Puzzled by number of turns for settlers

[stwils]

There is something I don't understand. When I choose the Aztecs on Earth (Chieftain, 7 civs) it takes me only 20 turns to build settlers.

But if I choose a random map, it takes 40 turns.

If I choose the French on Earth, it takes 40 turns to build settlers.

And if I choose French on random map, it still takes 40.

Why do the Aztecs get favored on Earth map? Are there other civs that get favored by having less turns to build settlers? Why?

stwils

 

[Zwelgje]

It has got nothing to do with which civ you are playing. It has got everything to do with where you place your city and what city squares you are working on. Open the city menu and you will see that there are squares that are being worked on and squares that are just left alone. Well those squares can generate food (grane-like thingies), trade (green arrows) and resources (grey tri-angles with red in it). Well those resources determine how fast you will build something so if you choose a square to work on which generates a grey tri-angle your settler will be build faster. But beware, you must generate enough food as well as otherwise the city won't be able to support the settler. Just play around with it and you will get familiar with it.
Good luck!

 

[stwils]

But I usually select the square that the settler starts on to build the city on. So how do I know what my options are as far as that square or another square when my city is not yet built and there is not yet a city map???

I only know how many turns something is going to take after the city is built and I click on the unit in production and see the menu of what units I can build and how long they will take.

stwils

 

[stormerne]

Use the Civilopedia. Click on it and then Terrain Types. This gives you a list including Grassland, Swamp etc. Click on each one to find out what resources it gives. For example: Hills give 1 food or 2 if irrigated and 0 shields but 3 if mined.

You also need to check out government types because they can seriously affect production. For example, at the start of the game hills will only give you 2 shields if mined not 3 - this is because you'll be in Despotism and not have switched to Monarchy yet.

It's also important whether you have roads or rail on a square. Roads will increase trade on some terrain and later on rail will increase food and production.

And when you've built your city, you can choose which terrain squares your population can work on by clicking on the map in the city screen. Click to lift them off, and click again to drop them.

This is all in the online Civilopedia that comes part of the game.

 

[stwils]

I think I have not asked my question right.

So I will try again. When the game starts, and your settler blinks, how do you know if the square he starts out on will be a 20 turn settler or a 40 turn settler if you build there? There is no way I can find out until I select "Build" and then check the unit production table.

Sometimes I wait to build the first city and move the settler a bit until there is a little thingy in the grass. Then I build there.

But I never know if I am going to get a 40 turn settler or a 20 turn settler. And lots of folks say just to build on the first square.

But there is a BIG difference in starting out with 40 turns to build something as opposed to 20 turns to do so.

So how do I know which it will be?

stwils

 

[stormerne]

You know by looking the terrain where the settler is AND at the other 20 squares around that square that will make up the new city's territory (unless it is too close to another city already using some of the squares). And of course if some of the territory is still dark your options will be reduced.

A settler takes 40 shields to build. For one thing you might not want to build a settler straightaway if you have very little food available in your city because you might build it before your population reaches 2 and your city will disband. But assuming that isn't the case, you'll need two shields produced (and spare) each turn to make a settler in 20 turns. One shield spare will only give you a settler in 40 turns.

The rules for building cities are different between Civ2 and Civ1. In Civ2 you get food production from your city square as though it was irrigated and shield production of 1 even if the land wouldn't normally produce shields. That's why there's no point in Civ2 building a city on those shield-grassland squares! In Civ1 it's different. Like Civ2 you get the food production as though it were irrigated, but unlike Civ2 you don't get the free shield.

This means that if your population is only 1, you will get your city square and one other working and both have to be producing a shield to make a 20 turn settler. Therefore your city has to be on a shield producing square (so ordinary grassland won't do) AND you have to position your worker on a shield producing square. This is because no normal type of terrain square (i.e. ones that aren't "special") will produce 2 shields a turn without being mined by a settler first.

Remember the game will default to placing the city's workers for you in such a way as to produce the most food. But you don't have to go along with its choice. In the city screen you can click on the existing worker's square (but not on the city square) - its output from that square will vanish - and then click on a new square which produces shields and that's where the worker's new output appears.

So check through the Terrain Types in the Civilopedia so you understand which types give you shields. Then you can choose the right city site (on a shield bearing square) and with a shield bearing square in the 20 squares around it. But do remember that in general more shields = less food, so make sure you still have enough being produced to let your city grow. Spare production is separated slightly on the right of the rest.

(Avoid black food and especially black shields showing on the city screen. This means you're losing food or that you won't be able to support a unit.)

 

[rossmackinnon]

Hi there - I have been playing Civ1 since 1992 and am still as addicted as ever.

No way should you build your first city on the first square no matter what. If it's a mountain then you're in serious trouble - you won't be able to grow. I have never built a city on a mountain (or even a hill) even though the defence bonus is nice. I much prefer to grow the city as much as I can.

Also, I seem to have a lot less bloodlust than most of you - I like to be peaceful as possible until I beat everyone to Alpha Centauri - only then to I kick everyone else in the nuts.

 

[Zwelgje]

A peaceful game has lots of advantages, you are able to grow big well developed cities (as you don't have to put a lot of effort in making lots of military units) and the trade can become huge generating lots of money. As a result of that taxes can go down and science goes a lot faster. However with Zulus, Mongols and French around a peaceful game is not one of the possibilities, so I will have to kill them