Bridges

[Helle]

One of the things I miss in COTN is bridges. I really hope they will be back in Ceasar IV.

Its not that it doesnt work with barge landings on both sides, its just that a bridge is so much easier if the gap is not that big.

You could make bridges for small gap and barge landings for big gaps.

[Keith]

Bridges as construction projects. ;)

[Schmophit]

One of the things I miss in COTN is bridges. I really hope they will be back in Ceasar IV.

Its not that it doesnt work with barge landings on both sides, its just that a bridge is so much easier if the gap is not that big.

You could make bridges for small gap and barge landings for big gaps.
I agree, I was a bit miffed to find you couldn't have bridges, like in Caesar III and Emperor, it hasn't stopped me trying to find one in the build menus now and again when I think "that little gap over there needs a bridge", spoon that I am :rolleyes: :)

[King Faticus]

The romans were master engineers and built many briges across rivers (even the rhine via Julious Caesar) so I dont think bridges *even* large ones made of brick stone or wood are unreasonable

[MarkDuffy]

One of the things I miss in COTN is bridges.

No bridges increased both the challenge & the gameplay, not to mention all the yelling & screaming at the game cuz those basalt statue blanks just sat at the quary, made players think the game was broken, laborers were stupid, Overseers didn't do their job & suggestions of "be patient" didn't work, along with great shots of people on reed boats & attaching the camera to them.

(Forget I was ever here)

[Thucydides]

Bridges are an absolute must for Caesar IV.

I can understand them not being used in CotN. The Nile is very broad and thence bridging technology was not part of the everyday Egyptian city. However the Romans were excellent at bridging, and the point at which the bridged many major rivers became the centre of new settlements (such as modern-day London). The technology for making bridges deteriorated with the fall of the Roman Empire and took hundreds of years to gain back again.

To be historically accurate there should be a stricture on the length of a bridge allowed. I.E. bridging a river as wide as the Nile really was a difficult feat. Perhaps that stricture is not length but a steadily increasing cost of building the bridge as it gets longer.

The most amazing Roman bridge I am aware of is Trajan's bridge across the Danube. It measures over a kilometre on length and bridged the river at a point at which it was 800 metres wide.

[Keith]

The most amazing Roman bridge I am aware of is Trajan's bridge across the Danube. It measures over a kilometre on length and bridged the river at a point at which it was 800 metres wide.

The Caesar's Bridge (http://www.historychannel.com/rome/) across the Rhine in 56BC in 10 days and then destroyed 18 days later was an amazing feat too.

[Thucydides]

The Caesar's Bridge (http://www.historychannel.com/rome/) across the Rhine in 56BC in 10 days and then destroyed 18 days later was an amazing feat too.

Thanks Keith, that is an interesting site and I agree it was an amazing feat of engineering. What the video didn't show, and what is even more amazing, is that the Rhine flows with enormous force, far more rapidly than most major rivers. A wooden structure would not have endured forever against such a tide so I am not surprised that the Romans did not maintain it.

Regarding Trajan's bridge, when Rome abandoned the frontier the Roman's destroyed the spans of the bridge, which is why it does not stand complete today. The piers are still visable today however.

[Keith]

You know that would make a good Discovery, History, or PBS channel program; "Constructing a Roman Bridge." There have been similar programs in the past that showed modern engineers attempting to re-construct on a smaller scale some of the massive monuments of ancient civilizations. Two I can recall are about building a pyramid and another about raising a obelisk. Oh, and one more, there was one where they build a small scale functioning Roman bath.

Of course, most of the Roman engineering feats would be candidates for similar productions, from building roads and aqueducts to some of the buildings they were famous for.

Get a group of modern engineers and let them work with original methods and materials and see how they do.

[Jimaaten]

One of the things I miss in COTN is bridges. I really hope they will be back in Ceasar IV.I don't think you need to worry. In the left of this screenshot, it looks like a bridge to me. :)

[CaitGrey]

It looks like a bridge to me. :)
Are you absolutely sure it's not one of those easy-to-place barge landings restyled for Roman times? (* private gripe * please ignore *)

It would also be great to be able to choose the style of your bridge to suit the terrain and the province and the availabe materials.

[Keith]

Are you absolutely sure it's not one of those easy-to-place barge landings restyled for Roman times? (* private gripe * please ignore *)

It would also be great to be able to choose the style of your bridge to suit the terrain and the province and the availabe materials.

It's hard to tell. I thought it was a landing at first, but looking closer at it it could be a bridge.

[Jimaaten]

I would think a landing would look closer to the structure further upstream, with driven timber piles. Stone landings would be pretty expensive for a Roman town.

The other interesting thing I just noticed about the "bridge" is that it seems to be placed on a diagonal like the roadways. Its hard to tell with that water lift station for the aqueduct in the way. :mad: I keep trying to rotate the view but it just doesn't work. :p

[Schmophit]

I would think a landing would look closer to the structure further upstream, with driven timber piles. Stone landings would be pretty expensive for a Roman town.

The other interesting thing I just noticed about the "bridge" is that it seems to be placed on a diagonal like the roadways. Its hard to tell with that water lift station for the aqueduct in the way. :mad: I keep trying to rotate the view but it just doesn't work. :p
I think you could be right and the bridge does look abit diagonal, either that or its straight and its the "diagonal" roads making it look that way :D (I keep trying to scroll left/right to see whatever's off screen :o )

[sitearm]

Agree... actually, the aqueducts help... we know they're on the same layout as the "straight" roads... compare the bridge alignment to the aqueducts and it's clear it's at a 45 degree angle.

The other interesting thing I just noticed about the "bridge" is that it seems to be placed on a diagonal like the roadways. Its hard to tell with that water lift station for the aqueduct in the way.

[Helle]

But even if it is 45 degrees it can still be a bridge. If the roads can be diagonal then the bridges might be as well.

just a thought.

But it is proberly a landing since there is a house. Dont really need a house for a bridge......I think.

[Thucydides]

A little trivia. Rome built a magnificent bridge in Spain that still stands today. When it was built there was no settlement nearby, but over the years one grew given the importance of the bridge to trade. When Spain was later controlled by the Muslims the town was named "Bridge" in Arab. That town is Alcantara, which many car purchases will know today is the best variety of leather you can buy for your luxury car, that is Alcantara leather. So when you are zipping around in your fancy BMW you are actually sitting on a Roman bridge... :D

[sitearm]

* loves image sleuthing *

Here are Alcantara Bridge side and top views. Was damaged, then repaired, in 1860. Cars can drive on it!

http://www.napoleon-series.org/images/military/virtual/alcantara/bridge1.jpg
http://www.napoleon-series.org/images/military/virtual/alcantara/top.jpg
A little trivia. Rome built a magnificent bridge in Spain that still stands today. When it was built there was no settlement nearby, but over the years one grew given the importance of the bridge to trade. When Spain was later controlled by the Muslims the town was named "Bridge" in Arab. That town is Alcantra, which many car purchases will know today is the best variety of leather you can buy for your luxury car, that is Alcantra leather. So when you are zipping around in your fancy BMW you are actually sitting on a Roman bridge... :D

[Thucydides]

Thanks Sitearm! They are great images of the Alcantra bridge. I am a little too non-technical to yet work out how to post images so I am very glad you are into image sleuthing! :)

[wolf]

While we're on the subject of bridges, I very humbly request the TM staff to develop C4 so that a tiny creek doesn't present an impossible obstacle. Playing C3 I've been at times amused and outraged that the game allows you to bridge the Amazon but not a tiny little ditch. I hope C4 will not have such a design flaw in it.

[MarkDuffy]

I don't think you need to worry. In the left of this screenshot, it looks like a bridge to me. :)

Ding!

It does, doesn't it !?!

Long, with a road going to it.

To be true to C3, bridges would be expected. Since we need roads, I wouldn't expect people to travel on reed boats. Perhaps an additional something for large distances, more like Pharaoh's ferrys with a road going to them.

Although Zeus had some pretty long bridges...

[Keith]

While we're on the subject of bridges, I very humbly request the TM staff to develop C4 so that a tiny creek doesn't present an impossible obstacle. Playing C3 I've been at times amused and outraged that the game allows you to bridge the Amazon but not a tiny little ditch. I hope C4 will not have such a design flaw in it.

If they keep the CotN model to some degree, that probably won't be a problem, as the characters in TM were quite happy to wade through water that was sometimes up to their neck or over their heads.

[sitearm]

* nitpicks *

Technically, they wade on flood plain areas but use reed boats on deep river areas. You're right it looks amusing, especially at high flood!
If they keep the CotN model to some degree, that probably won't be a problem, as the characters in TM were quite happy to wade through water that was sometimes up to their neck or over their heads.

[Keith]

In one missions, Abu?, where the is a island in the midst of two two branches of the same river, they would actully cross through the water that was over their heads to get to the main land because the flood plains on both banks were so close together in the middle. It was one of the military mission cities.

It was pretty funny watching them slowly decend into the water and then watching them march along underwater to the other side. On the other side of the island they would use reed boats.

[sitearm]

* nitpicks again *

Yes, it's the Abu mission, but that land is really a peninsula, not an island. The separating land is floodplain, not river.

* lightens up *

Attached are my amusin' Abu screen shots illustrating your point. Never could think of a story set for these. Glad to get to show them here at last!

In one missions, Abu?, where the is a island in the midst of two two branches of the same river, they would actully cross through the water that was over their heads to get to the main land because the flood plains on both banks were so close together in the middle. It was one of the military mission cities.

It was pretty funny watching them slowly decend into the water and then watching them march along underwater to the other side. On the other side of the island they would use reed boats.

[Keith]

I think I was remember the beta version of Abu, which was the first one I played during the test. The flood plain was more of a river then and the walker would actually submerge over their heads. It's been a while. I took a screenshot from the current Abu.

At any rate, I don't think crossing a small stream or creek is going to be a problem in Caesar IV.