neccessary city improvements

[harperbruce]

Originally posted by HughMungus


But that's what the game does?!?!

Even with the cheating, the AI is far from the best general in the world. Sark would ice it in a moment on the Game Grid.

 

[ElephantU]

Originally posted by la fayette
(and also without building any improvement in any city except your SSC, when you choose early landing

I think you may have mistaken Solo's minimalist Early Landing Guide. You try to build as little as possible, until necessary, but there are still Temples going up in preparation for the switch to Republic, and Libraries and Marketplaces going into helper cities after the SSC pumps up so as to keep up with 1 tech per turn from city research, and later Airports going in to colony cities to move those intercontinental ballistic freights as quickly as possible. It is not a strict no-improvements policy, but it does emphasize keeping the early helper cities content without improvements as long as necessary to focus on the SSC, then improving the helpers and finally the colonies. Combined with intensive overseas trade after the SSC has Newtons you should shoot for getting at least 1 tech per turn, with several two-tech turns interspersed once the helpers fill out the first one with the SSC.