Civ 5: City specialization

[Mimas]

I have read about city specializationt and i do not understand this mechanism.
Many guides recomended science city,culture city,Faith city,production city and gold city.

This is many cities. So if want 10 cities i must have 2 cities from each types?

I also do not understand "Gradn person city" if i want grand person i must have alot of expensive buildings from culture to production.I do not know if i will have money for this and if is not better to have 4 cities with one type specialist in each city.

What about city borders?Must i have + culure buildings in each city?
How many buildings i can build?If i will build alot i will be without money.
Maybe it is better to have more gold cities and buy city borders for money than build + culture buildings in each city.

Thx for advice.

Example of guides:http://tagg.im/thread/86/specialized-cities-in-civilization-v

http://www.alteredgamer.com/civilization-5/88784-civ-5-the-complete-guide-advanced-city-building/

 

[LogisticEarth]

You don't have to build EVERY city as a specialization city, its just a good idea often to specialize cities to maximize the benefit. So you might have one "super science city" where you build science-enhaning wonders, settle great scientists, prioritize science buildings, etc. And then you have another for culture-specific stuff, another for gold production, etc. You might have a super-military city where you build expensive, high experience units. Other cities don't need to be so specialized, and can be jack of all trades, just providing general bonus resources and production, like "bulk" units and whatnot.

 

[Rellin]

I find that my Capital is typically my super everything city. So far, up to Emperor difficulty, my capital has the most science, gold, culture, wonders, etc. Maybe this changes on larger maps or higher difficulties though.

 

[Crdnl Richelieu]

^^^ This.

You have a National Wonder for each "discipline", e.g. cash, faith, culture, science, production, great people.

It usually makes sense to build them in the capital because:

a) You gain most production from it (e.g. largest population = most science)
b) It usually has the highest product so you build it quicker

 

[Mimas]

^^^ This.

You have a National Wonder for each "discipline", e.g. cash, faith, culture, science, production, great people.

It usually makes sense to build them in the capital because:

a) You gain most production from it (e.g. largest population = most science)
b) It usually has the highest product so you build it quicker

I can build only one wonder per civilization ( http://www.civfanatics.com/civ5/nationalwonders )

If i want great scientist i must have special building.Is it good to build all buildings for all scientist in one city?
If will have production city I can build building for scientist and have + production.
In super city if i have all buildings for scientist i will not use + production like in production city.

 

[A Moon]

I can build only one wonder per civilization ( http://www.civfanatics.com/civ5/nationalwonders )

Each civilization can build each national wonder once. You don't have to just pick one.

 

[Streams]

^^ These

The capitol usually gets all the goodies. The other cities will get something more depending on what you want them to do, but it's all debatable.

On a science run, mostly every city will have science buildings. Depending on how you run, you'll want more specialist buildings and so forth and so on.

I do occasionally throw empire wide wonders to my other cities, if I can build a few and I don't think that my capital can get them all in time, or if I want my capital to grow a bit more.

 

[Matthew.]

To add a note, while it is true capital is typically the best choice, not always. Things to consider are potential for max population, mountains (for observatory), Petra, etc. I've had plenty of games where my second or third city is in a much better location and has unofficially become my "super capital"

 

[Mimas]

Each civilization can build each national wonder once. You don't have to just pick one.

OK.But it will take long time build every building in each city for nation wonders.
It is possible?

So,is it better have production city with specialist in production and gold city with specialist on marke...?

 

[manu-fan]

I have read about city specializationt and i do not understand this mechanism.
Many guides recomended science city,culture city,Faith city,production city and gold city.

This is many cities. So if want 10 cities i must have 2 cities from each types?

I also do not understand "Gradn person city" if i want grand person i must have alot of expensive buildings from culture to production.I do not know if i will have money for this and if is not better to have 4 cities with one type specialist in each city.

What about city borders?Must i have + culure buildings in each city?
How many buildings i can build?If i will build alot i will be without money.
Maybe it is better to have more gold cities and buy city borders for money than build + culture buildings in each city.

Thx for advice.

Example of guides:http://tagg.im/thread/86/specialized-cities-in-civilization-v

http://www.alteredgamer.com/civilization-5/88784-civ-5-the-complete-guide-advanced-city-building/

You don't *have to* have everyone one of the types of city. The recommendation is just that when placing a city, decide in what it will be specializing in. I usually go for nearly all Production cities, with the occasional gold city (floodplains etc.) and maybe even a GP city (note that this is one with tons of food, so that you can assign specialists, and still grow).

As to your question of which buildings etc. I certainly usually build a Monument in each city, and eventually, each of them will have a Monument, Shrine, Library, and then I will move on to Amphitheater and University, building Markets in cities where they make sense. Trade routes, rivers etc. are where the gold income comes from, as well as Religion.

Good luck.

Cheers.

 

[LogisticEarth]

Yeah, specialization in Civ5 seems to be much less important than earlier installments. A lot of the social policies give specific boosts to the capital.

The one exception to this is unit production. I usually always have another city dedicated to building military stuff so the capital (or whatver ends up as my wonder city) doesn't have to waste time with units.

 

[Dogmouth]

To be clear, you should never have "faith" specialty cities. No buildings modify raw faith output, and faith output is spent globally, so it's pointless to have a city specialize in faith. Faith buildings should be scattered throughout your empire.

 

[Mimas]

Ok.
Thx for help.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

Your total of each type of output (food, gold, science... whatever) is based on a raw (base) amount coming from tiles worked plus what buildings are adding to a city. Some of the buildings provide percentage multipliers to the base output. Combine the similar buildings together with a large base multiplier and you get significantly more output.

Every building takes some time to build, building or buying everything in every city will take too long. You want the benefit of all those multipliers as early as possible in the game, and one of the best ways is to specialize the cities.

A specialized city basically means you are improving the tiles around a city and focusing that city's production to emphasize one type of income. Trading posts add gold to a tile worked, farms add food to a tile, mines add production... but you can't put a trading post, a mine, and a farm on the same tile.

A gold city will simply have farms and trading posts with specialists working the banks and stock exchanges. It doesn't have to waste 50 early turns building the barracks and armory since it isn't going to build a single unit. All its production will be concentrated on getting that market built first (and bank, stock market, and gold wonders), even to the point of delaying the barracks until you need it so the military unit building city can start on the Heroic Epic wonder, for example.

The city that produces great persons needs enough surplus food, plus the buildings that let you place specialists in them, ideally a place you can add buildings that give great person bonuses (garden, etc.), and you want to build the wonders that maximize production of your chosen great persons, so there has to be some production here as well. This city will not need a single trading post, only farms and mines needed to support the specialists and production of the right buildings.

A military unit city will build the units for the entire realm. I personally tend to forget that units can move, so this is a good reminder to myself! This city will concentrate on getting a barracks, armory, etc. built asap and all my units will be built or bought here. It will eventually build a market when the gold city is ready for its national wonder, and a library when the science city is ready for the national college... There is no need to take specialization so far that you hurt the realm.

In Civ 4, the resource design of the game allowed an insane amount of specialization, such that in an optimized Deity game, a gold city might NEVER build a science improvement EVER, and opposite for the science city. I happy Civ 5 reduced the specializing effects and balanced out city development. Still, specialization is very useful for getting the most out of your cities.

 

[Syntax Error]

The only National Wonder that I *HAVE* to build in the capital is the NC. It's usually my best city with a great mix of food and production.

 

[dashwinner]

A lot of good points...
Also keep in mind that jungle gives science... Your pantheon policies might give culture or gold or faith... It's all situational, but pretty much what others have said...

If you see an area with rivers/jungle, thats a perfect science/gold city location... rivers and hills? production/military... growth is needed for GPs... etc

there is no need, for example, to built barracks and armory in a city where you dont plan on building troops... what i usually do is only build barracks when i can build them in ALL cities asap, get the military national wonder, then delete the barracks from all cities except the ones that will be pumping out troops...

markets is a little different because they dont cost maintenance... eventually ill try and build science buildings everywhere i can too...

 

[AmerPino]

^^^ This.

You have a National Wonder for each "discipline", e.g. cash, faith, culture, science, production, great people.

It usually makes sense to build them in the capital because:

a) You gain most production from it (e.g. largest population = most science)
b) It usually has the highest product so you build it quicker

Good advise....thanks

 

[AmerPino]

To add a note, while it is true capital is typically the best choice, not always. Things to consider are potential for max population, mountains (for observatory), Petra, etc. I've had plenty of games where my second or third city is in a much better location and has unofficially become my "super capital"

Yep...me too. I have had a city off somewhere that I didn't even think was going to amount to anything but all of a sudden it became a large producer. I just placed it there coz I wanted the resource. Thanks

 

[AmerPino]

To be clear, you should never have "faith" specialty cities. No buildings modify raw faith output, and faith output is spent globally, so it's pointless to have a city specialize in faith. Faith buildings should be scattered throughout your empire.

Yep.... good advise. Thanks

 

[Mimas]

Your total of each type of output (food, gold, science... whatever) is based on a raw (base) amount coming from tiles worked plus what buildings are adding to a city. Some of the buildings provide percentage multipliers to the base output. Combine the similar buildings together with a large base multiplier and you get significantly more output.

Every building takes some time to build, building or buying everything in every city will take too long. You want the benefit of all those multipliers as early as possible in the game, and one of the best ways is to specialize the cities.

A specialized city basically means you are improving the tiles around a city and focusing that city's production to emphasize one type of income. Trading posts add gold to a tile worked, farms add food to a tile, mines add production... but you can't put a trading post, a mine, and a farm on the same tile.

A gold city will simply have farms and trading posts with specialists working the banks and stock exchanges. It doesn't have to waste 50 early turns building the barracks and armory since it isn't going to build a single unit. All its production will be concentrated on getting that market built first (and bank, stock market, and gold wonders), even to the point of delaying the barracks until you need it so the military unit building city can start on the Heroic Epic wonder, for example.

The city that produces great persons needs enough surplus food, plus the buildings that let you place specialists in them, ideally a place you can add buildings that give great person bonuses (garden, etc.), and you want to build the wonders that maximize production of your chosen great persons, so there has to be some production here as well. This city will not need a single trading post, only farms and mines needed to support the specialists and production of the right buildings.

A military unit city will build the units for the entire realm. I personally tend to forget that units can move, so this is a good reminder to myself! This city will concentrate on getting a barracks, armory, etc. built asap and all my units will be built or bought here. It will eventually build a market when the gold city is ready for its national wonder, and a library when the science city is ready for the national college... There is no need to take specialization so far that you hurt the realm.

In Civ 4, the resource design of the game allowed an insane amount of specialization, such that in an optimized Deity game, a gold city might NEVER build a science improvement EVER, and opposite for the science city. I happy Civ 5 reduced the specializing effects and balanced out city development. Still, specialization is very useful for getting the most out of your cities.

Thank you very much for summarizing

Maybe i am donkey,but i still do not know why should I have one big city for Great Persons?
Great Persons comes from GP points.If i want GP points a must have Specialists.
Why should I have Engineer,MerchantArtist in one city?

Workshop is more effective in Production city.So, I should have Engineer in Production city and Merchant in Gold city.Artist and Scientist in Great Person City.?