The joy of small islands

[zebomba2]

Say, your capital is near or on the coast. There's a small island nearby. It's useless, isn't it? Not quite.
Based on what I've seen in SMAC, with all the boring pollution issues(much worse than on CIV, dependind on how you deal with it), I'd crossed on this little jewel.
While playing Rhye's scenario(which is great, btw), I had a city on a peninsula with tons of water. I just thought, "Oh crap."
It turned out that that city has the highest commerce I could get from any city, at any time. The only way to get more is from a super cluster of silks. But then, you'd need a horde of workers to clear the trees.
I could only get Newton on that city, lost Copernicus, and not in modern yet.
It's great to have a potential of around 550(!) science coming from ONE city. It could take Newt, Copern, SETI, all science buildings and commercial dock, but it's possible. Specially because among so much water, there's fish and maybe whales.
(20x 4, plus bonus, plus center tile=about 100, 150% from library, university and ResLab, 100% from each of the science wonders).
So let's see what's good and what blows in that kind of city:


-If on 1 tile island, no need for workers, ever.
-No need for defense, except against Vikings or after amphibious war.
-No pollution ever.
-Fast city growth after mapmaking.
-$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
-No need for factories, power plants, and production and pollution stuff of any kind.
-Good to get commerce for monarchy and communism entusiasts.
-Moonsinger can't get you .

-Needs to buy everything, from universities to wonders, which require GLs. Pre-build them to lower the costs. When you're, say, waiting for police stations, just let it pre-build something.
-It can't produce squat. Don't try to get tanks out of this city.


Believe me, it pays to have that 1 tile island close to your capital .
If you choose communism, it's good everywhere, wherever you can protect your investment, that is.
I don't know when it starts to be profitable, I'm gonna let fanatics like cracker to calculate that.

 

[globester]

too bad you need to buy everything :/

 

[TerraHero]

yes..most Civ's i see on a small isle are still Ancient when i just got my First nuke...it does bring in a lot of $$$ but it had close too Zero production....and u forgot an other thing...Small islands are isolated Example: Marle Singer's (luv that map) there is this small island in the middle of the pacific..here i build my Super Weapons...Online it is very hard for the enemy too find em..and against Comp..they can't find it...

 

[Jamesds]

It's the most annoying thing when an AI lands on a one square island and colonises it!! I hate it!

 

[kaslks75]

I play a lot of archipelago-world games, and placing a city on a one tile island if they are near your enemies' islands is a good way to 'keep an eye' on their navy comming and going It doesn't really need to grow and makes a good (somewhat permanent) 'spy'.

 

[Jamesds]

The city will produce lots of money, which can also go to buying some of the improvements.

If only Offshore Platform was still here!!! You'd have a super shield-producer too!!

 

[Hygro]

uh after miniturization you CAN get the offshore platform!

 

[zebomba2]

I guess you didn't get it. It needs:
-fish and coast
-be close to you capital, or communism.
The point is, even if you buy almost everything, it gives you a profit, specially later in the game. Most improvements pay for themselves in 10-20 turns. The rest is $$$$$$$.
By the time offshore platforms are around, you should have won the game.
The point is, never build (except prebuild of course) after the ancient age.
Besides, having a city with a potencial to make 500 science alone is beautiful.

 

[Jamesds]

----------Quote by Hygro------------------------------------------------------

uh after miniturization you CAN get the offshore platform!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh!
I didn't think about that! I always win before miniturization, and have never got a chance to build it. Didn't know it existed!!

 

[I. Larkin]

Can't understand 550 gpt. it is 21 working tiels, say, ten give 30, rest 22. It is 52 base, right? Then OK, lib, uni and res lab gives 26 each, the sum (130) is a base for Newton, Copernicus, SETI. Altogether give 325. Still alot, but not 550. I had 130 without Wonders in normal City on the coast with 2 golden hills. I wish to have there at least one.

 

[civ_steve]

In PTW, the commercial dock adds a commerce to every water tile, so in your example the base goes up to 72. Building Library, University, Research Lab, Copernicus', Newton's and Seti adds 500% to your research capability, for a grand total of 432. If you decide you have a late Golden Age and/or have a few Whales and Fish, you get into the 500's.

 

[Sims2789]

that's true. i never make scenarios with one-square islands because once while playing on the Standard Earth map, my allies, the Aztecs and i kicked the Iroquise(who in this game originated in India) all the way back to Tiawan or someplace like that in 600 AD. since it was a one-square island, i had to wait till i got amphibious warfare before i could kill them. very irritating, unless you're the Iroquis.
________
Alaska medical marijuana

 

[Ben E Gas]

I build on them and use them as Forts or Bases of operation. Most of my military strikes will originate on an island near my enemy. Or you can place planes on them and use it to defend a coastline.

 

[Tiger_Nation]

Once on marla's world map I defeated the Zulus in north america me being in the South continent and they landed on a one square island so it took me aroun 1500 years to defeat them when I had marines. So annoying.

 

[Jamesds]

That's just the thing! They land on a one-tile-island and you have to wait to destroy them! The most annoying thing.

 

[Tiger_Nation]

I guess thats one of the reasons the vikings are in the game now so you can have early game amphibious assaults.

 

[Ben E Gas]

you should be able to capture military units, such as the vikings have and use them for yourself.

 

[Jamesds]

I don't have PTW, my OS doesn't support it. (Win95b) So I have to wait!!

 

[Ben E Gas]

you can't even do that in PTW so don't worry, I was just thinking that it would be nice to be able to do that.