The economics of Caesar IVTweetNews ID: 338 Date: 2006-08-04 Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/08/04/the-economics-of-caesar-iv Creating a harmonious city is about more than simple vomitoriums and orgies. BY IGN STAFF The economies of historical city building games generally tends to be needs based. The upcoming Caesar IV is not straying from the tried and true method by providing challenges for players to accommodate their citizens through the gathering of raw materials, manufacture of finished goods, and delivery of these goods through markets. Whether it's through harvest, trade, or industry, the demands are there. Today, we'll take a look at how the process works in Tilted Mill's Caesar IV. The key for any bustling city is an economy built from the ground up on goods. For the most part, new cities will need to be constructed from the ground up while taking advantage of natural resources in the area. Whether that's food, wood, iron, gold, or some other substance. These resources can be gathered by working class citizens for collection and distribution to industry around the city.  Industry Overview Industry is really where the economy will thrive. Raw materials around your city and good trade deals can turn an industry into the driving force of expansion and economic mastery. There are several different types of industry, each of which can make new types of goods that Rome's citizens will need. Items like pottery, linens, wine, meat and weapons are all necessary to help your city grow. The amount availability of raw materials in the area or through trade is going to determine exactly how many factories and the type of industry that can be built and be successful. For example, an abundance of metals used in weaponry might mean that there's an opportunity for a very successful weapons trade with other cities that don't have those resources. Each level of household in the city will need certain types of goods before they can expand to the next level of housing which means more taxes to collect. Small isolated settlements made up for the purpose of housing working class citizens aren't going to need the same luxury items like jewelry like those in the bustling center of the city. Outlying regions are likely only going to need fresh water, food, clothes, and pottery to keep them satisfied and working. Since they're out on their own and busy working, there's little need to make sure their accommodations grow as quickly.  Building up enough accommodations to provide the needed workforce with housing is an absolute must. Factories in industry require raw materials and workers. Without the working class, there are no goods to sell. Goods are transported around the city via cart pushers. They'll move to and from depots, ports, factories and markets to make sure that all of the different types of goods get to the right place. Positioning each of these types of buildings within a short distance of each other is ideal in order to maintain a constant flow of materials and finished products. Markets It's one thing to make the goods; it's another to make sure that your citizens are taking advantage of them. In order to get all of your pottery, wine, clothes and other goods into the hands of the populace, markets have to be built. If the market is within walking distance of residential areas, citizens will visit and purchase what they need. These goods will help citizens maintain a good happiness rating and help improve their homes. Four types of markets are available in Caesar IV including food, common goods, luxury goods, and exotic goods. Some of these markets will only be necessary in the wealthiest sections of the city. The workers out in the fields aren't going to need access to luxury items.  Trade While goods exchanging hands within the city is good in order to help your citizens achieve happiness and health, trade between cities will bring in a healthy bit of currency to construct even more industry and housing. Cities elsewhere that don't have certain goods will want to trade for them. Any leader lucky enough to be rich in rare resources will find themselves in very happy trade negotiations. Of course, this is a two way street. Certain goods that are needed in a city that aren't available locally will have to be traded for. This includes all kinds of things but especially exotic goods that will help push residences to new heights and new tax brackets. Trade routes are an excellent tool for helping a city grow larger, but they also take a significant amount of resources to open. Once open, it's possible to trade six types of goods (three import and three export) over an individual route so the choice will be an important one. Once a trade route has been established and goods have been chosen for import and export, traders will make their way over land and sea to deliver the goods to trade depots and trade ports. Before too long if all is set up well, the money will be flowing in and the city expanding. Now that you understand the basics of Caesar IV's economy, look for the game to be released this September and watch for more updates on the pages of IGN in the future.
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