ChrisShaffer
Board gamer
At size 3, it can run 6 specialists, at size 4-6, it can run 6 specialists as well. Higher population size this early in the game will just cost us more and give us very little.
This is crazy? At size 3, it works clams/pigs/deer and zero specialists, right? We will have city center (+2 food) fish (+3 food) pigs (+4 food) fur (+2 food, needs camp) = 11 food. That supports 5.5 specialists. So we need 8-9 population. A granary will help us get there faster, and in the meantime, we have two mined hills (one still needs a mine) to work to produce buildings and units, so we want at least 5 population ASAP.
GP farm needs a camp, Production needs a camp, Commerce needs cottages... we could use some more workers. For long space games, I like a ratio of 1.5 workers per city.
Edit - also, large cities are good to power the Great Lighthouse trade routes!