Well, I always get this problem...I really usually build farms everywhere, and don't find that it's best to create cottages and other improvements...My cities are usually surrounded by farms and mines on mountains. What I want to ask you, is what are the best improvements to make later on in the game? Is it worth it building windmills instead of mines? Is it worth it waiting to be able to make lumbermills and waterwheels? And my biggest conern is when do I make cottages instead of Farms or Workshops?
Building Improvements...Can't decide which ones are best!
- Thread starter killaer
- Start date
Duelingground
AKA Gandalftheredskin
I try to leave most Grassland hills alone until I can build Windmills, and mine the Plains hills. Grassland/Plains gets farmed, unless I'm building a commerce center, then I farm enough Grassland to make sure all squares can be worked, with a little room for growth.
I tend to build cottages on Grassland heavy locations, rarely ever anywhere else. The ideal spot will have a couple of fat food resources, freeing more tiles for cottages, and a good coin resource or two.
I tend to build cottages on Grassland heavy locations, rarely ever anywhere else. The ideal spot will have a couple of fat food resources, freeing more tiles for cottages, and a good coin resource or two.
First you decide what this city is supposed to do. Is it a research center? A money city/GP farm? A military production city?
If it's a research center, I'd want a bunch of cottages. But not everywhere. Have enough farms so that the city can grow and use all the cottages. Also of course you'll want to mine any uranium, gold, silver or gems you have there rather than putting cottages on it.
If it's a money/GP farm, farms everywhere except hills and obviously useful resources. If it's a production city, you'll want a lot of farms, and develop the high-hammer resources with mines, etc.
If it's a research center, I'd want a bunch of cottages. But not everywhere. Have enough farms so that the city can grow and use all the cottages. Also of course you'll want to mine any uranium, gold, silver or gems you have there rather than putting cottages on it.
If it's a money/GP farm, farms everywhere except hills and obviously useful resources. If it's a production city, you'll want a lot of farms, and develop the high-hammer resources with mines, etc.
Dirk1302
Deity
I farm all the grasslands, mine all the hills except for desert hills, i sometimes mine these according to circumstances. I leave plains alone till midgame (guilds-->chemistry), then i put Workshops on them unless a watermill is possible and change economic civic to state property as soon as possible.
For Great Person cities, get the most food possible, so you can sustain as many specialists as possible.
For all other cities, the only point of food is to allow you to use all your squares, so 2 for each square. In general, that is 20 squares, but there can be overlap with other cities, or useless squares like mountain or desert.
Count up your deficit from this goal (the difference of each usable square from 2). For example, each flood plain is +1, each plain is -1, each Fish is +4. The amount of farms is the number needed to overcome this deficit. If you have a total deficit of 5, you would need to use, say, 2 farms and 1 windmill.
If its a commerce city, put cottages on the rest of the squares. If it's a production city, it's a bit harder, since you can't just mindlessly put the same improvement on every square, but it's the same idea - mine all the rest of the hills and lumbermill the forests, watermill next to rivers and maybe use some workshops(keeping in mind that each one you use adds 1 to your deficit, so you need to recalculate, unless in State Property).
In general, the majority of your cities will probably be commerce cities, with no more than 1 GP farm, and a couple production cities: a military city with National Epic and West Point and a wonder city with Ironworks and maybe Red Cross. Towns are pretty overpowered in terms of the return they give you and commerce cities are certainly more versatile, since they can be used for science, to buy production and to upgrade units.
For all other cities, the only point of food is to allow you to use all your squares, so 2 for each square. In general, that is 20 squares, but there can be overlap with other cities, or useless squares like mountain or desert.
Count up your deficit from this goal (the difference of each usable square from 2). For example, each flood plain is +1, each plain is -1, each Fish is +4. The amount of farms is the number needed to overcome this deficit. If you have a total deficit of 5, you would need to use, say, 2 farms and 1 windmill.
If its a commerce city, put cottages on the rest of the squares. If it's a production city, it's a bit harder, since you can't just mindlessly put the same improvement on every square, but it's the same idea - mine all the rest of the hills and lumbermill the forests, watermill next to rivers and maybe use some workshops(keeping in mind that each one you use adds 1 to your deficit, so you need to recalculate, unless in State Property).
In general, the majority of your cities will probably be commerce cities, with no more than 1 GP farm, and a couple production cities: a military city with National Epic and West Point and a wonder city with Ironworks and maybe Red Cross. Towns are pretty overpowered in terms of the return they give you and commerce cities are certainly more versatile, since they can be used for science, to buy production and to upgrade units.
KMadCandy
giggling permanoob
i like that with enough workers (not always a given), i can go ahead and mine the grassland hills and then change them to windwills later if that would serve me better. this depends on the size of the city and whether those tiles would get worked at all as mines, but it's nifty because you don't lose any of the 'must spend time working these cottages even when they're suboptimal since only time turns them uber.' if you tech to machinery early on and get the windmills fast, ignore this comment since you won't likely have enough citizensto take advantage of the grassland mines before you windmillerizeifcate them.
i <3 big cities, forget to whip my citizens, and am still learning about how to specialize cities (although i'm getting much better at the latter). so take my thoughts with a big huge wife of Lot.
weimingshi
Prince
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2004
- Messages
- 420
Farm strategy may not be the most effective strategy but it is certainly a viable strategy. What you lack is research power, but this you can make it up with specialists and great people. You will need to change your civics to fit your strat though, like gun for representation as early as possible. And do everything you can to generate as many great people as you can and use them to lightbulb techs.
The biggest advantage of farm strategy is it always gives you a huge score because of pop you have.
But if you want play higher difficulty say emperor+, one strategy is not enough, you need to mix and match different strategy into one game.
The biggest advantage of farm strategy is it always gives you a huge score because of pop you have.
But if you want play higher difficulty say emperor+, one strategy is not enough, you need to mix and match different strategy into one game.
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