Buildings you almost never build

[naterator]

play duel maps. then you never need to build any buildings at all, or research tech. courthouses and granaries will still be considered science fiction by the time you win.

 

[FriendoftheDork]

I was talking about Open Borders, not Custom Houses, which indeed usually suck. Can't think of why they'd be better or worse on slower speeds, though.

Oh sorry I thought someone said they never built CH and you defended building them.

On slower speed buildings take longer time to build yet commerce remain the same, thus the hammers invested vs commerce gained is much lower.

 

[Silu]

On slower speed buildings take longer time to build yet commerce remain the same, thus the hammers invested vs commerce gained is much lower.

They take an equal time to build, that time is just divided into more turns on slow speeds. Though one could argue that on Marathon you could get more military with those hammers than on Normal (as unit costs are only 2x on Marathon while all other costs are 3x with triple turns).

 

[FriendoftheDork]

They take an equal time to build, that time is just divided into more turns on slow speeds. Though one could argue that on Marathon you could get more military with those hammers than on Normal (as unit costs are only 2x on Marathon while all other costs are 3x with triple turns).

By time I meant number of turns not years.

Lets say CH costs 100 on normal speed, thats 400 on marathon IIRC. If the city has size 15, production 4 (from forests or early watermills), and 50 commerce, of which 16 are from trades with foreign civs. (free market+corp). Now building it increases trade commerce to 24, net gain 8 commerce per turn. It takes 25 turns on normal, or 100 turns on marathon to build it, after which it starts making 8 commerce per turn (slowly rising by growing the city but still only maybe 2-5 more commerce.

I'm too tired to make any conclusion but the point is that it takes alot of time before those hammers spent pays off, so you'll probably be better off building something else. If it was possible to get a production boost for a resource or leader trait things would change alot.

 

[naterator]

By time I meant number of turns not years.

Lets say CH costs 100 on normal speed, thats 400 on marathon IIRC. If the city has size 15, production 4 (from forests or early watermills), and 50 commerce, of which 16 are from trades with foreign civs. (free market+corp). Now building it increases trade commerce to 24, net gain 8 commerce per turn. It takes 25 turns on normal, or 100 turns on marathon to build it, after which it starts making 8 commerce per turn (slowly rising by growing the city but still only maybe 2-5 more commerce.

I'm too tired to make any conclusion but the point is that it takes alot of time before those hammers spent pays off, so you'll probably be better off building something else. If it was possible to get a production boost for a resource or leader trait things would change alot.

But doesn't that get multiplied by whatever you have in the city? i put CH in some commerce cities (that have nothing important to build at the time, so not often) figuring that the market, grocer, and bank will help it pay back it's hammers.

Still a lousy building, i'm not defending it, just making sure my assumptions are right. And for some reason the game ALWAYS seems to suggest building them. Not yet sid, i need a granary first...

 

[Silu]

Still a lousy building, i'm not defending it, just making sure my assumptions are right. And for some reason the game ALWAYS seems to suggest building them. Not yet sid, i need a granary first...

It's one of those buildings people would (rightfully) build 10 times less frequently if it didn't show up on the damn recommendations, along with Theatres (a useless build in many situations) And sure the commerce goes through the grinder so it can be good in a coastal Oxford city for example. Massing them is very seldom worth it though.

 

[Willem]

I'm too tired to make any conclusion but the point is that it takes alot of time before those hammers spent pays off,...

But you're forgetting that the benefits last 3x as long on Marathon so it works out to be exactly the same return in the end.

 

[Calouste]

Just the culture, if I recall.

EDIT: Err, I mean the culture doesn't obsolete, everything else does.

Defense bonus and slowing bombardment still works against non-gunpowder units, so they stay somewhat useful until your opponents get Cannon.

 

[Sincro]

Defense bonus and slowing bombardment still works against non-gunpowder units, so they stay somewhat useful until your opponents get Cannon.

And isn't it amusing to see all the begger AIs, the turn you tech steel, come begging/demanding it from you.

Yeah, you can have steel from me Gandhi. I'll be sending it to you in convenient 20 lb cannonballs.

-Sinc

 

[Lemon Merchant]

Yeah, you can have steel from me Gandhi. I'll be sending it to you in convenient 20 lb cannonballs.

I gift frequently gift Aluminum using the very same method. Only with Modern Armor.

 

[FriendoftheDork]

But you're forgetting that the benefits last 3x as long on Marathon so it works out to be exactly the same return in the end.

Yeah as long as there is no war - but in Marathon the AI has longer time to prepare themselves for war, and units are quicker to build than buildings. Thus you may have less turns to reap the rewards of the Custom House. Markets and Grocers can be built much earlier, have additional benefits to happiness and health, and will give back returns faster with merchants, and are of course not dependent on trade (only food or cottages/commerce).

Not useless, but the building could surely use a discount or a production boost, maybe +100% construction with marble or maybe stone.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I gift frequently gift Aluminum using the very same method. Only with Modern Armor.

I like gifting uranium. As a representative of world unity and eventual peace, it is important to encourage "alternative energy".

 

[robbyextreme]

I like to gift my enemies the pleasure of witnessing advanced weaponry.

 

[FriendoftheDork]

I like gifting uranium. As a representative of world unity and eventual peace, it is important to encourage "alternative energy".

Peace through Power! Peace through Power!

Rest in Peace....

 

[r_rolo1]

play duel maps. then you never need to build any buildings at all, or research tech. courthouses and granaries will still be considered science fiction by the time you win.

Start playing in a level where the AI starts with something better than warriors Then you atleast will need to get AH or BW and the wheel

 

[naterator]

Start playing in a level where the AI starts with something better than warriors Then you atleast will need to get AH or BW and the wheel

ya, i know, i forgot to add my [/SARCASM] tags...

 

[kochman]

I'm a monarch (epic speed usually) player and there are some buildings (I'm not talking about wonders here) I virtually never bother to build. Perhaps they are too expensive or obsolete too quickly or maybe they are just not fit for my play style. Here are some examples:

Walls/castles: I don't plan my cities to be attacked ever and if that happens something has already gone wrong at some point.

Temples: I rarely play as spiritual leader and otherwise they are too expensive for their effect.

Market: This one is too costly for my liking. I maybe build one in wall street / corporate headquarters city but that's it.

Coal plant: I never dare to build it as it comes at the time I am already struggling with the unhealthiness.

Post your own shunned buildings here!

Ok, you are playing monarch without markets?
And, uh, how do you keep your large cities happy? I need the happiness modifiers (not to mention the $$$).

 

[toll_booth]

-Nuke plants. I'd rather take the hit, even if that means switching to Environmentalism, than build nuke plants.

-If I'm Creative, monuments, unless I need every dime of I can get right away.

 

[mariogreymist]

I also never build nuke plants. The chances of meltdown are just ridiculously high, and the benefits small. I also rarely build coal plants. If I am a big tech leader (and I rarely play catch-up that late in a game - i just start over) I usually plan on building Three Gorges, and my production is usually high enough to not have the delay be strategically costly. If the tech race is tight, or I am short on production, I will build them in every factory city though.

 

[Antilogic]

Last game I used a great engineer to bulb the Three Gorges Dam, and before that I only built 3 coal plants in my major production cities (which included the city building the Dam). but I was so far ahead that game there really wasn't any competition.

If I can't get Three Gorges, then I end up building a mix of Coal Plants, Hydros, and maybe one or two Nuclear Plants. I haven't gotten a meltdown yet, so I'm feeling pretty lucky.