I wanted to take a look at the more modern buildings and see how they are shaping up. I am going to put a star (**) next to buildings I think could use a look at.
INDUSTRIAL
Zoo: Has a good general use for forest and jungles but also more specific CV benefits. I think its in a good place.
Public School: Solid
Hotel**: Its laser focused on CV which I personally don't like. The other CV buildings like stadium and airports have secondary uses, and I wish the hotel did as well.
Train station: Strong production building. I think the ITR bonus is worthless (does anyone use food ITRs at this point?) but the base bonuses are very good.
Seaport**: The building itself is amazing, the only thing I question is the +20% supply boost. It feels like that should also go to the train station or neither should have it. I know we want coastal cities to generate more supply but that's a pretty significant bonus.
Arsenal: Used to be more worthless but I find them essential for coastal cities nowadays, so they have a very solid niche.
Museum**: Museums are the first building in the culture line I ponder not building or delaying. Its getting to that point where its just a bit expensive, compare it to the Public School for example which provides more raw bonuses and is cheaper. I will still build them, but its the point where I begin to question its worth.
Agribusiness: Good building, I am not as in love with them as some people but they are solid buildings, especially for food heavy cities that could use a new use as food starts to wane as a yield.
Factories: One of the big VP success stories for buildings. Used to be really weak, now is a strong building that drives a legitimate desire for coal.
Military Academy: Solid.
MODERN
Hospitals**: I actually like hospitals, but I struggle to find a time to build them. I generally only get them when playing Industry or through Freedom's universal healthcare. There's just a lot of other things to build.
Stock Exchange**: Pretty much only a capital building at this point, and sometimes not even then. Its very hammer expensive for what it does.
Refinery: Does its job when you need it.
Wire Service: I would argue the last truly great building, the bonuses of this building if you have been paying attention to your CS friends is gigantic.
Mine Field**: The defensive bonuses are good, my concern is more governor behavior. It seems to me that the AI governor will often pull your workers off of water when an enemy navy comes in, neutering the mine fields ability. That is supposition, I haven't confirmed it, but it does feel that way sometimes.
Research Lab: The science bonuses are alright, but honestly its all about GS at this point, so the extra GS specialist +33% more GS on top is what sells this building.
Broadcast Tower: A good reward for your large cities, it is just enough culture at this point in the game to be worth it.
ATOMIC ERA
Medical Lab: The +2 instant pop is the appeal of this building, the specialist bonuses are just "ok". The building is not strong enough to make me want to build hospitals, but if I am building hospitals I will absolutely get this building.
Stadium**: Having a GA focused building at this stage is fine, but Great Artists produce so much GAP at this point that 1000 points is literally a drop in the ocean. I think this building is ready for an instant bonus, I could see 1 turn of GA (that way multipliers don't mess with it and make it too good). Or if you wanted to get more out of the box, perhaps the city (or all cities) gain X amount of Great Artist Points, similar to the CS quest but for artists.
Military Base: I don't find the air prod bonus that enticing, but again for coastal cities you want every speck of defense you can get.
Recycling System: Again does what it needs to do.
Police Station**: This building exists for 1 purpose, to let me build the National Intelligence Agency in the capital. That's it, even if I take New World Order I still would never build this thing.
Strategic Air Defense: Its a niche defense building, but I think it does what it needs to at this point in the game. Sometimes the AI is aggressive with nukes and you need to be prepared. Having your capital nuked can easily be game ending.
Airport: Really good building.
INFORMATION
Hydroelectric Plant**: In most scenarios, the wind plant is simply better. Honestly I think you can just give it +3 to coast and ocean tiles....the cities that get the most benefit from that have generally struggled anyway, and frankly the slight boost in yields isn't going to move the needle much at this point in the game.
Nuclear Plant**: The theoretical niche is a TALL city with a lot of specialists that you can then leverage the mighty +25% prod bonus. With experience, I have found that my Tall capitals are generally using enough land that the Wind Plant still provides equal or more bonus, and consuming uranium is much more costly than iron. I have used it in a blue moon but rarely.
Solar Plant**: My issue with the plant generally is, the cities I am using processes is are also often the cities where I am good just to let them keep running processes, instead of burning hammers on this building. Investments have to pay off really quickly at this point in the game to be worth it.
I think you could remove the aluminum cost, let this be the "cheap" power plant.
Wind Plant: The only power plant I find consistently good and solid, and the boost it provides is just enough to warrant the investment.
Spaceship Factory: Does its job.
INDUSTRIAL
Zoo: Has a good general use for forest and jungles but also more specific CV benefits. I think its in a good place.
Public School: Solid
Hotel**: Its laser focused on CV which I personally don't like. The other CV buildings like stadium and airports have secondary uses, and I wish the hotel did as well.
Train station: Strong production building. I think the ITR bonus is worthless (does anyone use food ITRs at this point?) but the base bonuses are very good.
Seaport**: The building itself is amazing, the only thing I question is the +20% supply boost. It feels like that should also go to the train station or neither should have it. I know we want coastal cities to generate more supply but that's a pretty significant bonus.
Arsenal: Used to be more worthless but I find them essential for coastal cities nowadays, so they have a very solid niche.
Museum**: Museums are the first building in the culture line I ponder not building or delaying. Its getting to that point where its just a bit expensive, compare it to the Public School for example which provides more raw bonuses and is cheaper. I will still build them, but its the point where I begin to question its worth.
Agribusiness: Good building, I am not as in love with them as some people but they are solid buildings, especially for food heavy cities that could use a new use as food starts to wane as a yield.
Factories: One of the big VP success stories for buildings. Used to be really weak, now is a strong building that drives a legitimate desire for coal.
Military Academy: Solid.
MODERN
Hospitals**: I actually like hospitals, but I struggle to find a time to build them. I generally only get them when playing Industry or through Freedom's universal healthcare. There's just a lot of other things to build.
Stock Exchange**: Pretty much only a capital building at this point, and sometimes not even then. Its very hammer expensive for what it does.
Refinery: Does its job when you need it.
Wire Service: I would argue the last truly great building, the bonuses of this building if you have been paying attention to your CS friends is gigantic.
Mine Field**: The defensive bonuses are good, my concern is more governor behavior. It seems to me that the AI governor will often pull your workers off of water when an enemy navy comes in, neutering the mine fields ability. That is supposition, I haven't confirmed it, but it does feel that way sometimes.
Research Lab: The science bonuses are alright, but honestly its all about GS at this point, so the extra GS specialist +33% more GS on top is what sells this building.
Broadcast Tower: A good reward for your large cities, it is just enough culture at this point in the game to be worth it.
ATOMIC ERA
Medical Lab: The +2 instant pop is the appeal of this building, the specialist bonuses are just "ok". The building is not strong enough to make me want to build hospitals, but if I am building hospitals I will absolutely get this building.
Stadium**: Having a GA focused building at this stage is fine, but Great Artists produce so much GAP at this point that 1000 points is literally a drop in the ocean. I think this building is ready for an instant bonus, I could see 1 turn of GA (that way multipliers don't mess with it and make it too good). Or if you wanted to get more out of the box, perhaps the city (or all cities) gain X amount of Great Artist Points, similar to the CS quest but for artists.
Military Base: I don't find the air prod bonus that enticing, but again for coastal cities you want every speck of defense you can get.
Recycling System: Again does what it needs to do.
Police Station**: This building exists for 1 purpose, to let me build the National Intelligence Agency in the capital. That's it, even if I take New World Order I still would never build this thing.
Strategic Air Defense: Its a niche defense building, but I think it does what it needs to at this point in the game. Sometimes the AI is aggressive with nukes and you need to be prepared. Having your capital nuked can easily be game ending.
Airport: Really good building.
INFORMATION
Hydroelectric Plant**: In most scenarios, the wind plant is simply better. Honestly I think you can just give it +3 to coast and ocean tiles....the cities that get the most benefit from that have generally struggled anyway, and frankly the slight boost in yields isn't going to move the needle much at this point in the game.
Nuclear Plant**: The theoretical niche is a TALL city with a lot of specialists that you can then leverage the mighty +25% prod bonus. With experience, I have found that my Tall capitals are generally using enough land that the Wind Plant still provides equal or more bonus, and consuming uranium is much more costly than iron. I have used it in a blue moon but rarely.
Solar Plant**: My issue with the plant generally is, the cities I am using processes is are also often the cities where I am good just to let them keep running processes, instead of burning hammers on this building. Investments have to pay off really quickly at this point in the game to be worth it.
I think you could remove the aluminum cost, let this be the "cheap" power plant.
Wind Plant: The only power plant I find consistently good and solid, and the boost it provides is just enough to warrant the investment.
Spaceship Factory: Does its job.
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