Keeping your forests...

[lilnev]

I try to save most of my forests until after Math, when they're worth more hammers. Most new cities do build a monument and granary (and workboats if applicaple) out of lumber, however, and I might chop more depending on the particular game. I do generally save non-hill non-freshwater tundra forests, since a lumbermill is the only improvement for that tile. And maybe one game in five I'll have a floodplains city that actually needs to worry about health.

 

[TheWilltoAct]

Note that lumbermills on river grant an extra commerce-

While this is a nice benefit, it's kind of a wash since you could have just chopped the forest and redeemed that extra 1 right away.
Balance idea: How about an extra 1 for riverside lumbermills (for a total of 2)?
Personally, I think gameplay would benefit from the boost: lumbermills come late, and chopping is very strong.

 

[budweiser]

I like to chop my first settlers to get them out faster. I might chop a library in the cap if I am not cre. I'll chop out an early wonder, especially if I have the right resource hooked up.

After that, I might chop a monument in city 2 or 3. I'll chop away adjacent trees if I think the city could be attacked.

Unless I am gonna axe rush, I wait until at least math before I chop anthing else.

I'll chop trees outside any BFCs and I'll chop trees on the border before the AI's can pop culture to take the tile. Then I'll chop any trees inside or outside my culture borders but still outside my city BFCs unless I feel like making a line of forts.

Beyond that, I like to keep as many trees as possible.

 

[CivIVMonger]

^^ Yes, I need to get into the habit of REXing a little better, early chops really accomodate that especially if IMP.

 

[TCMIV]

I chop most of my forests to get settlers/workers/monuments/work boats/wonders early on, but those that aren't used to fuel early wonders/expansion are nice to save for lumbermills later on, health and good production if you're not in caste/state property, and definitely worth it once you hit railroads as they're better than SP workshops w/o caste. Sadly most hills will be long since mined by the time I hit RP, leaving mainly plains forests, would be nice if LMs came a bit earlier as they're not really amazing anyway.

 

[CivIVMonger]

I really just hate stripping yourself of all late game health... It is, *really* hard to keep good health late game, factories, coal plants, industrial parks etcetera will really reduce your health. While they are not neccessary and not always built this era makes health really hard to accomodate.

 

[duckstab]

Early on, I generally don't like leaving forests in the central 3x3 square because I don't want to give potential attackers any cover. I'll also chop freely for a wonder or when doing an early axe/chariot rush.

Apart from that, I try to keep my forests around as long as I don't have a better use for the land.

Once I have RP, lumbermills go up all over the place. You can get some truly sick production from your late game cities this way as long as they have enough food. Especially on maps where all the civs start in one hemisphere and the other half of the planet is still heavily forested.

 

[JammerUno]

Health is a non-issue until industrialism, at which point bio comes in to take care of that as well.

You should be working all the grassland in your empire at the earliest possible date. Chop the grassland as you need to, either to free up tiles or when you need some quick hammers. Then chop the plains forests when you have something suitable to put on them, like watermills, or caste+guilds+chem workshops. The only trees worth having are those on the tundra.

 

[Nkat]

share forests between cities, for your health- brule's rules.
link to a specific case.

Channel 5's Dr. Steve Brule? The only married news team in the tri-county area?

 

[Unconquered Sun]

Emperor and below: chop everything while improving on collecting all possible health resources by war, bribes, culture pressure, etc.

 

[happyturtle]

Forests won't spread onto a roaded tile that's otherwise unimproved?

 

[CivIVMonger]

Emperor and below: chop everything while improving on collecting all possible health resources by war, bribes, culture pressure, etc.

I guess that that is a good alternitive. But, once again, the map dictates the game.

 

[Deathstar]

Question. Does the city with the National Park benefit from all forest reserves in your border or just the forest reserves within the city's borders?

 

[Dr.Null]

Question. Does the city with the National Park benefit from all forest reserves in your border or just the forest reserves within the city's borders?

Just the ones that are workable by that city (a subset of the ones within the city's borders). You can lose out if another nearby city "owns" one of the forest reserve tiles.

The city doesn't have to actually work the tile to get a free specialist from it.

 

[Unconquered Sun]

Forests won't spread onto a roaded tile that's otherwise unimproved?

As far as I know they will, but at 50% normal chance.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Pairs of lumber mills have a health advantage over all alternative hammer tiles.

However, this advantage is often not worth the wait.

The rule of thumb is:

- If you need the land underneath the tile earlier as a viable tile to work, chop
- If you can gain some material benefit early by chopping, do it.
- Otherwise, consider saving the tile for later.

Going, say, BW too soon and over-chopping can easily lead to one expanding faster than can be supported, or producing units that will not be used because there is no other choice. On the other hand, under-chopping might mean a failed rush or missing a wonder that would help a lot. Within the framework of the rule of thumb, use your head.

 

[IAM]

I usually chop everything to give me an early boost. With that early good start I can REX grab a wonder or two have planty of workers and build military faster.

Edit: I do keep tundra forest for lumber mills and I make stealing forest a priority. In other words chop down a forest outside of an opponents city before the border pops. That gives me a few hammers and denies my opponent the production.

 

[Zaimejs]

This is a really dumb question... but why is health so important late in the game? Haven't our cities gotten big enough?

 

[IAM]

This is a really dumb question... but why is health so important late in the game? Haven't our cities gotten big enough?

There are some additional negative health buildings late game. Whereas with happiness there are more ways to achieve it and additional resources like 'hit movies'.

 

[happyturtle]

I just loooove having humongous cities. Once I was playing Isabella, got the herbal medicine event that gave me +2 health, then built Hanging Gardens for another +2. Man, my cities got sooo big.