Purchasing tiles

[krc]

As I noted in another thread, I recently decided to look through my "achievements_debug.log" to see where I stood on some of the steam achievements. I have easily attained most of the "do this 1000 times" achievements, and just completed the 100th win to get the "Shafernator" achievement.

But I am nowhere close to the "Land Baron" achievement for purchasing 1000 tiles -- I'm around 400, which averages to 4 purchased tiles per win. I'll buy resource tiles (luxury or strategic) if the border is close to another civ. And I'll buy strategic resources to get access to them sooner. But that doesn't happen very many times a game.

Is there some good reason to purchase tiles that I'm overlooking? Or maybe I just don't play America enough?

 

[General Tso]

I usually buy a large number of tiles every game. I buy up all of the good tiles along the border between my civ and the AI civs. I do this because I love to create large powerful cities and the AI tends to plop cities to close to me at times.

It tends to make me somewhat unpopular, but hay this isn't a popularity contest.

Buying tiles also gives you a nice buffer along your border which becomes even nicer if you build the Great Wall.

 

[comatosedragon]

I usually buy a large number of tiles every game.

I too am of this philosophy, although many on these forums seem not to be. I especially purchase tiles very early in the game for my capital. Anything 3 food or two food + production (for example a cow tile, a stone tile, a riverside deer tile). I justify it based on how many turns it would take to auto expand (2 or less I probably wouldn't buy, but 3 turns of extra food (especially if about to pop) and I will snatch it up).

And of course america makes this easier.

Buying border tiles can be tricky, and is very map/neighbor/disposition dependent.

 

[joncnunn]

Along with a few other achievements this isn't one I'd make a priority.

There is a time to buy tiles and a time to refrain from doing so.

There are some games I never bought a single tile. And then there's the current game in which I've already bought several tiles.
It depends upon how much I want those tiles now.

 

[ense7en]

I try to save my gold early on, but unfortunately there are times where the game prefers to expand to tiles i don't want, so in those cases i do buy them if i need them ASAP.

Also i buy tiles when i have expanding AI nearby so i don't lose the ones i want.

 

[trueblue]

I just popped this, reading this thread and playing the game.

 

[CGPanama]

I have all of the achievements except Land Baron for the same reason. I rarely buy tiles, usually for two reasons, right after settling a city to grab that critical resources just out of reach. Or to block a neighbor from exploring, expanding or exploiting a nearby resource. Maybe 2 to 4 tiles per game.

So I now sit at just over 650 tiles purchased, and since I refuse to game the system for an achievement (with the possible exception of Khaaan! because I refused to play to lose and eventually had to sit through 100 Next Turns idle to force the loss), I suspect it will be several more months before I get this one.

My three slowest Achievement gains
1. Land Baron (350 to go - see above)
2. Paul Bunyan (ACHIEVED) - I tend not to chop down trees unless they are blocking a resource (mine or plantation, for example).
3. He threw a Car at My Head! (ACHIEVED) - I am usually cautious about barbarians because of all of the years playing CivIV. Eventually was swarmed by barbs on a Deity level game.