Hsinchu
Prince
If you've recently taken economics, note that this lesson isn't intended to be quite as soporific as the lectures you are used to. This is a lesson for players looking to be more competitive in the difficulty they are playing in, or that want to move up a difficulty and need a new tool. This is ONE tool and is not a guarantee of victory, but it does shed some light on how micromanaging is more useful than governorship.
I recently started a new game that I'm planning to take slow so I can learn from it and win and have fun at the same time. You can read all about it on my new Civ IV blog.
This is our starting position. Our given is that we are going to be building an obelisk, we have 22 food to next pop, and 30 hammers to an obelisk, and we are trying to win buddhism, which means teching meditation as fast as possible (commerce!).
We have a couple of great resource tiles in our reach, and a border pop due in 5 turns.
What are our possibilities? The first thing we need to rationally come to grips with is that we are NOT going to be working any tile that is less than any other tile, just common sense. Basically, we have three tiles we can work with: 31, 211, and 12
We need to produce 30 hammers, 22 food, and 119 beakers in as few turns as possible.
If we rely on the governor, we will grow to city size 2 in 8 turns by working our sugar tile.
3 x 7 turns = 21
The last turn will give us a surplus of 2 food.
Over these 8 turns we will receive 8 hammers from the city tile.
If we instead choose to work the silk tile, and only the silk tile:
22 / 2 = 11 turns growth
(1worked+1city) x 11 turns = 22
In both cases, we see that commerce remains relatively constant.
For simplicity, we are going to use 11 turns as our equalizing turn limit.
By turning off the governor, we will attempt to grow at turn 8 AND produce 22 hammers after 11 turns, as opposed to one or the other.
If we work the silk tile for two turns and sugar tile for six turns:
Food: 2x2turns + 3x6turns= 22
Hammers: 1x6turns + 2x2turns = 10
and then we consider the three turns at pop 2, working silk and fur to "catch up"
Food: 1x3turns = 3
Hammers: 4x3turns= 12
totalling:
Pop2 + 3 + 22
If we had let the governor pick for us, just the total (assuming sugar->silk):
Pop2 + 10 + 14
At face value only, we are paying 7 food for 8 hammers. Note, once we incorporate Pop3, that 7 food may have been worth more than 8 hammers, but for now, let's focus on the Obelisk and the culture we are creating.
Another situation, silk for 8 turns, sugar for 2 turns, then silk+fur to catch up.
Pop2 + 1 + 22
Now, strictly on point, this situation is definitely not worth it. For those of you who have also been keeping track of commerce, you'll note that the sooner you reach pop 2, the sooner you start getting that extra 1 irregardless of whether you are working sugar, silk, or fur.
Working your PPF means taking these sorts of costs into account. Playing with the governor can be hazardous to your civilization's health such as in the latter case or if you accidentally end up working the "citizen" specialist. At least with the governor, you're sure to be going in some direction. The governor typically favors food and hammers, so you'll be okay, but if you are trying to squeeze out units or improvements with cold efficiency, you'll need to take a hand manually.
Also, if you use spies or worldbuilder, you're going to notice that in order to crank out units, the AI typically forces itself into starvation. In order to compete, you'll need to do the same on occasion. The only way to do this effectively and not eat through your population like sliced cheese is to measure what you're buying and what you're paying for it.
Learning what tiles are the best for the situation takes practice and more than a little math, but the master of this art is the one that can confidently say they did everything possible with what they were given. Combining this skill with proper city placement and good decisions in what to build will go a long way.
I recently started a new game that I'm planning to take slow so I can learn from it and win and have fun at the same time. You can read all about it on my new Civ IV blog.
Spoiler :
http://civlegend.blogspot.com/2009/10/sally-sells-seashells-by-seashore.html
I'll be repeating some of what is there, here.
I'll be repeating some of what is there, here.
This is our starting position. Our given is that we are going to be building an obelisk, we have 22 food to next pop, and 30 hammers to an obelisk, and we are trying to win buddhism, which means teching meditation as fast as possible (commerce!).
We have a couple of great resource tiles in our reach, and a border pop due in 5 turns.
What are our possibilities? The first thing we need to rationally come to grips with is that we are NOT going to be working any tile that is less than any other tile, just common sense. Basically, we have three tiles we can work with: 31, 211, and 12
We need to produce 30 hammers, 22 food, and 119 beakers in as few turns as possible.
If we rely on the governor, we will grow to city size 2 in 8 turns by working our sugar tile.
3 x 7 turns = 21
The last turn will give us a surplus of 2 food.
Over these 8 turns we will receive 8 hammers from the city tile.
If we instead choose to work the silk tile, and only the silk tile:
22 / 2 = 11 turns growth
(1worked+1city) x 11 turns = 22
In both cases, we see that commerce remains relatively constant.
For simplicity, we are going to use 11 turns as our equalizing turn limit.
By turning off the governor, we will attempt to grow at turn 8 AND produce 22 hammers after 11 turns, as opposed to one or the other.
If we work the silk tile for two turns and sugar tile for six turns:
Food: 2x2turns + 3x6turns= 22
Hammers: 1x6turns + 2x2turns = 10
and then we consider the three turns at pop 2, working silk and fur to "catch up"
Food: 1x3turns = 3
Hammers: 4x3turns= 12
totalling:
Pop2 + 3 + 22
If we had let the governor pick for us, just the total (assuming sugar->silk):
Pop2 + 10 + 14
At face value only, we are paying 7 food for 8 hammers. Note, once we incorporate Pop3, that 7 food may have been worth more than 8 hammers, but for now, let's focus on the Obelisk and the culture we are creating.
Another situation, silk for 8 turns, sugar for 2 turns, then silk+fur to catch up.
Pop2 + 1 + 22
Now, strictly on point, this situation is definitely not worth it. For those of you who have also been keeping track of commerce, you'll note that the sooner you reach pop 2, the sooner you start getting that extra 1 irregardless of whether you are working sugar, silk, or fur.
Working your PPF means taking these sorts of costs into account. Playing with the governor can be hazardous to your civilization's health such as in the latter case or if you accidentally end up working the "citizen" specialist. At least with the governor, you're sure to be going in some direction. The governor typically favors food and hammers, so you'll be okay, but if you are trying to squeeze out units or improvements with cold efficiency, you'll need to take a hand manually.
Also, if you use spies or worldbuilder, you're going to notice that in order to crank out units, the AI typically forces itself into starvation. In order to compete, you'll need to do the same on occasion. The only way to do this effectively and not eat through your population like sliced cheese is to measure what you're buying and what you're paying for it.
Learning what tiles are the best for the situation takes practice and more than a little math, but the master of this art is the one that can confidently say they did everything possible with what they were given. Combining this skill with proper city placement and good decisions in what to build will go a long way.