Chillaxation
Warlord
Another obstacle to debate about city specialization is the minimum base production we would give a city. This is a moot point in the case of cities dedicated to production - but what is the base production level we should try for in our less-hammer-oriented cities? I argue that a base production of ten hammers should be considered a basic production capacity, for several reasons.
First, ten hammers base production gives a total of twenty hammers after a city has built the forge and factory, and secured some form of electricity. Besides this being a round number, this gives any city the capacity to build units at a good pace, if a slow one. With this base production, even our smallest cities will eventually be able to build tanks in 12 turns or modern armor in 15 turns.
Second, aside from the unit benefits, even a city which has a commercial or agricultural focus needs to build the city structures that synthesize with its specialization, and those that are necessary for national wonders. A city may have a great raw commerce, but it will produce far less total commerce over the years unless it has a productive base on which to build the grocery, market, bank, library, university, lab and so on. A city may have a population far beyond the ability of its plot radius to support workers, but it will need happiness buildings, and, ideally, buildings which synthesize with the economic factors produced by its specialists. A minimum base production of 10, while difficult to secure in some places, allows infrastructure development to occur at a desirable pace.
Third, the advantage of the AI, especially beyond Noble, is its ability to keep up in tech. If all else fails, we can count on the AI to cultivate its commercial health. It suffers, however, with regard to the other economic factors. We ought to exploit this disadvantage to its utmost in order to ensure victory. This doesn't mean that we should become, solely, a power in production - it means that production (and its concomitant discipline, logistics) is a field in which we are far superior thinkers to the AI. Both we and the AI count on minimally productive cities. Why shouldn't we count on cities, each with a more moderate amount of production?
In conclusion, I recommend a permanent, long-term goal of ten hammers, base production, to serve as a basic guideline for city specialization. Significant base production allows us much more flexibility and the possibility of synesthetic growth with resources and the geographic circumstances of each city. Ten hammers will allow us unit production from each city in times of war, the ability to invest in infrastructure to synthesize each city's citizens with its geography, and a significant equalizer with the AI's commercial advantages. Thank you for considering this proposal.
Chillaxation
First, ten hammers base production gives a total of twenty hammers after a city has built the forge and factory, and secured some form of electricity. Besides this being a round number, this gives any city the capacity to build units at a good pace, if a slow one. With this base production, even our smallest cities will eventually be able to build tanks in 12 turns or modern armor in 15 turns.
Second, aside from the unit benefits, even a city which has a commercial or agricultural focus needs to build the city structures that synthesize with its specialization, and those that are necessary for national wonders. A city may have a great raw commerce, but it will produce far less total commerce over the years unless it has a productive base on which to build the grocery, market, bank, library, university, lab and so on. A city may have a population far beyond the ability of its plot radius to support workers, but it will need happiness buildings, and, ideally, buildings which synthesize with the economic factors produced by its specialists. A minimum base production of 10, while difficult to secure in some places, allows infrastructure development to occur at a desirable pace.
Third, the advantage of the AI, especially beyond Noble, is its ability to keep up in tech. If all else fails, we can count on the AI to cultivate its commercial health. It suffers, however, with regard to the other economic factors. We ought to exploit this disadvantage to its utmost in order to ensure victory. This doesn't mean that we should become, solely, a power in production - it means that production (and its concomitant discipline, logistics) is a field in which we are far superior thinkers to the AI. Both we and the AI count on minimally productive cities. Why shouldn't we count on cities, each with a more moderate amount of production?
In conclusion, I recommend a permanent, long-term goal of ten hammers, base production, to serve as a basic guideline for city specialization. Significant base production allows us much more flexibility and the possibility of synesthetic growth with resources and the geographic circumstances of each city. Ten hammers will allow us unit production from each city in times of war, the ability to invest in infrastructure to synthesize each city's citizens with its geography, and a significant equalizer with the AI's commercial advantages. Thank you for considering this proposal.
Chillaxation
