over deposits as well if there are other iron or sulfur consuming animals around.
So feel free to comment on which system is preferred and y’alls ideas on if the ideas for resources could be improved.
- Realistic System
- Renewal System
- Mix of Realistic and Renewal System (Option 2.5)
- Civ/Humankind System