Terrain is represented as a discrete grid of regions. As in all other Civilization games, each region provides a variety of resources and/or combat bonuses depending on its type. Certain types of region will produce additional resources if the harvesting city constructs a specified structure. Special Resources are landmarks embedded into the terrain that increase the resources produced by the containing region. These special resources may only be utilized once the corresponding technology is discovered.
List of regions[edit]
| Terrain | Food | Production | Trade | Combat bonus | Improvement by structure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert | +1 | Trading Post: +2 Trade | |||
| Plain | +1 | Granary: +2 Food | |||
| Grassland | +2 | ||||
| Forest | +2 | +50% Defense | |||
| Hill | +1 | +50% Combat | Workshop: +2 Production | ||
| Mountain | +1 | Iron Mine: +4 Production | |||
| Sea (Shallow & Deep) | +2 | Harbour: +1 Food |
Special resources[edit]
Special resources boost the resources provided by their containing region. Their presence is permanent and in full knowledge of all players from the start of the game (once the terrain is explored), although most may not be utilized until a prerequisite technology has been discovered. Each special resource will also only appear on a suitable backdrop region, e.g. Fish will never be a special resource in a Plains region, nor will Cattle be found in the Sea.
| Resource | Bonus to region | Required Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Spices | Trade +2 | None |
| Gems | Gold +2 | None |
| Fish | Food +2 | (1) Bronze Working |
| Oxen | Production +2 | (1) Horseback Riding |
| Wine | Trade +2 | (1) Pottery |
| Incense | Culture +2 | (2) Ceremonial Burial |
| Iron | Production +2 | (2) Iron Working |
| Marble | Production +2 | (2) Masonry |
| Cattle | Food +3 | (3) Code of Laws |
| Oak | Production +3 | (3) Construction |
| Wheat | Food +2 | (3) Irrigation |
| Silk | Culture +3 | (3) Literacy |
| Gold | Gold +3 | (4) Currency |
| Dyes | Trade +3 | (4) Monarchy |
| Whale | Food +4 | (4) Navigation |
| Game | Food +3 | (5) Feudalism |
| Sulfur | Production +3 | (6) Gunpowder |
| Coal | Production +3 | (6) Steam Power |
| Oil | Production +4 | (7) Combustion |
| Aluminium | Production +4 | (8) Mass Production |
| Rubber | Production +4 | (8) The Automobile |
| Uranium | Production +4 | (9) Nuclear Power |