Do you Chop before placing a district?

[rredding]

In my last play through I have noticed that dropping a district on a tile with something chopable (usually woods or rainforest) removes those things and gives no benefit. I started using a build from my builders to clear the tile before I start the district. It gives me a nice boost in production and food with the rainforest. This production is either used on the current project or will be applied to the district if the production queue was open.

Anyway, I had missed out on this for my first few games and figured I would share.

 

[Sogno di Volare]

Whenever possible yes, chopping provides a lot of food and production.

 

[Bigv32]

It honestly depends where I am in the game. Always do the math.

If the amount of prod from the chop is greater than the (per charge) production needed to build the worker than yes.

If it is a jungle, I also try to figure out of the food helps make up any of the difference.

If I am rushing a wonder, etc. it is more of how badly do I want it or htink I will miss it. Finally, if you are Aztecs or China, sometimes you can get more production from using the charge on the district or wonder itself rather than the forest.

 

[megabearsfan]

I've been trying to make a point of chopping before placing districts as well. Especially in cities that are generally weak in production. The trouble is always trying to get a builder there at a time when it's useful.

 

[lankypeter]

On the same turn, if you chop with an empty production queue and then select the district to build, do those hammers go to the district production? I thought yes, but with the city delayed in updating food and hammers until after the turn, I'm not sure .

 

[ZHONN]

Always, I see no reason not to.

 

[Marvinlegend]

If at all possible, sadly you can not chop into the district you want to build, since the production goes into the current production, even if you change it in the same turn.

 

[WiseGreen]

If at all possible, sadly you can not chop into the district you want to build, since the production goes into the current production, even if you change it in the same turn.

You can use some of it through overflow, tho.

 

[megabearsfan]

On the same turn, if you chop with an empty production queue and then select the district to build, do those hammers go to the district production? I thought yes, but with the city delayed in updating food and hammers until after the turn, I'm not sure .

Yeah, I haven't figured out for sure if this works either...

 

[MadDjinn]

On the same turn, if you chop with an empty production queue and then select the district to build, do those hammers go to the district production? I thought yes, but with the city delayed in updating food and hammers until after the turn, I'm not sure .

No. chopping into an empty production queue just wastes the hammers.

On topic- I always prechop for districts. Preference goes to being able to chop out those district locations when building other districts or buildings; or settlers.

 

[megabearsfan]

No. chopping into an empty production queue just wastes the hammers.

On topic- I always prechop for districts. Preference goes to being able to chop out those district locations when building other districts or buildings; or settlers.

Thanks for confirming that!

 

[ddd123]

It honestly depends where I am in the game. Always do the math.

If the amount of prod from the chop is greater than the (per charge) production needed to build the worker than yes..

How can it not be?
The only case possible I think is when you conquer or found late game cities, but in that case it is worth anyway cause you basically transfer huge cit production spammers into new no production city, so its worth even if the conversion is bad cause there would be no other way to grow new cities fast.
Also most likely you wont build them, youll just buy cause you swim in gold late game.
In main cities you should have chopped early to speed up things and i dont see any other scenario...

 

[Seabastian Civ]

I like to buy those damn builder charges aren't cheap. I'd often rather have another mine or farm, especially since you get valuable early eurekas from them.

 

[Big J Money]

It honestly depends where I am in the game. Always do the math.

If the amount of prod from the chop is greater than the (per charge) production needed to build the worker than yes.

I think the correct math is almost impossible. Every extra chop you take makes your future builders more expensive. So if someone chops 21 times during a game, then the final 21 build actions he takes in the game are where the cost went. It's reminiscent of Civ V Policies, where if you want to calculate the cost <> benefit of picking up an extra policy, you need to consider how it effects the cost of the last policy you take. And of course it's much harder to predict how many builders/build-actions you will need. I guess you could ballpark a minimum though, like "at least ten cities, with an average of 10 improved tiles, each". So in that case, 21 chops changes your game from 100/3 = 33 builders to 121/3 = 40 builders.

But then this might be moot because who can calculate the value of extra production or food at the beginning of the game? It's certainly more valuable than late game...

 

[Feyd Rautha]

I think the correct math is almost impossible. Every extra chop you take makes your future builders more expensive. So if someone chops 21 times during a game, then the final 21 build actions he takes in the game are where the cost went. It's reminiscent of Civ V Policies, where if you want to calculate the cost <> benefit of picking up an extra policy, you need to consider how it effects the cost of the last policy you take. And of course it's much harder to predict how many builders/build-actions you will need. I guess you could ballpark a minimum though, like "at least ten cities, with an average of 10 improved tiles, each". So in that case, 21 chops changes your game from 100/3 = 33 builders to 121/3 = 40 builders.

But then this might be moot because who can calculate the value of extra production or food at the beginning of the game? It's certainly more valuable than late game...

Such a good point. This is why I make an effort to chop before I place a district if possible. The faster I can get a city productive in the greater sense, the greater benefit. While the 127 hammers might be 200 later and effectively cost me 50 hammers with my last builder charge, speed and getting things first really makes a bigger difference early. I need to win NOW... I can steamroll later when 50 production is next to nothing.

 

[rredding]

Such a good point. This is why I make an effort to chop before I place a district if possible. The faster I can get a city productive in the greater sense, the greater benefit. While the 127 hammers might be 200 later and effectively cost me 50 hammers with my last builder charge, speed and getting things first really makes a bigger difference early. I need to win NOW... I can steamroll later when 50 production is next to nothing.

Yep I agree it is more of a timing thing than a computation vs the amount a build charge costs. Earlier districts or settlers or even units have certain advantages. One more time I think the devs have given us another decision point. More impactful decisions make the game more fun to me.

 

[megabearsfan]

I think the correct math is almost impossible. Every extra chop you take makes your future builders more expensive. So if someone chops 21 times during a game, then the final 21 build actions he takes in the game are where the cost went. It's reminiscent of Civ V Policies, where if you want to calculate the cost <> benefit of picking up an extra policy, you need to consider how it effects the cost of the last policy you take. And of course it's much harder to predict how many builders/build-actions you will need. I guess you could ballpark a minimum though, like "at least ten cities, with an average of 10 improved tiles, each". So in that case, 21 chops changes your game from 100/3 = 33 builders to 121/3 = 40 builders.

But then this might be moot because who can calculate the value of extra production or food at the beginning of the game? It's certainly more valuable than late game...

Does getting a free builder from a ruin increase the cost of later builders?

 

[elitetroops]

Does getting a free builder from a ruin increase the cost of later builders?

No, it doesn't.

 

[Ryika]

I think during most of the game the long-term math is pretty meaningless when it comes to that. Yes, every chop means that everything later will be more expensive, but the game is so lopsided towards gathering momentum that just looking at whether you can get access to enough worker charges to chop some extra tiles already tells you all the important stuff, which early should almost always be a yes if you do a good job lining stuff up.

I find that the interesting decisions are those food-related ones for the newer cities in the later parts of the mid-game. You get a lot of food at that point, but at the same time growing them isn't really of any importance. That's where I can legitimately made an argument for one side in my head, find it convincing, then make an argument for the other side to refute myself and agree with that argument as well. 8)

 

[Zenstrive]

Always chop until all the continents are filled with cities.