When to build a great person improvement vs popping the GP

kingfish101 said:

Chichen Itza, Colossus, Petra, Leaning Tower, Red Fort and the ideological wonders.

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GE-rushing Leaning Tower, then rushing Globe Theater with the free GE is one of my favorite things to do.

Since I typically play culturally, I will use GA/M/W for Great Works until they can't make them anymore, then pop them for whatever they'll give me. And while Manufactories are nice, there are too many wonders I want during the game.

Also, for building wonders, you have to be aware of which wonders the AI will beeline - given my focus on other wonders, Chichen Itza is usually gone before I ever get to Civil Service, so if you want it, you have to go straight for it and have a GE ready. Whereas the Hanging Gardens you can usually get with no trouble. Big Ben also usually doesn't go until everyone's in the Modern era.

werothegreat said:

GE-rushing Leaning Tower, then rushing Globe Theater with the free GE is one of my favorite things to do.

Since I typically play culturally, I will use GA/M/W for Great Works until they can't make them anymore, then pop them for whatever they'll give me. And while Manufactories are nice, there are too many wonders I want during the game.

Also, for building wonders, you have to be aware of which wonders the AI will beeline - given my focus on other wonders, Chichen Itza is usually gone before I ever get to Civil Service, so if you want it, you have to go straight for it and have a GE ready. Whereas the Hanging Gardens you can usually get with no trouble. Big Ben also usually doesn't go until everyone's in the Modern era.

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At least we know which social policies the AI picked.

One very effective strategy is to build an academy on a tundra tile. When you need faith instead, put the great prophet on there. Then when you need science, switch to academy again. This saves precious tile space for more trading posts on plains.

Why the hell would you ever give up a wonder for +3 production on a hill?

In general, I would avoid placing on a tundra tile any GP tile improvement that I planned to work all game long. Tundra produces 1 food, so you need a second citizen to support the citizen working that tile. Far better to place the GP tile improvement on a 2+ food tile where the GP improvement will cost you only 1 yield for all or most of the game (e.g., cows after you have built a stable in that city (lose 1 hammer), or grassland tile that has no water access (lose only 1 food before researching Fertilizer).

The choice between a plains tile and a tundra tile for a TP and GP improvement is a false choice. Assuming you intend to work both tiles, it's irrelevant which tile has the GP improvement and which has the TP.

For example, after you have researched Economics and have taken Free Thought:

• A tundra TP yields 1 food, 1 beaker and 2 gold and a plains academy yields 1 food, 1 hammer and 8 beakers -- total 2 food, 1 hammer, 9 beakers and 2 gold
  
  
• A tundra academy yields 1 food and 8 beakers and a plains TP yields 1 food, 1 hammer, 1 beaker and 2 gold -- total 2 food, 1 hammer, 9 beakers and 2 gold

And, as noted above, you need to find 2 more food somewhere to support the 2 citizens working those tiles.

I am so sorry. You wrote a well intentioned and reasoned reply to my post. I was kidding.

I would never successively over write a GP improvement, tundra or no.

Thanks for the tips on land types though - something to think about.

Browd said:

In general, I would avoid placing on a tundra tile any GP tile improvement that I planned to work all game long. Tundra produces 1 food, so you need a second citizen to support the citizen working that tile. Far better to place the GP tile improvement on a 2+ food tile where the GP improvement will cost you only 1 yield for all or most of the game (e.g., cows after you have built a stable in that city (lose 1 hammer), or grassland tile that has no water access (lose only 1 food before researching Fertilizer).

The choice between a plains tile and a tundra tile for a TP and GP improvement is a false choice. Assuming you intend to work both tiles, it's irrelevant which tile has the GP improvement and which has the TP.

For example, after you have researched Economics and have taken Free Thought:

• A tundra TP yields 1 food, 1 beaker and 2 gold and a plains academy yields 1 food, 1 hammer and 8 beakers -- total 2 food, 1 hammer, 9 beakers and 2 gold
  
  
• A tundra academy yields 1 food and 8 beakers and a plains TP yields 1 food, 1 hammer, 1 beaker and 2 gold -- total 2 food, 1 hammer, 9 beakers and 2 gold

And, as noted above, you need to find 2 more food somewhere to support the 2 citizens working those tiles.

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Whoa. Gotta write this down.

Primacide said:

One very effective strategy is to build an academy on a tundra tile. When you need faith instead, put the great prophet on there. Then when you need science, switch to academy again. This saves precious tile space for more trading posts on plains.

Why the hell would you ever give up a wonder for +3 production on a hill?

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The sad thing is I thought you were serious up until "saves precious tile space for more trading posts on plains".

Scientist- Plant until turn 225ish

Engineer- Rush Wonder. Everytime, unless there are no wonders for 20+ turns.

Merchant- Try to avoid these. If they are born, i just send them to closest CS and trade.

Writer- Make great work, until culture pop is 5000+ culture

Artist- Depends on if i need GA or not.

Musician- I try to save these until really late (Atomic/Info) then rush them towards the player with the largest culture pull.

Prophet- Found/Enhance, then have 1 spread. The way I spread is make sure every city of mine has a religion. Then slowly spread farther and farther away.

So, Engineers, Merchants, Musicians and Prophets are good to pop, and Scientists, Writers and Artists are good to plant/store.

This is what I do, im a generally peaceful player.

The main problem with the Great People seems to be that Great Scientists are just far too valuable. Does anybody understand why the GS's Academy is +8 science base, while everything else is just +4?

Great Merchants, while pretty bad, are a bit better than most think. First of all, City-States are *extremely* efficient - if you ally a cultural one while it has the +50% influence boost active, that more or less converts the +4 gold from the Customs House into +4 culture, which isn't too bad at all. Secondly, Customs Houses will (slightly) increase the value of all trade routes coming to and from the city - IIRC, it's something like +0.2 gold per trade route from the Customs House. So, not only does it increase the value of trade routes, it also makes it more likely people will want to trade you in the first place by increasing the value of the trade. If you have a *lot* of trade going on and/or are playing as Portugal or Venice, the Merchant looks a bit better. It can indeed make sense to plant a Great Merchant rather than send him on a mission, just like with the rest of the great people. Of course, this still doesn't change the fact that any other type of great person will increase the cost of your next [overpowered] Great Scientist, so the point is mostly moot.

I think science is +8 while others are +4 because the value of science depreciates as you plant more cities. While gold and production don't change.