Floating Gardens - worth it?

[Decker87]

I like playing as the native american civilizations. However, the aztecs seem very underpowered. The floating gardens is their only decent bonus. However, it seems like I never start anywhere near a lake, and if I do, it's only one tile.

I understand that it does give +2 food and +15% food on its own, but it feels like the lake part of it gets lost. Any tips on finding bigger lakes or which map types might provide bigger lakes?

 

[Slowpoke]

Isn't it lake or river?

 

[scytheavatar]

The 15% food bonus and the -1 gold maintenance is pretty much the only reason to build the Floating Gardens. To me, it's an OK UB but certainly far from being a contender for best UB in the game. The aztecs are indeed underpowered, but their biggest strength is probably their Jaguars which has the potential to be extremely powerful when promoted to Longswordsmen and Riflemens, but there are more powerful combat tactics from other civs.

 

[Decker87]

Isn't it lake or river?

No. It is only lake.

 

[Slowpoke]

"City must be built next to a river or lake" Yay, another civilopedia error :/

 

[Antarion]

it can be build near rivers or lakes. it gives +2 food in lake tiles which wont be 5 with a lighthouse (if possible to get a coastal lakeside town).

it also reduces maintance downwards to 1 and gives a flat 15% growth bonus.

yeah like all UB its kinda worth it! and the UA is also great if you dont play ICS (which you should not do as aztecs or dont understand the game)

 

[eviltypeguy]

Build them in city with a lake in its radius and you'll get an achievement too!

 

[Whiterussian]

But i really like the culture bonus for killing enemy's!

 

[Bandit17]

The Aztec's UB is subpar and takes a little luck to land a decent lake. I have played the Aztecs twice and have yet to have my capital on a lake but if I did it would certainly kick butt. The Aztecs are an early strong power with an aggressive playstyle which I do enjoy.

 

[Licinia Eudoxia]

I dunno, if you DO get a city that has a three hex lake, or if you get a city that is both coastal and lakeside (I've done it), that city can get HUGE, easily. Floating Guardians have a pretty nice impact in my opinion. I didn't think so at first, but after playing a few games as Aztecs, I really liked them.

Besides, Floating Gardens take a building I rarely ever build (Water Wheel) and make it into something much nicer. That's much more interesting than the Temple replacements or University replacements some other Civs have, since I typically building those buildings 100% of the time anyway.

I wish Jaguars were maybe a bit better, but right now, with the way Unit Promotions carry across upgrades, it's really nice to have a bunch of Jaguars upgraded throughout the ages. Jaguar Riflemen are pretty nifty.

 

[Babri]

But i really like the culture bonus for killing enemy's!

I am not sure but that bonus was very little when last time I played, something like 3 when killing a warrior.

 

[DashieBaby87]

I had this really nice start between two lakes, and even a big inland sea on another side (so, water on all three sides, with a thin strip of land connecting two land masses) with the Aztecs. Needless to say my capital city was awesome with the floating gardens.

I am not sure but that bonus was very little when last time I played, something like 3 when killing a warrior.

Remember that it goes up per enemy, though. Killing brutes won't do anything special, but taking on an AI army makes for some nice culture. I remember someone saying on here that they were getting 200 culture from nuking.

 

[Catastrophe90]

The bonus is 50% of something according to the XML, most likely of the killed unit's Strength. That's sorta small later on, but does help a little in the beginning.

Hilariously, there's a mod (don't remember which) that makes Water Wheels (and thus Floating Gardens) give +1 to flood plains. That makes the Aztecs better in Deserts than Jungles...

On a slightly in related sidenote, would it be possible to modify the start bias so that Aztecs start near lakes? Like this?

Spoiler :

<Row>
<CivilizationType>CIVILIZATION_AZTEC</CivilizationType>
<RegionType>REGION_LAKE</RegionType>
</Row>

 

[Dermo]

I am not sure but that bonus was very little when last time I played, something like 3 when killing a warrior.

But it scales upward from there. I forget the exact formula, but more advanced units give more culture.
Also in the advanced settings in the start up menu there is a 'lakes' map a la cIV. I would imagine thats your best bet for capitalizing on the Aztec UB

 

[Babri]

But it scales upward from there. I forget the exact formula, but more advanced units give more culture.

I know but still it is not much since culture cost increases by a lot & the UA becomes an average one.

 

[Vordeo]

The Aztec UB is so good it almost makes up for their crap UA and average UU.

To clarify, it can be built along lakes and rivers. The main bonus of the UB is the +15% to food in the city, which is massive. Aztecs can get some ridiculous population growths going, and even if you're not going for that it at least means you can run extra specialists.

The lake bonus isn't really relevant, as lakes are generally pretty scarce.

I am not sure but that bonus was very little when last time I played, something like 3 when killing a warrior.

It's supposedly the strength of the unit killed halved, so if you were to kill a Longswordman you'd get 9 culture (18 str/2).

Still a very poor ability, overall. Awesome thematically though.

 

[Peng Qi]

Small arctic oceans hemmed in by ice count as lakes, which means the Aztecs are oddly enough one of the best Civs to be when all of the good land has been colonized already and all that's left are icy areas.

 

[Txurce]

I just killed a Brute with a Jaguar, but healed normally. Shouldn't it be instant?

 

[Zechnophobe]

The Aztec UB is so good it almost makes up for their crap UA and average UU.

To clarify, it can be built along lakes and rivers. The main bonus of the UB is the +15% to food in the city, which is massive.

So, be careful about posting things like this. The +15% bonus only applies to your growth rate, not your total food production. So a city producing 100 food, and eating 98, gets .3 food from a floating garden. Even if you had a 20 food surplus (yeah right!) it gives only an additional 3 food.

It looks like a great building, until you realize:

1. Lake squares are pretty bad, and one more food only makes them decent.
2. The +15% is growth, not total.

 

[Vordeo]

So, be careful about posting things like this. The +15% bonus only applies to your growth rate, not your total food production. So a city producing 100 food, and eating 98, gets .3 food from a floating garden. Even if you had a 20 food surplus (yeah right!) it gives only an additional 3 food.

You sure about that? Thought it was +15% food. I'll check later.

Still a good building though.