Explain National Parks to me...

[Roblord]

I feel extremely silly as I've been playing Civ 6 for years, but I don't understand how they work...even after reading the Civilopedia entry. A number of times I get a naturalist and I can never find a place where it will let me build a NP. So...what are the specific things I need for the formation of a National Park? I know it sounds foolish, but I more or less have been ignoring them up to now since I can never get a naturalist to find a spot they can actually build one.. LOL

 

[Disgustipated]

The biggest thing is having high appeal and switching tiles between cities so you have enough room to build one. Oh, and make sure no districts or improvements are in the spot you want to build one. Make sure to switch tiles so only one city controls the tiles you want to build a NP. You can have mountain tiles in a NP, but one tile needs to be a tile you can move your naturalist on. Mountains are good for improving appeal.

Appeal is a tricky one to explain, and may take a while before you can get high enough appeal (you need Charming or Breathtaking appeal). Building Eiffel Tower is very important, though not necessary. Getting Conservation so you can plant forests is important as well (Vietnam can do this earlier). Removing rainforest and marsh from both the area you want the national park, and the adjacent tiles next to where you want the national park is important (plant forests in the tiles adjacent to where you want the NP since forests can improve appeal adjacent to the tile they are on). Also make sure you don't have mines and quarries or districts that lower appeal next to the spot you want a national park.

Sounds like a lot, but once you get used to it, it's not so bad. Also if you can guild Golden Gate Bridge, that may help. Though often I find Golden Gate Bridge cities usually don't have room to build more than 1 national park. And yes you can build more than 1 national park per city.

I'm sure I'm missing stuff, but the game is about to start soon.

 

[InsidiousMage]

From here:

All tiles must have an Appeal rating of Charming or better.
All four of the tiles must be owned by the same city (that is, be in its territory).
The tiles must form a vertical diamond shape.
No tile can have an improvement or a District on it. Roads (and railroads) are permitted, though.

Putting four woods in the diamond shape with no mines, quarries, Industrial Zones, Rainforests or Encampments adjacent have enough appeal to become a national park.

 

[Disgustipated]

One more thing that may help is to "practice" on a practice city. Try to build a city near a lot of woods and mountains and don't build districts in that city or improvements. The city won't be productive, but it's just a practice city. Buy as many tiles as you can, and/or transfer tiles to this city. Put woods on every single tile and move a couple of naturalists there. you'll see how woods improves appeal along with the mountains. I believe natural wonders improve appeal as well?

 

[Lord Lakely]

Certain districts and improvements boost appeal as well. Persia and Egypt have the easiest National Parks because their UIs generate culture and appeal. Civs without such improvements can boost appeal artificially by using Liang's City Parks. Mines and Quarries, conversely, reduce appeal, so avoid placing those

As far as Districts go, the Preserve is a decent district to use on the dead space between your cities and make it NP worthy (though I think they're weak and unsuitable in most scenarios). Theatre Squares, Holy Sites and Entertainment Complexes also improve appeal of adjacent tiles. Industrial Zones and Encampments reduce it.

Most importantly is: all four tiles need to be of Charming or Breathtaking appeal and must be owned by the same city. You can check those things easily by using the lenses available to you. Don't be afraid to remove mines and quarries if needed.

Important to remember: Unless your national park is 3/4th mountain, NP cities will be largely useless for anything other than generating tourism. Only commit to national parks if you want the Era Score or if you plan to win via Culture Victory.

 

[Roblord]

Thanks for the quick replies. I build a lot of improvements in my games so that's part of the problem and probably just don't have enough appeal.

 

[Lokreah]

Appeal can be found in Civilopedia in game. It's explained well.

But simple things:

1. All tiles for the NP must be owned by a single city.

2. Tiles must be charming or breathtaking.

3. Tiles also cannot be improved.

4. One tile, of four, must consist of a feature (Marsh, Rainforest, or Forest). I believe a Geothermal Fissure is also included.

So, with this in mind, you can create National Parks out of thing air with Workers planting Forests. National Parks, imo, are fairly important, as they're +3 Amenities for the city itself, and then +1 Amenity in an aura to nearby cities.

In a game where the amenity penalty is so taxing, this is an easy way to make cities comfortable.

 

[Aurelesk]

4. One tile, of four, must consist of a feature (Marsh, Rainforest, or Forest). I believe a Geothermal Fissure is also included.

This part is not true: you don't need a feature at all!

Spoiler Here some desert National Parks :

As long that point 1 (4 tiles diamond shaped owned by the same city), point 2 (all tiles must have an appeal of 2 or more at creation*), and point 3 (no tile improvement / districts on the tiles), then you can put a National Park on it.

*: After it is created, the Appeal can drop or even being negative. Now I want to create the filthiest National Park ever created, like a National Park on a Floodplain that get barely enough Appeal to be a National Park (thanks to the Eiffel Tower / City Parks), then trade the city with the Eiffel Tower away, and replace the City Parks with Encampment or Industrial Zone.

 

[fy00sh]

After it is created, the Appeal can drop or even being negative.

I remember I've done this before on accident, and i have a hazy recolection of that natl park losing all of its tourism as soon as that happened, and getting it all back once i built the eiffel tower. however id like to stress im only pretty sure that actually happened, and i might me misremembering. if anyone gets the opportunity to test this i'd like to see if im right or if i just wildly misremembered

 

[InsidiousMage]

I remember I've done this before on accident, and i have a hazy recolection of that natl park losing all of its tourism as soon as that happened, and getting it all back once i built the eiffel tower. however id like to stress im only pretty sure that actually happened, and i might me misremembering. if anyone gets the opportunity to test this i'd like to see if im right or if i just wildly misremembered

This definitely happens with Neighborhoods. I've started building them more for the update to Public Transportation and found out after I built some that ended up next to Oil and Aluminum.

 

[Aurelesk]

I remember I've done this before on accident, and i have a hazy recolection of that natl park losing all of its tourism as soon as that happened, and getting it all back once i built the eiffel tower. however id like to stress im only pretty sure that actually happened, and i might me misremembering. if anyone gets the opportunity to test this i'd like to see if im right or if i just wildly misremembered

Negative Appeal and negative Tourism appeared to be a thing.

Spoiler A really uninviting Park :

Spoiler So disguting that it might make the Tourist run away :

Edit:

Spoiler Well, due to some Forestry Management, the National Park couldn't achieve it maximum potentiel. Fortunately, Reyna was promptly removed from position. Let's enjoy that beautiful Park once more :

 

[Disgustipated]

I build a lot of improvements in my games so that's part of the problem and probably just don't have enough appeal.

Yeah I'm an obsessive improvement person myself. Not to mention I tend to throw districts everywhere. Improvements aren't a problem, you just have to remember to remove them later. Districts of course can't be removed, so don't throw them everywhere. I didn't mention preserves in my above posts, since I'm still working with those in my games. My last game I had cultural victory off, so I didn't even bother to build a national park. I am starting to learn not to throw improvements everywhere with the preserve district. In a way, that's a good thing. Because the obsessive compulsive side of me wants to put an improvement on every single tile (just old Civ 2,3, and 4 habits). I have to train myself out of that habit with preserves.

 

[jasper]

The tiles certainly do not need a feature. 3 mountains and a hill worked in my last game.

One thing i dont think has been mentioned is your naturalist needs to access at least one space in the diamond. 4 mountains do not work.

 

[Baigan]

@InsidiousMage has the correct list of requirements.
@jasper is correct about mountains. Also, mountains always have Breathtaking appeal so it's pretty easy to plan a park that includes three mountains. Same with Natural Wonders.
@Lord Lakely gives a helpful list of sources that improve adjacency.

A couple other notes:

• National Parks cannot be placed on water tiles unless they are Natural Wonders (e.g., Lake Retba, Ha Long Bay, etc.)
• Avoid chopping woods if you want to place National Parks in a city. Old growth woods grant additional +1 Appeal at Conservation.
• This has already been said but I'll say it directly: most improvements DO NOT permanently lock you out from building a National Park on that tile later. You can place a National Park on that tile after removing the improvement. The exceptions are mountain tunnels and ski resorts, which can't be removed. A district DOES permanently lock you out from using that tile, though. (Barring mods/razing the city.)
  
• Sometimes the game is goofy and won't let you place a National Park where it should. The correct tiles glow white when you select the Naturalist but it just won't let you place it where you want. This happens when the game expects you to place the park in a different diamond that shares overlapping tiles. If this happens, use a Builder to make improvements on the tiles surrounding the place where you want the National Park then try again. (This behavior might have been patched? I haven't seen it in a while.)
  • If the tiles aren't glowing when you think they should be, double-check that they have the correct Appeal, that they all belong to the same city, and that they form a vertical diamond.

 

[fy00sh]

Avoid chopping woods if you want to place National Parks in a city. Old growth woods grant additional +1 Appeal at Conservation.

Something important to note here, which i've seen a lot of people get confused about: all woods grant +1 appeal to adjacent tiles, same as anything else, but the +1 appeal bonus at conservation applies to tiles that have old growth woods on them, NOT the adjacent tiles. that distinction can be pretty important for early planning

 

[Pfeffersack]

Something included in the rules above, but maybe worth to note extra (I learned it recently): The tiles don't have to be in the 3-tile-radius of the city. This allows building NPs on tiles you can't work anyway. Only caveat though: You can't swap (or buy) 4th+ ring tiles actively into the cities territory, so you have to solely rely on natural acquisition. Aggressive tile purchasing in the first 3 rings helps though with this approach, as the natural expansion into the 4th ring starts then earlier.

 

[fy00sh]

Adding on to what @Pfeffersack pointed out: natural acquisition only goes to the 5th ring. You might be able to get a tile as far out as the 8th ring if that one tile acquisition Great Merchant works that far out, but I've never tested it (for fairly obvious reasons) and i've never come across a situation that i recall where that seems like the best use of that GP

 

[PiR]

You can't swap (or buy) 4th+ ring tiles actively into the cities territory

I think I was able to swap them (but not buy them, of course)

 

[Tech Osen]

Thanks for the quick replies. I build a lot of improvements in my games so that's part of the problem and probably just don't have enough appeal.

Roads and even railroads are allowed and can even be built after you create the park.

 

[Tech Osen]

National Parks cannot be placed on water tiles unless they are Natural Wonders (e.g., Lake Retba, Ha Long Bay, etc.)

I never thought of trying the water based natural wonders. I guess I usually block that by a city centre or other district. Have to keep that in mind.