tile improvments

[Diode]

I was just wondering if mines and irrigation are worth doing and why are they? im pritty new so i dont know the imprtance of all the little things =)

[Curufinwe]

Worth doing most certainly. Mining adds one sheild to a place (helps build things faster, always useful) and irrigating adds 1 to food, which can be a help but occasionally not so, so overall I'd say necessary things (well at least very important if not vital) so build them away.

[Diode]

Now my only problem is getting evry single city perfect with mines and stuff there just isent enough workers to go around =/

[Shabbaman]

One word: prioritize.

Over time, you might have improved all terrain around your cities, but that doesn't have to be your main goal. Use your workers to connect your cities with roads. Look at it this way: with small cities, a mine can have the same effect as a factory.

[Maple]

First connect all of your cities via road/harbor, then improve tiles. Mine hills, mountains, and grassland with shield. Irrigate regular grassland, flood plains (flood plains + wheat + irrigate = 5 food! That's enough to feed four citizens and have surplus when only one has to work!) plains, desert.

Road/railroad everything. Road gives trade, which equals more money coming in, and faster research for techs. Railroad gives extra food/shields on tiles that already have them along with the commerce bonus. Later in the game, when all of your land is railroaded, pollution/invasion forces can be responded to in one turn.

As for workers, at first use your own workers for tile improvements. As you capture more and more workers, use them for improving and use your workers to make cities larger. (You don't have to pay for captured workers on a per turn basis, with your workers you do.)

Hope this helps,

[Japher]

Diode, build mines and irrigation...it is so worth it. I would also advise building roads on every tile you can, within your city limits. It adds something to your values too.

I have a question: I love the beginning game, so I really haven't gotten out of the middle ages yet. When can you build farms instead of just irrigation squares? I have looked through the stupid manual and it says nothing of this improvement.

[Dell19]

Farmland no longer exists as a terrain improvement. It stops at Irrigation.

[Crazy Jerome]

Originally posted by Maple
First connect all of your cities via road/harbor, then improve tiles. Mine hills, mountains, and grassland with shield. Irrigate regular grassland, flood plains (flood plains + wheat + irrigate = 5 food!

Note on grasslands that you can mine/irrigate the tiles whatever way seems best, regardless of whether or not the grassland has the extra shield. In Civ 3, the railroads add +1 shield to mined tiles and +1 food to irrigated tiles, instead of the +50% in Civ 2. Once railroads come around, you can even make a half-way decent trade city out of desert, by irrigating (1 food) and then the railroad (+1 food).