City Build Order VP 4.20.2

R3P0

Chieftain
Joined
Mar 9, 2015
Messages
67
Just curious as to what everyone's basic build order is for a city once founded?

Do you start with Monument or Shrine? Do you focus on Defense, Science or Culture?
 
This is the build order I’ve developed for early game cities. I make no claims to optimality; it’s just what works for me.

1. Something to enable border growth. Usually Monument, occasionally Smokehouse if the location calls for it.
2. Faith generation. Usually shrine, but if my pantheon gives Faith to another building, I’ll build that instead. If I’ve already founded a religion or am close to founding, I’ll skip this step.
3. Well/watermill
4. Anything that boosts local resources/improvements (smokehouse, herbalist, stone works, forge, etc.)
5. Council/monument (if not already built)
6. Forge/barracks/arena

Everything after that is context-dependent and based on what my empire needs.

I weave in settlers, workers, and military units as needed. Purchase them if possible, otherwise build them in high-production cities.
 
This is the build order I’ve developed for early game cities. I make no claims to optimality; it’s just what works for me.

1. Something to enable border growth. Usually Monument, occasionally Smokehouse if the location calls for it.
2. Faith generation. Usually shrine, but if my pantheon gives Faith to another building, I’ll build that instead. If I’ve already founded a religion or am close to founding, I’ll skip this step.
3. Well/watermill
4. Anything that boosts local resources/improvements (smokehouse, herbalist, stone works, forge, etc.)
5. Council/monument (if not already built)
6. Forge/barracks/arena

Everything after that is context-dependent and based on what my empire needs.

I weave in settlers, workers, and military units as needed. Purchase them if possible, otherwise build them in high-production cities.
Makes sense! What about the granary though, I try to prioritize it (would probably put it after 2 or 3 depending on how am I doing on religion), but I've never felt confident in that choice
 
Shrine, Monument, Smokehouse (if Authority), Council, Granary, Smokehouse (if not Authority), then prioritize production => food => faith => culture.
Btw internal TR are very valuable to help new cities develop (production).

EDIT :
- Coucil before granary, because granary gives pops, and council gives science with each new pop
- Smohouse early with authority, because more growth is good with Authority
- Production first, because it helps producing other buildings; and food help getting more resources
- Shrine first because enemies cannot compete for policies, but they can for pantheon / religions
 
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Depends on pantheon belief so something like monument > shrine, barracks (god of war) or herbalist (springtime), sometimes even shrine first.
Smokehouse/council/granary one or two of these often have to wait/skipped quite some time if I need to prio barracks, forge or walls.
Somewhere inbetween I need to get out more units, settlers and workers.
This all will vary on terrain and what civ I play ie do I need more food, hammers, science, faith, culture or gold?
While gold is sort of low value its very nice early on and getting bankrupt is horrible so need to take it in consideration, other way if I have say a perfume start, I will be low on hammers but swimming in gold when I hook stuff up which will allow me to purchase a lot more.
I try to look at pantheon and terrain and see what it will provide in short term, I try to settle defensive and for high early yields and will take this part in consideration.
 
I tend to get the shrine out first, then monument. I feel like getting a good starting pantheon is key. I don't know, I'm always making sure I have an established pantheon and religion. I would then go for granary because I feel like population can better translate to production via working tiles. After that I go monument and council. I feel like I'm always behind on science regardless so just getting religion and pop jump started. Then you get a big science jump for councils that can help get the techs before libraries. That's just me and my logic. Plus I feel that many of the policies are good at supplementing your culture.
 
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