What's the worst trait? (Rate the trait)

[Ansar]

For me, it's a tie between Militaristic, Religious, and Expansionist.

As a builder, I never see the need for quick promotions since I would be peacefully building my empire until it reached it's limits and then, I would simply build barracks to get veteran units. Religious is not great either as the only benefits it provides are the cheap temples and cathedrals (which, I guess temples I build, but cathedrals? ) and most of us only change governments once in a game, so really no need for a short revolution. Lastly, Expansionist seems to be pointless for me as I never have goody huts turned on (I hate barbarians as they get annoying at the higher levels) and simply because the scout isn't even that great. Most civs meet before my scout even gets to them.

By the way, I voted Expansionist.

 

[Gosnork]

If YOU play Conquest/Domination/AW on small-normal maps, place your cities C-X-X-C and think of temples as three spearmen or two swordsmen not built, then you do have a point! However, on large-huge maps with cities C-X-X-X-C or C-X-X-X-X-C and different victory conditions, there are serious reservations.

First, during the first 3000 years or so there won't be more than a couple of luxes within reach. At least one of those will cost you >30 worker turns plus the need to expand a worker as a colony (another 350 or so lost worker turns) and defend it. That translates as a hill and a BG not roaded and mined. This loss in shields and gold is far greater than the gold one pays in upkeep as you only have half a dozen or so temples to pay for!
Later in the game, esp if you play large-huge maps, a lux is cheaper than upkeep for 40-odd temples and cathedrals - but by then with metros you can do with - and afford - both!.

Second, IF you don't build temples, grab nearby luxes and fortify troops, you will have to sacrifice science and gold for lux on the slider - especially if you want to have a shot at building wonders. Now your advice may be fine for AW and Conquest/Domination on the smaller size maps, possibly for higher levels. For Cultural, Wonder, Diplo or Space Race, your advice is advice how to lose such a game.

And I didn't even mention that those turns saved changing government (about 4 the first time, eight the second) equal three techs researched - in effect equalling the free tech at each age for Scientific civs - huge amounts of gold and shields produced. Ooops! I did mention it!

Actually I do use CxxxxC city placement(with a few extra cites thrown in, but the cities on the grid get tile priority so they hit size 12, then the other cities get to chose tiles), normally play on Large Pangea 60% water, and have never played an AW. There still isn't a reason to build temples, I used to think like you do, then one game I built libraries and markets instead, and noticed a huge improvment in my economy (2nd time I did it with Greece and really watched the cash and techs role in). Libraries expand the borders better, AND boost research, which frees up cash for the lux slider, without requiring an extra shield investment in a temple. IF you choose a religious civ, temples aren't as bad of an investment, but that still doesn't make them a good investment.

 

[Pyrrhos]

You can build marketplaces even if you build temples, it's not forbidden to religious civs, y'know! With libraries, the first border expansion comes after four turns, five with temples - a marginal improvement - and the second after 34 turns (50).

There is also a few great advantages with temples that you overlook: A religious civ can, theoretically, start to build one 4000BC and have it finished within ten turns, ie by 3500 BC. (Furthermore, you don't have to wait another 90 turns for your palace to expand the cultural border again, only 30 - well before you can build any library.) Now hook the close-by lux up, add a warrior and your capital has three happy faces which means you can earn cash and/or research techs years and years before the effects of your preferred library-marketplace combo kick in. Another effect is that if your capital functions as a pop-factory (pop 6 -> settler & pop 4 -> pop 6 etc) you only need 10% - 20% lux, can research at 50% and set some much-needed cash aside for rushing those marketsplaces later.

You can't do this with a library but each to their own, eh!

 

[Desertsnow]

I didn't vote in this poll. I couldn't. It's too difficult a call. I certainly have favourite traits, especially Religious, partly because I do like building up culture, but more so because I dislike long, drawn-out 8-turn revolutions. I like Industrious for not having to train as many workers, and scientific for cheap libraries.
On the other hand, there's no particular trait that I find really useless. I try to make the best of all the Civ traits. Furthermore, as has been discussed, a lot depends on other factors, for example the Expansionist trait, which is best at lower levels for running around and grabbing goody-huts before the others (including other expansionist civs) can do the same, but it is good on all levels for map knowledge, and of course it's best on Pangaea or Continents and weak on Archipelago maps. Seafaring is almost by definition best in an Archipelago world. A Scientific civ can run a lower science subsidy and keep up in tech advancement, but only after enough of those cheap libraries are built. And so on.

 

[Gosnork]

I don't even worry about happiness until the end of the REX phase because it isn't a big deal. Sure you can build a temple immediately, but other civs can build a granary, which is far more useful for early expansion. The temple is rather useless, so the borders pop a little sooner, settlers are perfectly fine for doing that. Need happiness? Build a warrior or two between settlers, warriors don't cost upkeep. If you have cities rioting before the end of REX you should be building more workers/settlers. By the time REX is done, it is time to switch to Republic and get those libs/markets up.