I mentioned some talk about build orders before, but that in more general terms, and I think people found that too "wishy washy". So now we can look at a specific example together. Once finalized with feedback I might post this to the strategy forum as a guide.
The Background
This is the 6th city for Portugal (playing Progress into Statecraft), in the later expansion era (aka my last few cities with settlers, before the next expansion phase with pioneers). This is an "ok" city spot, its meant to take the strategics, solidify the borders to give me sole access to the lucrative northern klondike territory, and ultimately serve as a workhorse city. This is not going to be a fancy high yield city, it will be a solid city that is likely going to be a good unit producer, eventually with stables.
We are past the religious race but still in the spread phase (and I have churches to build) so faith is important but not critical.
India is beneath me. I am going to play a citadel on the wheat to secure the border and the strategics (power of portugal!). India has been friendly so far, but with this close border that could change, and so this will be a good area to defend against should he decide to push.
Because this is a bit later of a city, I have a number of options to build. What should my build order look like?
Initial Decisions
The well is next, it will give me a solid boost overall to this city for cheap.
If I didn't have a citadel coming, I might consider walls early, afterall India is right beneath me. But I just got to steel and with my a citadel in play I feel confident I could hold a southern push, so the wall will be later.
Build Order Plan
The Next Phase
So once my units are out and my stables built, where do I go from here? Happiness might be a factor, if the unit gets too unhappy I won't be able to produce units from it well.
I would probably build the council / library next. Its great value and gives me a happiness free specialist, which I will likely need at this point to balance out the books. Market is a low priority until I'm closer to banks, lodge and herbalist aren't really needed for this city, I might wait until I have industry's science on buildings policy and then fill those back out. Temple is a lower priority in this city, as is the Aqueduct. I don't need this city growing large, I just need it to do its job, and there are no lakes to work, so aqueducts are a lower priority until happiness becomes problematic.
I'll have other new buildings available at this point, likely: University, Workshop, Guilds, Gardens, Castles probably at a minimum. This city won't host guilds, so the garden is likely out as well. The workshop is an interesting question, its an essential building but its not going to get a lot of bonuses here. Should I build it early and delay some unit production, or wait until factories and rush it as a prereq to that building? That will depend on pressure, if I'm in a war or under threat I'll likely need to forego it for more unit time. But if I'm comfortable, best to pay the piper earlier, as it will eventually pay for itself. University is great but ultimately this is a work city and I may have to delay it, happiness will be a possible factor there.
Final Build Order (Tentative)
As we are now projecting pretty far into the future, a lof of things become more tentative, so this is speculative at best. However, this is what the general plan is:
Thoughts on this order, would you do things differently?
Spoiler :
The Background
This is the 6th city for Portugal (playing Progress into Statecraft), in the later expansion era (aka my last few cities with settlers, before the next expansion phase with pioneers). This is an "ok" city spot, its meant to take the strategics, solidify the borders to give me sole access to the lucrative northern klondike territory, and ultimately serve as a workhorse city. This is not going to be a fancy high yield city, it will be a solid city that is likely going to be a good unit producer, eventually with stables.
We are past the religious race but still in the spread phase (and I have churches to build) so faith is important but not critical.
India is beneath me. I am going to play a citadel on the wheat to secure the border and the strategics (power of portugal!). India has been friendly so far, but with this close border that could change, and so this will be a good area to defend against should he decide to push.
Because this is a bit later of a city, I have a number of options to build. What should my build order look like?
Initial Decisions
- Monument / Well / Walls
The well is next, it will give me a solid boost overall to this city for cheap.
If I didn't have a citadel coming, I might consider walls early, afterall India is right beneath me. But I just got to steel and with my a citadel in play I feel confident I could hold a southern push, so the wall will be later.
- Granary / Shrine
- Barracks / Arena / Forge vs Council / Library
- Stables or Units or Council?
Build Order Plan
- Monument
- Well
- Shrine
- Barracks
- Arena
- Forge
- Armory
- Unit production until comfortable
- Stables
The Next Phase
So once my units are out and my stables built, where do I go from here? Happiness might be a factor, if the unit gets too unhappy I won't be able to produce units from it well.
I would probably build the council / library next. Its great value and gives me a happiness free specialist, which I will likely need at this point to balance out the books. Market is a low priority until I'm closer to banks, lodge and herbalist aren't really needed for this city, I might wait until I have industry's science on buildings policy and then fill those back out. Temple is a lower priority in this city, as is the Aqueduct. I don't need this city growing large, I just need it to do its job, and there are no lakes to work, so aqueducts are a lower priority until happiness becomes problematic.
I'll have other new buildings available at this point, likely: University, Workshop, Guilds, Gardens, Castles probably at a minimum. This city won't host guilds, so the garden is likely out as well. The workshop is an interesting question, its an essential building but its not going to get a lot of bonuses here. Should I build it early and delay some unit production, or wait until factories and rush it as a prereq to that building? That will depend on pressure, if I'm in a war or under threat I'll likely need to forego it for more unit time. But if I'm comfortable, best to pay the piper earlier, as it will eventually pay for itself. University is great but ultimately this is a work city and I may have to delay it, happiness will be a possible factor there.
Final Build Order (Tentative)
As we are now projecting pretty far into the future, a lof of things become more tentative, so this is speculative at best. However, this is what the general plan is:
- Monument
- Well
- Shrine
- Barracks
- Arena
- Forge
- Armory
- Unit production until comfortable
- Stables
- Council
- Library
- Workshop
- More Units
Thoughts on this order, would you do things differently?
