Alright, every single game I play, I always, ALWAYS have the same exact strategy for tile setup. Since im pretty n00b, i play at Noble always, and I run a Cottage Economy. So here is how i usually set it up.

Grassland = Cottage
Plains = Workshop (Metal Casting req.)
Desert (next to river) = Farm
Hills = Mine (99% of the time)

But here is my question, I recently started a game as Stalin of Mighty Russia.
My Cap spawn was at the very southern tip of the continent, which, when i built Stonehenge, was the very very southern point of a giant continent running North to south across the whole map, with maybe 15-20 tiles width.

So I have expanded about 1/4 north up the continent. And I have run into a giant Desert. I wanna keep expanding North since my economy is booming, but with this giant wall of desert... what do i do?

If I build a city in the middle of it... how does that city do ANYTHING?! Like what the hell? so im stuck... help? Plus please tell me how i should set up my infrastructure based on tiles. thnx

If you could include a screenshot, that would help. However, farming or cottaging floodplains will still work well, if you've teched machinery making windmills instead of mines will help you get some production that you can work. Those cities shouldn't be able to do much, though. If you can, just skip the desert and settle north of it. Barbs shouldn't be a problem as long as you position your units to fogbust the unsettled territory.

Maybe you should scout out that huge desert and see the land to the north of it before you do anything foolish like founding in a desert.

yeah im thinking of just hopping over this desert...

next question... what do i do with Tundra? i forgot to state in my above post, since my capitol and 3 other cities are at the very southern-most tip of the continent.... they are pretty much surrounded by Tundra... which is killing my income.. now that i am expanding, its getting pricier and pricier!!!

I don't know of too much you can do with tundra, other than what you can do with desert. Generally I ignore tundra unless there's a resource on it.

my economy is booming
Now you say that you are started to lose income? If you are very big you should use state property when you get it.

yeah, when i made the first post, i had 4 cities, and was at 80% research, with +5 income...

now a couple hundred years afterwards, i have 7 cities, at 60% research with -3 income..
so i wouldnt say im suffering to badly, but definitely not in the hot zone that i want to be in..

thanks for the tips
yeah im just now building Courthouses in all my cities, cuz its the maintenance that is hurting my economy.

leave the desert for the AI. if they can find 1-2 tiles worth working they'll settle it. Tundra can eventually have forest preserves or lumbermills, but you'll want some seafood and/or deer to feed it. I usually don't build on tundra. When you say desert next to the river... I hope you aren't farming your floodplains, the 3 food tiles. those are best cottaged.

If your start is in the tundra and after 7 cities is a huge desert expanse. Restart

I would suggest restarting if your position is like what Uncle described. It would really help to have a screenshot of your position though. If you don't know how to make one i'm sure one of the others could tell you how.

Desert (next to river) = Farm


Normally it is more clear to specify a floodplains as opposed to desert. It is possible to have non-floodplain desert next to a river and it cannot be farmed (or improved at all for that matter). In the standard game floodplains can only appear on desert tiles so specifying a "floodplain desert", while accurate, is kinda redundant.

It is possible to have non-floodplain desert next to a river and it cannot be farmed (or improved at all for that matter).

You can put waterwheels on them.

You can put waterwheels on them.

Unless they're on a corner. These are actually half decent late in the game.

Floodplains should be farmed in production cities unless food is plentiful. That's another grassland hill that you can work.

Tundra is OK if there is seafood or deer nearby. You can build cottages there on tiles that are adjacent to a lake or river. If there's not enough food, and no happy resources that you don't already have, just leave it and backfill later to work coastal tiles.

yeah sorry for me being a dipshit,
i meant floodplains = farm

If you're farming floodplains to work hills, I really think learning to dotmap should be a priority. Floodplains usually come in clusters and should be cottaged.

Cottage economy <> n00b, and n00b <> newb. It's a matter of style, and specialist economies are not difficult at all. But if you are in the tundra and desert, you lack food, so specialist economies are bad.

This thread has taught me stuff as well so I guess I should say thanks too.

Cottage economy <> n00b, and n00b <> newb. It's a matter of style, and specialist economies are not difficult at all. But if you are in the tundra and desert, you lack food, so specialist economies are bad.

I like to use specialists and cottages.

I like to use specialists and cottages.

Then you are a heathen.

Tundra tiles can be inproved if next to a river - cottaged/farmed/waterwheel watever.

However it appears that now forests can grow on tundra tiles (at least with the latest patch), so if there are some trees (or jungle if necessary) nearby I would tend to leave them and settle a city nearby for a future National Park

Also note that tundra forests aren't bad with lumbermills.

I almost always mine hills (I do use windmills, but they take forever to be viable and I dont like using up worker turns turning mines (which are very useful too) into windmills). I don't see how you can say one type of tile gets x improvement - that's a surefire way to fail to optimize your terrain. In fact, you're almost guaranteed to play weaker than you should then.