Build Order: Amphitheater or Aqueduct?

[Stalker0]

I commonly found in my later cities that I get to the point where I can build both the Amphitheater or the Aqueduct, and have trouble deciding which to build first.

I've been leaning towards Amphitheaters mainly because culture is so precious and hard to get from other sources, but the growth and production bonus of aqueducts is certainly not to be ignored.

So ignoring the side benefits (obviously a city covered in lapis or lakes will have a highly different priority) and just focusing on the core, which building do you build first?

 

[CrazyG]

I'd usually go for the amphitheater.

 

[tothePAIN]

Agreed. Culture is hardest to catch up if you fall behind.

 

[andersw]

They are on slightly different techpaths, if I go hard on the bottom techpath (to beeline steel/physics/machinery) some cities will maybe have built aqueduct before I've researched the tech for amphitheatre but otherwise I agree, culture before growth.

 

[FyreFly_]

I almost always try to pick up the Parthenon so for me getting amphitheaters is a priority as they are even better.

 

[azum4roll]

Amphitheater. Unless you're India.

 

[LifeOfBrian]

Amphitheaters, but I generally unlock Aqueducts far earlier as I'm usually forced to rush the bottom of the tree to survive militarily.

 

[Paramecium]

Isnt that a question for situations where you found cities quite late or conquered one? In general I would pick the amphitheater because more is always better. But in contrast, aqueducts help to fight distress and poverty , so depending how your status is, the choice might be different.
And as other mentioned, depending which path you took in the tech tree you will have one of them unlocked way earlier than the other, so in most cases I dont think you have a tough choice between those.

 

[Stalker0]

And as other mentioned, depending which path you took in the tech tree you will have one of them unlocked way earlier than the other, so in most cases I dont think you have a tough choice between those.

Curious what others think here, as I commonly find it a consideration in my cities 5+ range. I have lots to build, so by the time I get to these I usually have the choice to make. Do others find that is the case or do you agree you generally only have one or the other?

 

[stii]

I think the difference is you are founding cities later on. I generally make 4-5 pretty quickly, at which point I couldn't build aqueduct first even if I wanted to.

Map size play a huge role in this, there just isn't room on small maps, while bigger maps give you loads of space if you want it.

 

[azum4roll]

Unless I'm playing Tradition I usually run out of buildings to build in all my early cities. Even my late settlements will eventually have nothing to build.

 

[Melchizedek]

Lately I've been finding the lower half of the tech tree more immediately helpful in a lot of games, so aqueducts first.