Why do people rate AGRI trait so highly?

[ellie]

Hi

Just curious about people and agri, i notice it is rated extremely highly in most the CIV write-ups. Why do people rate it so highly?.

Having picked a random civ for another emporer attempt i got maya
who are agri. Effect seems to be 1 extra food for the city IF on a river.

This can mean initial expansion speeding up of course, but if on a map
position with few rivers isnt it a bit of a poor trait?. Also by the mid area of the game a single extra food doesnt seem a big deal?. Or do agri players tend to go to war earlier?.

Do people consider the slight extra speed of expansion initially worth more than traits with obvious benefits for the entire game?.


Determined to give agri a try, but thoughts on maximising the agri trait (and downgraded IND) would be appreciated..ive only really played commerce/sea on monarch and above up to now.

 

[thetrooper]

You get the food bonus if you get out of despotism too (river/lake not required).

 

[Ivan the Kulak]

Plus you get extra food on desert tiles when irrigated, which means you can exploit terrain other civs can't. If you've got a city loc where you've got a few flood plains surrounded by desert and mountains you'll see where Agri can really shine.

 

[Twonky]

Or if you start on a river with a grassland-cow. Easy 4-turn settler factory in despotism!

 

[ellie]

So it IS for the fast explosive start, combined with utilising desert areas?. Benefits seem ok for early game but not too great later on (only city square gets the bonus and it stays at one food regardless of city size right?).

Guess ill find out more as i play them, wierd adjustment from english atm. Ind seems nice and i guess agr might help me keep up with the AI for expansion

 

[nerovats]

The big benefit for lateron is that you´ll be at least 10% bigger, probably even more. As stated 1 food bonus is enough to get get a 4 turner. And there´s is an increased chance of starting on a river, but most people reload anyway if they don´t like teh start so that might not be a big plus.

 

[gunkulator]

Faster growth means more tiles worked meaning more commerce, shields, military and everything else. The half price aqueduct is nice too. AGR is kind of like COM in that it helps you a little bit every turn. Over the course of the game, these little bits add up to quite a lot.

 

[Padma]

Remember, in this game: Population = Power.

The more cities you can get, and the faster you can grow them, the more powerful you can be.

 

[Turner]

You fail to realize just how powerful that one extra food in the center square is. Realize that you get the bonus immediately, no waiting for the city to get to a certain size. Well, immediately when next to fresh water in despotism, at least. But it's still a huge bonus.

Let's say you plop a city down next to a river on your start turn. You have a BG on the river next to the city. Your govenor picks that square to start out to work with your first pop. You're getting five food per turn (FPT) from the get go. Needing 20 food for your first pop growth, you get it in four turns instead of five. One turn may not sound like much, but it adds up, and quickly.

Agri is very powerful. Almost unbalancing. It's sorta the new Industrious, which was so strong in VC3/PTW that they nerfed it in C3C.

 

[gmaharriet]

Although not so with the Maya, two of the AGRI civs have a great 2-movement UU. The Iroquois Mounted Warrior and the Celtic Gallic Sword are very good fast movers and, combined with the faster growth, very powerful civs.

 

[Turner]

Wait, my math is off.

It would be seven turns for the first pop expansion, instead of ten. I was forgetting the two FPT that is taken up by the pop. So you get your first pop growth 3 turns sooner.

 

[nerovats]

3 turns, whichs is 30% faster .
After 21 turns you grow to 4 in stead of 20 turns to size 3. You could use that pop for 20 shield pop-rush. Although that usually is not the best of ideas.

 

[Twonky]

Besides the quicker start, AGR also helps in the endgame by accelerating your ICS-land science farms.

 

[ellie]

Well having played agri a bit i can see it makes a big difference in getting settlers out, vital on a squashed map.

El

 

[Drakan]

And If you're playing on Deity Pangaea Agri trait is huge when competing for land settle against 15 other random civs.

Playing Archi on Sid I'd say Agri is not so great because you'll be on an island all to yourself (80% water) but if you play with settings of 70-60% water archi on Sid Agri really helps you out on the REXing phase because you will start with a neighbour on your island.

Population= Power in C3C.

 

[Rambuchan]

Power to from the people!

 

[vmxa]

And If you're playing on Deity Pangaea Agri trait is huge when competing for land settle against 15 other random civs.

Playing Archi on Sid I'd say Agri is not so great because you'll be on an island all to yourself (80% water) but if you play with settings of 70-60% water archi on Sid Agri really helps you out on the REXing phase because you will start with a neighbour on your island.

Population= Power in C3C.

Yeah I would not pick Iroq because it is AG as much as because it starts with Alpha and the UU is very early. The UU will deal with the barbs and if I must press it into combat with the AI, it will do quite well.

Of course I have to have horses for the UU to do anything. Comm is very nice in any game that will last.

 

[JeremiahCivFan]

This may be a mistake but the last two games I played( not the one I'm on right now) I played as IRoq I liked the fact that Agri gave them great Expanse capabilities and only in addition to a greater quality which is the alphabet. I like that trait because one of the War academy lessons showed me the benifits of The republican slingshot. Ever since, I have only used Civs that start with alphabet. It is probably not the best startegy but very easy to use and being a semi- beggener, this is good.

 

[JeremiahCivFan]

And and for any one who is interested this is the Lesson I was talking about
Good LessonBetter Lesson