Fresh water lake: noob

[AbyssalLoris]

Hi.. first time here.

I'm trying to understand what (if anything) can be done in a fresh water lake. My understanding is that you cannot build naval units (including work boats) as it is not coastal. So how do you harvest (or work) a fresh water lake tile? I don't see how the food/commerce units a fresh water lake tile shows have any significance. A city near it does not automatically work the water tile nor is it possible to build a boat to work it. So why does it show anything at all?

Am I missing something?

 

[Xtream_Rockstar]

you can build farms around it

 

[Mewtarthio]

You also get extra health for settling adjacent to it. The tile itself can be worked if you manually assign citizens to it (or if your governor decides to work it).

 

[AbyssalLoris]

Thanks for the quick reply. I understand you can build farms around it but what can you do ON it? I mean you can work coastal water tiles themselves. Accordingly they show some food/commerce units on them. The land tiles next to the lake show food units on them or whatever. But why do the lake water tiles themselves show anything?

I don't know if I'm making myself clear.

 

[drkodos]

Hi.. first time here.

I'm trying to understand what (if anything) can be done in a fresh water lake. My understanding is that you cannot build naval units (including work boats) as it is not coastal. So how do you harvest (or work) a fresh water lake tile? I don't see how the food/commerce units a fresh water lake tile shows have any significance. A city near it does not automatically work the water tile nor is it possible to build a boat to work it. So why does it show anything at all?

Am I missing something?

Welcome to the site!

Lakes are generally some of the lousiest tiles. You need to discover fishing in order to work them and even then, the only real benefit would be to grab a little extra commerce.

If perchance your city is also on a coast you can build a lighthouse and it will bump the food from 1 to 2. I believe the Colossus Wonder will also effect a lake tile (although it can be confusing since the tile generates commerce but the Wonder gives +1 gold to all worked tiles).

I avoid them whenever possible.

 

[playshogi]

Your citizens can work the tile (in the city screen) if you know the fishing tech.

 

[AbyssalLoris]

Looks like some people replied when I was typing. Ok so I need to know fishing to work those tiles. Makes sense now.

For a beginner some aspects of the game are very confusing and I wish the manual were more exhaustive. Though I can hardly complain as it is very detailed even now. Better than most other game manuals. I do appreciate a thorough manual. Enough of my rambling. Thanks.

 

[Mango]

Lakes are useful for two reasons. The added health bonus and irrigating the tiles around them. You will rarely find yourself working a lake tile however, except for the rare instances where you have a lake in your fat cross on a coastal city. Then you can build a lighthouse and make it a 2 food 3 gold tile. If you're financial then it becomes even more lucrative at 2 food 4 gold.

But for the most part they're useless unless you're not near any rivers.

 

[weimingshi]

If my memory is correct, fresh water lake gives +1 food then ocean square, at least those 1 square lakes does. I get 3 food 3 commerce in lake square with lighthouse.

 

[Pantastic]

Lakes are 2 food, 3 commerce base, if the city is also coastal and builds a lighthouse then it's a 3 food 3 commerce space. Yes, it's not a fully developed town, but it's not a bad space at all, especially in an early city.

 

[BeefontheBone]

Incidentally, the Colossus doesn't generate 1 gold/tile as stated here, tile yields only ever consist of food, hammers and commerce.

The best lake tile would be in the radius of a coastal city with the Colossus and a financial civ - 3f/5c.

 

[Pogel]

If you are a civ that starts with fishing, that lake can give you a nice little start of game boost in learning your first few techs. You can work it without stifling growth and 3C per turn for the first turns is hard to match. It obviously gets less useful later on, as it can't be improved, but those early turns are important and it can really help your tech rate.

 

[Dominico]

As for the question you asked if there is a resource there like fish no you cannot get it because you cant build a workboat. You can however get a few bonus resources for the unworked resource.