Late Game Buildings

[rover6695]

Just curious, when it comes to buildings like
-Hospitals, Medical Labs, and Research Labs....do you tend to build these things or skip them because it's too late?

I know early game you always are supposed to be getting ASAP things like Granary/Aqueduct/Library/University and Public School/Workshop mid game, just curious if later in the games these building aren't really worth, or if you should bee line and get them ASAP, or get them when convenient/nothing else to do.

 

[Tzar Sasha]

Research labs, definitely. Why? Cause its more science and more science means faster techs.
Hospitals and Medical labs, only if the city still has trouble growing OR you've taken the social policy (freedom I think) that gives happiness for having such buildings.

But, I'm not the best player so do with that what you will...

 

[Amrunril]

I often, probably more often than I should, do find myself not getting around to Medical Labs (and to a lesser extent Hospitals), but Research Labs are a top priority in virtually every game. Unless you're already closing in on a domination victory, there's still on ton of research left to do after Plastics, and Research Labs provide enough of a boost that it's worth not just building them as soon as they become available but also planning your research so as to gain access to them as quickly as possible. This is especially true for science victory, but even for other victory conditions, the techs at the end of the tree (Internet, Stealth etc.) are absolutely game changing, and Research Labs are essential to reaching them as soon as possible.

 

[lindsay40k]

Yeah, Research Labs are a high priority for me, but I only bolt for Hospitals and Medical Labs in my major cities. I can see them being useful if you've taken Order and are settling lands you've bulldozed, but honestly, if you're wiping the world of the AI late in the game you're just pressing enter between turns to world domination.

 

[Nick31]

As always, it depends on your goals .

So, I'm an Immortal+ player and my goal in most games is to Space Victory pre-280, and T260 if possible. In that case, yeah, Labs are essential. The standard trick being to perfectly time a bulb and an Oxford into Plastics to cut off 16 turns. Once you buy/build your core 4-6 Labs, you can think about other things.

The problems with Med Labs is that they simply come far too late if you're already winning, and not soon enough if you're slogging it out and need them sooner. Hospitals and Biology, generally are likewise on the wrong half of your tree if you're going for the quickest Science Victory. Eventually, of course, you get to them, but if you're trying for quick Science, you need to spend all your bulbs on getting to Satellites so as to propose the International Space Station. Hence, you leave Hospitals behind, even though they're lovely.

If you aren't worried about getting to Satellites at breakneck pace, then getting to Biology quickly is nice. Hospitals are quite powerful (like an extra food trade route into each city), and of course the oil will let you build an air force if you desire. The problem is that if you're in a late-game conquest phase (i.e. go get a Industrial-era Dom win or go get some Juicy cities because you have the happiness and the desire to do so), you want to bulb into Artillery and not Biology. Artillery is game-breaking to an AI that doesn't have planes and Infantry, and hard-building cannons and saving up gold is super easy. Building a Bomber fleet takes forever.

Research Labs? Totally. Hospitals? Eventually. Med Labs? Wrong side of tree for an already-won game. Nuclear Plants? Yes, to make late-game parts go even faster.

 

[inthesomeday]

Research labs are the first modern era priority, you enter through either radio or replaceable parts (often radio, for early ideology; I don't like this strategy, but lots and lots of other players do, best for typical 4-city tradition) and then make the other and try to get to labs as soon as possible from there.
As to hospitals, I disagree with most of the people who have already commented and likely with most in general. In multi, biology is far more prioritized than in single because it unlocks oil, which you need for bombers/battleships/(sometimes) landship rush. Often because I prefer wide there's a curve towards the mid industrial when my cities stop growing, but because oil is priority and there's a new scientist specialist and probably fertilizer soon etc I find building growth to be very nice around then. I build hospitals in roughly 3/4 games, I like them a lot more than most people do I think.

Medical labs, never

 

[lindsay40k]

In multi, biology is far more prioritized than in single because it unlocks oil, which you need for bombers/battleships/(sometimes) landship rush.

This is why I so often get hospitals in my main cities - I like to know where the oil is and have a high-powered navy. Plus, I value Tourism, as it's nice to be Influential over a few rivals and keep ideological pressure in your favour.

I'm sure I could get faster wins by beelining Satellites, but I prefer a balanced tech progression to tech tree diving that gets like Internet without Computers.

 

[MightySpice]

A hospital can push the city-size to higher numbers. i usually go for a hospital.
the lab is a no brainer. build it.

 

[HughFran]

Research Labs are a must, no question. I build Hospitals and Medical Labs if I need extra growth and also if the ideology gives extra happiness for building them

 

[adsin15]

Research Labs are a must, no question. I build Hospitals and Medical Labs if I need extra growth and also if the ideology gives extra happiness for building them

Research labs all the way.

Hospitals in your capital and in your small cities to boost growth. I only buy them. Never build. Cant waste the turns.

Medlabs...waste of time and money. Never unless maybe doing OCC or playing Venice etc.

 

[rover6695]

Thanks...so if I follow....Research Labs beeline and build ASAP.
Hospitals/Medical Labs...casual/as needed/if nothing else is pressing?

 

[Sclb]

I disagree with research labs as being a must. They're usually too late in a domination game, unless you plan to do most of the conquering during atomic era or later. Also for most culture games, research labs also come too late as you should have enough GS to bulb to internet without them. If you need Airports, then you can build them.

Only in a science game, labs are a must to maximize the bulbs. Also it is often enough to build labs in capital only for other VC.

Hospitals are useful only if you needed huge growth during modern era but as I've said before, game is usually over soon after that and so it's not often useful as there isn't enough time for the extra growth. Medical labs are even more useless and I only build for OCC.

 

[treexy]

I suspect that hospitals and medical labs were intended to quickly grow newly settled cities in the mid to late game...the problem is I've never played a game where I would have benefited from doing so that late.

Research labs? Almost every game, except land war domination that ends with bombers.

 

[Redaxe]

Research Labs don't really come that late in the game. If you are beelining to Plastics you'll still have 2/3 of the Modern era to fill and then 2 more era's. That said the benefit is mostly felt from a SV player.
It's not so important for culture or diplo victory because you only need Internet/Globalization and you only need a few select techs for that. But plastics is on the way to that so you'd be smart to have at least 1 Lab in your capital to help speed things along.

But they only really give their value back if you are a tall civ with just a few large cities.
They can help you get GS points quicker too so that effect is harder to evaluate but if you get an extra Great Scientists in time that can save several turns off your SV.

Sclb is right about domination victory.

Medical Labs are also generally a waste (unless you're venice) or just playing with 3 cities and even its doubtful. I suppose you could buy one to speed a new expo along but that isn't really going to help your victory objectives.
Hospitals can be useful. Its good for growing a Tradition capital which gets those insane happiness & gold bonuses or if you are working a lot of low food plantation tiles or jungle for science or if you have all your guilds in 1 city to work specialists. These are all good opportunities for a hospital.

 

[joncnunn]

Just curious, when it comes to buildings like
-Hospitals, Medical Labs, and Research Labs....do you tend to build these things or skip them because it's too late?

Hospitals & Research Labs: Everywhere, in fact those techs are priority. These both shave turns off of victory when going for spaceship.

Med Labs: These arrive in time for the capital to be one or two pop points higher if these are built here as opposed to skipping, but don't affect turn of victory and so can be skipped even there.

I know early game you always are supposed to be getting ASAP things like Granary/Aqueduct/Library/University and Public School/Workshop mid game, just curious if later in the games these building aren't really worth, or if you should bee line and get them ASAP, or get them when convenient/nothing else to do.

I guess this is a question about conquered cities past mid game since the core empire would already have them by then?
If it's worth annexing the city at all (as opposed to leaving as a puppet) it's worth building them right which would be putting standard improvements in. Their production is usually not good enough to be hand building modern military units in anyway.

 

[sixty4half]

Some late game buildings I usually skip are the Hotel and the Airport.

However; in my last game I built them for the first time and they were amazing. Of course, I was running a Polynesia Moai CV game. Most of my CVs are wrapped up or nearly wrapped up around the time I research Refrigeration. This is also the first time I've tried a CV on Immortal so maybe it's not just the Moai, maybe I will need them for CVs from here on out. I think I was making about 12 tourism per turn before I built my first Hotel. By the time I was done with my last Airport it was something like 550 and the only wonder I built was Eiffel Tower.

 

[danaphanous]

It depends on your victory type. I'm gonna assume you're launching a spaceship since this is the longest game and exposes the most buildings. Culture or Domination may be over before atomic era.

Generally you always build research labs and hospitals. The food bonus from hospitals is like a land trade food route to every city. It's great. If you can build/buy them early your entire empire will be several pop higher. Research labs mean extra scientists and far, far, far faster tech rate late-game. I also generally build everything I can that boosts late-game production if I'm winning via order, even for freedom it can be useful to do in city or two as due to timing you are usually building at least 2-3 of the parts hard and it makes a difference. Hotels and Airports are situational. Usually they help your wrap up your cultural win so build them high priority for that. If not, probably just in your wonder cities or if you have a large empire to connect continents with a few airports for mobility. If going dom, if you still aren't finished a few airports can save you a lot of time moving new troops. Basically their only use other then cinching the culture victory for me. I never build med labs. I've usually completely halted my growth by the tech, am running every specialist to bulb my way to victory. Extra growth would have no effect at this point, it's a real shame. Wish we had something like them in industrial.

Here's my general ordering on buildings:
1. Research lab (so high priority I save and buy as many as I can)
2. Factory
3. Hospital
4. Hydro Plant
5. Hotel (situationally)
6. Broadcast tower (if still useful tenets to get)
7. nuclear plant
8. spaceship factory

ones on my never build list:
med labs: too late to make any difference for me usually. If a city is growing even after working every specialist (freedom situation sometimes) buying one can get you a pop or two but I find it to make almost no effect to my late-game science rate. It'd be more for pop bragging rights.

constabulatory/police station: these are utterly worthless to me. The AI only steal from your NC city (usually capital). And you get more kills and spy levels from letting them try it quickly. I honestly don't care if they get a few techs, they're still behind and will still lose and the in meantime they level my spies faster without these buildings.

military academy: If it's a dom game it's usually over before it, but if it isn't I might build oone. If it isn't it has little utility. You already get 2 free promos without it and can't get a third without brandenburg.

military base: little utility unless you are somehow getting trashes in war this late. By this point is you aren't leading in tech you have problems though. I always am and don't need to fight grueling defensive wars to protect my cities. I can kill them at the border with planes and tanks.

stadium: rarely need the happiness even on my wide games. If I do I'll build it but I usually have enough with religion/ideology to ignore it.

bomb shelter: game is over before anyone stockpiles enough nukes to be a threat.

situational: recylcling center if low on aluminum and AI don't offer enough, airport, solar plant if ran out of uranium and need more production--usually not an issue though I rarely build.

 

[lindsay40k]

Military base is alright if you've gone Lib Exp or got triple cheap buildings (Skyscrapers, Commerce,, BB) and you've built loads of Neuschwanstein castles anyway. Especially with Red Fort. Navy can't be everywhere

Military Academy is fine if you've got a unit with extra promos or XP from BG or being a horrible Nazi. Quicker access to the juicy level fours - range, logistics, March

 

[rover6695]

So basically, hospitals yes are worth it.
Research labs too in science games, otherwise, just in capital.

Medical labs-only in new late cities or annexed?

 

[inthesomeday]

There shouldn't be new late game cities. Med labs rarely need to be built, if ever. Research labs build in every city every game unless you intend on a victory essentially won before them, IE early domination or sacred sites culture. Hospitals, I personally build in most cities but others think of them similar to med labs; I mostly build them because in-city growth allows you to work more hammers or beakers etc.