cities areas, what should I improve?

[lil_wilde]

So the area that is shown as a cities area, where the citizens work is all that I should bother cultivating?
If I build mines or farmland outside of that fat X will it help?

 

[Clausewitzian]

Your city citizens can't be put to work on squares outside the city radius, or "X", as you call it. So normally it isn't worth cultivating areas outside.

Nevertheless, often players will build a road network beyond the city radius to connect their cities. I'll leave it to your own fertile imagination why one might want to do such a thing.

 

[#1 Person]

Sometimes you need to build a couple of irrigation squares outside the X to "bring water" to your cities so you can build irrigation around that city.

 

[Sharkbait]

Sometimes you need to build a couple of irrigation squares outside the X to "bring water" to your cities so you can build irrigation around that city.

Although you can use the Automate Settler key ("K" IIRC) and this gets round having to irrigate from far away. Considered an exploit by some but allowed in current GOTMs.

As well as roads and railroads between cities, you may want to use engineers to build fortifications ("F" key) on key points so you can defend against AI attacks on terrain of your choosing (like hills, mountaisn etc which have a defensive bonus).

Also (but not of use very often), you may actually want to improve some terrain around an AI civ's city, in order to improve freight delivery payouts (roading gets trade arrows being produced on squares that are being worked, and irrigation may let a good trade partner grow even more to increase trade further). But I must say I haven't done this much ever. What I'd call an advanced ploy, when you re well along in the game.

 

[Clausewitzian]

The reason for entertaining the thought to help AI civs along (and normally to avoid using automate settler) is that the AI tends to be incredibly stupid. Usually a good thing, but sometimes not. Don't worry, the game is challenging enough even without a decent opponent.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I don't mind helping the AI build roads or irrigate. In fact, I will often just gift them the Railroad tech (making sure I'm the one who builds Darwin's Voyage, of course ). The reason is simple: At some point in the game I'm going to take over their cities anyway, so having a good road system and enough food to feed the population is ultimately to my benefit.

 

[Ace]

"Although you can use the Automate Settler key ("K" IIRC) and this gets round having to irrigate from far away. Considered an exploit by some but allowed in current GOTMs."

K is the key, but the operation is risky. The settler is apt to just wander off and build a road on a nearby mountain instead. Also, be sure to do the irrigation trick before you put in any roads. Roads seem to encourage the settler to wander off. If at first you don't suceed, try, try again...

Gifting RR is always a good idea, as long as Darwin's is built first. "Helping" the AI improve its road/rail net helps your freight deliveries and lets your spies and combat units zip around with ease.

 

[Peaster]

Of course, some good players think irrigation and mines are a horrible waste of time

 

[ElephantU]

Agreed on mines, but disagree on irrigation - unless you are going for fastest finish by conquest.

 

[KnightTemp]

Although you can use the Automate Settler key ("K" IIRC) and this gets round having to irrigate from far away. Considered an exploit by some but allowed in current GOTMs.

My version of Civ2 doesn't have this Automate option - can anyone tell me how to fix this, or do I have to buy a more modern version? If so, which version, please? Thank you

 

[Clausewitzian]

Another place to look is to click on a settler/engineer, click on the orders menu, it'll be under build fortress.

If you have no luck there, the question becomes, "What version of civII do you have, then?"

 

[KnightTemp]

Thanks for reply, Clausewitzian.
No, no option just below 'Build fortress' - the next one for me is 'clean up pollution'
Version of Civ 2 is 1.02, 4-Mar-96

 

[Godwynn]

I'm a big fan of irrigation with roads ontop of the irrigation. It allows faster growth with more money. Then I simply buy wonders, buildings, and units. I'm not much of a fighter, more a builder of wonders to increase my score.

 

[ElephantU]

Version of Civ 2 is 1.02, 4-Mar-96

Yikes. You need the 2.42 upgrade, at the least. Check the Patches and Downloads section.

 

[neutrino]

You can have >30000 in the treasury with the latest Civ2 patch. (Off-topic: I once enabled the cheat options to tweak my treasury. Funny thing was it only allowed the max of 30000. With the same game, it had no problem going over 30000 through surplus tax. Weird ...)

As for improving city area, hills and forest can wait until just about all plain/grass squares have been improved. Need plain/grass + irrigation to get food surplus for city to grow. Roads are important as well, as settlers and military units are much more effectively used with x3 road movement bonus. Fortresses are not important unless there is a need to set up an impregnable staging area or beach head or there is a hostile civ nearby with lot of hostile traffic.