Is there a point to granting independence?

[salty mud]

In my current game, I am playing Asoka with Joao, Isabella, Ragnar and Charlemegne as my neighbours. I am playing a Terra map on Noble, and I was first to reach the new world. I set up 4 cities on the other continent, and kept the barbarians in check. With these cities, I came into possession of some nice resources (oil, coal etc) not available at home. Now I realize when I grant independence I keep these resources, but I lose all of my commerce (making me LOSE money, not gain it) and also lose some serious beakers, slowing down my tech advances. So I gather it's not a good idea to grant independence now, but is there ever a good time? At the moment, it seems like a feature with little point.

 

[Cutlass]

Check how much maintenance for those cities is costing you. Granting independence to cities that far away can save you a lot of gold.

 

[Alrin Kharr]

If I remember correctly, you can also cut your maintenance costs for overseas cities by building the Forbidden Palace (or Versailles, but that's a lot more expensive) in one of your "New World" cities. It's the best of both worlds; you can get all the extra research/resources/etc. from your new cities and still keep your maintenance costs low.

 

[Bowsling]

at least unless you are really careless, they will never become fully independant

 

[say1988]

If you grant independence you get

• No maintenance (though a Palace will decrease distance and therefore colonial maintenance and State Property will eliminate them all together). It also decreases number of cities and civic maintenance.
• A vassal, meaning +1 happiness
• If you previously had no vassal you can not get international trade routes under mercantilism
• If you are militarily desperate on that island each city granted independence receives 2 of the current draft unit as defenders.

Most of those are situational at best, and beware of them trading your technologies away (Assembly Line for Horseback Riding, when they have Advanced Flight, Industrialism, and Oil and you are moving to attack that person) unless this has been changed, but they can be useful.

 

[Bowsling]

never thought about that one, say1988. that would SUCK

 

[say1988]

Well I don't have evidence, but the AI learned the tech before and Assembly Line pretty close and my colony suddenly got Horseback Riding. You would think with: no horses and those advanced technologies the AI would value HBR as NOTHING.

 

[Lessa]

I was recently playing on terra (on Noble) and after bee-lining Astronomy I went and pretty much completely settled the new world.

Unfortunately my nearest neighbour back home was Shaka who had by this point vasselled Montezuma and one other civ. (I really should have taken him out eary but I was miles away from the nearest metal and fighting with Monte was keeping him busy).

So Shaka starts declaring on me. Given most of my empire is overseas I'm not too bothered that he took a couple of my smaller cities, and sued for peace a couple times. Then during the 3rd war he takes my Capitol.

So, I then grant independence to my remaining 3 cities back home. Given Shaka doesn't have Astronomy yet so all my cities are safely across the ocean. Poor Washington who has a +10 dip mod for me granting his independence is stuck fighting off most of the continent while I'm happily building up my new empire. I have one city over that side of the world which was by 1 square island city so I don't even lose my nice inter-continental trade routes.

I was laughing!

Unfortunately I later lost the game shortly before finishing my SS as I voted Shake world leader when I thought I was voting for apastolic president.

 

[Xellos-_^]

In my current game, I am playing Asoka with Joao, Isabella, Ragnar and Charlemegne as my neighbours. I am playing a Terra map on Noble, and I was first to reach the new world. I set up 4 cities on the other continent, and kept the barbarians in check. With these cities, I came into possession of some nice resources (oil, coal etc) not available at home. Now I realize when I grant independence I keep these resources, but I lose all of my commerce (making me LOSE money, not gain it) and also lose some serious beakers, slowing down my tech advances. So I gather it's not a good idea to grant independence now, but is there ever a good time? At the moment, it seems like a feature with little point.

you can grant indp to most of the over sea cities but keep the one with access to the good stuff. That would cut down your maintance cost and still get oil and stuff.

Well I don't have evidence, but the AI learned the tech before and Assembly Line pretty close and my colony suddenly got Horseback Riding. You would think with: no horses and those advanced technologies the AI would value HBR as NOTHING.

turn on no tech brokering, your colony then can't trade away it is tech.

 

[Cutlass]

You don't even have to keep cites for key resources, since your vassal will love you so much that he will give you very favorable trades for anything that you want.

 

[scu98rkr]

I still dont know why any one plays without no tech brokering

 

[Joshua368]

I still dont know why any one plays without no tech brokering

I like to broker techs myself.

 

[Alrin Kharr]

I still dont know why any one plays without no tech brokering

On higher difficulty levels, effective tech brokering is often the only way the player can keep pace with the AI.