Sewers Useless?

[Wintervoid]

I am curious what other people's experience with sewers has been.

For me, it seems that every game that I get them, I either already have Neighborhoods that get me more housing, or if not, can use an Aqueduct to bridge the gap until I do. In both tall and wide games, they seem to be the building that never gets built.

I am sure that there are times when they are useful, but I am just not seeing it. I feel like they should have a bigger Housing bonus, come earlier or have some other benefit like an added Amenity.

Have others found them more useful?

 

[NukeAJS]

Generally -- no. They're ridiculously expensive, have high maintenance (for what you get), and have poor benefits.

To me, their only benefit is that they can be purchased with gold (super expensive) or faith if you're friends with Valletta (manageable if you're running high +faith). Neighborhoods cannot.

 

[Cerilis]

They are useful when you for some reason cant build neighbourhoods in a city.

 

[blasto]

I too prefer wallowing in filth.

 

[Shawouin]

Both aqueduc and neighborhood take one tile. If your city is around 8 pop, and you don't need a 13 pop city because of the limited space, sewer is a good option.

2 gold maintenance isn't big at that time in the game.

 

[CoconutTank]

I usually prefer Sewers over Aqueducts actually, because Aqueducts take up a tile and require being close to sources of water, whereas a Sewer doesn't occupy space and works anywhere.

 

[Seabastian Civ]

Generally -- no. They're ridiculously expensive, have high maintenance (for what you get), and have poor benefits.

To me, their only benefit is that they can be purchased with gold (super expensive) or faith if you're friends with Valletta (manageable if you're running high +faith). Neighborhoods cannot.

Bingo ^

They're only worthwhile when you're playing an England/Egypt commerce game and are splashing gold at the expense of hammers.

 

[Rathelm]

Sewers are worthless. They should give +1 or +2 amenities too.

 

[jbavon]

Sewers are worthless. They should give +1 or +2 amenities too.

Thats disgusting

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Thats disgusting

Usually more disgusting when you lack them.

 

[Onii-chan]

I've gotten over 1000 gpt in a couple games I've played so buying sewers with gold isn't exactly a problem

Even under more normal circumstances though, +2 housing is never bad. Sure, neighbourhoods give more but they also take up a tile. You don't always have a tile available. Especially for coastal cities that have less land to work with to begin with I think sewers can be useful

Something that does annoy me a little though is I usually prefer Democracy for my tier 3 government, and the boost for that civic requires you to build 4 sewers. I don't think I've managed to do that even once :s
Just comes too quickly and I rarely need them in that many cities

 

[Dicemechanic]

And yet you go to any major city in the world, and they'll probably have sewers. Think there's something not quite right in the game here!

 

[Larsenex]

I know CrazyScott did a 'buffed resources' mod in which the Aquaduct gets a bit of housing love and adds +1 food for ever tile within 3 hexes. Hopefully we can get the lowly sewer a bit of improvement over the lousy +2 housing. I like the amenities idea but maybe a bit of food to help with growth? (+3 Housing, +1 food)

 

[Wintervoid]

I know CrazyScott did a 'buffed resources' mod in which the Aquaduct gets a bit of housing love and adds +1 food for ever tile within 3 hexes. Hopefully we can get the lowly sewer a bit of improvement over the lousy +2 housing. I like the amenities idea but maybe a bit of food to help with growth? (+3 Housing, +1 food)

Okay......I could make the stretch of Sewers providing Amenities because Amenities seem to include health.....but I draw the line at Sewers producing food!

Then again....maybe it could be considered fertilizer? How about a prereq for gunpowder?

 

[elitetroops]

Never built sewers, probably never will. Housing is overrated.

 

[isau]

Sewer mainly needs to be available much earlier. +2 Housing isn't bad exactly, it's when you get it.

Sewer also probably should add +1 Housing to each Neighborhood, and the bonus of the Neighborhood itself lowered somewhat.

 

[Rathelm]

Never built sewers, probably never will. Housing is overrated.

Housing is overrated because most the time your locked by amenities and not housing. If the sewers provided amenities that covered it's own housing bonus and then some they'd be worth it.

 

[Larsenex]

Sewer mainly needs to be available much earlier. +2 Housing isn't bad exactly, it's when you get it.

Sewer also probably should add +1 Housing to each Neighborhood, and the bonus of the Neighborhood itself lowered somewhat.

^^ This works. We get Granary early and its the only housing increase we can build until aqueducts then Sewers. Ideally both should be available at the same time but then Aqueducts would never get built. If Aqueducts added food like in CrazyScotts mod and Sewers were cheaper in production cost AND came at the same time as Aqueducts then that would be a good change.

 

[TheGreatSleepyOne]

Sewers are useful for proccing the Inspiration for Democracy. Other than that, they are less useful than neighborhoods for housing unless you are really strapped for good tiles for whatever reason. You also need one to get the Pizza Party achievement.

 

[Rathelm]

Sewers are useful for proccing the Inspiration for Democracy. Other than that, they are less useful than neighborhoods for housing unless you are really strapped for good tiles for whatever reason. You also need one to get the Pizza Party achievement.

That's a production expensive proc. By the midgame I usually have too much I want to build, plenty of housing compared to amenities, and have to focus on victory condition build items or production related items instead.