@DaveMcW
Since we are talking about whipping we'll drop the specialists and call it a Food Economy(City) vs. Cottage Economy(City)
I also intentionally do not consider bonus resources when I do comparisons, though I am open to reasons why including them is neutral. I also realize that the presence of resources will affect the decision to run a city food heavy or cottage heavy, which it partly why I ignore their presence.
Aside from heavy plains areas or waterless areas (in which case farms are not even an early possibility). And, even in plains, if water is present you can work plains food neutral and get the hammer so hpt is still greater.
In the first 1/2 of the game you are focused on militaristically expanding your empire and the FE/SE helps here with whip/drafting, etc.
Since we are talking about whipping we'll drop the specialists and call it a Food Economy(City) vs. Cottage Economy(City)
I also intentionally do not consider bonus resources when I do comparisons, though I am open to reasons why including them is neutral. I also realize that the presence of resources will affect the decision to run a city food heavy or cottage heavy, which it partly why I ignore their presence.
Aside from heavy plains areas or waterless areas (in which case farms are not even an early possibility). And, even in plains, if water is present you can work plains food neutral and get the hammer so hpt is still greater.