2nd and 3rd City
- Thread starter oxygenjoe
- Start date
I have serious problems with deciding this now in BNW. In G&K it was a spot on river with access to one luxury and one bonus resources, both of which supplied immediate gains like marble and wheat. Now it's problematic mostly because of "luxury centers" - huge concentration of one luxury resource in a given area. Very often it's impossible to fund the 2nd city anywhere near your capital and still benefit from the above mentioned condition.
The bigger problem is something else, though. If my capital is not a coastal city, I usually strive to have my 2nd city located by the mouth of a river. Usually it's far away, quite often it's closer to AI than to my capital. It's not so easy, though. There's no gold either from rivers or from sea resources, therefore it's important to have at least 2-3 gold sources near your city. One must build his initial cities high in BNW, which means that they will have some infrastructure, especially religious, and they will also require defensive force. Barbarians are way more active in BNW.
To sum it up: the 2nd city need to be a trade hub, if the capital cannot play that role, and must provide some initial gold. The 3rd city is can usually be placed with border cohesion in mind. One bigger territory is easier to defend, linear infrastructure costs less and is easer to build and due to standard starting conditions, such location should be a good place to grow a decent city, even though most likely there's not going to be an additional luxury resource available.
The bigger problem is something else, though. If my capital is not a coastal city, I usually strive to have my 2nd city located by the mouth of a river. Usually it's far away, quite often it's closer to AI than to my capital. It's not so easy, though. There's no gold either from rivers or from sea resources, therefore it's important to have at least 2-3 gold sources near your city. One must build his initial cities high in BNW, which means that they will have some infrastructure, especially religious, and they will also require defensive force. Barbarians are way more active in BNW.
To sum it up: the 2nd city need to be a trade hub, if the capital cannot play that role, and must provide some initial gold. The 3rd city is can usually be placed with border cohesion in mind. One bigger territory is easier to defend, linear infrastructure costs less and is easer to build and due to standard starting conditions, such location should be a good place to grow a decent city, even though most likely there's not going to be an additional luxury resource available.
seancolorado
Deity
2nd and 3rd cities, generally speaking:
(A) Must have at least one luxury. Even better if there is a strategic resource. Will settle for natural wonder instead of luxury if within reasonable distance. Will sometimes settle for more of the same luxury if no new luxuries are nearby
(B) Will settle where I think the AI will found a city and cramp me in. Even better if it cuts off any travel points, which allows me to ignore desirable lands on my side of the continent, then settle there later
(C) Despite above, I will refuse to settle too far away. Must be within reasonable distance. I.e. if I am aiming to settle towards a desirable location roughly 2 cities away, I will settle one city between there and my capital first, then the third at the desirable location. If AI beats me to it, so be it.
(D) In all instances, I prefer that my 2nd city be strong for production and food
For terrain, hills and rivers are most desirable but not by any means mandatory. Mountains are nice but it needs to be a good city spot. I like civs that get a coastal bias. For those that don't, I try to settle on the coast as soon as possible but it really depends
(A) Must have at least one luxury. Even better if there is a strategic resource. Will settle for natural wonder instead of luxury if within reasonable distance. Will sometimes settle for more of the same luxury if no new luxuries are nearby
(B) Will settle where I think the AI will found a city and cramp me in. Even better if it cuts off any travel points, which allows me to ignore desirable lands on my side of the continent, then settle there later
(C) Despite above, I will refuse to settle too far away. Must be within reasonable distance. I.e. if I am aiming to settle towards a desirable location roughly 2 cities away, I will settle one city between there and my capital first, then the third at the desirable location. If AI beats me to it, so be it.
(D) In all instances, I prefer that my 2nd city be strong for production and food
For terrain, hills and rivers are most desirable but not by any means mandatory. Mountains are nice but it needs to be a good city spot. I like civs that get a coastal bias. For those that don't, I try to settle on the coast as soon as possible but it really depends
Of course everything is situational, but generally and "ideally" :
- pre-requisites before founding :
enough happiness and ideally a worker that can accompany the settler or enough gold to purchase one when founding the city
- spot where to found :
For the 2nd city aim for a spot that will be quickly efficient : good food (ideally in the first circle that will be right away exploitable, or a little extra money to buy the tile(s)) some production and yes an extra luxury ressource is almost always a must. But basically look for the spot which looks to have the most extra ressources and go for it.
For the next cities it becomes more and more situational, you shall try to get what you don't have (strategic ressources, ocean access, gold,...) and also trying to claim strategical spots that will be choking points with surrounding AIs. But also if there's another spot matching the description of the 2nd city one, go for it, etc...
And on top of that you can have other parameters, one I like to check is a good combo with pantheon belief (like +faith for desert, quarries, jungles or gold)
- pre-requisites before founding :
enough happiness and ideally a worker that can accompany the settler or enough gold to purchase one when founding the city
- spot where to found :
For the 2nd city aim for a spot that will be quickly efficient : good food (ideally in the first circle that will be right away exploitable, or a little extra money to buy the tile(s)) some production and yes an extra luxury ressource is almost always a must. But basically look for the spot which looks to have the most extra ressources and go for it.
For the next cities it becomes more and more situational, you shall try to get what you don't have (strategic ressources, ocean access, gold,...) and also trying to claim strategical spots that will be choking points with surrounding AIs. But also if there's another spot matching the description of the 2nd city one, go for it, etc...
And on top of that you can have other parameters, one I like to check is a good combo with pantheon belief (like +faith for desert, quarries, jungles or gold)
Well ideally... next to a long river, next to a mountain with many floodplains or grassland and hills near. Normal plains are okayish, but if there's no river it limits growth a bit much to my liking early game. Unless first city has multiple luxuries or the second one has them; both the second and third will need some unique luxuries.
Also salt. One can never have enough salt.
Also salt. One can never have enough salt.
Randall_Flagg
The Evil One
2nd city for now is towards coast if not on coast already. 3rd city is always my military pump, so this one has to have lots of Hammers.
