Build Dependencies

A category system for the build dependencies in the Sid Meyer 4X games.

Jargon for exactly the same concepts:

Civilization	Alpha Centauri
Food	Nutrients
Shields	Minerals
Trade	Energy
Taxes	Economy
Science	Labs
Luxuries	Psych
Coins	Credits
City	Base
Improvement	Facility
Wonder	Secret Project
Palace	Headquarters

All things are built in a city and may depend on one available technology or the presence in the city radius of a special or terrain type to be buildable. Some things may also depend on the existance of a technology or building/wonder, government to be built (e.g. Fanatics, Nukes, SS Module, Mfg. Plant). In Civilization III the specials concept is split and there may be aditional building dependencies on these global specials called resources.

You may not build something if it is obsolete. Everything has a build cost in shields.

Wonders

Small Wonders (Civilization III) / Galactic Achievements (GalCiv)

• unique per player.
• destroyed when the city is captured.

World Wonders

• unique per game.
• not rebuildable after destruction (must destroy city to destroy wonder).
• can be captured.

Improvements

• unique per city.
• rebuildable after destruction.
• can be destroyed or captured (razechance).

Space Constructions (i.e. SMAC satellites, or Civilization spaceship parts)

• limited maximum amount per player.
• rebuildable after destruction.

not physically present in the city they are built on.

Palace

• unique per player.
• rebuildable. if already exists, then it is moved.
• free for your first city.
• destroyed when the city is captured (savepalace gives you another one).

Other things you can build:

Capitalization

• unlimited amount.

Units

• variable limited amount per city.

Why is this knowledge important?

• so we can generalize the dependencies to build things, like small wonders.
• for e.g. doing a can_build function.

Links

Alpha Centauri FAQ