coastal cities better than land locked?

[FLUKE]

I'm a relative newcomer to CIv 4 and I like to build my cities on the coast if I can as I think it gives a lot protection early to mid game when naval powers are weak, would anyone agree or disagree on this.

Have I missed something or perhaps strategically I am missing out on resources?

 

[El Koeno]

I think the protection argument is a bit weak. Sure, there's less sqaures next to your city from which you can be attacked, but then again, sea invasions are harder to see coming, and therefore more dangerous.

The main advantage of having coastal cities is I trade routes I guess. Coastal cities can build a harbour which increases trade route yield.
Another advantage is simply that coastal cities can build ships, so the more coastal cities you have, the quicker you can build a navy.

 

[Doom Train]

and quicker navy means more control over the sea. Its very important on majority of maps.

 

[smith-b-d]

Coastal towns are commerce cities in my opinion, nothing more.

 

[Leo Tang]

Coastal towns are good for the following reason
1. Ability to build navy units (really important)
2. extra improvement and wonder available (harbour, Great Light House etc.)
3. sea tiles produce more gold than ordinary land tiles (this effect is further enhanced by the Colussus)
4. access to seafood
5. Trade route immediately set up between costal cities after discovery of sailing

However, sea tiles cannot be improved by worker. Only one improvement, lighthouse, improves sea tiles yeild (which only make the sea tile produce enough food for the labour working there, no surplus). The work boat only improves resources tile. Therefore, sea tiles gold yeild not as half as good as a village tile. and its value decrease over time i.e. by late game, sea tile are of lesser value than land tiles

 

[Soneji]

I rarely use a costal start, they put me at too much of a dissadvantage.

You need fishing anyway, but I would rather put hammers to workers than fishing boats. I feel for the early construction I get a lot more from workers long term.

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

I strongly believe in coastal settlements. Coastal tiles are bad, not just late game, but overall, because you want to be growing cottages. But the trade routes... I believe people vastly underestimate the effects of trade routes.

Simply put, it often generates commerce equivalent to 4 mature towns in the late game, but you don't need (happy) citizens working them, or the civic upkeep from those extra citizens either. You often don't even HAVE 15 hapiness resources to support a 20-pop city.

 

[magicalsushi]

If I start with Fishing and my capital is on a coast with a seafood resource, I'll usually build a fishing boat before a worker so my city has time to grow to size 2 (and then the seafood will help build the worker). By doing this though, I'm forgoing building a warrior or scout to explore.

I like coastal cities. I like trade routes, and harbours are good for those. Most players don't care much about trade routes though, and as I'm pretty bad at the game, chances are they're right and I'm wrong. The seafood health bonus you get harbours is nice though. Somehow, cities never feel complete to me unless they're on a coast (and hence able to build coastal improvements). However, coastal cities do have lousy production, unless you use Slavery and have lots of food resources there.

In particular, I insist on a coastal start for a OCC. The health and trade route bonuses from the harbour are too good to miss in that siutation, and a non-coastal start would mean no navy, ever! That said, you wouldn't necessarily need one, except perhaps to make contact with civs on another continent.

 

[Thedrin]

Just on trade routes; coastal cities recieve two bonuses to trade route commerce; a natural bonus and the harbour bonus.

Not many of my core cities - my main production and science cities - are placed on the coast (at least one production for naval units) but I'll place as many of my secondary cities on the coast to generate lots of trade route income.

 

[demokratickid]

In all mygames I've always tried to locate myself near the sea. I am mainly a peaceful guy, and want more of a cultural victory. To do this, you need funds, where do those funds come from? For me, from the vast sea. I have almost always relied on a strong Navy, but so what? A good economy can support a large Navy. Problem solved, go with city near coasts and other waterways.

 

[PimpyMicPimp]

You need some coastal cities. Not having access to the sea is, most of the time, a very bad thing.

or so I've found.

 

[diablodelmar]

You need an even balance between the two. Coastal towns will give you a lot of money, but very little production. Inland cities can get just as much food, but more production and probably slightly less commerce until late game.

 

[Olleus]

Just on trade routes; coastal cities recieve two bonuses to trade route commerce; a natural bonus and the harbour bonus.

Whats the natural bonus?
Appart from not having to build a road to other cities to trade resources.