Game of Economics

[marstinson]

On the Petty Criminal question, I know that they are very poor at just about everything, so it would not surprise me to find that their conversion rates as missionaries are lower than Free Colonists or even Indentured Servants. What's the point in having them otherwise? I just wish they were cheaper to purchase on the docks. Kinda bites that in the immigrant queue, they cost as much as an Elder Statesman or Firebrand Preacher, but perform less than half as well.

 

[Shylock]

Application is simple: make FOOD cities to pump out colonists

And horses, horses rely on food for production and they make Dragoons.


Also, specialisation and the division of labour is a good idea. However this leads to a lot of city building and the more cities you have and the bigger your land area the bigger the REF gets. It may behoove a player to not build as many cities which mean some might have to do more than one function.

 

[Colonel_Flagg]

If you can get an awesome city site, then yes by all means multi-function. In my last game I had one with 1 fish, 1 mountain, 1 hill, 3 dense forests, and 2 marsh/plains, so plenty of food, plenty of ore, and plenty of lumber. But I can't say that's common.

 

[JohnCataldo]

One possible reason there may be no lumberjack-trainers is because the Natives preserve the land, not chop it down. Makes some kind of sense, anyway.

 

[mstrzelec]

Guys,
Can you tell approximately what is (in numbers) huge REF? I am playing on Govenor now, got 85 turns left to win, with 25% total rebel sentiment, and REF is as follows:

81 Regulars
29 Dragoons
18 Artilerry
8 Man-o-War

Guess that's huge? Wonder if i'll make it or just start another one (that game was exploring really). Thanks

 

[Grotius]

I agree with the OP -- I love the economic tradeoffs in this game. I still have some questions though:

1. Someone above wrote that REF size depends in part on colony size. I thought I read in another post that REF size was tied solely to total bell production over time. Which is right?

2. For me one of the hardest tradeoffs is on bells. I tend to need them early if only to keep my settlements from being culturally swallowed by European neighbors. But I've read that making bells over a long period of time is worse than a short spurt of bells, because of decay. In other words, prolonged bell-building will produce a larger REF than a short bursts. What to do?

3. Do we ever need more than one college/school/university? Also, what precisely is the advantage of a university over a college?

4. One more: where do you get that FIRST lumberjack or blacksmith or carpenter with whom to educate others? Hope to get lucky on the docks, or purchase? You can't train one unless you get one as an immigrant first, right?

 

[Colonel_Flagg]

Wow, my post got placed into the strategy article section?! That's pretty cool!

Grotius: 1 and 2) The REF size depends in part on colony size because you need an absolute (as opposed to relative) greater number of bells in order to get up to 50% rebel sentiment. But also, I don't know the exact math, but it's something like "it doesn't matter if you produce 1 bell or 100 bells a turn, the REF will still increase by the same size" (THESE NUMBERS ARE NOT ACCURATE). So, it's better to produce as many bells in a short period in order to have a smaller REF. I am actually going to try a new strategy in my next game where I produce 20 bells early in order to expand my borders, and then stop until I'm ready to declare independence. (HOVER OVER THE BELL SYMBOL UNDER THE TOWN HALL IN THE COLONY SCREEN TO SEE HOW MANY BELLS YOU HAVE).

3) I have probably never had more than one university because I can simply move specialists into the university city in order to train the Colonist (doesn't need to be there the whole "educating" period" just the last turn). And I can't tell you the precise advantage (should probably read the Civilopedia), but it produces more "books," so you educate faster, and, like bells, when you produce books faster, it reduces the effects of diminishing marginal returns so the next Colonist doesn't take too much longer.

4) Yes, you have to either be lucky or purchase, but purchasing those units does not change over time, only Veteran Soldiers and Cannons increase with each purchase (maybe ships, but I've never bought one when I can just make one).

 

[Grotius]

Thanks for that reply. That answers all my questions.

You mentioned that you sometimes make ships. I assume you mean galleons, privateers and the like. Ever tried making a navy large enough to take on the King? That seems like a monumental task.

 

[Colonel_Flagg]

Well, now I take that back, because in my last game I actually did buy a galleon because I had a ton of treasures and cigars to sell, so I had enough, then I bought a frigate to combat some roving privateers. So there is never just one path to victory!

But yes, I primarily make privateers and galleons, but never Ships of the Line or Frigates to combat the King's Navy because it is way too powerful, and you have some advantage on land if you strategize correctly. But I have read other people doing that.

 

[Desert-Fox]

Well, now I take that back, because in my last game I actually did buy a galleon because I had a ton of treasures and cigars to sell, so I had enough, then I bought a frigate to combat some roving privateers. So there is never just one path to victory!

But yes, I primarily make privateers and galleons, but never Ships of the Line or Frigates to combat the King's Navy because it is way too powerful, and you have some advantage on land if you strategize correctly. But I have read other people doing that.

I've won by navy once but you have to pray that the king's navy wouldn't grow during the Liberty Bell push. If you make 7-8 Ship of the Lines and King has still 4 Man-o-Wars then you have probably won. But If king increases his navy to 10 then you have lost it.

 

[Supr49er]

Welcome to the Forums mstrzelec.

 

[mrjepson]

I have had good luck building a navy to beat the king. Just make sure you are on costal squares with a stack of units so he can't pick them off. In general it is a lot more cost and time effective to have built a pile of cannons and armed many soldiers than build a boat to fight the king. The big ships are more for multiplayer games. As a side note privateers are always worth having atleast one!