where do you put cities?

[Sherlock]

If I put a city on a resource, say 'horses' do I automatically get that resource as soon as I have researched it?

Is it a good idea to put cities on resources?

Any other comments on 'where to put your cities' appreciated.

 

[Poomermon]

Yes you do get the resource if you settle a city in top of it. It is not usually wise to do that though as you get more yield from the tile if you improve it with a worker and settle a city near it. Still I like to do that from time to time. It may be beneficial to settle your first city on top of a luxury resource (for example silver) so when you research the needed tech (mining) you can immediately sell the resource to an AI for quick cash to buy for example a quick worker. Another example would be when you are going for a quick swordman rush and have no time to improve iron resource after you discover iron working. Just have a settler ready and when iron is revealed settle it on top of 6 iron deposit for extra speedy swordsmen.

 

[Thresian]

If you put a city on a hill you get +1 production and extra defence. If you put a city beside a river, you can build the water-mill and the garden, which are both very useful buildings, and the river also forms a defensive barrier (provided you put the city on the right side!). If the city is next to a mountain, you can build an observatory, although that's not usually very important, because of the limited importance of self-generated research. Mountains are also useful defensively though. So the ideal situation would be a hill beside a river and a mountain. Possibly you'd also want sea, so you can build ships, although that's a bit of a mixed blessing, as sea tends to reduce the number of tiles which can usefully be worked.

The quickest way to make a resource available is to settle on top of it.

 

[Hammer Rabbi]

strategic resources are better than luxuries as i think you dont get the happiness from the lux if you settle on it. but if you do that on gold or silver or gems you still get good production/gold if happiness isnt necessary.

 

[Mariner91]

strategic resources are better than luxuries as i think you dont get the happiness from the lux if you settle on it. but if you do that on gold or silver or gems you still get good production/gold if happiness isnt necessary.

Hmm I'm pretty settling over a luxury will give the same happy benefit as a worked luxury. The only loss is the additional benefits for being worked that you won't have if you settled on it.

IMO, it's never a good idea to settle on Any resource.

 

[apocalypse105]

Yes you do get the resource if you settle a city in top of it. It is not usually wise to do that though as you get more yield from the tile if you improve it with a worker and settle a city near it. Still I like to do that from time to time. It may be beneficial to settle your first city on top of a luxury resource (for example silver) so when you research the needed tech (mining) you can immediately sell the resource to an AI for quick cash to buy for example a quick worker. Another example would be when you are going for a quick swordman rush and have no time to improve iron resource after you discover iron working. Just have a settler ready and when iron is revealed settle it on top of 6 iron deposit for extra speedy swordsmen.

If you are going for a fast expand and infinite city spam settling on the resource isn't so bad because you don't have to waste worker turns and can quickly settle a new city

 

[Hammer Rabbi]

i only settle on iron now for instant access to sword upgrades if im going dom vic. maybe you dont get the happiness from luxes until you have teched the necessary tech (like calendar for plantations)? seems like i remember reading somewhere that lux settling is less advantageous than strats.

i have settled on sheep/cattle/wheat though, but only for defensive spots like rivers or hills.

 

[Mariner91]

seems like i remember reading somewhere that lux settling is less advantageous than strats.

That's because Strategic resources (iron, oil, etc) will give you the exact same number of resource whether you settle on them or you work them. E.G. an Iron node will Have 6 irons; settling on it or working it will give you access to those 6, but not change that number. Luxury stuff on the other hand will give More of itself when worked, but not when settled.

 

[chazzycat]

mining luxuries are great to settle on

you can research mining and sell a lux super early

you also get 2 free food in the city tile and only lose 1 production from the mine

 

[joncnunn]

I normally avoid it. The cities that end up with strategic resources are those that were hidden when the cities were first founded.

The penalties for founding though are worse later than it game.
Early on, you forfeit one hammer for a mine improvement; later on it becomes a two hammer penalty. (Plus multipliers)