Which is better technique?

[geofelt]

In the early part of the game, you want to expand and build new cities quickly. Sometimes, I move a settler as fast as I can to where it will build a new city. Other times I do it more slowly by building a road as I go. In some ways, it seems more efficient to build roads as you go. It only delays two extra turns to normally build the road, and you save the time to do it later by not doing an extra move to the square. On the other hand, I like getting the new city started early. ---Any thoughts?--

 

[Peaster]

geofelt - I have thought about this quite a bit, but don't have a simple answer. It depends mainly on how much I expect to use the route in the near future. My rules of thumb are:

* If 2 city sites can be connected by a 1-tile road, build it ASAP.
* Most cities should be connected [by road or river] to at least one nearby city by about 1000BC, for defense. But all road lengths = 1 or 2 only.
* Don't build any long roads before about 1000BC. Use boats if possible.

 

[Peaster]

You could also check this thread, in which Grigor states "no roads before trade". This contradicts my first rule of thumb. I admit I don't always follow my first rule until I have about 4 cities. Also, I think Grigor doesn't pack his cities in as tightly as I do.

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=127526

 

[RegentMan]

I tend to build settlers from a city and send them around it until there are no more cities to be built in the adjacent area. Then that city builds a settler to improve its terrain. The cities founded around it do the same thing, until there are no more spots around them. That's when they build settlers for themselves, and the cities around them build expansion settlers. That's how my empire spreads like a disease...

 

[Ace]

It depends on the city's needs. If the worked hexes in a city are generating trade arrows, they do not need roads, but if your working plains or grasslands, you need roads to generate trade arrows. Trade is the lifeblood of your civ, and, especially in the early years, maximizing trade is the key to successful expansion. Building roads to connect your cities is secondary before the discovery of Trade. Once you can build Caravans, roads become much more important as they speed up cargo deliveries.

 

[Djurowsky208%]

I always build cities first, then roads, and than everything else. I try to build as much cities as possible before the Christ is born. Hopefully all 50 of them before year numero uno. Never achieve it though. But I'm gonna achieve my goal, cause I'm playing this Civ game, the year is 1600 B.C. and I have 43 cities. The drink's on me!
"And I wanna conquer the world, give all the idiots a brand new religion..." (Bad Religion)

 

[Terrapin]

I build early roads only to ensure that I have trade bearing tiles for all citizens to work. Once I get close to learing trade, I start to knit my cities together, using the already constructed road bits wherever possible. Sometimes the early roads are not well placed to be part of my transport infrastructure because I build them on shielded grasslands (or wheats or buffs) which are 'on the way' to wherever the settler is heading to make a city. While in Monarchy, I start to do some irrigation (not everywhere, just enough) so that my cities will be able to support settlers when I make the switch to Republic. It is usually in late Monarchy/Early republic when I start to keep settlers "around" for generally building purposes and that is when I start improving all around my cities, not just the spaces which are or are about to be worked by citizens. This, of course, is part of the preparation for the WLtCD population explosion....

 

[sethos]

Building roads when you have only two or three cities is a waste of time. You
can do that later. At this point of the game its important to expand as fast as possible. Sure, there are exceptions:

If a have a good food tile, I will build a road and irrigate it, so expansion will be faster after that.

By the way, it's important to found new cities with nomads as quick as possible. So the chance of getting another nomad is very good.

 

[Soulinks]

I just have one question... How on earth do you get a settler into a transport boat??? they just wont seem to get in there...

 

[Ace]

Two ways, 1 if the settler and the boat are in a city, put the settler to sleep and than move the boat out and the setter will go with it, or 2: settler must on a land hex next to the water and the boat next to the land hex, just move the settler into the boat and off you go. Remember, the settler must have movement left and the boat must have room, if your trireme already has two camels aboard, it will not accept a settler.

 

[Soulinks]

Neither options are working... i have a lagit version as well but it just doesnt seem to want to do it. Help?

 

[Soulinks]

OH WAIT! i was using the wrong boat! lol! thanks! (Sorry im stupid lol)

 

[Ace]

Yeah, except for Frigates, warships cannot carry units. I should have mentioned that in my earlier post. Sorry.

 

[Millman]

I just have one question... How on earth do you get a settler into a transport boat??? they just wont seem to get in there...

You actually meant how on water on earth do you get the units in the transport.

Mine is for Civ of the PS, so remember those small differences matter, I think my record was my second best result I had 38 or 41 cities at 1 A.D. Emperor level - large land mass.

 

[cliktokill]

what are boats( in civ 3)
how do you get them to ride in rivers?(ie...gallies)

 

[RegentMan]

Boats are naval units, meaning that they transverse water tiles. No boat, Civ II or Civ III, can ride rivers.