Specialty Cities

[Frithiof]

I've been watching a lot of online games lately, and have noticed players will say 'this will be my gold city', 'this will be the science city', etc.

What do you look for when creating a specialty city? Is it mostly just what buildings you'll build in the city, or does terrain play into it just as much? (I know for a science city, you'll want it next to a mountain for the Observatory, but other than that).

 

[Calouste]

I've been watching a lot of online games lately, and have noticed players will say 'this will be my gold city', 'this will be the science city', etc.

What do you look for when creating a specialty city? Is it mostly just what buildings you'll build in the city, or does terrain play into it just as much? (I know for a science city, you'll want it next to a mountain for the Observatory, but other than that).

Terrain plays quite a big role, as some terrain allows for certain buildings to be build. Mountain->Observatory (science) is one, but you also have Gold/Silver->Mint (gold), Wine/Incense->Monastery (culture), Iron/Horses->Forge/Stable (military) and River/Food->Garden (great people).

 

[vexing]

personally, i try to pick well rounded spots for all my cities. my capital is my only special city, in that it is going to have a much larger population than all my others due to tradition and maritime capital bonus.

obviously if one city is next to a mountain, surrounded by jungle, you may want to consider it a "science" city and rush buy a university there, but the label does nothing.

 

[GCavalry]

Before there is some kind of specialized city. But with the changes in patch 1.035 the national wonders changed a lot, no longer +% gold or +% productions, so you can build in any city and receive the same benefit. Currently my try to specialized city is:
- The capital is almost Science and Great Peoples City, with the Tradition to boost pop and with the National College, build early. Build farm in the capital as much as possible. The pop will increase science. Can build some trade posts for switching if you have happiness issue.
- Other cities is mix science and wealth, with many trade post as possible.
- 1 or 2 high production city for military units building. In these cities you may build stables, barrack lines, I often choose the best production city outside the capital to be military specialized. You may consider build mines instead of trade post here, and postpone market and bank buildings here.

 

[Bibor]

I've been watching a lot of online games lately, and have noticed players will say 'this will be my gold city', 'this will be the science city', etc.

What do you look for when creating a specialty city? Is it mostly just what buildings you'll build in the city, or does terrain play into it just as much? (I know for a science city, you'll want it next to a mountain for the Observatory, but other than that).

City specialization

Science focus candidates:
-riverside or lakeside for food (growth), gardens and watermills
-mountainside for Observatories
-capital for usually being the largest city
* science city with best overall population growth gets National College; usually the capital but not always

Commerce focus candidates:
- captured puppet cities you do not plan to annex
- not much production available (scarce hills and/or forests)
- grasslands being dominant in city radius (can be trade posted up while still growing)
- lots of gold-bearing happiness resources (cotton, sugar, silver, gold, gems etc.)
- lots of sea resources (they all bring in lots of gold)
* commerce city with best production gets National Treasury

Production focus candidates:
- lots of forests for lumbermills, food with hammers (sheep, cattle)
- riverside cities with lots of plains instead of grasslands
- abundant strategic resources (horse, iron, but also coal, aluminum etc.)
- Marble for wonder production cities
* the best production city gets Ironworks (not the capital, so it can also get the railroad bonus)

Culture focus candidates:
- not excelling in any other areas but with average or better production (culture is all about hammers).

 

[Civsassin]

I've been watching a lot of online games lately, and have noticed players will say 'this will be my gold city', 'this will be the science city', etc.

What do you look for when creating a specialty city? Is it mostly just what buildings you'll build in the city, or does terrain play into it just as much? (I know for a science city, you'll want it next to a mountain for the Observatory, but other than that).

You can focus your cities as Bibor said in his post, but the interesting thing in CiV is the National Wonder conundrum. You have to build a libray in every city that you have before you can build the National College; the same for workshops, markets, monuments, colliseums, universities, etc. In many ways, you have to have hybrid cities if you intend to build the National Wonder associated with a particular building. However, the point is still the same, you can specialize your cities as previously discussed, you just have to keep the National Wonder piece in mind as you build. Many players get the NC up early, so they don't have to build libraries everywhere.

 

[Ibian]

Specialization is a CIV concept.

You don't see a river or some silver tiles and decide "this will be my gold city", the terrain makes it so. Most gold comes from selling/working resources and trade routes anyway, at least in my games, so i question the value of the trade post. Used to build it on non-riverside hills instead of mines, but with the boost to mines and the nerf to trade posts in the next patch this will become less than ideal.

Science and production both need population, so farms and mines. Culture needs the same thing. Trade posts can contribute to science by way of RA and CS, but they will just not be worth working in the early game now.

Really, if anything there is a lack of options.

To clarify, my issue is that while some cities could be said to be specialized, it is not you choosing the specialization but rather the map that dictates it.

 

[Deep_Blue]

Going for specilized cities is a very good strategy, the idea is to focus buildings for each specilization rather than building every building in every city.

Setup 2 Core production cities, in these you focus on production buildings and wonders that give production modifiers. These cities are mainly used for military units production.

You need 1-2 high commerece cities to pay for empire costs, these cities are prefered on riverside with a lot of grass land, pluse some luxuries especially Gems/gold/silver. In these cities you focus on commerce buildings and trading posts.

Other cities go in the direction you plan, if you want to focus on research for all the game then make all other cities specialized in research (you need a lot of farms for science cities), or if you are going conquest then a mix of research and production.

it is also possible to make cities specialized in Great People generation, in these cities you try to focus on buildings/ wonders that increase Great People generation. Then if you want a city to focus on great merchant for example you try to build all wonders that give Great Merchant points in this city, and all buildings that have Merchants slots.

 

[Robert Smith]

The funny part of Civ is that depending on map, leader, speed, difficulty and goal (the victory type u aiming at) you need different strategies. The absolute best way to learn Civ is to play according to HOF rules. In HOF forum u compare your strategic with other and you will be surprised how you can cut several 100 years depending on strategy.

Civ V HOF will start as soon as the announced Feburary Civ5 patch is available.

Civilization 5 Hall of Fame is Coming Soon!

 

[Bibor]

In many ways, you have to have hybrid cities if you intend to build the National Wonder associated with a particular building.

Yes. To clarify, most buildings in CIV5 are separated into tiers.

For example:

Tier1: Library, Tier2: University, Tier3: Public School, Tier4: Research Lab
Tier1: Barracks, Tier2: Armory, Tier3: Arsenal
Tier1: Monument, Tier2: Temple, Tier3: Opera House, Tier4: Museum, Tier5: Br. tower

Usually all your cities will have all Tier1 buildings regardless of future specialization (with the exception of maybe barracks).

So every city will have a:
-library (to unlock National College)
-marketplace (to unlock National Treasury)
-monument (to unlock National Epic)
-university (to unlock Oxford)
-workshop (to unlock Iron Works)
-barracks (to unlock Heroic Epic) -optional

And then the specialization begins.

Take for example your main Commerce city. It has decent production, lots of gold-yielding resources (lets say 20 from base terrain like silver mines or trade posts). Aside from a library, monument, university and workshop, it will get a marketplace (+25%), bank (+25%), Stock Exchange (+33%) and National Treasury (+10). From tiles and Treasury, with all the multipliers that's 30*1,83 = 54. And that's actually a conservative estimate. I've had cities with more than 100 gold per turn when not in a golden age.

 

[Khadroth]

So what do you guys typically focus on with a coastal city? I actually have one the best one's I've settled ever but I'm not sure where to take it (great barrier reef(x2), fish (x2), Pearls). Unfortunately it doesn't have good production atm since it's on grasslands with no river and the nearest hills/forests are 2 tiles away.

 

[Deep_Blue]

So what do you guys typically focus on with a coastal city? I actually have one the best one's I've settled ever but I'm not sure where to take it (great barrier reef(x2), fish (x2), Pearls). Unfortunately it doesn't have good production atm since it's on grasslands with no river and the nearest hills/forests are 2 tiles away.

Commerce with Colossus + trading post on all grass.

No Colossus then go for growth , farm on all tiles -> Science

 

[vexing]

So what do you guys typically focus on with a coastal city? I actually have one the best one's I've settled ever but I'm not sure where to take it (great barrier reef(x2), fish (x2), Pearls). Unfortunately it doesn't have good production atm since it's on grasslands with no river and the nearest hills/forests are 2 tiles away.

that is sexy. when you get a seaport it'll gain 6 raw production.

 

[Khadroth]

Commerce with Colossus + trading post on all grass.

No Colossus then go for growth , farm on all tiles -> Science

Yea normally I try to settle along the coast with a mountain since it tends not to be one of my first expansions. I suppose now with the patch though it might actually be worth getting to the coast fast if you can snag colossus.

that is sexy. when you get a seaport it'll gain 6 raw production.

Unfortunately, I'm still a ways off from navigation. My one major gripe with this scenario so far is that the wonders aren't affected by lighthouses/seaports. Though I suppose that might make them way too OP, especially if I was playing Isabella (Pachacuti atm).