What should I be doing with antiquity sites?

[Psychoward]

Should I recover the artifact or make it in to a landmark? Also, can I recover artifacts from outside my borders?

 

[VainoValkea]

Obviously, that depends. Why would the devs bother making two choices if you should always pick one, not the other?

The artifact produces culture and tourism without anyone working on it. It can also produce a theming bonus when pairted with appropriate artifacts or art in the Louvre or in a museum.

The landmark produces more culture than artifact if it's old enough, but doesn't produce any tourism if the city doesn't have a building that converts culture to tourism, like a hotel. It also needs a citizen to work on it, meaning it also must be near one of your cities.

And sure, you can recover artifacts outside your borders. The other civs will get a tad grumpy about it, though.

 

[Draco84]

I haven't made a landmark yet (at least not with the intention of using it) in the half dozen games I've played. they always seemed under powered as by the time you get to antiquities your land is already pretty productive.

Why would I want to give up 2 food (population working the tile) plus culture and tourism from the artifact and the likely 3-7 points of to gain a little culture? I suppose on a desert it isn't as bad but still.

I will make landmarks randomly across the world if I have enough beads though.

 

[Catalytic]

If it's within the borders of one of my culture cities, I consider the landmark. Remember that the culture returns on landmarks are based on the age of the ruins, so if it's not an ancient era ruin, you're not getting full culture output.

If it's outside the range of a city, always choose artifact if you have room for it.

On ruins outside your borders:
-If it's inside another empire's borders, they'll be upset with you for working the site, no matter what you do with it.
-If it's inside no empire's borders, it's fair game to plunder at will.

 

[z284pwr]

Will the AI ever steal them if I have it selected in the Swap screen? My last game I wasn't saying enough attention and got too many artifacts and ran out of room for art so I selected it in the swap screen hoping the AI would steal it

 

[Resipsa]

If its a workable tile probably Landmark
-With that said it probably depends on what VC you want

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Will the AI ever steal them if I have it selected in the Swap screen? My last game I wasn't saying enough attention and got too many artifacts and ran out of room for art so I selected it in the swap screen hoping the AI would steal it

They don't "steal" it. They would only swap another artifact for that one. You wouldn't open up any space at all.

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

Also, correction, you can freely get artifacts from outside your borders, but stealing them from somebody else's boreders causes upset.

 

[Montov]

I haven't made a landmark yet (at least not with the intention of using it) in the half dozen games I've played. they always seemed under powered as by the time you get to antiquities your land is already pretty productive.

Why would I want to give up 2 food (population working the tile) plus culture and tourism from the artifact and the likely 3-7 points of to gain a little culture? I suppose on a desert it isn't as bad but still.

I will make landmarks randomly across the world if I have enough beads though.

Landmarks from the Ancient Era can become huge culture tiles, if you pass the Landmark resolution of the World Congress (easy resolution imho). Then you get 12-14 culture from 1 tile. And the possible Tourism...

But Artifacts are generally more useful.

 

[BroOfTheSun]

Here's the logic I use when deciding what to do with antiquity sites:

If the site is in your borders and can be worked by a city, then build a landmark (depending on the tile, but I do this probably with 90% of my sites).
- You get much more culture from the landmark, than an artifact. Remember that hotels and airports add culture from landmarks into your tourism output. Landmarks provide higher culture + tourism than an artifact.

If the site is outside your borders, get an artifact.

If the site is outside your borders, and you do not want an artifact or don't have room, then just turn it into a landmark.
- This prevents the AI from picking it up, and turning it into culture and tourism against you.

 

[Wodan]

If it's outside the range of a city, always choose artifact if you have room for it.

I would add to this. If it's outside the range of a city (or a future city you plan), and you don't have room for the artifact, then don't bother making the archaeologist and digging the site in the first place.

 

[chazzycat]

IMO any site workable by one of your core cities should be landmarked. Culture from landmarks gets subjected to all sorts of tourism multipliers once you get hotels/airports/etc. Artifacts have a much lower ceiling. They are good too, but lower priority.

 

[Psychoward]

IMO any site workable by one of your core cities should be landmarked. Culture from landmarks gets subjected to all sorts of tourism multipliers once you get hotels/airports/etc. Artifacts have a much lower ceiling. They are good too, but lower priority.

But wouldn't artifacts help me get theming bonuses?

 

[chazzycat]

yep, but with the exception of the Louvre, those theming bonuses max out at +2 (+4 with aesthetics completed). You'll get more tourism out the landmark once you get the multipliers. Hotels and airports together add 100% of culture from landmarks to tourism. The internet then doubles that, for a total 4x multiplier. If it's your capital with the visitor center, even better.

(note I did mention core cities. If it's a outlying city that will never build hotel/airport etc, then don't bother with the landmark).

I think you should also try to fill any museum and Louvre spots ASAP - but those should come from sites outside your cities range. There are usually plenty available in neutral ground or in city state territory if you are the first to archaeology.

 

[BroOfTheSun]

But wouldn't artifacts help me get theming bonuses?

Yes, they do help you get theming bonuses. You should use sites outside your city workable tiles for getting those artifacts. Landmarks still provide more than an artifact with theming bonuses.

 

[Octonde]

I would add to this. If it's outside the range of a city (or a future city you plan), and you don't have room for the artifact, then don't bother making the archaeologist and digging the site in the first place.

You might have room in the future as you get more cities or wonders. Leaving the archaeologist there will allow you to reserve it. Starting the dig and canceling right before it completes can save time in the future.

 

[dashwinner]

I tend to go on a archeologist rush when I hit the tech... try to aim for the ones furthest away, and the most likely to get picked up by another civ or their borders... If it's within a city's workable tile area, I find landmarks are the way to go... If you time it right you can fill in all your slots with the right theming bonuses... Just make sure you check the tourism screen, to make sure you have enough space to store them