Medieval and Renaissance buildings elimination thread

[InsidiousMage]

Shipyard (22) (21+1)
University (21) (24-1)

The Shipyard is transformative for the right cities while the University never is. Science is good and all but you can't win the game without strong cities and the University never makes a city stronger, Shipyards do.

 

[bengalryan9]

Shipyard (23) (22+1) In cities where I have a choice between the two, I'm almost certainly building the shipyard first.
University (18) (21-3) The big reason people have been knocking shipyards is that you can't put harbors in every city... fair enough, but I won't put campuses in every city either so that feels like kind of a moot point to me.

 

[fy00sh]

Shipyard (24)
University (15)

Shipyard (23+1=24) Whenever I can build this, it's my top priority. Production reigns supreme in this game and at worst I'll be getting +3 production out of this, plus gold from any Trade CSs I've got ≥3 envoys in. At it's worst performance it's equal to a Workshop, and at best can give upwards of +10 production.
University (18-3=15) The University, on the other hand, isn't necessarily going to be my top priority whenever I can build it. It's a great source of science, but that's about it, and although science is useful in every game, there comes a point in most games where you've got enough science to coast by for a bit, and you can focus your production on other things. That same point is much harder to reach for production, especially in the context of coastal cities. Overall I'm very satisfied with the top 5 placements in this thread, whichever one of these two buildings ends up winning out. But I feel like the sheer transformativeness of the Shipyard more than makes up for its lack of ubiquity, and it deserves the top spot.

 

[bbbt]

Shipyard (25) 24+1
University (12) 15-3

This one is hard. The shipyard can be a huge production boost in the right city, but there's a lot of sourced of production, and a lot of substitutes for production (faith, gold).

Science is still the main cornerstone of progress in the game, with few substitutes (Babylon aside). The campus is the primary source, and the university provides a significant boost.

I feel like it should be university. In MP it's def university. If you are a spacerace speed runner it's definitely university. But against the AI as stands, you can still dawdle around a good bit with science because even if they are ahead they will rarely beeline a win condition.

With better AI, university. But in the games I play, I'm going with Shipyard.

 

[Duke William of Normandy]

Shipyard (26) (25+1)
University (9) (12-3)

Shipyard: This is a prime example of a Building that has a great ROI at best and an okay one at worst. I get you won't be able to build these in every City you build, but in the ones that you DO build this in, the Yields can be insane if you plan them properly.

Shipyard: Basically parroting what @bengalryan9 and @AriaLyric have said.

 

[João III]

Shipyard (23) [26-3] I think this discussion boils down to whether you place greater value on a higher ceiling or a higher floor. The shipyard definitely has a higher ceiling, but also a lower floor. Not to mention, the ceiling gets a little lower as you actually improve the city's tiles so it's at least a little counterintuitive.
University (10) [9+1] University, by contrast, has a lower overall ceiling, but a higher floor so it has more consistent results, regardless of map.

As a (likely) final note in this thread, I still think Renaissance Walls deserved better than dead last, but the top five are clearly a cut above the rest with their positions almost interchangeable

 

[Francel]

Shipyard (24) (23+1) - Harbors are among the easier districts to get a relatively high adjacency bonus, and the adjacency bonus can be doubled for the purposes of this building.
University (7) (10-3) - Well, it's plus 4 science. It's not bad, but I'd favor the flexibility of the benefits provided by a good shipyard.

 

[canadamufc]

Shipyard (25) (24+1) What makes Coastal Cities equal to, if not better than regular cities. Coastal Cities generate lots and lots of gold so while this is expensive, you should have enough gold to buy it.
University (4) (7-3) I can't be the only one who thinks this is really expensive right? Unlike the Shipyard, which has bonuses towards getting it up. Can also be powered up with certain GS but it's a pretty narrow use, so it doesn't add too much to the grand scheme of things.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Shipyard (22) (25-3)
University (5) (4+1)

Good top two - one very powerful but situational, the other not quite as strong but impactful in virtually every game. Personal preference really between the two.

 

[Hellenism Salesman]

I'm torn: do I try and end the thread? Or do I try and vote honestly?

Shipyard (23) (22+1)
University (2) (5-3)

I don't really have to explain myself beyond wanting to end this thing.

 

[Oberinspektor Derrick]

Shipyard (20) -3: A lastditch downvote from me here, even though the University will probably lose at this point. I do like the Shipyard, but I there is one thing I haven't seen many people mention about it yet, and that is the long-term value you get out of it besides the immediate bonuses (production mainly). With "long-term value", I'm referring to the GP points its generates, as well as what it is a pre-requisite for. It fails in both these departments. I'll contrast this to the Bank (which by itself is a very bad building compared to this). The bank at least gives you Great Merchant points, which are useful for 95% of cases. Great Admiral points? Absolutely not, they are trash in a majority of cases. The shipyard is also a pre-requisite to the Sea Port, which I find to be a bad excuse of a building (compared to the competition). I've also found that I often delay the Shipyard for a while, because my most immediate concern in a coastal city is to get the Harbour + Lighthouse up for the trade route, and then having to get other districts (+buildings) built, like a Threatre Square if going CV, or Campus if going SV. I'll build it eventually, but I find that I often value getting that other core district up before investing into further production from the Shipyard, as the only other thing I'll be getting out of it in the meantime are mostly useless Great Admiral points.
University (3) +1: I don't want to upvote this as the "best building", because I don't think it is. I still know that for my playstyle, no other building can beat the GMC in pure, broken power. However, it was voted out, so I'll throw this one a bone. A solid building in nearly all cases, you'll typically get it in most cities in most games, as there's no reason not to. Not a particularly super-strong or fun building by itself, but you can't go wrong with it. Have spare production in a city, not knowing what to build and this thing is available? Just build it, you can't go wrong. Also gives GS points which are among the strongest in the game, even if you don't actually push for a SV. Finally it is a pre-requisite for the Research lab, which is also another solid building you can't go wrong building, so there's always a pretty good reason to build the University whenever you can.

Moderator Action: Post edited to remove flaming, please engage positively with other viewpoints --NZ

 

[kryat]

Shipyard (21) (20+1)
University (eliminated)

Shipyard - The lighthouse did quite well in our last elimination thread, coming in only behind the monument. The trade route and housing from the lighthouse are powerful and in the shipyard, the shipyard's production is potent for the rest of that city's lifespan. Additionally, there are some outstanding great admirals, such as Leif Erikson, Zheng He, Santa Cruz, Ferdinand Magellan, Horatio Nelson, Matthew Perry, and Grace Hopper.

University - A very worthy runner up in this thread. It's reliable science with a sprinkle of housing when you need it.

Thanks for playing everyone!

 

[Browd]

Moderator Action: Since this game is concluded and the final standings have been updated (see post 2), this thread is closed. Just a reminder that anyone (other than kryat, who started this thread) is eligible to propose a new elimination game thread. Please PM a moderator for permission.