Trying to understand cIV finances

[MacBryce]

Hi all, Sorry if this has already been answered elsewhere. I searched the fora but I couldn't find it, so here goes:

I've been playing my first games on noble and I'm always getting in trouble financially. I've got to set my research bar to 70% or something to receive +1 gold/turn. I know where my losses are and I was fine with it, until I read Sulla's walkthrough. In one of his screenshots he has 100% research and +X gold/turn. I could quite understand how that was possible since I was under the impression that everything you earn is going to science at a 100% rate. So how did he get that X? Most of you must be thinking something in the line of "What a n00B" but we all have to learn the basics one day.

I've went to investigate and I discovered that some profits aren't subjected to the slider bar. A religious capital and certain specialists will earn you direct taxes without them being taken to the "money slider". Banks, markets, grocers will multiply them.

That's all I could find when cruising through my savegames, so here's my question: Are there other buildings or ways to get direct taxes, that I'm not aware of?

 

[Dragonlor]

In one of his screenshots he has 100% research and +X gold/turn. I could quite understand how that was possible since I was under the impression that everything you earn is going to science at a 100% rate. So how did he get that X?

When you found a religion and build enough temples for that religion you can build that religion's wonder (or use a great prophet to build the wonder). Such a wonder will give you gold for every city on the map that worships your religion. This is a very nice bonus and makes religion definately worthwhile. I earn tons of cash at 100% science in my late games.

 

[Drogear]

Build early cottages in grassland/floodplain riverspots to get a increas in gold prod when they evolve.

 

[kung-fu-stu]

Other cash that is not subjected to the 'slider bar' is foreign income through trade. If you sell one of your resources to another civ for gold rather trading it for another resource, this gold goes straight into your treasury.

 

[MacBryce]

@stu&dragonlor:
Great tips, guys.

@drogear
I think that income from cottages is subjected to the slider

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I've read a topic about the difference between commerce and gold now. The default icons are the same which is confusing.

 

[MattJek]

Can you really build your religion's wonder WITHOUT a great prophet?? I thought you needed a Prophet PG to build the religious wonder

 

[DemonDeLuxe]

I always try to found AT LEAST 3 religions, sometimes manage to get as many as 6 (7 only once), and I've never been in financial trouble whatsoever. Science is hardly ever below 100%, too.

 

[MacBryce]

This is a good mod to learn the difference between gold and commerce:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=105235&d=1133008958

Gold goes directly to your treasury, while commerce needs to be taxed first.

 

[MacBryce]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I've learned the way it works now.

 

[MattJek]

I always try to found AT LEAST 3 religions, sometimes manage to get as many as 6 (7 only once), and I've never been in financial trouble whatsoever. Science is hardly ever below 100%, too.

what difficulty do you play on?

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Can you really build your religion's wonder WITHOUT a great prophet?? I thought you needed a Prophet PG to build the religious wonder

No, you are right a prophet is needed.

 

[DemonDeLuxe]

what difficulty do you play on?

noble & prince

However, I like to play as teams with an AI ally, which makes it much easier to get certain desired techs.

 

[ZippyRiver]

No, you are right a prophet is needed.

Shame. I like the idea of being able to hit a temple limit and get the wonder in addition to the great prophet. My last game got hosed in that area as I never did generate a great prophet. The loss of income was crippling (amongst other things).

 

[narmox]

You get commerce from:

your palace
WORKED cottages/hamlets/villages/towns
worked tiles (such as rivers, coast, etc) that yield commerce
trade routes between cities (currency adds 1 trade route per city, etc)

You get gold from:
all the commerce collected by the cities multiplied by the commerce % (ie 100% - science% - culture%)
gold from the holy shrines, and with the Spiral Minaret, from the religious buildings if applicable
gold from specialists/superspecialists such as merchants, priests, etc

that gold is then subjected to more modifiers, such as marketplaces, grocers and banks which increase it by 25% or whatever.


All the gold from all cities is then pooled together, add anything else like gold/turn deals with other nations, then city maintenance, unit maintenance, unit supply and inflation and whatever else (such as gold/turn deals) is removed.

In each city, in the upper left, you can see how much gold it generates, and how much the city maintenance costs.

I think that's pretty much it, if I haven't forgotten anything.

 

[DeusPopuliPixlm]

OP, do you build courthouses to reduce maintenance costs?