How to best use your tiles when playing as a non city state focused nation

[Jarlean]

So there have been some very good cases made for just building trading posts when you play as Greece or Siam. What are your opinions on how to use tiles when playing as other civilizations? I am especially curious of China or Persia.

 

[King Jason]

There's virtually no reason not to invest in city-states regardless of which civ you are... but nonetheless it's a fine question. I think the first obvious suggestion would be to farm river-side tiles as Civil service makes them quite good for growth and will allow you to run other food deficit tiles.

Something I liked to do is to farm riverside hills, as it produces 2f 2p 1g with civil service, making it a nice well-rounded tile for a city.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

The problem is that the Maritime bonus is too strong, and makes other strategies moot. I'm normally not a fan of just nerfing powers, but I think changing this would open a lot of possibilities.

 

[delra]

In a normal game you'd farm all "fresh water" tiles and then everything else you didn't use normal way, mine all hills, create trade posts only on roads and build academies and workshops with great persons in less useful tiles like sand and stuff.

 

[Jarlean]

So you would not try for just gold as another civ?

 

[King Jason]

So you would not try for just gold as another civ?

I don't get why you're being civ specific. Investing in city-states aren't restricted to Greece and Siam. The "very good case for TP spamming" applies to all civs as all civs benefit hugely from city-state allies.

Basically the question essentially becomes; "What should I do if I'm not going to TP spam" ~ The answer is play normally ~ farm areas that'll give you a food surplus to work food deficit tiles. Have some cities TP spam so you can generate a lot of gold, other cities build farms so they can work hills to make production.


The strategy for city-states lies in the fact that Maritime city-states give you all the food you'd ever need, rendering the farm improvement useless. This is the case for every civ. Hell, I have even maintained 14 city-state allies (huge map) while A.) not being Greece or Siam, and B) not even having Patronage. They're worth it no matter what.

 

[Rinus4]

Well I had a lot help from my Civ States:

I was doign culture vic, but Aztecian (same continent) declared me the war, so I allied 3 civs and all granted my acces to 'high' fighting-units. But they never goes to the Aztecs by themself to wipe out or help me holding the borders.