improving city squares

[rafisher]

Is it better to improve (irrigate, build roads) all
the squares of one city, or improve some of the squares of
several cities? In other words, what is the best strategy for
utilizing settlers. (in particular, settlers in the interior of the civ,
not on the borders where presumably, it would be better to
use them to build new cities?)

Thanks.

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

It's best to do "just in time" improvements - especially early. If you've got a size 4 city, it doesn't help you to improve 15 squares. You can only use 4 of them. Maybe do one or two extra squares if you expect to grow before the settlers can get back to that city.

However, if you are anticipating growth with celebrations, you often need to road and sometimes irrigate large sections of a city in advance because you will want your new citizens to have enough food and trade to continue the celebrations. But again, be smart about it. if you don't have an aquaduct and can't buy one, it doesn't help to improve much beyond 8 squares.

 

[la fayette]

Building new cities is the best you can do in the early game, at least until you reach the limit providing the first 'red face' (4 cities under despotism, 6 under Monarchy, 8 under Republic).
Beyond that, you can choose between many small cities (ICS) or few bigger ones (try both before choosing what you prefer).
Linking your cities by roads is the priority #2 (useful both for defence and for trade).
Irrigating is no use at all under despotism (but very useful later on because it helps you grow quicker).
Mining comes last (because it takes time and there is generally a better use for your settlers in the early game).

 

[Terrapin]

Very early in the game, you should just put roads down on the one or two land squares your citizens are working. Aim for grasslands with shields. Even if this means that you have a couple unconnected squares roaded that is fine. Until you have established 5+ cities, you do not need the roads for travel, just for the trade arrows they grow. Just optimize the resource production. It is unnecessary if you have grass w/shield and a river through it.

 

[funxus]

It is unnecessary if you have grass w/shield and a river through it.

Not only unnecessary, but also impossible unless you have Bridge Building, which isn't the most common tech that early in the game

I tend to prioritize the cities with potential, and those that are easy to improve, like my SSC and other good trade cities, while I'd probably wait some time to give sufficient improvement for a city situated in a swampy area, and use that city for maybe settler and caravan production.

In my latest game there were three cities on my main island, with 16 cities, that supported more settlers than most cities, didn't get the improvement they needed, lost squares to favored cities when overlapped, much lower size than most and had built many caravans for the SSC and wonders.

 

[Terrapin]

It is impossible to build roads on river squares early on. When you have a couple of grass/river squares, it is unecessary to improve other squares.

 

[Marlos]

In early game, I will use a settler built by a certain city to improve that city (it is easier to track that way). When that city is improved at or near the point of being optimal -- the number of squares being worked is at or near the number of squares improved -- then this settler will go off to found a new city.

Of course, plan this in advance and you can get a trireme there to take the settler to a new land, etc.

Then you get the advanced tribe city in the middle of nowhere and have to undertake a major public works project to connect the city to the rest of your civ , but that is a subject for another thread.

 

[funxus]

Sorry Terrapin, I see I misunderstood your point
I might build a road though, to get a little bit on the way of connecting cities, if possible.

 

[Old n Slow]

At Prince, King & Emperor levels, after I have a few cities I seem to have about 1 settler per two cities in my core area doing the roads & irrigation activities.

 

[GaryNemo]

I am enchanted, agree with la fayette, and also use the term 'Favored City' mentioned by Funxus.

Very good principles above. I used to connect a Road out to new cities, yet have learned that is not wise. Better to walk over and found the city. The next Settler coming by will build the Road needed for serf productivity. Later still, but not very much later, interconnect roads for defense. Way later, a bit of irrigation.

I rename my cities frequently because I am also old and slow. For example "Athens BC" means Build City, the settler moves to the frontier. "Sparta W" means Worker, the settler helps to build Roads and other improvements. "Corinth R" means I noticed it really needed a Road for an unproductive serf. "Delphi St" means Q a Settler to be built. "Thermopylae T" means build a Temple.

I use many other codes as well

 

[funxus]

I am enchanted, agree with la fayette, and also use the term 'Favored City' mentioned by Funxus.

Although I played like that before, I think you introduced me to that term in the second demo game

 

[ElephantU]

The only city that is worth improving more squares than you have citizens (assuming from your description you are not in the beginning of the game, ie Despo with less than a handful of cities) is your SSC/STC. Improve everything as quickly as possible, then celebrate up to 21+ as soon as you get the techs. This city becomes your powerhouse, dragging the rest along with it.

Your plan for adding Roads should be dictated more by defensive considerations than by city benefit, but if you have the choice of roading do shielded grass first, unshielded grass second, and plains third, desert fourth and everything else last. Try to road several cities to a central one, where you can station a single defender that can rush to any of the connected cities. Sharing defenders saves on build times and support shields in Rep/Dem.

 

[Takeo]

TimTheEnchanter is right! improving squares that you will not be using for centuries is a waste. improve the ones you currently are using and move on to the next city.

 

[Ace]

No point in irrigating until Monarchy is close to completion. But any "green or brown" square being worked needs a road, that trade arrow is invaluable.

I, also, send a new settler out to found a city (with a single road hex if required for trade) and than follow up with a road to connect the city. Its much better to get the new city in place and producing, rather than take the time to build a road to it.

 

[mardukes]

...yes, and it seems that once you get the first half dozen or so cities you need to generate settlers that can spend time improving just to keep the population at happiness levels.

 

[Terrapin]

...And once your cities are big enough to support a full time settler (size 3-5 usually for me, w/monarchy and some irrigation), start connecting the cities with roads. That way when it is time to establish trade routes and build Wonders, your camels will not spend centuries traveling to their destinations. (Real centuries of game time. It just feels like centuries to you when you are moving camels through the wilderness!)

 

[sir_schwick]

Good old improvement strategies. I agree that you only need to develop a limited number of squares in the Ancient Era. I recommend irrigating any river squares, because of defence and you save time on roading. Once these and any coastline sites are irrigated, start making some roads. After that use the settlers for advanced road projects(i.e. making a road to an ally), orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr use them for more city-improvement. My first suggestion would be mines for hills, just cause they provide a HUGE production bonus at that stage. If you have a really food productive city, without using river squares. Forest the river squares, you'll get 1 food, 2 shields, and however many trade, plus a 150%(that's right, isn't it) defence bonus. Build a fortress on it too.
Road strategy is this for me, connect wherever its easy, take the winding path, even if it deverts a little. Saves you time on construction and really helps corruption.