Do you use OCP?

[Maple]

Do you use Optimal City Placement?
see:Bamspeedy's OCP
After you've looked at the site, what do you think? Do you use it a lot? Or do you just place cities based on the location?

Thanks

 

[akinkhoo]

sorry, i was thinking robocop
but ya, i would check it out

 

[akinkhoo]

I wouldn't place according to the grid.
I will spread my cities out near each other with as very little overlap.
some tile may be left without population, i don't mind!

My main rules of settlement:
1. Possible Canal (improve access sea route, and control land route!)
2. Small Isolated Island (provide a good air base, think midway and pearl habour)
3. Distance between other surrounding cities. (good planing is needed for good empire)
4. sea (port is an important part of my empire)
5. surrounding (best producetion tile around not under!)
6. river (no aquaduct needed, cheaper maintanance)
7. disease free zone (not very important since the land can be improved)

 

[Zouave]

Yea, I thought of Robocop first, too. Like to turn him lose on Soren.

 

[MrBiggBoy]

Originally posted by Zouave
Yea, I thought of Robocop first, too. Like to turn him lose on Soren.

oooooooooooooooo.. lol

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Then again, I pump settlers, and I play chieftain-regent, so I have time to place and develop cities. I dont have I NEED THAT RESOURCE NOW!

 

[God]

I used it in my regent Egypt game on HOF for my first cities. I got the idea after downloading Bamspeedy's HOF regent game, which he used it in.

On monarch I don't use it as much, because I place my cities far closer together.

 

[Sullla]

It's a nice idea, but rarely will you have the opportunity to do perfect rings of cities around your capitol. The theory behind this is good, but any "formula" approach to city placement can't apply well in all situations. I always decide on city locations based on the current situation; it may be more important to have some overlap or waste some tiles in order to get a key resource in play, or to found an early city on a river. On the highest difficulties, need comes before a pretty ring of cities.

 

[Chieftess]

(No, I didn't think of the Robocop thing..)

Anyway, traditionally, my cities look like the 1st layout. Maximum 2 square overlap. (comes from Civ2 where other civs ALWAYS built a city between yours - a 1-tile city even! I tried the circular build once, but didn't quite have the hang of it.


But, I do look for other things:

1. Bottlenecks - I may build a city there, build some around it (thus, being a possible FP site - both land and sea units). (sort of like akinkhoo's canal tip).

2. Rivers. Definately a boost for any capital, and increased gold!

3. Culture influence - I may try to work my cities towards another civ, to try an flip theirs.

4. Space Fillers - (inspired by Sulla's "Fill-in-Atsu" city in one of the succession games. ) Usually edges of land that fall outside the OCP pattern. These wind up being "fishing villages", or just a space to use up any would-be wasted production. (i.e., hills that are outside of other city radiuses (radii?)).

 

[Maple]

Thanks guys - I wasn't sure whether OCP is a great idea or nifty thought,

:jump:And to MrBiggBoy: That was the most informative post I have ever seen you post:jump:

 

[No.Dice]

If i have a fair amount of grassland to start, i'll opt for BillChin's dense build instead. Gives a nice boost to emperor difficulty starts, and lends itself well to my early warmongering play preference. Should i choose to play peacefully, my cities can share tiles, and benefit from minimal corruption. Also easily defendable against unwanted barbarians, or if Bismarck starts near you.

I like to pack my cities fairly close together, with rivers/hills, resources, and other terrain features dictating. Some of my cities can have a good bit of overlap, but even a size 12 city with railroads can produce the mordern era units in 2 turns. Cities with large populations suffer from pollution, and face unhappiness problems.

As Sulla said, rarely do you generate a map that allows more than (or even) 1 good ring around your capital. In these situations, you either bite the bullet and relocate your palace, putting yourself behind, or take some swordsmen and go looking for trouble.

 

[ainwood]

The OCP is a good idea, but the placement of the first few cities can be very important - getting enough resource squares in the city radius. It really depends on the terrain you have to work with. In mid-game, you can fill-in any gaps with small cities, just to get a bit more population.

 

[Tassadar]

i never use OCP or dense built. i always built according to a balance for food, production,commerce bonus, luxuries and ressource. No overlap or very few. Here an exemple, if i want to exploit 2 golden mountain then i need a food booster( cattle or wheat) so i manage to built my city to be able to work those food tile+mountain tile. Best city are a good balance of food and production, i prefer much more to have only 4-5 very good city ( in old age) then 10 overlapping city with some without enough food to grow quick.

 

[Daaraa]

I tend to have a little bit of overlap here and there but that is about it. In fact if there is some crappy ground like tundra I wont build there until either late or never. But I make sure my culture will absorb the ground quick so the AI doesn't build there.
I will also look for rivers to remove the aqueduct requirement. Bottle necks are nice. As are little islands for transporting purposes. In my current game, I've got cities spaced out so that I can get a tank built anywhere in my empire to any where else in my empire in the same turn.
I tend to follow Tassadar's and Chieftess' policies. I do not agree witht he dense build or building so that there is no overlap at all. Besides, most people are half-way through the game before hospitals so a little overlap is not bad. Too much will hurt you in the late game though.

 

[kring]

I try to use some kind of optimal placement, but initially much is decided by map layout and placement of terrain issues.

 

[Maple]

Originally posted by Tassadar
i never use OCP or dense built. i always built according to a balance for food, production,commerce bonus, luxuries and ressource. No overlap or very few. Here an exemple, if i want to exploit 2 golden mountain then i need a food booster( cattle or wheat) so i manage to built my city to be able to work those food tile+mountain tile. Best city are a good balance of food and production, i prefer much more to have only 4-5 very good city ( in old age) then 10 overlapping city with some without enough food to grow quick.

I've did this before, and do it know. I had the choice of having three cities with a wheat+flood plain and one with a golden mountain, but instead had one with all four bonuses