Well, I don’t want to be defending IZs either. But I do think they’ve somehow have gone from being horrifically overrated, to maybe just a little underrated.
Overall, I try to think of them as being about the level of aqueducts. Situationally really useful, but not something for every every city or every game.
What use is an IZ?
- IZ has really three uses. First, it’s a way to “save up” production - ie you build it when you’re not busy and then it gives back production when you are. (I got that idea from a CivTrader video - such a smart guy.)
- Second, two plus workshops gives you a eureka. That’s reason enough, and the additional production you then get is just a bonus.
- Third, an IZ is a way to concentrate production in a city - but not the way you’re thinking. See, the problem with production is that it’s local - it can only be spent in the city where you earnt the production. So if you have 5 cities with +3 hammer mines, you can’t pool that into on city with 15 hammers.
- But you can convert production into other yields that a non local - trade routes and traders, builder chargers, science and culture, and faith and gold. You do this buy building districts units and projects. These yields can then be converted back to production but somewhere else in your empire, letting you now pool production. So, i’m our example, 4 of our cities could build markets and traders, you locate them in the fifth city, and now city five gets production from its mine and from four internal trade routes.
- What’s this got to do with IZs? Well, once you build the IZ, you can buy any buildings with gold. Given the IZ buildings give you hammers, this means other cities can turn their production into gold, which you can then turn into more hammers in you IZ city by using the gold to buy IZ buildings. What’s more, with Liang, you can even now buy the original IZ.
- That’s why I don’t like the whole “it takes 80 turns to pay of the IZ investment”. It’s wrong because you IZ city doesn’t actually need to spend hammers on IZ buildings - it should just keep building whatever it’s building, and other cities should buy it the IZ buildings it needs.
- Remember too that some GEs let you build another district and or grant amenities. So, while not the best Great Persons, they can help with boosting core cities and or tall play / peaceful play (whatever you want to call it).
- Overall, I doubt IZs are optimal - or if they are, it’s only very rarely. But there are viable (but less optimal) strategies that can use one or two, and they certainty can be fun sometimes.
Improving the IZ
- All that said, I do think the IZ and buildings could use some tweaks. Here are my thoughts.
- I don’t think the IZ should be pushed back. The medieval era would be boring without it. And I like the idea of “industry” getting its start in the Medieval era.
- Instead, if you agree Civ is too front loaded, i’d suggest: (1) move the government plaza back to diplomatic service and make the first building a “high court”; (2) make the previous tier 1 government plaza buildings mutually exclusive city centre buildings that can only be built in your capital. They’d still unlock at Political Philosophy, (3) make the IZs tier 3 building - the power plant - it’s own district. It would still give regional production, plus regional amenities, and would provide additional production if you have two coal and or two oil; (4) give the IZ a new tier 3 building - either an automated factory or tech hub. It would provide both hammers and science.
- I hadn’t realised how weak the workshop was until I read this thread, although again it can be bought with gold so not all bad. I’d leave the Workshop as is, but make it add +1 hammer to every trade route originating in this city - that would fit with the IZ concentrating production. I’d make the factory buff this, giving +1 production to both the originating and destination city (perhaps even including other civs).
- If you really want to boost IZ and other districts, you need to stop campus spam. The campus is way too strong. I think you should only be able to build three, with more capacity being unlocked through specific great people (maybe great engineers), your government tier level, and maybe specific buildings (eg some city centre building or maybe universities or research labs).
Next expansion
Final thought. Tier 3 buildings will almost certainly get tweaked if not reworked by the next expansion, given it will focus on the late game. So, I would worry too much...
[BTW, great post / thread
@Archon_Wing ]
