FP now or later???

[Sentinali]

What do you do? Do you build a FP so that your civ has two perfect rings of non-corrupt cities, or do you wait to take over a rival.

For me it usually depends on the civ, with Persia, I will build it after my early war, but with most other civs and on larger maps its build later.

What do you do, and why?

 

[petey]

I usually build in it the capital of the first civ that I take over.

I find that the AI is pretty good at city placement around its captials, so building the FP there is a good way to have yourself two functioning empires up and running to then go after the rest of them.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Depends on the circumstance. On a real crowded map, the first civ you take over might be too close to you to have the bigger effect had you placed the FP further away from the capital. However, by having a second production zone that quickly will give you a huge early lead and you might be able to run over all the AI real early in the game. If you save it for later, then you will have more of a powerhouse for the industrial-modern era. So it depends on how early you want or think you can take over the world .

But, keep in mind (I'm assuming you are using a leader for this), while you have that leader sitting on his butt doing nothing, you are preventing your chances of getting another leader until he gets used up (can't have 2 leaders simultaneously). If you do use that leader on a Great Wonder, waiting for the FP until later, you may never get another leader for the rest of the game, so no FP .

 

[No.Dice]

I'll generally use my leader for the sistine chapel. If i miss it i'll either lay down bachs or go for the FP. If i'm lucky enough to get a second leader, i almost never get it before the late industrial age. By then my cities are so productive that i can build most any wonder i want quickly enough (i cash rush my factories/coal plants) that i feel silly using a leader. I don't see much usefulness in armies.

My FP is usually built a bit outside the fringe of my first ring of productive cities. There, the cities are not overly corrupt and can usually complete it in 20-30 turns. This gives the benefit of helping out my other fringe cities, bringing them from 30-50% corrupt back to useful enough to create the strongest military unit of the era in 2-6 turns. Whether its in conquered land or not just depends on what the random map dealt me.

Although i generally try to build the FP as early as possible, the option usually doesn't present itself and i end up building it in the late middle, or early industrial ages. I think 6 content faces (from the cathedrals-sistines) can outweigh the increased production from the early FP, allowing me to be the aggressor as a republic/democracy and invest no money in my luxury taxes.

 

[God]

It depends on when you plan to conquer. I built up my civ throughout the ancient and middle ages and had a FP not too far from my capital. At that point all my cities were high production cities. Then i went and conquered everybody in the Industrial and early modern ages. Sure the corruption was bad but my heart of the empire was very productive and it managed to outproduce all other civs.

 

[Dutchman]

I always use my first leader to buid the FP and in most cases the city I'm buiding it in doesn't even exist so I rush a settler put down the city in a faverable spot for two nice city rings and rush the FP so I can benefit from it from as early on as possible!!

 

[Dinosaur]

OK you guys, please explain the concept of "city rings".

I understand how corruption increases with distance from the capital/FP. To hear talk of city rings makes it sound like there is some optimal distance to shoot for.

TIA for any smarts.

 

[Sentinali]

City Rings refers to the optimal corruption placement for you cities, palace and FP.

For example, where X represents a city, and P represent your palace and F your forbidden palace.


--X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
--X-P-X-X-X-F-X-
--X-X-X-X-X-X-X


Sentinali.

 

[d3dash]

I will usually wait to build my FP, the first leader I get imidiatly buils an army and I send it out to win against anything. Then I worry about the FP later in the game, I would say I build the FP in the mid to late industrial when I have already conqured a few civs, and I can pick the very best spot. I try to get it on another continent if possible, and as far away from my cap as possible.