How do you use your great people. My greate engineers always completes a nice wonder but for the other GP's Im not sure if I would place all in the same city(my GP producing city) or if I should spread them out in the cities where I believe them should do some good. How do you use them and where?
How to use great people?
- Thread starter WaDoDem
- Start date
Zanmato
King
I use Engineers in the same way, to complete a wonder. I use Scientists to create Academies. Artists for culture bombing or settle them in outlying cities for a nice culture boost over time, depends on how early I get one. For Prophets I would use them for shrines then either to research a tech or settle them in a city. Perhaps best to settle them.
If I got two around the same time then perhaps start a golden age, I don't think golden ages are worth three GPs though.
If I got two around the same time then perhaps start a golden age, I don't think golden ages are worth three GPs though.
As a rule of thumb, I use Great Prophets and Great Scientists for research (GS for Academy only if I'm building the Great Library or have a glaring science city). Artists and Merchants I hold for Golden Ages (with Prophets and Scientists going for Golden Ages after I've hit the Industrial/Modern eras). Engineers are obviously for hastening World Wonder building.
I find that the choices most of the GPs get roughly balance out. I think that's an intentional design element.
Take a culture bomb, for example. Your city is facing cultural pressure. If it's from low culture cities, you can beat their borders back with a super specialist. If it's from high culture cities, your cultue bomb will be eaten eventually.
Now, you could use the bomb to bring a recently captured enemy city (say, a capital, for example) out of riot, as well as beat back cultural borders temporarily. This preserves the city's population by giving it tiles to work when it comes out of riot. However, you could as easily whip the population in order to quickly build some culture generating buildings, and enhance this by applying the GA as a super specialist.
In the case of trade missions, I don't plan on running massive defecits anyway (its only necessary in certain situations), so I view the gold as optional.
Part of using Prophets and Scientists for research is that they work very well with CS slingshots and Liberalism races, as well as helping to research a variety of other important techs.
I find that the choices most of the GPs get roughly balance out. I think that's an intentional design element.
Take a culture bomb, for example. Your city is facing cultural pressure. If it's from low culture cities, you can beat their borders back with a super specialist. If it's from high culture cities, your cultue bomb will be eaten eventually.
Now, you could use the bomb to bring a recently captured enemy city (say, a capital, for example) out of riot, as well as beat back cultural borders temporarily. This preserves the city's population by giving it tiles to work when it comes out of riot. However, you could as easily whip the population in order to quickly build some culture generating buildings, and enhance this by applying the GA as a super specialist.
In the case of trade missions, I don't plan on running massive defecits anyway (its only necessary in certain situations), so I view the gold as optional.
Part of using Prophets and Scientists for research is that they work very well with CS slingshots and Liberalism races, as well as helping to research a variety of other important techs.
Khalid
Warlord
I use them mostly in the way Zanmato said.
I use great artist for culture boom, when want to culturaly attack a nearby civ, or to grab a lot of land (I once finished a domination victory by settling a city in a middle of nowhere and used a great artist for a culture boom)
They are not too good in the GP production city, because they do not add GP points.
Great prophets for techs. They usually gets techs which found a new religion, so thats what they are good at.
I use great artist for culture boom, when want to culturaly attack a nearby civ, or to grab a lot of land (I once finished a domination victory by settling a city in a middle of nowhere and used a great artist for a culture boom)
They are not too good in the GP production city, because they do not add GP points.
Great prophets for techs. They usually gets techs which found a new religion, so thats what they are good at.
spinalcracker
Chieftain
I agree with Zanmato, I would use GP's for a golden age if they two appear relatively close together. I have seen the AI will hold on to them for a long time waiting for their second GP to make a golden age. I would rather put them to use immediately rather than holding them for 15 turns until another shows up. I have never used 3 GP on 8 turns of golden age.
My first priest will make a shrine, maybe a second one as well. But after that I usually end up settling them in whatever city will be used for Wall Street, the same with great merchants. Engineer go for Wonders. Scientists build acedemies in best science cities, although sometimes I settle them in the same city as Oxford. Artists are primarily used for culture bombs in border cities, once in a while I will save them for a newly conquered city.
My first priest will make a shrine, maybe a second one as well. But after that I usually end up settling them in whatever city will be used for Wall Street, the same with great merchants. Engineer go for Wonders. Scientists build acedemies in best science cities, although sometimes I settle them in the same city as Oxford. Artists are primarily used for culture bombs in border cities, once in a while I will save them for a newly conquered city.
Thanks for some great feedback
I fully agree with most of you that it you shouldn't use your GP's for golden ages.
That use the first priests for shrines is also a given one.
Regarding the merchants I always use them for a trade mission, I always think it is a nice way of getting some unexpected money that I can use on upgrading troops.
I fully agree with most of you that it you shouldn't use your GP's for golden ages.
That use the first priests for shrines is also a given one.
Regarding the merchants I always use them for a trade mission, I always think it is a nice way of getting some unexpected money that I can use on upgrading troops.
Zanmato
King
Great Merchants can be useful in a GP farm however since they provide additional food. Sometimes the gold you get isn't all that great from trade missions and I would sooner replace old units with newer ones and only upgrade those with 3-4 promotions as they are needed for a couple of national wonders. 9 times out of 10 upgrading is too expensive but it can depend on the situation to hand.
Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
I like to use at least one Great Merchant for a trade mission--usually the one I get from discovering Economics first. Yes, it's usually easier and cheaper to build new units than upgrade old ones. However, the Economics GM usually comes along just before I can build Riflemen and Grenadiers--neither of which can get City Raider promotions, which only become available again when you get Tanks. So I like to upgrade several Macemen or even Axemen with those promotions to preserve that very useful advantage.
Early Great Prophets are great for popping techs like Theology, Civil Service, and Divine Right, and for Shrines--though if I found/capture several religions, I rarely build the shrines for all of them. Later GPs usually become super-specialists in my best commerce city.
Great Scientists are wonderfully versatile. If Taoism has not been founded, I'll pop one for Philosophy, which is also a pre-req for Liberalism and its free tech. Other GS will build academies, pop a tech if it's strategically beneficial, or become super-specialists in a science city. A very late GS almost always gets used for a tech, since the contributions from an Academy or superspecialist are going to be too short-lived to be worthwhile.
Great Engineers are for Wonder-building. UNLESS you're Industrious, because you can already build Wonders quickly and may want to use them as super-specialists in production cities. I confess I haven't tried this before, but some people have suggested it in my current ALC game as Qin, so I'm going to give it a shot.
Great Artists get stockpiled for culture bombs where needed.
The only time I'll burn GPs for a Golden Age is for a production/commerce boost during the space race.
Early Great Prophets are great for popping techs like Theology, Civil Service, and Divine Right, and for Shrines--though if I found/capture several religions, I rarely build the shrines for all of them. Later GPs usually become super-specialists in my best commerce city.
Great Scientists are wonderfully versatile. If Taoism has not been founded, I'll pop one for Philosophy, which is also a pre-req for Liberalism and its free tech. Other GS will build academies, pop a tech if it's strategically beneficial, or become super-specialists in a science city. A very late GS almost always gets used for a tech, since the contributions from an Academy or superspecialist are going to be too short-lived to be worthwhile.
Great Engineers are for Wonder-building. UNLESS you're Industrious, because you can already build Wonders quickly and may want to use them as super-specialists in production cities. I confess I haven't tried this before, but some people have suggested it in my current ALC game as Qin, so I'm going to give it a shot.
Great Artists get stockpiled for culture bombs where needed.
The only time I'll burn GPs for a Golden Age is for a production/commerce boost during the space race.
The Tyrant
Prince
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2006
- Messages
- 445
thanks to tyrant for the great thread
in addition, i want to stress the ability to "choose" (no GE this way!) your GP if you have a farm, since there arevery little "polluting" GPP
I don't like merchants (i almost never get more than 1500 gold for a mission, and so little $ i could have gotten by settling him in my gold city arg)
in addition, i want to stress the ability to "choose" (no GE this way!) your GP if you have a farm, since there arevery little "polluting" GPP
I don't like merchants (i almost never get more than 1500 gold for a mission, and so little $ i could have gotten by settling him in my gold city arg)
ChicagoCubs
Prince
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2006
- Messages
- 361
Great Prohpets - Since I am a religion junkie, I will use the all of my Great Prohpets to establish shrines. Once all the shrines are built, I will add all the Great Prophets to my god/science city.
Great Engineer - I will usually save these guys to build the Versailles(sp?), Forbidden Palace, West Point and Pentagon. Otherwise, I will just add them to my gold/science city.
Great Scientist - I use these to build academies. If for some reason I get more of them than I really need, I will just add them to my gold/science city.
Great Artist - Culture Bombs. If I don't have anywhere that needs a bomb, I will add them to my gold/science city.
Great Merchant - I will typically use them on trade missions. If getting them to another city is too much of a hassle, I'll just add them to my gold/science city.
Great Engineer - I will usually save these guys to build the Versailles(sp?), Forbidden Palace, West Point and Pentagon. Otherwise, I will just add them to my gold/science city.
Great Scientist - I use these to build academies. If for some reason I get more of them than I really need, I will just add them to my gold/science city.
Great Artist - Culture Bombs. If I don't have anywhere that needs a bomb, I will add them to my gold/science city.
Great Merchant - I will typically use them on trade missions. If getting them to another city is too much of a hassle, I'll just add them to my gold/science city.
Jarrod32
Warlord
Engineers: For Building Wonders.
Prophets: Grab a tech/religion early, build shrines. After that, they may join my gold city (with Wall Street) as a super-specialist.
Merchants: Maybe a trade mission, but most likely join the gold city (again, with Wall Street - and the other gold-multiplier improvements - the gold produced by the super specialist adds up quick).
Scientists: The first one builds the academy in my science city, the rest join this city as super-specialists (with representation, academy, oxford, etc, the super-specialist cranks out the beakers...). Later in the game it becomes more beneficial to use them towards the tech discovery directly.
Artists: Used as a culture bomb on a culture-border-battle or in newly conquered territory. Unless you are going for culture victory...then the early ones can join one of your culture cities as a super-specialist, later ones used to culture bomb your way to victory.
I may use them to go directly after a tech once in a while, if there is a particularly useful one to be had or one that I really need. I rarely - if ever -use them for a golden age.
Prophets: Grab a tech/religion early, build shrines. After that, they may join my gold city (with Wall Street) as a super-specialist.
Merchants: Maybe a trade mission, but most likely join the gold city (again, with Wall Street - and the other gold-multiplier improvements - the gold produced by the super specialist adds up quick).
Scientists: The first one builds the academy in my science city, the rest join this city as super-specialists (with representation, academy, oxford, etc, the super-specialist cranks out the beakers...). Later in the game it becomes more beneficial to use them towards the tech discovery directly.
Artists: Used as a culture bomb on a culture-border-battle or in newly conquered territory. Unless you are going for culture victory...then the early ones can join one of your culture cities as a super-specialist, later ones used to culture bomb your way to victory.
I may use them to go directly after a tech once in a while, if there is a particularly useful one to be had or one that I really need. I rarely - if ever -use them for a golden age.
Sometimes I start a golden age if I am saving an artist for some future conquest since no city I have at the time really needs the culture bomb and I pop a mid-game prophet or merchant whose research option is unimpressive or non-existant. If the golden age pulls you ahead you can sometimes hold that lead for a very long time.
I have mixed feelings about the trade mission since it's kind of a hassle and the gold you get is usually pretty close to the beakers you'd get for just lightbulbing him.
I have mixed feelings about the trade mission since it's kind of a hassle and the gold you get is usually pretty close to the beakers you'd get for just lightbulbing him.
Lord Olleus said:
i don' like nevers
my guess is great merchants are worth the hassle only if there are non warring other civs, with very large cities
A simple way to see it is to check your trade routes in your best city.
the best trade route in your capitol (or biggest city) is going to show you a good destination (or number one city in the world top 5).
If target city is only size 15, or less, don't even try! you'll be better off using him for immediate beakers.
If it's a very rich 20+ city, giving you a big trade route, you can hope for 3000+ gold. It's worth the trip.
Conclusion : in the first 5000 years, a merchant is better added to your gold center (or to your GP farm, for the food
)after that, i check the biggest cities in the world.
If the top city is really big, and i can bring my merchant there, i do so.
