What Building to build in each city

[Tobias_Swede]

Hey guys,

I got BTS a few weeks ago and have never played b4. Been reading about specialising each city. Problem is i dont know which buildings to build in each of the cities. I aim for a science, wealth, culture military and GP city.

Wat i wanna know is a list of the buildings that every city should have no matter what specialisation.

Also for each of the specialised cities what I should aim to build to promote that specialisation. i understand they all need farms and the wealth cities should aim for cottages and the military city aim for production, but its the other buildings like monastaries, theaters, markets etc.

would be a gr8 help thanks

 

[johncross21]

granary is good for early game because it helps your civ expand - build it when you want to grow your population faster

forge is good when you have no other priorities it saves hammers

colleseum, theatre, temples - increase happiness - useful if the citizens get unhappy - build them when needed

courthouses good when mantenance costs is a problem - build them when the halving the maintenance cost per turn would produce more wealth than improvememts such as markets, banks etc

aqueduct - build them as and when the city gets unhealthy due to size and you want it to grow.

 

[KMadCandy]

i try to specialize my cities, particularly when i'm trying a warmongering game. i do mean trying, they don't come naturally to me. but in some circumstances i do build some stuff that isn't strictly "this building gives hammers so it's a no-brainer for a production center", etc. but i do try to always ask myself "how am i going to benefit by building this here?"

examples off the top of my not-quite awake head. keep in mind that i'm a permanoob not an expert, so never do anything just because i recommend it! this is all very situational based on available time/hammers/bodies to whip away.

if you're not running HR, or you can't keep the troops in your cities for whatever reason, markets can help with happiness there even if the city has no commerce. applies only if you have the resources that markets double (silk, ivory, whales, and fur). ditto for health with a grocer. i don't tend to have those market things really early, or guilds, but sometimes the timing works. more often, i'll build a forge in a city where i don't really intend to build with hammers, if i can afford the and have gems/silver/gold. whipping counts the 25% bonus which is cool (cash-rushing doesn't).

in BtS, when i have the AP religion i really like to whip a temple for the +2 each, even if i don't need the happy from a temple yet. sometimes i'll even do a monastery when 10% science boost isn't much, if i'm a long way from SciM. it's really nice to have that bonus production always there without having to feed a worker or specialist, and with no pollution negative like you'd get with a forge. in purely-food cities it can even be the difference between having 4 base hammers to benefit from OR and/or a forge in the first place . the AP religion never changes so once that building is there i always benefit (except that monasteries only count until SciM).

sometimes i build a library for culture on the border even if the city isn't meant for commerce or doesn't have commerce yet. since i'm not a warmonger i don't usually rush to drama, but i do have writing as an option on crowded maps, so that works out. i prefer the AP buildings for that purpose tho, if i have the techs and the right religion.

those things are situational, and of course depend on whether you have the time and hammers to prepare that way. if your troops aren't able to be military police because they're going to be out fighting, chances are slim that you have time to whip out markets. but sometimes it works for me, depending on resources, since they're nice big whips to get rid of a few whiners and they'll be happy when they come back.

edit: see how not awake i am? i didn't even answer your question about what buildings every city should have. this was my attempt at "buildings some cities might benefit from even tho it's not what they're specializing in"

 

[dxglide]

i want to add for granary : of course this building is great when you often whiping in the city and then you need re-growth quickly a city .

 

[xanadux]

You build a culture city? You don't need a culture city. Unless going for culture victory, then you need 3.

 

[Gocho]

You build a culture city? You don't need a culture city. Unless going for culture victory, then you need 3.

I often build a culture city or several along a hostile border I don't plan on waring with for awhile, do I plan on them going legendary? Of course not, but they will get me a free city or 2 at some point.

As for what buildings in all cities, I would say pretty much only a granary and a courthouse for sure, others while likely are often not needed based on what your after for that city.

 

[LlamaCat]

one thing to think about when deciding what to build is the extra bonuses it provides. for example you might not be sure if it's worth it to build a forge, but if you have gold, silver or gems, forges give a happiness bonus besides just the 25% hammer bonus. so if you need more happiness in your cities and you have a city that "might" need better production but definitely needs more happiness, and you are not sure, this fact might help you decide.