All the higher level games seem to use dotmapping to maximize the number of cities that can be placed. Does this mean that the placing of Bombay is improper in this case? I also wonder if you agree with my play in keeping my scout and warrior just sitting at the two great spots they found until I could crank out the settlers to grab the cities before they moved on? (What you see in the screenshot is pretty much the known world!)
131275

131276

edit: I am sorry it doesen't show better, but Madras will grab corn in the fat cross when it expands.

As far as I'm aware there is no benefit from waiting on the proposed city square with your warrior or scout (other than keeping the barbarians at bay) because if the AI arrives there with a settler first, it will found the city and your units will be "bumped" out of their new territory.

Umm, yes, the barbs where why I kept the around, dodging the barbs, until the settlers arrived. :)

i'd keep exploring with your original units and build a warrior before the settler. he'll have all the time in the world to get over to the site before the settler is built.

All the higher level games seem to use dotmapping to maximize the number of cities that can be placed.

It's not so much the number of cities that you want to maximize as it is the quality. Sure, 5 good cities is always going to be better than 4 good cities, but 4 good cities is better than 5 mediocre cities.

Does this mean that the placing of Bombay is improper in this case?

I don't have any problems with Bombay. You've got 4 resources in its fat cross, including an early luxury that you aren't getting from your other cities. Long term, with 2 mountains, a desert, and a whole lot of 0 food hills, it probably isn't going to be your strongest city, but it isn't going to be awful either. And in the short term, the flood plains and corn will get you enough food to have very high production with decent commerce from the gold.

I also wonder if you agree with my play in keeping my scout and warrior just sitting at the two great spots they found until I could crank out the settlers to grab the cities before they moved on?

I agree with naterator. Keeping an eye out for barbarians is a good idea if you actually have a settler on the way soon, but you've obviously stalled your exploration by camping out permanently. I would prefer to have a much better idea of the surrounding territory by the time I was placing my 3rd or 4th city.

I don't have a problem with Bombay either. Sure, there are unused tiles between it and your capital, but those are worthless tiles anyway.

I thought it would be weird if Bombay shouldn't be placed where it is. Thanks for confirming that I must not have quite understood the thread's that I've been reading.

And sending a warrior just before the settler's done while letting the existing troops explore makes good sense. I got too excited finding two good city locations so close to the capitol for a change I guess. :)

Again, thanks all for your thoughts.

May I ask once more if this dotmap is a reasonable one? (I need a little reinforcement to build confidence that I won't be flamed for wasting space!.) :) (Looks like the income should be good, eh?)

131334

131335

I would build the third city 5 west, 2 south of Beijing. You already have a gold resource, but you need ivory. Building close to the capital is more efficient in terms of upkeep and defense (and wasted space ;)).

Gold on a desert hill really isn't that great for income. I would rather have grassland to cottage spam.

could i ask how you get the different colours of lines?

I can't say, the map is too dark in some places to see anything. There's an option in the lower right that will light up the whole map. Try using this before getting your screenshot.

I would build the third city 5 west, 2 south of Beijing.

Thanks Dave. I hadn't considered that but it does work nicely!

could i ask how you get the different colours of lines?

I only found out recently hermit; just take a screenshot, (printscreen key) and edit it in Windows Paint with the airbrush.

I stumbled across this awesome barb gold city and was about to take it when I noticed another food source and another gold mine could be added by moving the city one tile SE.

I had other plans for the settler but one has to raize the city and move it, don't you think?

132432

Keep it. 2 good cities are better than 1 perfectly placed city.

Thank you for your sage advice.

"Two good cities are better than one perfectly placed one'" is now one of my 10 commandments! :)

(btw, I continued playing after the post, placed the 'perfect' city, sorely missed the settler that I used, and never could expand to the new food source or the fourth gold mine because of Berlin's superior culture.)