Great Person Farm, what do you build it?

[Webb]

-edit- Gah, I mean when do you build it - can't seem to edit the topic.

I haven't used a GPF in the normal sense, my GPF has always been my capital as that is where all my wonders are usually built (with Beauracracy), and that's where I typically put the national epic (and Oxford).

In my current game I went into it with the goal of building a GPF outside the capital but was unable to due to my finances not being where they should have been. My GPF turned into a commerce city as that is what I needed at the time (all jungle cleared into farms and cottages).

My question then is how soon do you typically start a GPF? Your second city? Third? Sixth? I'm having difficulty incorporating this valuable tactic into my games and was looking for some input. I play on Prince, epic, Roosevelt (I have an affinity to play my home country!).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sir Janus]

A city that is a good GPF (lots of food) is also good at providing workers and settlers early on. Also a GPF needs a large population which is not possible on higher levels until you get some resources hooked up and, possibly, an aqueduct built, so I tend not to bother with farming great persons until I have five or six cities and the price of great persons has risen a bit. The first few great persons are normally obtained through stonehenge or other wonders and buildings.

 

[Gumbolt]

When you find a good location is normally a good time. I would normally want 3-4 cities before i even consider a GP farm. Ideally a site with flood plains and lots of food resources or jungle with grassland so i can have lots of specialists once irigated and city becomes huge. My GP farm on my last game was producing 160 great people points per turn come the end game with 11 specialists in city. This was with a philosphical leader (China). I normally wouldnt build any cottages as this would slow growth. (National epic and pacifsm too)

By end of game i had 2-3 good cities helping produce great people. I reached just over 3300 great people points by time i won by domination thats about 16 great people over the whole game. Strangely the GP farm was my 7-8th city and needed 8 or 9 jungle chopped before it became useful. I had held back the national epic for this city. As a stop gap i used wonders to provide early great people.

I would wait for an ideal site before pushing for a great people farm. Its worth scouting enemy land to spot good sites. An axemen rush often helps steal prime locations and often the city captured on it is large in size.

 

[Dagoril]

My first city often (but not always) becomes my GP farm. So in a sense it's there from the beginning hehe. I usually try to build Stonehenge, usually in my first city, so as soon as it is built, the city starts generating GP points.

If for some reason my first city is not the one I choose for the GP farm, I usually make the decision around when I have 5-ish cities, and can see what cities are producing what, when they have reached a reasonable size. If my first city isn't the GP farm, it's usually either my science center, or one of my production cities...it really depends on the terrain, and where I ended up building/capturing the next cities.

 

[BlackMage]

My first city winds up being a science city most of the time - grassland/FP on a river, with a few hills around.

For a GP Farm, I usually build on flood plains where most, if not all tiles in the fat cross can be farmed, then grow the city and spam specialists with Caste System.

 

[Civman123]

Often it isn't the Floodplains that is the best because you lose health which is the only real limit on how big you grow (Whip or Cash Rush a Globe theater and a National Epic. Let it grow for maybe 100 turns and then comes Specialtists!

 

[wiseguy101]

My capital is usually my production capital, and some other city usually becomes my largest city in terms of population. I should try to change this, but I can't seem to do it.