Do you like hydroelectic dams?

In the grand scheme, hydro power is not needed. If i need powered buildings, a well placed IZ does the job just fine. If not, solar farms are reliable. I build very few dams as it is so the opportunities are few and far between.
 
My first thought on seeing this Thread was "Sure, love 'em!" - because I live in Puget Sound, which gets almost all of its energy from the Columbia River hydroelectric complex.

Then I realized after a bit of reflection that in several thousand hours playing Civ VI, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've actually built a Hydroelectric Power source in any game. - And it's for all the reasons already mentioned by others here: not many good sites for such power sources, comes too late in the game, takes up a District slot which may be better used for something else, etc.

And the negatives are particularly awkward because they are Artificial:

1. As stated, the world's first hydroelectric power installation was in 1878. The world's first electricity-producing coal power plant wasn't until 1882, and by 1889 there were over 200 hydroelectric plants in the USA alone. Effectively, hydro and 'conventional' coal-fired power was Simultaneous.

2. Virtually all the dam-produced reservoirs have multiple uses. Lake Mead produced by Hoover Dam is also a major recreation lake. Grand Coulee not only powers Seattle and Puget Sound, it also provides irrigation water for a large part of central Washington state, which is a massive agricultural production zone - if you are eating an apple in the American hemisphere, chances are it came from hat area. Similar examples could be applied to virtually all the major hydroelectric dam/reservoir complexes. And note that one of the first 'major Dam' complexes known historically, the Marib (or Mar'ib) Dam complex in modern Yemen, (1750 BCE approximately) created an irrigation reservoir that watered enough land to feed 50,000 people - that's a very large city by the standards of the first 3 - 4 Eras of the game - dams of all kinds and purposes are badly mis-modeled in the game: too late and not important enough for Food and population.

3. Size and output. Of the top ten power-producing complexes in the world as of 2020, 8 are Hydroelectric. The other two are numbers 8 and 10 on the list, and they are Natural Gas and Nuclear, and the nuclear plant is virtually tied in output with the world's largest Wind powered generation unit. Hydroelectric on any comparison of installations is far more powerful than any other source being regularly used today: coal, gas, wind, - and that's only assuming conventional hydroelectric dams on rivers producing reservoirs, the Civ VI model. There is a proposal on the books for a Tidal hydroelectric complex that would produce 4 times the electricity of the largest current power plant anywhere.

Hopefully, Civ VII will include a 'redesign' of the mechanics for dams, hydroelectric, coal and other Power sources to allow them to produce the way they should and reflect their IRL importance.
And location to build one...

IRL dams and reservoirs are preferably built between hills. NOT Floodplains.
Aforemented Hoover Dam is clearly INSIDE CANYON. (and so often associated with Vegas vanity, since it powers one).
Same goes to several dams built postwar here in Thailand build with United States sponsorships, and named after monarchs (King Rama IX, his Queen and all of his children) , and others built past 70s entirely financed domestically (through fiscal means, usually with annual budgets).

actually where should Electricity tech placed? if it should be in the Industrial Era rather than Modern Era. (and should it be the prerequisite for Telegram / Telephone tech if there should also be one since BOTH are electric based)

And the use of dams to support Industrial Zone in the Middle Age please. my play style included placing dam first, followed with industrial zone and it yields at least +3 production (and more with either adjacent districts that I like to place by the river--Commercial Hub) and nearby mines.) What's more impressive than this?
Any evidence that water powered mills (especially forge, or weapons factory) are placed right next to a dam?
While it is alrite in gameplay that it prevents flood entirely (not 100 percent IRL).
 
FYI, in latest game with dam's requirement changed to 1 floodplane, I finally got 7 hydro plants. Just for fun I changed the hydro production to 15. It's insane, but easy to see on city screen. Better would be production to about 7, but since can't get beyond one city boundry and get to a region, as IRL, I thought I'ld have a marker of what could be.

Agree totally, IRL, floodplains are the result and not a requirement for dams: all that is needed is 1) river, 2) hills/mountain. Don't know how to add that in game.
 
Also irrigation benefits. it should cover entirety of a city boundary (as a city is treated as One 'Province'). (+1 or +2 foods for farms and plantations, additional +2 gold for plantations)
The Other Use for Dams, much older than hydroelectric generation: irrigation.

The earliest 'big Dam' we know of, Sadd Mar'ib - "Great Dam of Marib", in modern Yemen, built starting about 1750 BCE, up to 14 meters tall, 600 meters long and could provide irrigation for up to 100 square kilometers of land: estimated that its irrigation area fed 20 - 50,000 people, so Irrigation Dams definitely affect entire city areas.

Marib also provided Flood Control for rthe city of Mar'ib, capital of the Saba Kingdom - this should have been the Wonder that the Great Bath is . . .
 
I just build or capture more cities.
I never think of building dams or a lot of other buildings.
I usually focus on Builders and Projects in most of my cities after I have enough districts.
I focus mainly on Campus and Commercial Hubs for the most part.
I do abuse the Deity AI through the trade windows all the time though.
 
I just build or capture more cities.
I never think of building dams or a lot of other buildings.
I usually focus on Builders and Projects in most of my cities after I have enough districts.
I focus mainly on Campus and Commercial Hubs for the most part.
I do abuse the Deity AI through the trade windows all the time though.
I also tend not to focus on dams when going for domination. However, you abusing deity AI is nice.
 
I also tend not to focus on dams when going for domination. However, you abusing deity AI is nice.
It's cheese but just wanted to state that I don't play with specific rules.
I usually play everything on standard settings and either Pangea or Continents.
I don't use any of the game modes.
I tend to ignore a lot in this game and just chop my way to victory.
Most of my gameplay is rush out and capture as many luxuries as possible to trade and play friendly till the backstabbing.
Sometimes I play a culture Civ and just Wonder Chop my way to Victory.
Games Dumb but I keep playing it.
Been that way for 20 years now.
I quit for about a year, but I've been binging on it again for the last 3 to 4 weeks.
Steam says I have 3500+ hours into Civ VI.
I need help but not expecting to get it from this website :)
I haven't built a Dam, in this game, for at least 6 years.
I messed with it when I was playing around with IZs for a while getting 200 production in the capital.
I'm sure you've messed with that before.
My game is all about fast clicking compared to optimization so that probably costs me 50 to 100 turns if I actually finish to the victory screen.
A lot of times I just play up to turn 100 or so and can guesstimate my finish time.
Sorry for the rant.
I'm trying not to go into the game and fiddle with Yongle and Projects.
 
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