Hmm which is terrain is more useful?

[fret]

Just like the Sun is the source of all energy on earth, Food is the source of all power in Civ.

Tomoyo is correct. I cant be bothered explaining why in detail, but food definately is a more valuable resource than any other.

Heres a very short tutorial on the matter -

Food = Flexability

there ya go

 

[Masquerouge]

I prefer tundra. I hate deserts. Too hot.
...
A bit like choosing between AIDS and cancer, if you ask me

 

[philippe]

I like desert more.
tundra is just for outskurts of empires

 

[classical_hero]

Both are useless if they can't be improved. With desert, you get 1 shield, not much of a bonus. With Tundra, you get 1 foos bonus, again useless. I liked it when you you could transform terrain in Civ2, but since you couldn't improve the terrian, that option would utter useless. Have I mention that this is useless.

 

[necrosmith]

It's like the previous poster said...food is flexibility. Food is also power. There is an excellent article in the War Academy about this, I suggest all read it over.

 

[Colonel]

why u all keep sayin that deserts arent good for cities i have like four or five cities in the middle of a desert and they are fine granted they dont grow as fast as others but still i use them alot and get some use besides the resourses

 

[Scrubber]

I am gonna compare them as improved tiles, it's kind of pointless to compare them as unimproved tiles, since I would never work an unimproved desert or tundra unless my workers were way behind.

For non agricultural civs:

Until engineering, deserts and tundra are mostly equal, but desert is a little better because it is has two different ways it can be used.

Tundra mined and roaded = 1f 1s 1t
Desert mined and roaded = 0f 2s 1t
Desert irrigated and roaded = 1f 1s 1t.

So desert is better because you can use it in two different ways, either to get more food or get more sheilds.

After engineering but before steam power, Tundra is better, plain and simple.

Desert mined and roaded = 0f 2s 1t
Desert irrigated and roaded = 1f 1s 1t.
Tundra forested and roaded: 1f 2s 1t

After steam power, well it depends. A pure desert city is obviously way better than pure Tundra one, since with irrigation and railroads it can grow very well. But otherwise, it just depends if you want more food or more sheilds in that city. Normally you want food to at least grow the city so it can work all it's city radius tiles, but if you have a lot of extra food you might prefer the option to mine and railroad or forest and road.

In game I prefer desert in the steam power age, but before that I really dont like having to work desert tiles. I really dont mind working a forested Tundra before steam power.

Tundra forested and railroaded: 1f 2s 1t
Tundra mined and railroaded = 1f 2s 1t
Desert mined and railroaded = 0f 3s 1t
Desert irrigated and railroaded = 2f 1s 1t

For Agricultural civs desert is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better.

 

[Tholish]

If you are an Agricultural civ you can live on desert, even before rail. Sumeria can irrigate desert and its as good as undeveloped bonus grassland. Other civs get the same with rail. Ag civ with irrigated, railed desert has something perfectly good.
Even without that, one way to get a cheap win is to play an all desert map. You will have the sense to make workers, then join them to the city with just the right timing to let you make settlers before starvation sets in. The AI won't even think of it. They'll have only their original cities while you populate the whole world.

 

[Dunedain]

desert is the best for oil and saltpeter