How to get the big bucks?

[CrimsonEdge]

I seem to be having some major problems getting a steady flow of gold. I did an experiment with one town to see if I could generate some cash flow. I picked financial as well. I happened to be near a gold and silver mine, so I had an extra lucky start. I researched mining right away to take immediate benefit from this. I then researched pottery and started building houses in all the spots that I couldn't fit farms on.

I had no cash flow at all, even after the majority of the tiles were being used. I'm sure I'm missing something super obvious here.

So what gives?

 

[Baru]

then researched pottery and started building houses in all the spots that I couldn't fit farms on.

Put them everywhere (not including hills) but make sure there is enough food to grow to the max size.

 

[JrK]

Start building cottages. Right from the start. Work them. Right from the start.

 

[mice]

I had no cash flow at all, even after the majority of the tiles were being used. I'm sure I'm missing something super obvious here.

So what gives?

If you're working those cottages, ie.got a white circle over them, and if you're working those gold/silver mines (you did mine them right?) then you will have gold coming in.
The problem could be that you have too many cities, or too many units. Press F2 to look at your financial situation. On the right side are all the costs from Army and city/civic upkeep. If these are too high, you will crash

 

[CrimsonEdge]

If you're working those cottages, ie.got a white circle over them, and if you're working those gold/silver mines (you did mine them right?) then you will have gold coming in.
The problem could be that you have too many cities, or too many units. Press F2 to look at your financial situation. On the right side are all the costs from Army and city/civic upkeep. If these are too high, you will crash

I did the experiment with one worker and one explorer and three archers. I had about three flood plains and I worked one of them right away so I could grow in size quickly. After I went up in pop size three, pottery was done so I started plopping down cottages everywhere. I put the spare citizen on another farm untill the cottage was done.

I think this went on for about 50 turns before I got attacked. The amount of gold I had was 0 the entire time. I had some 30+ coins being generated at my only city and I still had no income.

Would this have to do with research, by chance?

 

[TeeWee]

I did the experiment with one worker and one explorer and three archers. I had about three flood plains and I worked one of them right away so I could grow in size quickly. After I went up in pop size three, pottery was done so I started plopping down cottages everywhere. I put the spare citizen on another farm untill the cottage was done.

I think this went on for about 50 turns before I got attacked. The amount of gold I had was 0 the entire time. I had some 30+ coins being generated at my only city and I still had no income.

Would this have to do with research, by chance?

Did you by any chance forget to change your wealth/research/culture slider? It's set to 100% research at the start.

Remember, the cottages generate commerce (units that can be converted in either wealth, research or culture), not wealth! (wealth is the Civ-speak for actual gold)

 

[mice]

Would this have to do with research, by chance?

Yes. I fogot to mention that all your gold goes to research if your slider is set at 100%. change it to 60% or so and you will get gold. But what are you going to do with that gold? Best thing to spend it on is research at this stage.
Later in the game your upkeep costs will hit into that gold and the slider will drop down of it;'s own accord. 90,80,70%. Cottage based economy, you want it at about 60% most of the time (should be expanding , this costs gold)

Yeah, TeeWee posted while I was posting. Those gold coins are commerce. This gets split into gold and research, and later into culture aswell. The idea is to generate a lot of commerce, and then split it judiciously between research, and the costs of expansion (army upkeep,city/civic maintenance) . Getting that balance right is one of the main things you need to learn to play Civ.

 

[Welnic]

If you turn the research down from 100%, then you will start to see money coming in. The cottages, etc, generate commerce. The research slider decides how much goes to research versus gold. If you have 30 commerce in city and set the slider to 50% then you would get 15 beakers and 15 gold.

 

[CrimsonEdge]

Thats good to know. I always did let my research slider and cash do it's own thing. It was only recently that I wanted to start effecting this and the last game I played I was the poorest nation in the world. That was no good.

I've got another question. How much cash would it take for an ally of an enemy of mine to declare war on the enemy? Is that even possible?

 

[cabert]

Thats good to know. I always did let my research slider and cash do it's own thing. It was only recently that I wanted to start effecting this and the last game I played I was the poorest nation in the world. That was no good.

I've got another question. How much cash would it take for an ally of an enemy of mine to declare war on the enemy? Is that even possible?

It depends
My rule of thumb is that for the price of a good tech, a reasonably agressive leader will attack a resonably powerful unfriendly other civ.
A good tech is 1000 beakers in mid game, 300 in early game, 3000 in late game.
So you could buy a war for 1000 gold, in mid game.
I never have so much money, cannot say for sure. (worldbuilder is your friend for those tests)

 

[Mista]

Look at your F2 screen from time to time... also posted by MICE above. This tells you how much gold is coming in and where it is going.

 

[blitzkrieg1980]

...Later in the game your upkeep costs will hit into that gold and the slider will drop down of it;'s own accord. 90,80,70%. Cottage based economy, you want it at about 60% most of the time (should be expanding , this costs gold)...

Unless you can grab a religion (or 2) and a shrine, spread the religion well. Now you may be able to keep that slider at 90% or 100% if you have really spread them far and wide (don't forget to put a bank/grocer/market in that city)! I think it is clutch to grab at least one religion and be able to build it's shrine. I usually have about 3000-4000 gold at 1300ad with my slider at 90-100% the whole time!

 

[cabert]

Unless you can grab a religion (or 2) and a shrine, spread the religion well. Now you may be able to keep that slider at 90% or 100% if you have really spread them far and wide (don't forget to put a bank/grocer/market in that city)! I think it is clutch to grab at least one religion and be able to build it's shrine. I usually have about 3000-4000 gold at 1300ad with my slider at 90-100% the whole time!

you're joking or you're playing settler level?
Even when i stick with 3/4 cities, i can't keep above 60% even with a shrine and a vastly adopted religion.

 

[blitzkrieg1980]

you're joking or you're playing settler level?
Even when i stick with 3/4 cities, i can't keep above 60% even with a shrine and a vastly adopted religion.

I am far from joking and I play Noble. I have to say, if you think 180 wealth per turn is peanuts, then perhaps we have different strategies. I also use a hybrid economy Specialist/Cottage. On the specialist end, I use Merchants which (in conjunction with banks/grocer/market) can add another 50 wealth per specialist city. I usually have 2. So, not including wealth generated from cottages, I see 280 wealth per turn without any cottage cash coming in.

 

[cabert]

different play styles obviously
I like GA and GS. GM are nothing to spit at but i'm not running merchants most of the time.

 

[JLH Fans]

I seem to be having some major problems getting a steady flow of gold. I did an experiment with one town to see if I could generate some cash flow. I picked financial as well. I happened to be near a gold and silver mine, so I had an extra lucky start. I researched mining right away to take immediate benefit from this. I then researched pottery and started building houses in all the spots that I couldn't fit farms on.

I had no cash flow at all, even after the majority of the tiles were being used. I'm sure I'm missing something super obvious here.

So what gives?

As far as I am concerned,I wrote to an another topic:
Generate MANY Great Prophet,and join them to the capital as a super specialists and run burocracy.
U will receive not only enormous amount of money from them,but a huge production as well.

 

[blitzkrieg1980]

different play styles obviously
I like GA and GS. GM are nothing to spit at but i'm not running merchants most of the time.

Yeah, no doubt. I'm starting a new game tonight, and i'm gonna base my economy on scientist specialists to see how well that goes. Still gonna rely on religion/shrine income for that GPT kicker, tho.

 

[wioneo]

I always end up with piles of gold that is completely useless to me. That is, unless I build the pyramids or the game lasts to democracy, at which point I notice that my 7000 gold has miraculously become 12.