Settling on Floodplains

[Kulko]

I always have the same problem when it comes to floodplains.

There is the river with lots of FP and then there 2 or 3 rows of desert on each side.

Instincts tell me to settle in the desert to gain the free upgrade to 2food,1 shield but that means of course I am not on a river.
If I settle on the river, I "waste" the FP and get an increased danger of plague.

Whats the better thing to do?

 

[Delphi456]

If I'm in Republic I settle the desert tile and set production to workers until all other cities are at pop 12. Use scientists to moderate the growth pace of this town.

 

[Bowsling]

agricultural civ or no?

 

[ecuwins]

By settling on the river you get an extra gpt. The tile that the city is on, is not used in the disease calculation. For example - you settle on a FP and only work - deserts, hills, mountains, ect... then you will not get hit by disease. I'm sure someone will correct me if I am mistaken here.

 

[Higher Game]

Always settle on rivers. A free aqueduct and the chance to get a fast city proper is always worth it.

 

[Boss Tweed]

it all depends on a couple of factors. If you're playing at a low difficulty, frankly, it doesn't matter WHAT you do, but I'd recomend building on the desert and getting the floodplain tile (especially if you're an agcricultural civ) and build the aqueduct.

If you're on a higher level, it'd probably be better to settle on the river to get the aqueduct bonus

 

[NickyH]

I'd recomend building on the desert and getting the floodplain tile (especially if you're an agcricultural civ) and build the aqueduct.

If you're agricultural, you'll get an extra food in the town center in despotism if you settle by the river. Why miss that bonus? I don't think an extra flood plain tile makes up for free aqueduct + extra gold + the food bonus for settling on a river.

 

[Crowqueen]

How often do you get disease anyway? I used not to settle on floodplains - particularly if that was the start I got - but having held my nose a few times I don't find them too uneconomical. Low in production though sometimes so that's a factor, I guess.

@Nicky btw love the avatar.

 

[Optional]

The tile that the city is on, is not used in the disease calculation.. I'm sure someone will correct me if I am mistaken here.

You're right; you will get corrected. Anytime a citizen works a floodplain, you're at risk, and the city centre is automatically worked, no way to avoid that. I have to say it's easy to make the mistake, because on the city screen the citizen isn't counted or graphically represented, but he can surely catch a bug!
@ Crowqueen; I wouldn't know the chance of catching disease, but it's like with volcanoes averaging out over so many years. This means the chance is much higher in the beginning of the game, because a few hundred years are over with a snap of a finger, while later in the game the years pass much slower. And if you're researched sanitation the risk is completely gone, but by that time it's really not a concern anymore anyway.
So a floodplain start doesn't need to be bad, but if you're unlucky and you're just catching the bug if you're about to build your first settler than it can ruin your start.
So I wouldn't like a floodplain as a start spot, but as long as they're not right at your start spot they're fine.

 

[Boss Tweed]

If you're agricultural, you'll get an extra food in the town center in despotism if you settle by the river. Why miss that bonus? I don't think an extra flood plain tile makes up for free aqueduct + extra gold + the food bonus for settling on a river.

as far as I can remember, being agricultural gives you one bonus food in your main city tile. As far as I've noticed (or at least can remember) all cities when you settle on a tile get 2 food for the main city tile, no matter what tile it is. Being agricultural you get 3, which greatly benefits food from desert tiles.

If you settle a floodplain tile, you lose the bonuses of that tile, as when you railroad and irrigate floodplain you get some 5 foodstuffs, IIRC. If you settle on it, you can only harvest 3 (being agricultural, 2 not)

That is how I thought I've noticed it. I may be wrong.

 

[Aabraxan]

Everyone gets 2 food in the city square, but the agri bonus is 1 extra food *if* you settle next to fresh water. If you move away from the river, you lose that extra food.

 

[Spoonwood]

As agricultural, if you're not in despotism, you'll get that extra food also.

 

[Bowsling]

welcome to the forums Boss Tweed

Aabraxan, you don't need fresh water to get the food bonus. in one MP game, i was the agricultural celts, and i gave a city that was useless to me in exchange for a city that was useless to the other human player, the ottomans. it had no aqueduct, lake or river, and it starved upon it's recival. i realised that it had lost one fpt from the city that was supporting 1 extra citizen.

and my 100th post

 

[Aabraxan]

Oops. Thanks, Spoonwood and billybones27. It appears that I really bungled that one with respect to despotism. Sorry, Boss Tweed. You have to be on fresh water to get the food bonus as long as you're in despotism. Is that right?

 

[Boss Tweed]

Oops. Thanks, Spoonwood and billybones27. It appears that I really bungled that one with respect to despotism. Sorry, Boss Tweed. You have to be on fresh water to get the food bonus as long as you're in despotism. Is that right?

no problem. As far as I've noticed, you get the 3 food bonus on any tile, fresh-water or no, or even if the tile is a desert and only has 1 food, or even if its a floodplain and already has 3 food.
(this is built on a desert tile)

I'm not 100% sure about whether or not you get the bonus in Despotism, as I can't remember if you do or not. By Civ III standard rules, I would assume you don't get the bonus, as any tile producing three or more shields produces one less, but I'm not sure if the same counts. I'll have to look into that one

and thank you billybones27, for the welcome

 

[Optional]

If Agricultural, in Despotism you only get 2 food in the town centre if you're not on sweet water. I believe it also applies to Anarchy, so if you make a late game switch from say Republic to Communism you could see with the odd starving citizen.
And if you're not Agricultural you'll never get anything else but 2 food in the town centre, no matter what.

 

[SleeperLv]

Hey Boss Twead how did you make that the game shows that its (Aztec) civilization after each town in the screenshot?

 

[Lord Emsworth]

Hey Boss Twead how did you make that the game shows that its (Aztec) civilization after each town in the screenshot?

That is a preference setting. "Color Blind Help" or something like that.

 

[Boss Tweed]

Hey Boss Twead how did you make that the game shows that its (Aztec) civilization after each town in the screenshot?

That is a preference setting. "Color Blind Help" or something like that.

that is exactly correct

 

[SleeperLv]

Lol color blind help Thanks.