'Terraforming' bad terrain with buildings

[wingzero890]

So a complaint I have read about the new development and terrain system is how we don't have much influence over the actual terrain, like forests and swamps. Would it be possible to alter the terrain in provinces by building certain buildings? For example.

Lumber Mill: Can only be built in forests. Provides 'x' production income. After 'y' years the forest has a chance to be depleted, turning the province into grassland/steppe/dryland/etc (destroying the building)

Polder: Can only be built in swamp/marshes. Provides 'x' production income. After 'y' years the swamp has been drained and the province is turned into farmlands.

Irrigation Works: Can only be built in drylands/desert. Province must have a river crossing modifier. Provides 'x' production income. After 'y' years the land blossoms and becomes farmlands.

 

[magnusvejby]

i don't think the engine can handle to change the terrain sadly.

 

[leadshooter69]

i don't think the engine can handle to change the terrain sadly.

I doubt that. It might be difficult to do depending on how the code structured but I wouldn't assume something isn't possible unless a dev tells us it isn't.

 

[talilu]

Maybe there is no need to change the terrain, game just needs to act like it does if our only concern is development and buildings.

All the suggestions OP listed could give +2/+3 building slots to symbolise changing the terrain to a better one and -% developement cost to nullify the negative effects of the old terrain.

 

[AhoyDeerrr]

I actually did this exact thing in my mod, at least for marsh terrain provinces.

I think this could be improved though, first of all by making it more progressive. For example instead of provinces from marsh to farmlands I think it would more sense that it should first go to grasslands then to farmlands. Much the same with forests, they should change from forests, to woods, to grassland to farmland.

I do disagree with allowing desert provinces to be 'terraformed' though and similarly I think forest/woods provinces should be 'terraformed' less directly, by a very long passage of time because as far as I know Europe was largely deforested by the need for wood in the construction of ships as opposed to cutting down huge tracts of forest for farmland (I do not have significant knowledge in this area so if I am wrong feel free to correct me).

Preferably the actual province terrain should change, instead of just being mitigated by a modifier or something similar because certain terrain brings with it certain combat related modifiers which currently can not be changed. Overall a great idea.

 

[wingzero890]

i don't think the engine can handle to change the terrain sadly.

Yeah I didn't mean the map graphics should change but that the modifiers on the province itself should change.

 

[wingzero890]

I do disagree with allowing desert provinces to be 'terraformed' though

I was mostly thinking of the provinces in the upper nile region which are desert and adjacent to the Nile. I'm sure there are other examples like that elsewhere that don't come to mind immediately, some drylands on the Indus if i recall correctly but I can't say for sure.