growing an SSC

[mardukes]

In the extreme, do you have all your cities send a settler to get growth up to 8 and then pound food caravans to cause growth?

Aren't these tactics against some tricks restrictions?

How hard (at what sacrifice) do you chase to get sewer systems early?

How long can you wait deciding on a site before the AI beats you to completion of the Colossus?

How critical is a trade special or two to the site?

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

Get to an early Republic, get the city to a size 3, and let it grow via WLTLD.

Ideally a great SSC will have multiple trade specials/rivers and help your science grow (along with freight deliveries and AI trading) at a pace where you can get Sanitation very quickly.

 

[Ace]

How many science beakers should a "good" SSC generate?

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

As many as possible.

Maybe some people that play OCC or EL games can give some benchmarks for a good SSC.

 

[ElephantU]

Good: 1000+ beakers
Great: 2000+
(this is based on a city with 25-30 citizens (>20 as Scientists), all squares being worked for trade, 3-4 high-trade specials, Lib/Univ/ResLab plus Colos, Copes & Newt)

Look for the sites with three or four high-trade specials in the outer corners. Sometimes one or two are hidden under Grass.

High-trade specials:
Gold=6
Wine,Gems,Spice,Ivory=4
Whales,Silk,Furs=3

Three other desired criteria:
- Rivers: the more the better
- Grass for faster growth and more citizens
- Ocean access (not as important, but still useful)

Wonders to build:
Colossus, Copernicus, Shakespeares, Newtons
(also consider Hanging Gardens and KingRichards)

The "trick" that is usually frowned upon is the Food Caravan Trick, or FCT. See descriptions in the GOTM Techniques and Cheats thread by Starlifter. Sending settlers to help a single city work its terrain is not against any rules, just a matter of priority. With a Temple you can WLTCD to size 7 in Deity, size 8 in Emperor level or below. Add a Colosseum and you can WLTCD to size 12. Beyond that you need Shakes or Mikes and JSB.

 

[mardukes]

Originally posted by ElephantU
With a Temple you can WLTCD to size 7 in Deity, size 8 in Emperor level or below. Add a Colosseum and you can WLTCD to size 12. Beyond that you need Shakes or Mikes and JSB.

Just what I was going to ask. Is that a function of being in Republic? I could swear that red faces come up well before 8 in emperor and just a temple & mysticism.

I'm still looking for more of the original question. What are the other cities for? Just settlers, caravans and diplomats?

 

[la fayette]

Originally posted by mardukes


I'm still looking for more of the original question. What are the other cities for? Just settlers, caravans and diplomats?

If you intend to achieve early landing, the other cities can be considered 'helpers' of the SSC, which is the core of your civ (and build almost only camels, lots of camels, ... and even more camels).

Read solo's ' Early landing strategy guide' (second post on top of Apolyton's Strategy Forum) for details.

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

Here's an example from my game of a (I think anyway) decent SSC:

(Current) Size 28, late game (Colossus Expired), two +22 routes, one route that changes with deliveries (currently a +9), Superhighway, Library, University, Research lab. 135 trade arrows. With 100% science and 8 scientists it can generate 1272 beakers. It has no rivers, but has 3 roaded spice, the rest are grass, plains, or ocean.

(Improved) The only way to improve on that within this game is to get the city larger and have more scientists. At size 36 (where you can't make entertainers scientists anymore) with 16 scientists, it generates 1464 beakers.

(Ideal) Now, if I give the AI one of my close by cities, connected by rail and such, give the new city all the improvements, force the AI into a Democracy, establish 3 trade routes with them (at +45 each) my science generation jumps to 2120.

If my SSC had some rivers and/or gold in it it could be even better. I'm happy with the potential of around 1500 science with mine.

 

[sethos]

A good SSC generates about 800-1200 beakers a turn (after SETI and superhighways, flight already discovered)
An excellent SSC generates more than 1500. I once had one with more than 1600 (4 x wine, lots of rivers)
AFAIK the record is about 1800 (4xgold), but this was no random map.
Trade specials are very critical to the site: you won't get a good SSC with 4 buffaloes - except there are really many river tiles.
Terraforming with engineers is important: Wheat to wine, fruits to wine, prairie (desert, glacier, tundra) to grass.
My SSCs don't bild a single settler - and you must begin early (your 2nd or 3rd city in deity mode).

 

[funxus]

Sethos, check this link out.

Look at Tim's pictures...

 

[Andu Indorin]

And Tim didn't use the airbase cheat to get a couple more Einsteins into the picture ...

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

Originally posted by sethos
AFAIK the record is about 1800 (4xgold), but this was no random map.

You can get higher than that. I've posted the picture of Rivertowne several times before...It is the best I've gotten from a random map and normal game play (one of the GOTMs). Only one trade special, but tons of rivers.


Just noticed that you said after flight, and this was before. I don't know what it was after colossus was gone.

 

[mardukes]

This is great, and I need work on executing this advice, but, tell me about the OTHER cities. Again, if they do nothing but send caravans to the SSC they never develop. Ie, what is the endgame? Where do the shields come from? Where are the space ship parts built? One at a time in the SSC?

 

[ElephantU]

Depends on your game and the terrain. Early on, the "helper" cities stay small, supporting a Settler each and producing caravans for SSC wonders. Gold saved from improving those cities goes into the SSC improvements. Mid-game, once the SSC has the key wonders and improvements switch to developing the helper cities as well as establishing more cities far from home as trading colonies. Alternate rounds of high-Lux WLTC/PD to pump up groups of cities while focusing the SSC on max research. Your endgame should have between 12 and 24 decent cities, with lots of trade going back and forth over shipchains and airlifts. At least one tech per turn, sometimes two should be achievable.

Again, read the Early Landing Strategy Guide La Fayette mentioned here:
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=82209