What to do with...?

[tetley]

18,000 gold?

I went on a pillaging spree and didn't want to spend most of it until after I completed Big Ben. But then I got so used to being frugal that I didn't spend that much more, and my treasury ended up ballooning to 46k. I didn't want to just be wasteful. The extent of my "splurging" basically consisted of me not playing the -20% off purchasing a tile policy card.

Any good Big Ben strategies? What's the best use for that kind of gold--assuming the game is not a foregone conclusion already? Or do you think I should just keep my balance near zero until the game is won, Big Ben or no Big Ben?

Anyway, this idea of coastal raiding the right AI ahead of a Big Ben does seem like a good strategy in itself. You build your bank account really quickly. It's just that once you get it, what's the right way to spend it? Send Reyna out on a grand tour?

 

[tetley]

So...I guess no one has any opinions on how to improve your game if you've got too much money just sitting there in your account.

Here's what I'm thinking: 3 corps of tanks, 3 biplanes, the hangar, and maybe the aerodrome, to pick up the eurekas. If you rush-buy your units, you can funnel everything through one military academy/hangar/seaport and get a free promotion from Victor. The problem is, the reason my treasury blew up that big was because I had been pillaging--so I already have a strong military. Rush-buying a Research Lab to grab that eureka makes sense, too, except that if you are rushing to science, then it's likely you picked up the Jesuit belief already. Except I'm swimming in gold--not faith. So Jesuits starts to look like the wrong belief choice.

Spaceport is ungodly expensive to rush-buy--like 7200 gold. But I guess if SV is your thing, and it takes your top-production city just 9 turns to hard-build it, then you shave 9 turns right off of your victory time.

Rush-buying a settler from your Magnus city to grab a uranium makes sense. But that's not much money. And lots of cities are housing- and amenity-limited at that point in the game, so spending a pop is really not that big of a deal.

I hate to rush-buy builders, because they rise in price upwards of 700, 800 gold. Some cities can hard-build them in 2 turns. Rush-buying Great people is even less cost-effective; although there may be races with the AI toward some of the good ones. If you're close and you want to deny the AI, that occasionally might make sense.

If you KNOW ahead of time you are going to be swimming in money--which I didn't--I guess you could choose faith-giving religious beliefs early on, instead of faith-spending beliefs. Problem is, if you don't get a religion, you don't have much choice about that. Also I can't imagine how you could spend money to materially get you closer to a religious victory. I never have a problem with too much faith.

I don't see money moving you closer to a Diplo victory, either. Okay, so you can money-by favor from AI.

For CV, I guess you could money-buy great works from AI, but house them in what slots? You have to hard-build wonders. Doesn't seem too cost-effective. Rush-buying broadcast towers in Civ5 made a lot of sense. Not now. Seaside resorts give you...money. LOL.

Certain money-giving policy cards you could move off in favor of other cards, since you don't need money. Except Tier3/4 governments give you so many cards, there aren't many better cards left on the table that you are not playing already. There's GOT to be some way you can place some policy card(s) short-term, rush-buy some stuff, then move the card off...similar to rush-buying builders while they get 2 extra charges. Spies??



Like I said, to improve your game you have to spend your money. But not waste it. I'm just not finding a lot of good uses right after you save up + pillage and complete Big Ben.

 

[Lily_Lancer]

First build big ben. Then you get 27,000. Don't save too much money before big ben since there's an upper limit and after that you get sth. like -50,000 gold and totally bankrupt.

With 27,000 gold what can you do? Well, nothing special actually. Even recruiting an Information Great Scientist may cost you 50,000. So 27,000 is really not a big amount. Maybe you can buy enough Bombers and bomb other cities. (Jet) Bombers, Carriers and GDRs are the best investments for capturing cities. They're not cheap. A group of carrier (carrier+2 jet bombers) cost 7,760 gold. You may need several groups to bomb cities as well as some GDRs to protect the carriers and some to make the final capture.

For Science Victory you can let Reyna moving around buying Spaceports in cities with a lot of trees, each Spaceport costs 7,200 so you soon run out of money. When buying Spaceports don't forget to buy an encampment and military academy, for it gives +15%.

 

[tetley]

Ah, there's a good idea. Buy military academies, to get up to 3 and get the eureka. Even if you don't need 3 for the military, you can buy them at your spaceport cities and get the 15%.

 

[Bangau]

You can buy anything that helps you towards the goal you have. Buy districts, units, buildings, great people. In my experience I rather spend the money as soon as I have it and not safe up for the Big Ben. The sooner you buy (or build) something the sooner it can contribute towards your goals. Helps you win faster or build a wider empire or... whatever you aim for.

 

[Victoria]

I didn't want to just be wasteful

Victory condition or game Aim are the only things not “wasteful” in my view but we do not know what yours was and tbh the whole thing sounds rhetorical anyway. Pillaging is great but it certainly can be spent easily enough.

this idea of coastal raiding the right AI ahead of a Big Ben does seem like a good strategy in itself.

as does ripping up your crabs and copper before Big Ben.

 

[tetley]

tbh the whole thing sounds rhetorical anyway.

Definitely not that.

Rolling in 750gpt when Big Ben is still 14 turns out. That money needs to be spent. But not just wasted. I guess it might be rhetorical now in that the game's over, but my question remains in-general.

 

[Victoria]

Victory condition. Typically builders and spaceports and great people as already said.

 

[WackenOpenAir]

Considering inflation, i would try to not save it and spend it on anything that seems like a reasonable investment. Its always worth 1/4th of a production. What to spend it on is no different than asking what to build in all your cities. (although some things may get priority over using it just to buy production)

I never really have excess gold, i spend it on everything i can asap.

Saving a bit before big ben would be the exception, but only save like 10 turns before the big ben. If that isn't enough to make big ben worth building, well maybe then dont build it

 

[tetley]

What to spend it on is no different than asking what to build in all your cities

I did a little more play on Immortal. I'm liking spending money on new settlements. Or at least low-hammer cities. It takes a long time to fill out a campus with low hammer count. Building toward your VC is good, and spending on something you would hard-build anyway is good, but it looks like rush-buying in low-hammer cities which can't hard-build much at all is a good way to go.

I just did China, and rush-buying to quickly pick up Eurekas and Inspirations seems to have worked out well. In Golden Age, you can pick up 60% research(!!) on Eurekas.

I find money easy to come by on water maps, because of all the Harbors.