Opinions on City Placement

[Prof. Garfield]

I try to place cities where they will have the best growth prospects; if there are a few odd tiles uncovered, I don't generally worry about it. If there are a number of them in an area, I might make a city to use them. I usually try to avoid overlap, but I don't go out of my way to do so, and just about anything will override this tendency.

Or you might build a city on a mountain, to close off a pass to an enemy- because it will mean an impregnable fortress once walls are built.

If you are not in a democracy this can backfire big time. The AI can send in a diplomat to bribe the city out from under you, especially if it is small (as I would expect a city used for that purpose to be). A fortress with a few units should be sufficient in most cases to deal with enemies (unless they are using lots of bombers against your troops, as fortresses don't give bonuses against air units).

 

[BaconLad]

This is slighty off topic, but I would like to hear some opinions on my city placing strategie which I have used for as long as I can remember.
I dont worry about having unused terrain and I very rarely overlap the city radius tiles. basicly I just expand along the coastline and if need be, fill in the gaps later.
I go for the coastal settlements because my empire then stretches a vast distance early on with few citys, ive also found that a coastal empire can be easier to defend and internal trade is also sped up as I use the coast to transport caravans/military units.
If I decide against filling in the gaps, (this tactic comes from an agressive OCC game) I will fill unused terrain with forest and place fortresses accordingly.

 

[simpeter]

It seems logical and consistent for a PD strategy, as it is trade-driven. The high number of coastal cities not only provide arrow-rich ocean squares, but also allows every city to build a ship, thereby spreading out the unhappiness issues caused by having a large trading fleet at sea and not requiring any cities to support more than 1 ship.
When you say "internal trade", do you mean "internal movement"? I know that some people do domestic trade, but I've always found it unprofitable. Do you recommend it?

 

[Ace]

I like BaconLads idea, and have been using it for years. Building along your coastline has the added benefits of blocking enemy lodgements on your shores and providing easy access to water for irrigation as well as the extra trade arrows and the whales and fish provided by the ocean hexes.

 

[BaconLad]

I know that some people do domestic trade, but I've always found it unprofitable. Do you recommend it?

Difficult question to answer, I would suggest that if the correct circumstances present themselves then to an extent I would reccomend internal/domestic trade.

No two games will ever play out the same, and every decision I make will be dependent on my current situation.
Sometimes in the EARLY STAGES of a game foreign trade is just not possible and although internal/domestic trade is not as profitable, it may be the only viable option, provided that comoditys are demanded.

If comoditys are not demanded and my economy isn't doing too bad then i've found it more beneficial to stockpile caravans in preperation for wonders.

LATER in the game I would NEVER undertake in internal/domestic trade evan if the comoditys are demanded. Foriegn trade, evan that which involves unwanted comoditys will yield a more substantial reward.

 

[Banach]

Sometimes in the EARLY STAGES of a game foreign trade is just not possible and although internal/domestic trade is not as profitable, it may be the only viable option, provided that comoditys are demanded.

If comoditys are not demanded and my economy isn't doing too bad then i've found it more beneficial to stockpile caravans in preperation for wonders.

LATER in the game I would NEVER undertake in internal/domestic trade evan if the comoditys are demanded. Foriegn trade, evan that which involves unwanted comoditys will yield a more substantial reward.

I pursue a slightly different strategy. In my experience, early game trading is best done with the AI, which is almost always somewhere nearby. If the trade is early enough, you can get one turn advances. Trade of course changes with navigation and invention, becoming less profitable. In the late game i EXCLUSIVELY do internal trading , as I'm usually light-years ahead in development, and the AI doesn't have superhighways, or later, airports. After auto, trade just isn't worth it unless the city has superhighways, and the AI can't be counted on to have those, even if you gift them auto. On the other hand, I can fairly well guarantee all of my cities will have SH within a few turns of auto. I usually set up an alternating ship train like Solo suggested and manage to click off more money than I know what to do with after auto.

 

[BaconLad]

I usually set up an alternating ship train like Solo suggested and manage to click off more money than I know what to do with after auto.

Can I ask how many cities are involved with your alternating ship chain?
I've had previous games where up to 30 cities on either side have been involved in the chain. The revenue was huge and as expected tech was coming in thick and fast every turn, however the game becomes less fun and repetitve. I've even read a few posts that refer to this strategie as "cheating" although I don't share that view.

When you find yourself with more money than you know what to do with it becomes inevitable that all your major cities (in my case more than 30 cities) rush build buildings every turn, this just kills the fun. The game becomes mechanical and dare I say boring.

I have decided to put fun before score, so more oftan than not my empire will comprise of about 20 - 25 cities, ( I had only 9 cities in a recent game) my ship chains will all be one way to the furthest foreign cities. Despite this I still discover tech every turn, but my scores are a fraction of what they used to be 18 months ago or so.
I find the game much more challenging and rewarding.

 

[Banach]

My alternating ship chain - usually I play on deity, so 15 cities for a large map, 10 for normal or small. It can be dramatically more on lower difficulty levels, it depends on what I feel like doing. I'm a fan of fewer cities than more (although I know that's not the optimal strategy).

I concur that it can be a bit tedious rush-buying every cities production from scratch every turn, but I usually find it to be a rush when I get to that stage of the game. I'm not an excellent player, so I often screw it up, but I love it when I manage to rush buy the entire fastest spaceship and launch on the turn superconductor is discovered. I really love it when it gets to the hyper trade part of the game (which, for me, comes with the advent of automobile). I love rushing a freight for 210 and delivering it for 2000 that turn...although payoffs that high are a bit rare, it's usually a bit lower.