Plains that you can't irragate... typical improvement?

[Bleser]

I know this is a very general question and largely depends on the surrounding area of your city's "fat cross," but is there a typical improvement that people do to a plains tile that can't be irragated (until electricity, of course)? Civ IV seems to recommend a cottage (which I typically do), but I was just curious of other's opions.

For plains that CAN be irragated, I ALWAYS farm them... is this wrong? I think 2 food/ 1 shield is great as it allows the population to expand.

 

[Lord Kid]

It depends on how much food the city is producing, if I can farm it. If I can't farm it, I will build a cottage unless it has a forest then I will either chop it for something then cottage or wait for replaceable parts to build lumbermills.

There is a formula: add up the squares that produce 2 or more food, then subtract the ones the produce 1 or less. If the number is positive, no farming needed, if negative that is how many farms you will need to support a level 20 pop.

 

[automator]

I very much dislike cottages on plains.

If there's a forest on the plain, I'll wait for lumbermills. A 1 food, 4 hammers (5 with rails) tile is pretty nice to have.

I like workshops. Even a basic workshop will make a plain give up two hammers, then more hammers later.

 

[Dr Elmer Jiggle]

If there's a forest on the plain, I'll wait for lumbermills. A 1 food, 4 hammers (5 with rails) tile is pretty nice to have.

Isn't it 3 without railroads, 4 with? I count 1 from plains, 1 from forest, 1 from lumbermill (that's 3), plus one from the railroad for 4. That's still good, of course, and I also try to keep forests around here and there, especially on plains that you can't irrigate.

 

[Enigma256]

depends for what the city is used

if it is a production city: workshop
if it is a commerce city: cottage
if it is my GPP Farm: i'd have chosen another location

 

[malekithe]

Generally, plains tiles will go unimproved for the majority of the early game. Of course, if it's all you have, you make due. But, even then, the unirrigated ones are way down on your list of priorities. You're usually better off just whipping away the population that would have worked those plains tiles.

 

[Janus0]

My best commerce cities lately have been straight plains tiles with 2-3 food resources on them. Sure, the grassland tiles can get you more raw commerces, but with the hammers from the plains you have to whip less, making them grow faster and have better buildings than you would normaly have with just grassland. I'll workshop them when they're in production cities, but if it's just an average city I'll cottage them. If there's not enough food to work them all, just build your cities closer togeather to let them share the tiles.

 

[CivDude86]

Starting in the middle of the great plains is always a pain. You can have at 2-3 cows per city but every tile is a plain. Of course the left side is messed up too (fur and trees on desert WTH?).