The way I see it, trade is definitely the key to keeping your civ flush with cash. Some ways you can increase your trade are:
- Placing workers on tiles that offer decent trade (whales, silk, fish, and any water).
- Making roads on grassland/plains tiles will bump the trade.
- The Colossus will give extra trade up to discovering flight.
- By far the best way to increase trade is to produce caravans. Caravans give a one-time science and cash boost, but they also establish tade arrows for up to 3 routes that will stay for the city and even grow as the city does.
These arrows help with so many aspects - happiness, science, etc. With trade routes in as many cities as you can muster, you should never want for money throughout the game.
Marketplaces, banks and stock markets will definitely help with your cash (as well as happiness in Republic and Democracy - which could mean the ability to lower luxuries eventually). However, be sure that you are making a "profit" on these improvements. I believe that marketplaces increase the gold earned by a city by 50%. If the city is making 2 gold every turn, then a marketplace will increase this to 3. With the cost of 1 gold for upkeep, this is basically a wash until the city produces extra gold. (Of course, with Adam Smith's, a marketplace will have 0 upkeep - making it more profitable to build). A bank and a stock market have higher upkeeps, so keep them in mind when you are building them.
Where food is concerned, there are some basics to remember:
- Be sure to build in an area where food will available. Grassland is a good basic square while fish, whales, and wheat are examples of special icons that will help. Be sure that the square on which you actually BASE your city is one that could give you some food as well. It can cause some slow growing if you build on a hill or a forest square - though it will increse the defense of that city.
- While water will only give a single food at the very start, a harbor will provide for 2 food for every water square. Not to mention that each water square will give you 3 trade arrows.
- Keep in mind that in a republic or democracy that settlers/engineers will take 2 food from your city. However, these are the units you will need to develop irrigation (which will add 1 food for every square irrigated). If you think about it, with 2 squares irrigated a settler/engineer will pay for itself food-wise, and given that they will make roads, clear crud like jungle and swamp, and eventually enable you to settle new cities you can see how valuable they are for you.
Have no doubts that as you keep playing you will see what works for you and what doesn't. It certainly is fun learning! Believe me, althought I've played this game for about 5 years, I am constantly picking up new ideas from this site!
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Diplomacy - the art of
saying "Good Doggie"
until you can find a rock