Settling directly on a resource or a tile with base good yield vs working that tile itself

[almughavar]

Would settling my city on a resource give me the same yield as when my pop working that tile with corresponding tile improvements (like camp for deer, mine for mercury or plantation for cotton) instead? If in the long run a tile with improvement would increasingly giving me better yield than settling directly on a resource with city center then why I keep seeing ppl like PotatoMcWhiskey doing that for example? Hell, I would even think twice about settling on a plain hill tile even if it doesn't contain any resource because later on I could plop down a mine or a lumber mill on it and getting an extra 4 production when all relevant techs have been unlocked compared to city center

 

[vorlon_mi]

One consideration might be timing. As @DannyMustardpants wrote, you can get the access right away. Getting marginally better yields X turns from now, compared with getting decent returns NOW, when you settle the city, might make a difference.

 

[almughavar]

I see, thanks for your answers. And I thought there were a slim chance of city center working as a tile improvement as well, because I almost never settled on a resource (unless they were unrevealed at the time)

 

[Goodenuf]

As already stated, settling on a luxury early vs waiting for research/builder/improvement/work to get the tile working is that you can sell that luxury for gold right away. That extra cash is huge early in the game. Once you're further into the game and have a better ability to acquire a builder and have the requisite research in place then I won't settle directly on them.
As for bonus or strategic resources: I rarely ever settle on them unless they are in a premier location for a city (e.g. balance access to other resources, access to fresh water, great district placement potential, etc.). In other words, I don't target them for city settling.

 

[Nigel_Tufnel2]

I will almost always settle my 1st city on a culture or faith resource needing a plantation, all else being equal. If nothing else, it spares room for districts rather than having a 1st ring tile be off limits. You don't get an Inspiration or Eureka from a plantation, so often then I can hold off on the dead end tech Irrigation for a while. Later, when Plantations give more food, it seems worth it to not settle on them as easily.

I typically save mineable resources for Builders, unless maybe if I have multiples and/or it gives culture which I want from turn 0. I will typically avoid settling any tiles that will wreck an early Eureka (Stone, Wheat, etc.).

 

[reddishrecue]

It depends on the situation and play style. If you need iron that quick then go ahead and build on top of the iron or on top of the horses for quick horse. You won't have to build as much mines or pastures for quick resources.

 

[UWHabs]

Generally speaking, you don't get the full bonuses from the improvement. Although for most cases, that doesn't necessarily matter - the difference between settling on an iron mine and working another mined hill vs settling on the other hill and working the mined iron is not usually much different.

Now, there are some cases where it will matter - any bonus specifically for an "improved resource" won't count settled spots. So the water mill bonus, God of Craftsmen, Temple of Artemis, etc... don't apply if you settle on the resource. So if you plan to make use of them, then I would tend to settle away from the resource. Also like you don't get the eureka for an iron mine for settling on it, only if you mine it. The resource will count towards adjacency (ie. an industrial zone will get +1 for being next to a resource if you build it next to the city centre), but does not get the improvement adjacency (the industrial zone's +1 for every 2 mines).

But as mentioned, the big benefit is that you get the bonuses earlier, and you free up another tile for later. So if you settle on that Tea tile for your opening city, you get the amenity and can sell it without unlocked the tech for it. Also early on especially, if the tile gives you a non-standard bonus and you would otherwise not want to work the tile until later, it can be a big boost early to settle on it. So the Tea, for example, if you settle on it your city gets the +1 science from the tile, and you can work other high food or production tiles instead. If you don't settle on it, my usual early game route tends to focus on those other tiles, so I often wouldn't want to work the tea until my city was up to size 6 or 7. That's even bigger for something like desert incense, where I really don't want to work that tile basically ever unless if if I get Nazca Lines or Petra.

 

[MartinMcMartin]

nice late response from me 14 years later..

I always settle on top of them, especially if it is horses or iron. these can never be chopped or eliminatied from the game, so youre stuck with that bonus/lux for ever and cannot build nothing on top of it. usually there is another same resource near, so why not. and when you get to build a trade union (forgot the name) you only have to improve one tile, because the other one also counts as improved...

 

[blackbutterfly]

In Civ V this was certainly the way to go as improvements took time, b'cos if you settled on it you got immediate access.
Esp. good for France with its chateaux placement.

So I thought they might move away from this exploit(?) in Civ VI.

For some civs & leaders that benefit from appeal like Mapuche, Teddy, Australia, etc. settling strategics like iron, nitre, coal, etc. means you don't have to mine it reducing appeal.

In Apocalypse mode settling on the resource is a very good idea, esp. for Vietnam, who can rewild and reap hyperyields from any green/tundra tile.

 

[Kotofei]

I will almost always settle my 1st city on a culture or faith resource needing a plantation, all else being equal. If nothing else, it spares room for districts rather than having a 1st ring tile be off limits. You don't get an Inspiration or Eureka from a plantation, so often then I can hold off on the dead end tech Irrigation for a while. Later, when Plantations give more food, it seems worth it to not settle on them as easily.

I typically save mineable resources for Builders, unless maybe if I have multiples and/or it gives culture which I want from turn 0. I will typically avoid settling any tiles that will wreck an early Eureka (Stone, Wheat, etc.).

This. Settling your first city on dyes or silk is always a good move. Cocoa ain't bad. Outside of that, you're better off improving the resource.

 

[blackbutterfly]

This. Settling your first city on dyes or silk is always a good move. Cocoa ain't bad. Outside of that, you're better off improving the resource.

Oh yes, I forgot plantations + Abe Lincoln.
For him especially you wanna settle luxuries that are improved by plantations, as his nerfbuff means they generate -loyalty.

 

[Tobizi]

For completeness, I would add that you only get extra yields from ressources if they exceed the 2f1p base yield of a city center. E.g. settling on grassland stone (2f1p) or plains wheat (2f1p) don't give you any additional yield.