Yeah, I am sure that's true, but I am not a calculator guy and the yield while improved would it really be that significant? I guess that depends on how you define significant. Game changing at this stage of the game? Probably not.
In pc games and even board games, d&d comes to mind, there are sure fire numbers generated slight advantages in particular builds/styles, optimization etc. That style of play seems synthetic ... forced and ultimately unrealistic. I tend to play by instinct and preference. For instance. I like planting forest around resources/luxuries. Its not optimized, but I like the way it looks and figure that's the way my civ operates, you know cultural intangibles role playing etc.
I agree. Based on this thread and others, we seem to have a similar playstyle. It's probably why we're both still on Monarch.
While I usually end up chopping forests, there are some things that I usually do for role-playing / aesthetic purposes. For example, I never irrigate tiles that have oil or saltpeter (no one wants that in their food). I always irrigate tiles with cows, horses, or wheat (I don't want to befoul my agricultural land with mines and heavy industry). I tend to irrigate tiles near rivers and lakes to keep a pretty waterfront.
I also try to keep the 5 tile gap between my cities as best I can. If need be, I'll have a 4 tile gap (hopefully staggered so that there's less overlap). I do this because I like having large cities, even though I'd be better off with more, smaller cities. I also generally build every city improvement that becomes available in order to make those cities feel more important.
Finally, I almost always play as the Germans (both because I like the Civ's strengths- the Germans Military/Scientific mix allows you to play as a warrior, a researcher, and a culture builder- and because I am a Germanophile). I try as much as possible to build cities that correspond to their real-life counterparts. I only build Hamburg on the coast. I only build Frankfurt and Cologne on rivers. I only build Stuttgart near horses. When I settle near a lake, I name my city Schwerin or Bregenz or Konstanz, etc.
All of this is a long-winded way of saying that I play for enjoyment more so than complete mastery. I have the most fun from the role-playing and overall strategy aspect. Some micro-management is fun, but I don't want to overdo it. I like my games to last between 4 and 11 hours (depending on the victory- I've had space race wins in 3 and a half hours on a standard size map. Most conquests take between 9-11 hours). But I am certainly still having fun- I've been playing this game for 15 years now!
