How many farms should I build versus building districts?
- Thread starter s0nny80y
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crazyjoe0813
Warlord
42.
ExemplarVoss
Prince
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Depends on the city and its tiles and resources. Since they're built in different ways, I don't find much conflict between them. I try to max out my districts and have enough farms for rapid growth (20+ turns is too long, build more farms). Since districts don't have to be worked, it really isn't an issue.
JustMormegil
Chieftain
Also remember, that its more profitable to build farms by triangles, as starting from Feudalism you gain +0.5 bonus food from farm for each neighbor farm. Consider this when planning your farms / districts.
Kouvb593kdnuewnd
Left Forever
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6 farms give 3 housing and 3 citizens are what you need for a district.
MadDjinn
Deity
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you need 6 farms total before Feudalism (for the eureka).
So two triangles is best there (3 farms per city in triangles), but sometimes you have enough rice/wheat to get there anyways.
Otherwise, have enough farms to grow. if you don't have the pop to work the farms (or housing from other things to even grow more pop), don't build them outside of the core 3 triangle. Never over farm. Yes you get more housing, but if you lack amenities, then mass farm/growth to fill housing is bad if it means driving you into negative amenities (so get entertainment districts instead).
Districts.. actually can use pop for the specialists (one per building in the district).
And you should aim to have max districts for your pop where plausible (some cities aren't great, but whatever). Ofc, make sure you put the district in the right location. Sometimes you have to wait for the culture border growth or purchase a hex.
So two triangles is best there (3 farms per city in triangles), but sometimes you have enough rice/wheat to get there anyways.
Otherwise, have enough farms to grow. if you don't have the pop to work the farms (or housing from other things to even grow more pop), don't build them outside of the core 3 triangle. Never over farm. Yes you get more housing, but if you lack amenities, then mass farm/growth to fill housing is bad if it means driving you into negative amenities (so get entertainment districts instead).
Districts.. actually can use pop for the specialists (one per building in the district).
And you should aim to have max districts for your pop where plausible (some cities aren't great, but whatever). Ofc, make sure you put the district in the right location. Sometimes you have to wait for the culture border growth or purchase a hex.
Negative -1 amentiy is nowhere near the food growth problem simply being at "only" +1 housing capacity is though; so I'm not sure there is such a thing as "over farming" as long as the luxuries were hooked up and nearby city spots claimed before the unworked farms were hooked up.
In fact, I've not yet seen a Let's Play video where in early game the player had a city with a shortfall in amenities. By contrast, I see a lot of tiny cities due to housing capacity problems in the let's play videos.
It's not for the food production that you need the farms to grow; it's for the housing capacity increases otherwise the cities stay tiny. Of course Granary, and if non-fresh water Aqueduct (if possible) take priority.
Zenstrive
Ocean King
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Housing problems can be solved by aqueducts, granaries, sewers, districts, policies, (and wonders?). Farms only give 0.5 housing each while taking a whole tile.
Heck, currently my riverside capital doesn't have aqueducts and it can support up to 25 pops, and only at 19 pop now, with I think only 3 farms supplying it.
Heck, currently my riverside capital doesn't have aqueducts and it can support up to 25 pops, and only at 19 pop now, with I think only 3 farms supplying it.
I've never seen this happen in any game, what do the rebels do?
MadDjinn
Deity
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Mostly the rebels will mass pillage. They usually aren't strong enough to break walls, but if you don't have walls they can take and raze the city.
cephalo
Deity
I think it's worth while to farm any tile you aren't using. Make the serfdom card a priority so the builds are much cheaper.
I was referring to building the farms that wouldn't be immediately worked for housing purposes (e.g. ensuring the city stays at +2 and above housing capacity) after the city already has a granary & if it didn't have fresh water aqueduct, but prior to having the ability to build sewers & neighborhoods. I would also agree that Serfdom is better timing for building farms as pure housing.
LanguishViking
Warlord
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For the universal city 2 modern triangle farms (12x2)(assuming 1 plains, 1 grassland, 1 resource) and 1 internal trade rout (max 16 iirc) and max food buildings (+5) and city center district (+2) gives you 47 food, enough for 23 pop generating 8 potential districts. Remember there are only 8 districts needing population. Germany can get max with only 1 triangle farm.
gunnergoz
Cat Herder
Voted Least Helpful Reply. For today, anyway.
Editorializing aside, it is a valid question. I create only enough farms to ensure growth and seldom bother with the 3 in a triangle idea, though it may be worth trying if one has a lot of empty tiles and need housing badly. Builders are valuable in the beginning and take up a lot of production or cash so I use them to boost good food tiles first then mines and amenities, though the build order may vary based on immediate needs.
