First thing to build in a new city?

attorneyatlol

Chieftain
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Apr 3, 2013
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What is the first thing you build in your second city? Subsequent early cities? Mid-Late game cities?
 
Monument since tile growing is slow, less barbs, faster resources, save some money on tile buy, etc etc.
 
Monument for the first wave expansion cities.
Then granaries for non-riverside cities, primary district like commercial or industrial for riverside cities.
 
For the first lot of settles I generally make a builder, with the +30% production card it's probably the most hammer-efficient infrastructure investment for them. Later on I find it better to have core cities spit out builders while the new cities build industrial zones (if in range of other cities) or commercial districts.
 
First thing? Start building a district to lock its production cost. Then switch to something else, usually monument or granary if it's a coastal city without fresh water. In the early game, building a slinger or a worker first can be a good idea as well.
 
For the first lot of settles I generally make a builder, with the +30% production card it's probably the most hammer-efficient infrastructure investment for them [...]
Building a worker in a fresh city sounds like a huge waste to me. I'd rather build them in one of the more developed cities, so that the new city that has low production and a lot of things waiting to be constructed can focus on the important stuff.

Most of the time my first build is the trade district, the extra trade route is stronger than really any local building. Sometimes, if there's a lot of good tiles around, I start with a monument before that, but I'm not quite sure how much that really helps and if it's actually a good thing to do or not.
 
Most of the time my first build is the trade district

My first wave of expansions are done before currency, the early military techs are far more useful for expansion, there's not much else to invest in infrastructure wise at that point. Builders and military are also the most efficient use of your hammers with ilkum and agoge.
 
I like going for a commercial hub if i can invest in a builder to chop some woods and the city has fresh water.

That extra internal trade routes (international ones seems futile so far) is just too damn good to delay.
 
I almost always go for early war so I use the new cities for mlitary. Once I have enough troops, I build the commerce district.
If the city doesn't have access to fresh water, I usually build a granary asap.

I rarely go for builders in new cities. I usually spam them in my capital when I think they will be useful, like chopping woods, or improving important tiles.
 
If I can get a nice peaceful start I go 1-2 scouts, builder, granary, settler. If I'm fighting a lot of barbarians, or think my neighbour is going to be aggressive, I'll build 3-4 slingers and upgrade them into archers ASAP. I'll normally start working towards a builder in my second city, I'll get a trader up in my capital and send it over to the other city. Once my capital starts reaching its housing cap again I'll build another settler, I do the same for my new city as well. My first district is generally always a commerce hub. That's really a rough idea. It all depends on the circumstances.


In one of my most recent games I had about 5 cities by turn 40-ish (online speed), not sure on the exact timing, but right around the time I got Political Philosophy.
 
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Early game, a monument.

Late game I would buy monument, granary and a builder. The first thing to build would be an industrial district to get production ramping with workshop+factory(+power plant).
 
First thing? Start building a district to lock its production cost. Then switch to something else, usually monument or granary if it's a coastal city without fresh water. In the early game, building a slinger or a worker first can be a good idea as well.

Is this the way it works? I thought district costs increase across all cities once a district is completed. Sounds like an exploit.
 
Is this the way it works? I thought district costs increase across all cities once a district is completed. Sounds like an exploit.

I think it's an exploit as well, one which Germany can abuse quite easily. Plop a new city, plop 3 districts immediately, and then work on whatever building/unit you want first.
 
The first thing I build in every new found city is a settler. No, just kidding. But it should be. Does building anything else than settlers and troops actually make sense if you're playing to win?
 
The first thing I build in every new found city is a settler. No, just kidding. But it should be. Does building anything else than settlers and troops actually make sense if you're playing to win?

I many games you don't need much more than that in the first 50 turns indeed. Maybe builders to chop out more builders and settlers or for the Eurekas. Maybe improve a few tiles for the amenities and trading with AI. Very rarely a trader is worth it for the road. Sometimes you want an Encampment, if you have one 1 Iron/Horse. If you are going for religion (which is rather weak ATM) a Holy Site. If you have a unique district, some strategies can make earlier use of it, but rather niche.

Actually districts are more of a mid/late game thing. In the early game you want an army, expand fast and make your economy boom. And since the AI is so weak, taking their stuff is the easiest way to achieve this.
 
I many games you don't need much more than that in the first 50 turns indeed. Maybe builders to chop out more builders and settlers or for the Eurekas. Maybe improve a few tiles for the amenities and trading with AI. Very rarely a trader is worth it for the road. Sometimes you want an Encampment, if you have one 1 Iron/Horse. If you are going for religion (which is rather weak ATM) a Holy Site. If you have a unique district, some strategies can make earlier use of it, but rather niche.

Actually districts are more of a mid/late game thing. In the early game you want an army, expand fast and make your economy boom. And since the AI is so weak, taking their stuff is the easiest way to achieve this.

Actually, if you get God of War pantheon and get religion (might be hairy on Deity and requires some twitchy action, like capturing a city state with temple district up a.s.a.p.), then beeline to Theology you can buy land units for faith, which is quite insane since you farm faith off everyones deaths.
I was literally spamming bombards this way in Renaissance.
 
I usually start off with a Monument and a Smokehouse (+1 food and +1 food on deer/cattle/sheep/coast). Mods are awesome. :D
 
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