Back to Basics- where's best step-by-step for settler factories?

[planetfall]

Ever go to replay an old game and then hit yourself in the head "how could I do something so dumb and miss something so basic"?

In reviewing a couple of my last games, I discovered to my dismay that my settler factories were not factories at all. They were taking 5-6 turns/settler instead of the 3-4 I need.

It looks like with the forum upgrade, search is not yet restored. The last time I tried searching there were too many hits on "settler factory" criteria. I do recall Bamspeedy's deity settlers, but I still found it hard to read.

I may have been in too much of a hurry, but I thought all you needed for good settler factories were:
1. 5+ food/turn
2. 2 bonus/good tiles
3. granary built
4. city size 3..6.

It looks like I may be getting the food, but not the shields. Or it may be using the governor and not visiting the worker activity in the settler farm each turn.

So, besides the 4 basics, what do you do to get a 4 turn settler factory working?

Thanks in advance for your "cliff notes" and ideas. This lack of getting a settler factory going properly is really extending my emperor games.

PF

 

[Nad]

As well as +5fpt with a granary, you need 30 shields over 4 turns, ie, an average of 7.5 per turn.

Most settler factories rely on having a forest to auto-pick free shields on growth. Using this as a guide, you will most likely require your city to be producing 6 shields at the first size of a settler run, and 7 shields at the second size. Then it works something like this:

1st turn: + 5 food, + 6 shields. Running total: 6 shields.

2nd turn: + 5 food, results in growth, auto-pick forest, + 8 shields. Running total: 14 shields.

3rd turn: reconfigure for + 5 food, + 7 shields. Running total: 21 shields.

4th turn: + 5 food, results in growth, auto-pick forest, + 9 shields. Running total: 30 shields. Settler produced.

What sizes you set your settler factory up for will depend on what size you need to get + 6spt on the first turn of the cycle. You can set your factory up from sizes 5 to 7, as long as the settler is produced the turn the city reaches size 7.

 

[planetfall]

So, it could have been something as simple as trying to create from cities of
3 size and popping a settler at size 5. It would be hard to get enough shields
with size 3 towns, even if they grow to size 4 after first turn.

Followup. What is necessary for a 3 turn settler factory?

PF

 

[Nad]

Followup. What is necessary for a 3 turn settler factory?

PF

An outstanding start position

A 3-turn ad infinitum settler factory is almost impossible in despotism. Because food does not carry over, it requires being able to get + 10 food in 1 turn The growth pattern would be + 10 food (growth), + 5 food, + 5 food (growth + completion), or vice versa (+5fpt/+5fpt/+10fpt). It would require an average of 10spt, so you might need 8spt at the first size, immediate growth and forest pick-up makes this 10 shields, 9 shields at the second size for one turn, and then 9 shields on the final turn, growth and auto-pick making this 11 shields for completion.

 

[planetfall]

thanks!!!!

Just for fun sometime, I think I will figure out what that time of city looks like. But first I have to make the 4 turn settler factory an automatic process.

PF

 

[Nad]

You would need something like the following terrain for a 3-turn settler factory (you also need a granary):

2 irrigated floodplained wheats, an irrigated grassland cattle, 2 mined bonus grasslands and 3 forests.

Turn 1 (size 5): work the 2 irrigated floodplained wheats, the irrigated grass cattle, and the 2 mined bonus grasslands. This gives + 10 food (+ 2 from the city centre, + 3 from each of the floodplained wheats and + 2 from the cattle), and + 6 shields (1 from the city centre, 1 from the irrigated grass cattle, and 2 from each of the mined bonus grasslands). The city grows from the + 10 food and auto-picks one of the forests for an extra 2 shields. Running total: 8 shields.

Turn 2 (size 6): work 1 irrigated floodplained wheat, the irrigated grass cattle, the 2 mined bgs and 2 forests. This gives + 5 food (+ 2 from the city centre, + 3 from the floodplained wheat, + 2 from the irrigated cattle and -1 from each of the forests) and + 10 shields (1 from the city centre, 1 from the irrigated grass cattle and 2 each from each od the mined bonus grasslands and forests). Running total: 18 shields.

Turn 3 (size 6): work the same as turn 2. Because of growth this turn you auto-pick a forest for an extra 2 shields. Running total: 30 shields, settler produced.

 

[planetfall]

No wonder why it's so rare. Not just 2 wheats, but 2 wheats on floodplains plus cattle plus forest.

Again great info. Just for some fun, I'll set up a scenario and see how much that "cheat" effects the flow of the game.

PF

 

[Samson]

Followup. What is necessary for a 3 turn settler factory?

Something that noone else mentioned that helps is a golden age. I had one of these for a few turns a little while ago, even better it was a 1 turn worker factory, with just a load of flood plain, a couple of oasis's and a load of hills.

 

[Nad]

Something that noone else mentioned that helps is a golden age. I had one of these for a few turns a little while ago, even better it was a 1 turn worker factory, with just a load of flood plain, a couple of oasis's and a load of hills.

A Golden Age helps in gathering the shields but it does not help in getting the food, and food is the primary limitation preventing ad infinitum 3-turn settler factories...it is simply very rare to get a city location where you can achieve + 10 food in despotism at a low city size.

 

[felagund]

I am new to the concept of settler factories. In the expansion phase of the game I usually switch a city's production to settler at size 2 (sometimes even at size 1) and somehow try to time it so that the settler is produced just after the city has reached the required population of 3. As you explain it, you guys seem to switch production to a settler at size 3 and by the time the settler is produced the city is at at least size 5. That way, the city is again at size 3 after the settler has been produced. So I guess my question is, is it less wasteful to start producuction on a settler when a city is at size 3 rather than at say, size 1 or 2?

 

[ainwood]

I am new to the concept of settler factories. In the expansion phase of the game I usually switch a city's production to settler at size 2 (sometimes even at size 1) and somehow try to time it so that the settler is produced just after the city has reached the required population of 3. As you explain it, you guys seem to switch production to a settler at size 3 and by the time the settler is produced the city is at at least size 5. That way, the city is again at size 3 after the settler has been produced. So I guess my question is, is it less wasteful to start producuction on a settler when a city is at size 3 rather than at say, size 1 or 2?

It depends The best is normally size 4 or 5, because it allows you enough production to get a 'settler factory' going.

Look here for a tutorial on it.

Basically, if you can get a city with a granary and 5 excess food per turn, you <might> be able to churn out a settler every 4 turns ad infinitum (well, until the end of the game at least )

It works because with a granary you need to produce 10 food to get population growth of one, and you need two population points to offset the pop. loss when you build a settler.

Note: You should <always> try to tailor it so that you complete the settler on the same turn that the city grows. This is because the settler popping empties the food bin. If you do it on the right turn, then the citizen is added, the settler popped, the pop points removed and the bin emptied. In short: You don't lose the excess food that was in the bin

 

[JMK]

So I guess my question is, is it less wasteful to start producuction on a settler when a city is at size 3 rather than at say, size 1 or 2?

A size 1 city does not produce as much as a size 3 or 4.
Allow your city to grow to size 4 or even 5 before starting to produce settler, (your settler should complete at the time your city grows to size 7) and you will see a huge difference in shields production and revenue, your research will go faster.

 

[ainwood]

A size 1 city does not produce as much as a size 3 or 4.
Allow your city to grow to size 4 or even 5 before starting to produce settler, (your settler should complete at the time your city grows to size 7) and you will see a huge difference in shields production and revenue, your research will go faster.

Note: Do NOT let your city grow to size 7 without producing the settler, because (IIRC) it empties the food bin completely (not just back to half-full).

Unless I don't recall correctly...

 

[JMK]

Note: Do NOT let your city grow to size 7 without producing the settler, because (IIRC) it empties the food bin completely (not just back to half-full).

Unless I don't recall correctly...

No you can do it as long as your settler is produce the exact turn the city reaches size 7.

 

[Gengis Khan]

Hence the "without producing the settler."

 

[Berrern]

Settler Factories sounds excellent, but I always have problems setting them up.

The main reason is that I have to let the city grow so much first, and unless I've found luxuries or spend all my research money on luxury tax, the citizens will be rioiting way before it reaches even size 5 :/

How do you guys manage to get it to grow to 7 without using entertainers or a high percentage of luxury tax?

 

[Samson]

How do you guys manage to get it to grow to 7 without using entertainers or a high percentage of luxury tax?

I am no expert at using settler factorys, but for my first city, I use a very high level of luxury tax (50% odd). At this point I an usually learning a second level tech at 50 turns anyway, and will vary it as the city canges from size 4 - 6 to get a few more gold. Once I get another city producing units, I use these as MP and reduce the lux tax a bit, but I will usually have a higher lux rate that most guides I have read here recomend (30% odd) until I have some luxury resorces hooked up. This is on Demi-god level.

 

[Nad]

@Berrern: usually a settler factory is either your capital or one of you core cities. Moreover, they tend to be cities on a river (because you need irrigation). Therefore, they are low corruption and high commerce. This makes them very responsive to lux slider changes. In the ancient age you should have no fear of having lux rates as high as 40%. If that is what is needed to keep your citizens working, it is well worth it. You should try to avoid rates of 50% or higher for any concerted period of time...it is okay for a turn or two, but if you need lux rates that high for a period of time your empire will suffer in other areas which require commerce, eg military support or research or trading.

Mostly you will find that operating a settler factory requires fluctuation of lux rates for 10% to 40% depending on your exact situation. Nevertheless, it is more than worth it for those quick settlers. Mostly high lux rates pay for themselves anyway...it only costs 1gpt to make an extra citizen happy in any one city, and if that citizen then works an improved tile by a river, he picks up 2gpt, as well as the extra food and shields, so you make a profit! Corruption and extra happiness where not needed reduce this somewhat, but nevertheless, if you need high lux rates to make a settler factory work, do it!