Why build improvements far from the city?

[Charlesbusa]

I've looked and I can't find the answer. As far as I can tell, city citizens can only work the 20 closest tiles around the city, not counting the city's tile. So besides connecting a resource such as horses/gold/wine/etc, why build a cottage/workshop/mine/etc on a tile that a citizen will never work on? You only benefit from improved tiles when a citizen is working it...

Talking about tiles that are within the city's borders, but too far away for a citizen to work.


Thanks

 

[Tiepolo]

I think you answered your own question there.

 

[lymond]

hmmmm...your question/point seems to be pulled out of "thin air" with no context. Did someone say that it was a good idea? I'm not seeing the point of this. I will bring up two points though:

1) If you have have worker turns, you might improve tiles outside the BFC in expectation of settling a city there later.

2) Again, if extra worker turns, it may be worth building mines on hills even if they are never worked as there is a small chance they will pop resources. Extra worker turns meaning that you've reached a point where workers have basically nothing to do.

 

[Psyringe]

The only improvements that make sense outside of your cities workable areas are forts (for defense bonuses, plane stationing, and connection of bodies of water). They also enable resources, so there's no good reason to build even mines / farms / pastures etc. on resources outside your cities.

 

[Psyringe]

2) Again, if extra worker turns, it may be worth building mines on hills even if they are never worked as there is a small chance they will pop resources. Extra worker turns meaning that you've reached a point where workers have basically nothing to do.

I may be mistaken, but I think a tile has to be worked in order to be able to pop a resource.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

You are not mistaken

Forts take longer to build than normal improvements as well, if you want to hook up a resource.

 

[Kid R]

Farms are very often necessary outside city BFCs, for chain irrigation in the era between Civil Service and Biology.

Edit: quick flick through civilopedia: forest preserves help spread forest. No idea if you have to work them for that to happen though.

 

[Clam Spammer]

You are not mistaken

Forts take longer to build than normal improvements as well, if you want to hook up a resource.

If you build a mine+road on a hill (or fort+road on any tile), and there happens to be a resource on the tile that you don't have the tech to see yet, then you can connect it straight away once you discover the tech. (And in the case of Coal and Aluminum, you can use it straight away too.) So if your workers have nothing else to do, you may as well build a fort and road on any tile that can't take a forest (either due to terrain type, or because there are no forests around). Unworkable tiles that can take forests should usually be left unimproved to maximise the chances of getting a forest.

Edit: quick flick through civilopedia: forest preserves help spread forest. No idea if you have to work them for that to happen though.

AFAIK you don't need to work a Preserve to get the increased forest spread chance.

Question: I know you can build forts on forests without clearing the trees, but is it possible for forests to spread to a tile with a fort?

 

[Charlesbusa]

Cool thanks. Nobody here has said to do it, I just noticed in different games that some people improve every tile and wondered if there was a benefit that I didn't know about.

 

[Rathelon]

Question: I know you can build forts on forests without clearing the trees, but is it possible for forests to spread to a tile with a fort?

You can? I thought a fort gets rid of the forest.

 

[s.bernbaum]

You can? I thought a fort gets rid of the forest.

Nope. Forts do not remove forests. That makes for a heavy defense bonus, especially if the forest and fort are on a hill!

 

[lymond]

Nope. Forts do not remove forests. That makes for a heavy defense bonus, especially if the forest and fort are on a hill!

and within your borders

 

[Fezzik]

Early on, the only resources that make sense to connect immediately are strategic and luxuries, correct?

 

[civnoob13]

luxuries aren't really that useful at the start either. Your city has to grow by a good few pop before happiness becomes a problem, so only strategic are good right at the start.

 

[r_rolo1]

*scratch head* Luxuries aren't important at the start? The "start" is what , the first 20 turns? Especially being happiness the biggest gridlock to you cities productivity ...

Now, if we are talking of calendar luxuries, I can definitely agree with you ...

 

[ParadigmShifter]

You typically only have 120 culture max after 20 turns (creative and palace), so that's not really building improvements far from your city

 

[r_rolo1]

You typically only have 120 culture max after 20 turns (creative and palace), so that's not really building improvements far from your city

I haven't said the speed

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Neither did I