Worker Improvements

[KazumaQB]

I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to explain how worker improvements work.

This is what I understand so far.

You can build a farm only near a river (fresh water)
A land beside a river yields one extra gold
A land with a forest yields one extra hammer
You can build cottages everywhere
You can only build mines on hills.

What I don't understand is that there appears to be town, hamlet improvements? Are these all upgrades for the cottage improvement?

How do I get windmills? Are they upgrades from a mine?

 

[Galumphus]

I suggest you take a look at the big foldout chart that came with the game, it has all this information and more.

 

[Gufnork]

You can get windmills and watermills when you discover Machinery. Windmills can only be built on hills and watermills can only be built next to a river and only on one side of the river. A cottage grows if your it's used by your city, first into a hamlet, then into a village and finally into a town. Lumbermills can only be built on forest squares after you've discovered a tech that I don't remember right now. Workshops can be built on plains and grasslands I think, but it's rarely worth doing. That's it I think.

 

[Skippa]

Lumbermills can only be built on forest squares after you've discovered a tech that I don't remember right now.

Lumbermills can be built with Replaceable parts. Problem is that the tech is rather far along in the tech tree (around the middle) in relation to most other improvements.

 

[mharmless]

You can build a farm only near a river (fresh water)
A land beside a river yields one extra gold
A land with a forest yields one extra hammer
You can build cottages everywhere
You can only build mines on hills.

Actualy, you can't build a cottage on tundra, or any hill except for grass/hill.

As far as farms go, Biology adds +1 food to all farms, but the +1 food from a "normal" farm is actualy an irrigation bonus and is entirely seperate. You can chain the irrigation effect with civil service to irrigate away from fresh water. You can also build a farm on any plains/grassland wherever you please with biology. A farm built by biology without irrigation access chained thru other farms will only get +1 not +2. This applies to the farms you are allowed to build on specials like corn and wheat. Bringing irrigation to those resources when they are not next to fresh water already will add annother +1 food.

Further, you may build a farm on tundra if it is by a river. I would assume any fresh water would do, but fresh water lakes and oasis haven't appeared next to tundra for me yet. Tundra tiles cannot be otherwise farmed, so no chaining irrigation out to other tundra tiles.

Finaly, regarding improvements, an undocumented feature of railroads is that they add +1 production to a woodmill or mine. Grass/forrest tiles are very nice late game, since this means you get get 2 food/3 hammers out of them.

 

[KazumaQB]

Cool, thanks for the info.

I checked out the big cardboard and I got what each improvement does. It's too bad it does not indicate where you can build them.

I want to micro my workers more, do you guys have any tips on what improvements I should build where? I play a financial civilization so currently I am just spamming cottages everywhere. Is that the way to go?

 

[Stuporstar]

KazumaQB: If you don't find all your answers in the chart, you can find my terrain and improvement guide at http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=136433
Hope that helps.

mharmless: Actually, Civil Service adds the +1F to farms (you discover irrigation) and allows you to chain farms. Biology only allows you to build non-irrigated farms.

Gufnork: I thought you could build cottages on plains/hill as well, but it turns out you are correct. Looks like I need to update my guide again.

 

[Illegal_E]

Actualy, you can't build a cottage on tundra, or any hill except for grass/hill.

Up until last night I believed so as well, but apparently when there's a river next to the Tundra you can in fact build a cottage.

 

[Stuporstar]

Yes, you can also build farms and workshops on tundra if there is a river.

 

[The Last Conformist]

mharmless: Actually, Civil Service adds the +1F to farms (you discover irrigation) and allows you to chain farms. Biology only allows you to build non-irrigated farms.

Really? The Biology tech says it gives extra food from farms.

 

[Simon Appleton]

Really? The Biology tech says it gives extra food from farms.

Yes, I am pretty sure they do give extra food. My cities get a new lease of life with biology - renewed population growth, especially in the more geographically constrained cities - making it a priority tech IMO.

 

[Stuporstar]

Argh, yes. I double checked this and was wrong. The +1F comes with biology and adds it to irrigation which is discovered earlier by civic service. So damned confusing...