[BNW] When to build granaries without wheat, bananas or deer ?

moors

Warlord
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
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Playing on the highest difficulties (I'm on immortal, will pass to deity next game) when do you build granaries if,

a) The city currently has no wheat, bananas or deer but will reach one in time ?

b) The city currently has no wheat, bananas or deer and won't ever have one ?
 
I play on Immortal at the moment, don't claim to be a great player, but I would say always asap, unless:-
  • You are by a coast with plenty of fish, in which case, prioritise lighthouse
  • You already have a few established cities who could caravan food over to your new city while you build up production in your new city
  • you have just captured a new city & urgently need happiness sorting/your civ is really unhappy
Even then, I'd still look to build Granaries early on.

I'm sure better players might have other ideas, but rule of thumb is do everything you can to grow early.
 
The maths say don't
Citation needed. Granaries are so good that, even unmodified, they should be early in the queue. Maybe not before Libraries, but certainly before most other buildings. I agree that a sweet coastal spot justifies a Lighthouse before a Granary.
 
Citation needed. Granaries are so good that, even unmodified, they should be early in the queue. Maybe not before Libraries, but certainly before most other buildings. I agree that a sweet coastal spot justifies a Lighthouse before a Granary.
They give +2 :c5citizen: that's the maths for the OP. In reality they give the ability to send food which for expos is a muist after libraries if you want your cap to grow, but what's the mathimatical expression for that? :p
 
@phillipwyllie — When people argue maths and that certain buildings are not worth their cost, it is usually things like Stables where the fixed hammer cost takes a while to make up. Or maybe builds with a relative high gpt maintenance, but low yield (of something other than food or hammers). Granary is 2 fpt for 60 hammers and 1 gpt. No other building comes close to that return on investment except maybe Libraries. I have never seen a written argument that Granaries are not worth building. I would love to read the replies to a thread where such an idea was floated!

And then, as you note, the ability to run food trade routes back to the cap makes them priceless, and that is regardless of the raw yield!
 
Granary allows your city to work hammers while still growing. That's how you should think about it. Unless you have a better source of food like a lighthouse then Granary is, even without special tile, one of the top priority.
Then it allows food routes which means some granary are mandatory and fast anyway.

In general though try to settle a place with a banana/deer/wheat :)
 
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