Relocating your Capitol?

[automator]

Does anyone build a new palace by choice?

I've had a few games where it would seem to make sense to take the dozen or so turns to build a new palace to relocate my capitol. Example: first city is on the coast and you expand inland so that your capitol is on the edge of your empire. To re-center your capitol, you build a new palace. Or say you're planning on switching to beaurocracy, but your current capitol isn't much of a commerce or production powerhouse, but maybe your second or third city is ...

Do you switch?

Besides the lack of culture (since cultural output of buildings increases with time), are there any negatives?

[ggganz]

Yes, confusion and historical inaccuracy. But if you mean stricly gameplay, no, I can't think of anything.

[Willowmound]

Originally Posted by ggganz

historical inaccuracy.

No we wouldn't what that in a game of Civ4!

I never move my capital, even when I probably should. I don't know why. Probably sentimental reasons. I'll make an effort to move it the next time it makes sense. I need to improve my game anyway.

[abuaftab]

I move it to reduce distance from capital costs. Was almost a requirement in one game I played.

[bassist2119]

As mentioned in a non-related post, games aiming at cultural victories have high motivation to relocate their capital. Once.
Cultural victories often (always?) end up with two cities hitting legendary status near each other with a third that is many turns behind. Once the capital nears hitting the mark, say 45K or so, rebuild the palace in the lacking city. Since the culture slider is at 100% at this time, the default 8 commerce becomes a flatrate 8 culture, plus the two culture that the palace always gets for a net of 10 culture, more than tripling any other non-wonder, non percentage building. As the city cultural multiplier often exceeds 400%, this means relocating your capital can net 50+ culture per turn. A not-too-shabby trick to catch up to the pack...

[CivDude86]

I don't think they move your 3000 year old palace but instead build a new one so it would only be worth 1.

[bassist2119]

Originally Posted by CivDude86

I don't think they move your 3000 year old palace but instead build a new one so it would only be worth 1.

Not referring to culture doubling from age. The capital always gets 2. It also gets 8 , but as culture slider is at 100% at this point, the 8 is converted to 8. 2+8=10. Apply multipliers.

[Ray Patterson]

Originally Posted by ggganz

historical inaccuracy

Spain moved it's capital from Toledo to Rome. The Roman Empire had (within Italy) Rome, Milan and then Ravenna. Later Italy had Turin, Florence and Rome as it's capital. Germany has had Bonn as post-reunion capital for some time and then Berlin. If I may believe wikipedia China has had 16 different capitals. I recall something about St. Petersburg being Russia's capital for some time.

So it's not the case that moving a capital is in itself contrary to historical patterns. I grant that the capital you choose for your empire may very well be not be the 'real' one, but I've seen to many Londons in the jungle to be bothered about that.

[Nestorius]

The Russians stupidly moved their capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg in the 18th century. This increased maintenence costs in Siberia dramatically. Also, the Americans are very inefficient in having their capital on the east coast. If I could, I'd move it somewhere to the midwest, depending on where their Forbidden City is (Denver?).

[Quagga]

I believe one could reasonably say that the capital of the United States moved from New York, to Philadelphia to Washington DC. I'm sure I'm right about the last one, anyway.

[LlamaCat]

The capital of the U.S. was at various times in York, PA, Philadelphia, New York, and then we built a city from scratch called Washington just to be the capital. Reasons for all these moves included: fear of British invasion, culture, politics, Northern vs. Southern compromise, and commerce.

Also don't forget that Japan moved it's capital from Kyoto to Toyko.. it's a more common historical event than you may realize so I don't think it's at all strange to have this aspect in the game - it's actually an accurate reflection of what happens in the world and your reasons for moving the capital could be similar.

Oh yes and also: it's capital, not capitOl. Pet peeve....

[sylvanllewelyn]

In today's economic pattern, the problem is not so much raw economic wealth but the spread of wealth, which if uneven would lead to decrease in economic growth. It's a very wise choice NOT to put the capitol into New York. In fact, it's wise to put it in a less developed area, to spread the economic focus a little.

[mike p]

Rarely you might want to move your capitol to leverage the Bureaucracy bonus. For example, if your initial site is food rich, but relatively commerce and production poor, you might be better off running your original capitol as a Great Person farm and moving the new capitol to your city with the highest base commerce (excluding the capitol bonus).

[babypacman]

Originally Posted by sylvanllewelyn

In today's economic pattern, the problem is not so much raw economic wealth but the spread of wealth, which if uneven would lead to decrease in economic growth. It's a very wise choice NOT to put the capitol into New York. In fact, it's wise to put it in a less developed area, to spread the economic focus a little.

This hasn't exactly worked out in places where it was tried.

[MilesGregarius]

Originally Posted by ggganz

historical inaccuracy

Just in game civs:

America - New York to Philly to DC
China - too many to count
Egypt - Thebes to Alexandria to Cairo
Germany - Berlin to Bonn back to Berlin
India - too many to mention
Japan - Kyoto to Tokyo
Korea - Kyeongju to Kaesong to Seoul
Ottomans - Istanbul to Ankara (if you consider the Turks as an extension of the Ottomans)
Persians - Susa to Pesepolis to Tehran (if you consider Iran an extension of Persia)
Rome - Rome to Ravenna and Constantinople
Russia - Moscow to St. Petersburg to Moscow
Spain - Toledo to Madrid

Not to mention countries like Thailand (Sukothai to Ayuddaya to Bangkok), Laos (Luang Prabang to Vientiane), Brazil (Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia), Poland (Krakow to Warsaw), and just last year, Burma (Rangoon to Pyinmana).

OK, enough historical nitpicking.

In game terms, I moved my capital once when I had a particularly lopsided empire (coastal capital up on the northern tundra, expanded south almost to the opposite pole). I could also see moving it to maximize bureaucracy bonus or to squeak out some extra culture in a critical city.

[abuaftab]

Australia - Melbourne to Canberra.

I was playing as the English on the Huge Earth Map and I decided to move the capital to the mainland, around where Amsterdam would be, because it was in the middle of the empire. Saved a lot of money doing that.