A huge different of civ 4 from civ 3 is that road doesn't add 1 gold to a tile. So more people don't necessarily mean more gold. Actually, most tiles are bound to generate no gold, -- unless you build a cottage. If you want to build cottage in some tile, you'd better do it as early as possible, because it takes many turns to grow to town. Cottage can be built in every workable tile, and it will grow ONLY when it's being worked. Now the question is: where to build cottage? Everywhere? Floodplain? Grassland? Plain? Hill? Chop forest? This question is more important for financial leaders, because a cottage near river immediately gives 3 gold.
Where to build cottage?
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Stuporstar
Warlord
I think I'd build cottages on floodplains early in the game because if I build a farm on that tile the city grows way too fast and I end up with major health/unhappiness issues. I'd also build them on grassland and any flatlands I can't irrigate. I then build farms on plains where I can. That way the food is balanced out to 2 per square on the grassland/plains tiles.
Lord Chambers
Emperor
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2001
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- 1,004
I farm floodplains. In Civ4 a city becoming too large just limits itself rather than causing riots every turn, so it's not a big deal.
Huge cities with lots of food production are generally more valubable than one that has 2 food per turn worth of growth.
But, I should add, I tend to not put a lot of pressure on my workers to farm floodplains. Just rather than cottages.
Huge cities with lots of food production are generally more valubable than one that has 2 food per turn worth of growth.
But, I should add, I tend to not put a lot of pressure on my workers to farm floodplains. Just rather than cottages.
Dairuka
Prince
I too put my cottages on floodplains, and grasslands; as per Cain's advice in earlier threads.
Food production is neat if you're Expansive/Philosophical {Peter/Russian}, but early on in the game, that extra 1 gold means a one less turn wait when you're researching Iron Working, or Writing.
Also note; if you're lucky enough to start nearby a Gold tile. Make sure to exploit it as soon as possible for a HUGE boost in early research production.
Food production is neat if you're Expansive/Philosophical {Peter/Russian}, but early on in the game, that extra 1 gold means a one less turn wait when you're researching Iron Working, or Writing.
Also note; if you're lucky enough to start nearby a Gold tile. Make sure to exploit it as soon as possible for a HUGE boost in early research production.
KizilKar
Chieftain
Seeing that you can only build a farm next to a river (at least till later techs) I'd say all plains/grasslands next to rivers should be farms and the other grass/plains should be cottages.
Dairuka
Prince
Thats the thing.
In the higher difficulty; why build farms at all? Before I thought it was best to simply click the "Avoid Growth" button, until I had enough luxury resources or religious temples to boost up happiness. However; I find it simply better to barely-slow down the growth of my city down, and in turn beautifully boost up my research production.
Which will eventually lead to me getting Writing, and Metal Casting very quickly.
Which will eventually lead to me population rushing Libraries and Forges in all of my cities.
Which will eventually lead to me having a HUGE early lead.
In the higher difficulty; why build farms at all? Before I thought it was best to simply click the "Avoid Growth" button, until I had enough luxury resources or religious temples to boost up happiness. However; I find it simply better to barely-slow down the growth of my city down, and in turn beautifully boost up my research production.
Which will eventually lead to me getting Writing, and Metal Casting very quickly.
Which will eventually lead to me population rushing Libraries and Forges in all of my cities.
Which will eventually lead to me having a HUGE early lead.
Agree that plain or grass should be farmed if adjacent to a river and made into a cottage if it isn´t. As for floodplains, it´s tempting to put a cottage there as it gets you both decent growth as well as early cashflow, which is usually a problem.
However, if pursuing a great people strategy, I would farm them as every farmed floodplain tile supports a specialist (two food for the citizen working the tile, two for the specialist).
Speaking of floodplain tiles, how do you get rid of the health malus? Farming doesn´t seem to help.
However, if pursuing a great people strategy, I would farm them as every farmed floodplain tile supports a specialist (two food for the citizen working the tile, two for the specialist).
Speaking of floodplain tiles, how do you get rid of the health malus? Farming doesn´t seem to help.
While unhappy citizens doesn't cause a city to revolt, they are absolutely useless. So getting more citizens than your happiness can handle is a complete waste. Besides, one town produce more than one specialist, making towns more attractive than farms. I try and keep my population just under the happiness limit and not too far over the health limit, so where to build towns depends on a LOT of things.
wilcoxchar
Warlord
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2005
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- 177
Early on if I start near a river or other fresh water source, I farm where I can and build cottages where I can't. I figure it's a nice balance between food and gold.
Dog of Justice
Chieftain
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2002
- Messages
- 40
I look at how quickly my health/happiness limits can be expected to increase, and build just enough farms to stay close to those limits. The rest is cottage spam.
Floodplains, since they both decrease health and provide extra food, are prime targets for cottages as my city often has no problem growing to its natural size without any farms at all (unless there's like only one floodplain tile in the city radius or something like that).
And thanks to the reason mrjepson mentions, all other things being equal I like to have as many river cottages as possible. (I consider Financial to be the one "must-have" trait for the time being so I'm not choosing any leaders without it.)
Floodplains, since they both decrease health and provide extra food, are prime targets for cottages as my city often has no problem growing to its natural size without any farms at all (unless there's like only one floodplain tile in the city radius or something like that).
And thanks to the reason mrjepson mentions, all other things being equal I like to have as many river cottages as possible. (I consider Financial to be the one "must-have" trait for the time being so I'm not choosing any leaders without it.)
UberCivver
Chieftain
I really think it all depends on your strategy. I, for one, love to expand as quickly as I can, so I usually go for a farm first on a flood plain; however, if I am lucky enough to get two or three flood plains near my capital, I am going for one farm only, and the other one or two are cottages. This really helps offset my maintainence costs when I build new cities. Just my 10,000 pesos.
-UberCivver
-UberCivver
DISAGREE
You do not have to farm anythign with river. If you have two or even one 5 food producing tile, you dont need that much food! I build cottages on grasslad/floodplains near rivers. That's 2 starting gold PLUS I use finance trait so I start with 3gold. I used to build lot of farms but then I would end up with too much food in early game and my cities would just swell up. If you start with no food producing resource tile thou I would farm about 2 flood plains and possible 3 grasslands if there is no floodplains.
You do not have to farm anythign with river. If you have two or even one 5 food producing tile, you dont need that much food! I build cottages on grasslad/floodplains near rivers. That's 2 starting gold PLUS I use finance trait so I start with 3gold. I used to build lot of farms but then I would end up with too much food in early game and my cities would just swell up. If you start with no food producing resource tile thou I would farm about 2 flood plains and possible 3 grasslands if there is no floodplains.
I just lost a game going for a culture win (lost to a spaceship launch 2 turns before I would have won 
).
One the things I found diffucult to balance was whether I wanted my 3 culture cities to generate lots of food (in order to allow for many specialists) or gold (so that they generated lots of culture when I cranked up the culture rate).
In my next game, I plan to build lots of cottages for my 3 culture cities, and then have another 3 or so cities wich I'll farm extensively (so that they can be used to generate great leaders). Hopefully that kind of specialization will prove a more successfull strategy.
). One the things I found diffucult to balance was whether I wanted my 3 culture cities to generate lots of food (in order to allow for many specialists) or gold (so that they generated lots of culture when I cranked up the culture rate).
In my next game, I plan to build lots of cottages for my 3 culture cities, and then have another 3 or so cities wich I'll farm extensively (so that they can be used to generate great leaders). Hopefully that kind of specialization will prove a more successfull strategy.
Puppeteer
Emperor
My current thinking is that food = flexibility and--if used properly--power, so all river plains are generally farmed and river grass seems to get farmed sooner or later. In early game the food is as good as hammers, and in mid game the specialists are really powerful. Heck, even in early game you get a hammer from a nonworking citizen.
So I put cottages on flat grass that isn't on a river. If the city has plenty of food or if my workers have nothing else to do I may put cottages on flat plains.
Having unhappy citizens reduces flexibility: they still eat your food, so you aren't free to assign as many specialists. Also if you're running a specialist instead of an unhappy citizen you can shift tiles around to temporarily get more hammers (or food, or commerce). Sure the city doesn't riot, but I fee suddenly crippled when that red face appears by my cities.
So I put cottages on flat grass that isn't on a river. If the city has plenty of food or if my workers have nothing else to do I may put cottages on flat plains.
Having unhappy citizens reduces flexibility: they still eat your food, so you aren't free to assign as many specialists. Also if you're running a specialist instead of an unhappy citizen you can shift tiles around to temporarily get more hammers (or food, or commerce). Sure the city doesn't riot, but I fee suddenly crippled when that red face appears by my cities.
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