Unless colonies can have cultural protection, I see no use, the only time they could be used is to get something early but even then, citizens are very precious and you'd be better building a city there anyways. Anyone got a good use for colonies.....or are they absolutely worthless?
colonies
- Thread starter fephisto
- Start date
Zouave
Crusader
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2001
- Messages
- 1,603
Worthless.
A year ago many of us said that they should not be subject to vanishing if a civ builds a town near it, especially if you had it garrisoned with a military unit. In fact, another civ building a town close to it should be considered an act of war. But there has been no change.
A year ago many of us said that they should not be subject to vanishing if a civ builds a town near it, especially if you had it garrisoned with a military unit. In fact, another civ building a town close to it should be considered an act of war. But there has been no change.
Emerald Knight
Chieftain
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2002
- Messages
- 19
But then when culture expands over it, it disappears.. wotta waste of citizen.
Maybe like Zouave said, perhaps if its a different civ that expands over it, we get to keep the colony inside the other civ, maybe sorta like a satellite inside the other civ... but then euh yeh...
Colonies as is... almost worthless.
Maybe like Zouave said, perhaps if its a different civ that expands over it, we get to keep the colony inside the other civ, maybe sorta like a satellite inside the other civ... but then euh yeh...
Colonies as is... almost worthless.
They are necessary if you can't build a city near the resource. In the vanilla civ this means a huge mountain range, which is extremely rare. OTOH if you have turned off cities in deserts and tundra then colonies are quite useful. (The AI understands to use them in such mods, too.)
Darkness
Shadow creature
Pembroke is right... I played one of these mods and oil was extremely rare in it. Only in the middle of the desert. I did find some use for a colony that game....
Shabbaman
rebuffing the rebels
Well, if you've got a spare slave worker, it can work out nice. But you should get it back when it's assimilated by either your own or enemy cultural influence.
For once, I agree with zouave.
For once, I agree with zouave.
Darkness
Shadow creature
Oh, well, there's a first for everything....
Must have hurt, though...
I agree colonies are almost worthless. I only use them in modern times for luxuries that I dont have in one of the following situations:
The AI fights each other and have this lux open and I prefer to have it even for a short time until the border of the cities captured by other AI expand.
I fight the AI but dont have a settler ready for the luxury so until then I use the luxury
Im delaying a domination victory for milking and I dont want a city in the tundra just to get the fur.
If the colony would have a cultural influence over the tile it occupies it would mean something. So when another town is built the colony would remain yours until it culture flips. You should also be able to build colonies frr strategic reasons not only resources and luxuries. Think about Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Singapore. Hong Kong already culture flipped to China.
The AI fights each other and have this lux open and I prefer to have it even for a short time until the border of the cities captured by other AI expand.
I fight the AI but dont have a settler ready for the luxury so until then I use the luxury
Im delaying a domination victory for milking and I dont want a city in the tundra just to get the fur.
If the colony would have a cultural influence over the tile it occupies it would mean something. So when another town is built the colony would remain yours until it culture flips. You should also be able to build colonies frr strategic reasons not only resources and luxuries. Think about Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Singapore. Hong Kong already culture flipped to China.
I had my only coal source 1 tile outside my border and 2 tiles outside the Ottomans. Both cities nearby had equal culture so the border didn't change for 30 - 40 
turns. By the time my border expanded over it, I had a nice railroad network.
If it wasn't for colonies , I would have had to attack that Ottoman city. But idd , generally I never build them.
turns. By the time my border expanded over it, I had a nice railroad network.If it wasn't for colonies , I would have had to attack that Ottoman city. But idd , generally I never build them.
I find colonies useful.
I game style I sometimes play is to only have a limited number large productive cities and go for a Space race victory.
If there are resources that I lack outside my borders I will establish a colony on them guarded by a strong defensive unit.
Mobile offensive units patrol destroying all towns, settlers and other enemy units in the vicinity.
Other civs will constantly send units in to attack and found cities.
I treat this area as a super barbarian farm to train units to elite status and create leaders.
I use these leaders immediately as you can only ever have one leader at once.
This stratigy is only possible if you have military superitory.
It is extremely productive at producing leaders and has a lot less micro management that a total domination game.
The times I have played this I was a democracy but never had any war-wariness perhaps because battles were fought in no-mans land and I had numerous luxuries some attached by colonies.
The civ farm strategy works best in an area with resources because AI civs like to settle there. A rail line to a city with a barracks is also good.
I game style I sometimes play is to only have a limited number large productive cities and go for a Space race victory.
If there are resources that I lack outside my borders I will establish a colony on them guarded by a strong defensive unit.
Mobile offensive units patrol destroying all towns, settlers and other enemy units in the vicinity.
Other civs will constantly send units in to attack and found cities.
I treat this area as a super barbarian farm to train units to elite status and create leaders.
I use these leaders immediately as you can only ever have one leader at once.
This stratigy is only possible if you have military superitory.
It is extremely productive at producing leaders and has a lot less micro management that a total domination game.
The times I have played this I was a democracy but never had any war-wariness perhaps because battles were fought in no-mans land and I had numerous luxuries some attached by colonies.
The civ farm strategy works best in an area with resources because AI civs like to settle there. A rail line to a city with a barracks is also good.
Sinapus
Defenestrated
I would find colonies more useful if they actually sent resources to a city on the road net, and didn't vanish unless they were within a city's radius. Sort of like supply crawlers in SMAC, though in this case you could say they were like the small towns and villages that export some resources, but never really grow into actual cities. Also, if another civ's culture expands and engulfs it, then *they* get the benefits from it.
Mainly want to do this because I want to get some advantage from all those gold resources deep in mountain ranges.
Mainly want to do this because I want to get some advantage from all those gold resources deep in mountain ranges.
AceDragon
Warlord
Colonies worthless as they stand. If it's a needed strat resource - It will be an act of war! Declare War Immedietely ! 
MTheil3508
Prince
I stopped building colonies when the AI just kept declaring war on me to get the resource. My county was on another continent and I did not have any military units in the area. I was consentrating on my economy.
Now, I always build a line of cities to the resource and protect those cities. The cities don't get taken over when the borders of other nations expand and if someone destroys my roads to the resouce--they've just declared war.
Now, I always build a line of cities to the resource and protect those cities. The cities don't get taken over when the borders of other nations expand and if someone destroys my roads to the resouce--they've just declared war.
