General Suggestions

[Revan Shan]

Renewable resources were discussed by others before I made my comment, so it wasn't a direct response to your point. The way our terrains and flora work, that's not going to happen unless you started in a desert.

When I say desert I don't mean dunes, I mean a place without trees. All plains with all the trees choped down.

It was really ugly to see it become that after some hours playing on any of the AoEs...

Edited March 19, 2011 by Revan Shan

[Safri]

What about if you have something like in Civ 4, where there is a small chance a reasource can appear? It could reappear and you get a message saying "we have discovered a new source of stone" or whatever?

[oshron]

it could possibly be programmed into the game that new resources will appear on certain locations in specific random map scripts, representing (possibly unseen) weather eroding the soil and whatnot away from the surface and exposing something like an ore deposit, even though this would be a bit unrealistic since a big pile of rocks or raw metals suddenly pop up out of the ground

[Jade Knight]

Realistically, some resources are simply not pragmatically "renewable" (metal, stone).

Other resources (trees, food objects) are renewable.

To me, it would make sense to have renewable resources renew. C&C actually did this—tiberium would slowly grow and spread if not harvested; it was sometimes strategic to specifically avoid harvesting the last tiberium in a field to give it an opportunity to regrow.

However, whether or not 0 A.D. implements such a system may depend on a number of different factors. Ultimately, it's not a high priority right now, and so if it is implemented, it would have to come at a much later date.

[Harm]

I would like the terrain to influence tactics. For example you could add some trees or bushes or something similar which blocks the sight of the player and cliffs could favour the player who is on them in long range combat. And if your army is passing a river the movement speed could be reduced.

[comp3820]

I think trees and bushes affecting the sight of units is a great idea. It's pointless to hide in the forest if your enemy can see you anyway.

You could cut the effectiveness of the LOS in half for forests, or even less, and decrease speed through there as well, which would greatly increase the effectiveness of a well-planned ambush.

It would be neat if cliffs would have the same effect - you can't see over them in real life, why now? Make the units find out how to get on top to see what's up there.

[oshron]

for that matter, increased line of sight at greater elevations would be another good aspect

[Mythos_Ruler]

for that matter, increased line of sight at greater elevations would be another good aspect

I think that would be more likely than having trees and walls block Vision.

[Harm]

have you played starcraft 2? there they implemented such a vision blocker: http://img641.imageshack.us/i/screenshot2011041411330.jpg (http://img98.imageshack.us/i/screenshot2011041411331.jpg/ )but i agree with comp382 to decrease the sight and the speed (especially for horses and siege units) and the trees should also decrease the ability to create formations since they are physical objects. this feels more realistic than a hard block of sight. a balance would then be the ability to cut the wood. also had the idea, that maybe some units could climb on a tree and use ist as a watchtower and climb on cliffs ;-). To have no vision on cliffs is problematic as it really favours the one upon them. Then you would also have to add a possibility to get sight on them without being on them. a further sight should be the better effect.and i have thought of how sound can influence strategy. If there is a radius in which you can hear units of the enemy (some are louder than others) this would be quite cool, too ;-).

Edited April 14, 2011 by Harm

[Davarish]

Hello friends!

I would like to say something about the renewable resources. In the fantastic game Spellforce the order of dawn tha resources were renewable except for the trees. The stone, metal, and some other weird things were reduced as you gather them and it was nice cause the shape of the stones reduced till there was only a minimum which could not be gathered. Then you waited for a while and the stones grow up larger again slowly slowly and could gather them. Not neceserly when they grow up full. It was your choice. As for the trees i remember on the other great game The Settlers where a forester was used planting new trees. The trees grow up slowly and when they grow up fully the lumberjack could cut them down.

I think it would be great of we could see something like that in 0 A.D. and i vote "yes" to the renewability of the resources. I also agree that cutting down everything in the map makes the map ugly and not so nice to play. Please consider my thoughts and have a nice day

[Harm]

If you don't want to change your trees, you could as well just add a new sort of bushes which influence the sight (like in starcraft) and use both to create forests. These new bushes etc. could also be the place where new trees grow.

[Genava55]

How about making this a barbarian thing? I mean, druids did often take special care of nature, and it could be a sort of spell or something that makes him pop a few seeds out of his pocket (or from the nearest villagers ear for that sake) and plant a few trees.

No... Gallia was more deforested than the France today. The Druids weren't hippies naturalists, there was some sanctuaries during the Celtic LaTene. A model made by Ealabor for a m&b mod, based on the Sanctuary of Corent:

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j158/ealabor/corent1.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j158/ealabor/corent2.jpg

[Mythos_Ruler]

Would either of these buildings make a good basis for a Celt "temple" in the game?

[SMST]

I'd kinda like the Ex-Towncentre for a temple.

[Genava55]

Would either of these buildings make a good basis for a Celt "temple" in the game?

The general form of a gallic sanctuary is a delimited area with one or several huts/cabines to keep the votive gifts (weapons, jewels, woodden statue etc.). In addition, it can has some sacrificial monument (holes in the ground for the food, and animals or even condemned persons; scaffolds for the heroic dead warriors and their weapons like at Gournay-sur-aronde) and some places for banquets like at Corent.

http://www.gournaysuraronde.com/images/sanctuaire/maquette.jpg

http://www.gournaysuraronde.com/images/sanctuaire/reconstitution-sanctuaire.jpg

Two animation videos:

http://www.court-jus.com/film.php?id=28&type=15

http://www.court-jus.com/film.php?id=29&type=15

Illustrations in a paper(journal) about Corent, the oppidum and the sanctuary, near of Gergovia:

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/4983/sanctuaryofcorent.jpg

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/916/luernfest.jpg

Woodden statue, found near the lake of geneva:

http://notrehistoire.ch.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2010/08/de0334d0108f4481_jpg_200x200_upscale_q85.jpg

http://notrehistoire.ch.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2010/08/c494b1286c9505da_jpg_200x200_upscale_q85.jpg

Thus if you need to keep one of these models, I think the second building is better for a sanctuary, it misses simply an enclosure and some religious amenagements. The house is a bit too huge but it isn't really bad.

Edited April 17, 2011 by Genava55

[Mythos_Ruler]

Alright. This is very very helpful. Perhaps we will have an updated Celt "temple" for Alpha V. We've always had trouble with the Celt temple. Initially we were going to make it a stand of trees (which is kind of silly to "construct"), then we made it a stone henge, which is 2000 years out of date.

[SMST]

Alright. This is very very helpful. Perhaps we will have an updated Celt "temple" for Alpha V. We've always had trouble with the Celt temple. Initially we were going to make it a stand of trees (which is kind of silly to "construct"), then we made it a stone henge, which is 2000 years out of date.

I really hope you keep the Stonehenge for editor purpose, though.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Of course. It's very nice.

[ichthys]

I would like to see a living nature, which depends on the different animals and the player. For example in one map there are wolfand deers (I hope, that's the correct word). The wolfes hunts the deers, because the need them to live and ensures this way, that there are not to much of it. If the player exterminates the wolfes, he maybe cold have the problem, that there are later to much deers. And if he exterminates the deers, than would be his problem, that there are more wolfes who attacks the humans.

And of course, not only regenerating fauna please. I have the same problem like the others with the forests. It's really ugly if there is no forest anymore. I suggest, that there are areas where trees aren't able to grow. For example every building has an aera where new trees can't grow, the streets and all places whith much movement.

And different seasons which influences the animal's behavior. For example a lot of deers dies in the winter and wolfes attacks humans.

This is only an example how it could be. It could be like in Gothic/Gothic 2, where are many different animals which have their own behavior and "food".

[satchitb]

That predator-prey cycle is wrong. Having a larger number of deer means more food for the wolves, whose population grows. Killing off deer would mean fewer wolves, as they would starve. Killing off wolves, OTOH, would mean more deer, whose population thrives in the absence of a predator. IRL, that would mean overgrazing, where a burgeoning deer population would eat more grass than is good for the ecosystem, but that would be a little too complicated for this game. Your "living nature" might work, but only up to two trophic levels in the food web.

[oshron]

well theres already some programming, iirc, where a polar bear will occasionally attack a seal that it finds lying around somewhere. the same could probably be done for wolves, lions, and so on

[feneur]

well theres already some programming, iirc, where a polar bear will occasionally attack a seal that it finds lying around somewhere. the same could probably be done for wolves, lions, and so on

It's not programmed, but it's in the Design Document.

[Macgruber]

What size are the planned maps? I'd like to think that we could use larger maps, as other games leave you fighting with massive city-states in what feels like your backyard. The scale feels completely inappropriate.

Other than that, how long until ships have swaying/ sail animations?

[ichthys]

That predator-prey cycle is wrong. Having a larger number of deer means more food for the wolves, whose population grows. Killing off deer would mean fewer wolves, as they would starve. Killing off wolves, OTOH, would mean more deer, whose population thrives in the absence of a predator. IRL, that would mean overgrazing, where a burgeoning deer population would eat more grass than is good for the ecosystem, but that would be a little too complicated for this game. Your "living nature" might work, but only up to two trophic levels in the food web.

Yes, if there where no limits, then you are rigt. Because I don¨t think that we want 1000 deers or more on the map.

But I think, with some limits it would be nice.

[Alpha of the Eagles]

I really hope you keep the Stonehenge for editor purpose, though.

Could we use it like the shrines in Age of Empires I?