User Guide

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PLANETARY CARETAKING
Manipulating terrain to produce the maximum number of shields has a downside, of
course. One cost of heedless industrial growth is a gradual polluting and poisoning of the
environment. Of the many dangers posed by pollution in the real world, the greatest might
be global warming. Theorists believe an unchecked rise in the planet’s atmospheric
temperature threatens catastrophic geographic changes including melting polar ice caps,
rising sea levels, and parched farmlands. Different threats of poisoning occur if nuclear
weapons are detonated or a nuclear reactor melts down.
Civilization II models pollution from industry and nuclear disaster as a balancing
factor for growth. As you steer your civilization into the industrial age, you must manage
your cities and monitor your terrain to minimize pollution and prevent the disaster of
global warming.
POLLUTION
Every turn, the game assigns a probability of pollution occurring within the economic
radius of each city. The likelihood of this contamination depends on two factors: the
number of shields produced (industrial pollution) and the population supported (smog). In
some cities, industrial pollution is the major factor in the calculation, and in other cities
smog is a bigger hazard. Below a certain level, the chance of pollution is negligible, but as
industrial output builds, so does the likelihood of its darker side effects. Smog has no
effect on pollution calculations until your civilization acquires the advance of
Industrialization.
Smokestacks begin appearing on the CITY DISPLAY in the GENERAL INFORMATION window
when the combined pressures of smog and industrial pollution begin to create a significant
threat of contamination. The number of stacks roughly indicates the probability each turn
of a square within the city radius becoming polluted. For example, a city generating a large
number of raw materials each turn (say 20) and inhabited by a large population might show
several smokestacks in its CITY DISPLAY. The exact proportion of smokestacks produced by
industrial pollution and smog depends on the difficulty level at which you set the game.
Certain city improvements can help the situation. A Nuclear Power Plant, Hydro Power
Plant, Solar Plant, or Recycling Center improvement in a city reduces the impact of
industrial pollution, in turn decreasing the accumulation of smokestacks. Solar Plants also
help prevent global warming by absorbing excess heat in the atmosphere. The Hoover
Dam, a modern Wonder of the World, acts as a Hydro Power Plant for all friendly cities. The
Mass Transit improvement eliminates smog.
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