Contents
Citizens
Food
Production
Gold
Science
Culture
Strategic
Resources
Luxury
Resources
Happiness
Golden
Age
Progress
Units
Great
People
Your
Leader
By Turn 400, you may look like this guy.
Citizens
Citizens are the lifeblood of your
kingdom. The number of citizens in your kingdom effects your ability to
Work Terrain, that in turn generates Food, Production, Gold, Research,
and Culture.
Citizens grow in proportion to the available Food supply. The more Food
you have available, the faster Citizens grow.
Citizens and Happiness are symbiotic. The larger the number of Citizens
you control, the more difficult Happiness is to maintain. Conversely,
when your empire is unhappy, your growth rate is severely reduced.
*
In addition to the effects of Food and Happiness, the Hanging Gardens
Wonder grants every City a free Citizen. Discovered Ruins sometimes
grant free Citizens to the Capital City. When a City enters We Love the
King day, population growth speeds up.
Food
Food is the fuel of the population.
The more Food you have available, the quicker your Citizens increase in
number. Food is available through many types of Terrain, Improvements,
a number of Buildings, one Policy, Bonus Resources, a Strategic
Resource, and trade with Maritime City-States.
Worked Terrain That Generates Food:
- Coast
- Flood Plains
- Forest
- Grasslands
- Jungle
- Lakes
- Oasis
- Ocean
- Plains
- Tundra
Improvements That Generate Food:
- Farm
Buildings That Generate Food:
- Floating Gardens
- Granary
- Hospital
- Lighthouse
- Water Mill
Bonus Resources That Generate Food:
- Bananas
- Cattle
- Deer
- Fish
- Sheep
- Wheat
Strategic Resources That Generate Food:
- Whales
Policies That Generate Food:
- Civil Society
- Collective Rule
- Landed Elite
- Tradition
City-States That Generate Food:
- Maritime
Production
Production is the ability of a City to
produce Units, Buildings, and Wonders. The higher your Production, the
faster you can build things. Production is heavily influenced by Worked
Terrain, Improvements, a number of Buildings and Wonders, Strategic
Resources, and some Policies.
Worked Terrain That Generates Production:
- Hill
- Plains
- Forest
- All Natural Wonders
Improvements That Generate Production:
- Lumber Mill
- Manufactory
- Mine
Buildings That Generate Production:
- Arsenal
- Factory
- Forge
- Harbor
- Hydroplant
- Longhouse
- Medical Lab
- Nuclear Plant
- Seaport
- Solar Plant
- Spaceship Factory
- Stable
- Windmill
- Workshop
Wonders That Generate Production:
- Ironworks
- Statue of Liberty
Strategic Resources That Generate Production:
- Aluminum
- Coal
- Horses
- Iron
- Oil
- Uranium
Polices That Generate Production:
- Aristocracy
- Communism
- Merchant Navy
- Order
- Republic
Gold
Gold is also instrumental in bribing
City-States, that are a good source of Strategic Resources, Luxury
Resources, Food, Units and Culture. Gold is the quickest way to build a
Unit or Building in an emergency. Gold can be employed in Research
Agreements to speed up technical development. Gold can purchase
specific map Tiles to increase your territory.
Gold can be acquired in many ways: through Worked Terrain, some
Buildings and Wonders, Improvements and Luxury Resources, and certain
Policies.* Trade routes from connecting Roads or Harbors with
Cities also creates Gold. Gold can also be generated through
interactions with others, such as destroying a Barbarian Camp,
achieving first contact with a City-State and pillaging an opponent's
Improvements.
Worked Terrain That Generates Gold:
- Coast
- Lakes
- Oasis
- Ocean
- Rivers
- All Natural Wonders
Improvements That Generate Gold:
- Customs House
- Road (via Trade Routes)
- Trading Post
Buildings That Generate Gold:
- Bank
- Bazaar
- Paper Maker
- Harbor (via Trade Route)
- Market
- Mint
- Mughai Fort
- Paper Maker
- Satrap's Court
- Stock Exchange
Wonders That Generate Gold:
- Big Ben
- Colossus
- Machu Pichu
- Pentagon
Luxury Resources That Produce Gold:
- Cotton
- Dyes
- Furs
- Gems (slightly more valuable)
- Gold
- Incense
- Ivory
- Marble
- Pearls
- Silk
- Silver
- Spices
- Sugar
- Whales (slightly less valuable, but also produce Food)
- Wine
Policies That Produce Gold
- Autocracy
- Commerce
- Mercantilism
- Militarism
- Monarchy
- Professional Army
- Socialism
- Trade Unions
Science
Scientific Research represents the
efforts of your people to develop new Technology. Research is largely
based on Population and supplemented by the effects of the Academy
Improvement, Buildings, Wonders and Policies.
Improvements That Generate Research:
- Academy
Buildings That Generate Research:
- Library
- Observatory
- Paper Maker
- Public School
- Research Lab
- University
- Wat
Wonders That Generate Research:
- Great Library (generates no Research but grants a free Technology)
- National College
- Oxford University (generates no Research but grants a free Technology)
Policies That Generate Research:
- Free Thought
- Scholasticism
- Scientific Revolution (generates no Research but grants two free Technologies)
- Secularism
- Sovereignty
Culture
Culture advances Policy. The more
Culture Points you have, the quicker you can create new Policies.
Culture is generated by some the Landmark Improvement, Buildings,
Wonders, Policies, and relationships with some City-States.
Improvements That Generate Culture:
- Landmark
Buildings That Generate Culture:
- Broadcast Tower
- Burial Tomb
- Krepost
- Monastery
- Monument
- Mud Pyramid Mosque
- Mughai Fort
- Museum
- Opera House
- Temple
- Wat
Wonders That Generate Culture:
- All non-Program, non-Project Wonders produce Culture. Angar Wat, Christor Redentor, Sistene Chapel, Stonehenge and Hermitage are particularly beneficial to Cultural development. The Oracle and Sydney Opera House introduce a free Social Policy.
Policies That Generate Culture:
- Constitution
- Free Speech
- Mandate of Heaven
- Piety (does not generate Policy, but grants 2 free Policies)
- Representation
City-States That Generate Culture:
- Civilized
Bonus Resources:
Bonus Resources yield Food. They can be
Improved to provide access to other Luxury or Strategic Resources.
Strategic
Resources
Strategic Resources are prerequisites
for creating certain Units. They are found on map Tiles and can be
accessed by workers from nearby cities. They can also be acquired by
trade agreements with other civilizations. Strategic Resources yield
Production.
To fully access the benefits of Strategic Resources, they should be
Improved.
Luxury Resources
Gems are an especially valuable Lxury Resource. Mine them at your first opportunity.
Luxury Resources provide Gold, and when
Improved they increase Happiness by +5. This effect does not stack: two
Improved sources of Ivory still yield only +5 Happiness
civilization-wide, although surplus Resources can be traded to other
civilizations for new Luxuries.* Cities will often demand specific
Luxury Resources. Meeting their demands will increase Growth in those
cities via We Love the King Day.
Happiness
Because Happiness is so closely tied to Citizen growth, it is one of the most important variables to manage.
Happiness is increased by access to improved Luxury Resources, some Buildings and Wonders, discovering Natural Wonders, and some Policies.
Improvements that Generate Happiness:
While no improvements directly create Happiness, building a Plantation, Mine, Quarry or Camp on a previously undeveloped type of Luxury Resource will produce a great deal of Happiness.
Buildings That Generate Happiness:
- Burial Tomb
- Circus
- Colosseum
- Courthouse
- Satrap's Court
- Stadium
- Theatre
Wonders That Generate Happiness:
- Eiffel Tower
- Hanging Gardens
- Notre Dame
Policies That Generate Happiness:
- Cultural Diplomacy
- Freedom
- Humanism
- Legalism
- Meritocracy
- Military Caste
- Piety
- Planned Economy
- Police State
- Protectionism
- Theocracy
Golden
Age
Progress
When Golden Age progress reaches a certain threshold, a Golden Age begins. The length of the golden Age in turns varies depending on the trigger, but usually lasts from 3-10 turns. During Golden Ages, the Gold and Production of your civilization will increase significantly.
Golden Ages can also be triggered by sacrificing Great People, and by some Policies. Some Wonders also modify Golden Ages.
Wonders Generating Golden Age Progress:
- Chichen Itza (increases length of Golden Ages)
- Taj Mahal (grants a free Golden Age)
Policies Generating Golden Age Progress:
- Organized Religion
- Rationalism (free Golden Age)
- Reformation (free Golden Age)
Units
Units gain experience from combat and from some Buildings . When enough experience is acquired, the Unit is promoted and gains new abilities.
Some Policies grant additional bonuses to Military Units. There are discussed in Social Policies.
Military Units are discussed in detail in the Military Strategy section.
Non-military Units include Settlers, that are used to found new Cities, Workers, who build Improvements, Work Boats, that improve ocean Resources, and Great People.
Great People
All Wonders outside National Wonders, Projects and Programs increase the rate of production for Great People. The Hagia Sophia accelerates the creation of Great People. National Epic also speeds the building of Great People. The Brandenburg Gate provides a Free General. The Louvre produces two Great Artists. The Porcelain Tower produces a Great Scientist.
The Social Policy Warrior Code provides a free Great General. Democracy greatly increases the birth rate of Great People. Educated Elite causes Allied City-States to grant you free Great People.
There are five types of Great People:
- A Great Artist can be sacrificed to build the Landmark Improvement, that grants a large bonus every turn to Culture. The great Artist can also be sacrificed as a “Culture Bomb” that adds the Tile he occupies and all surrounding Tiles to your territory, regardless of owner.
- A Great Engineer can be sacrificed to build the Manufactory, that provides large Production bonuses. He can also be sacrificed to instantaneously complete any building project in a City, including Wonders. This ability does not effect Spaceship Construction or The Utopia Project.
- A Great Merchant can be sacrificed to build a Custom House Improvement, that generates large amounts of Gold. A Great Merchant can also be sacrificed on a special Trade Mission to a City-State, that yields Gold and Influence.
- A Great Scientist can be sacrificed to build an Academy Improvement, that produces large amounts of Research. A Great Scientist can also be sacrificed for a single free Technology of choice among any available along the player's current Tech Tree progress.
- A Great General provides significant combat bonuses to all Units within 2 hexes. This ability is consistent and passive, and requires no activation on the player's part.* He may be sacrificed to build a Citadel Improvement, a super-fortress of tremendous defensive power.
Your Leader
If you can't pronounce Ramkhamhaeng, rename him something more memorable.
- Alexander (Greece): Coming from the culturally fragmented Greek Peninsula, Alexander is a master of dealing with City-States. His Influence with City-States degrades at half the normal rate and recovers at twice the normal rate. He can pass through City-State borders with impunity. On the right map he is a good choice for a Cultural Victory.
- Askia (Songhai): Askia is a master of plunder. When he loots a City or Barbarian Camp, he collects triple gold. A great option for marauders, and very useful in the early game in particular.
- Augustus Caesar (Rome): If Caesar has constructed a Building in his Capital, duplicate Buildings in other Cities cost much less Production to build. Caesar is well suited for sprawling empires.
- Bismark (Germany): When Bismark defeats Barbarians inside an encampment, he has a 50% chance of causing them to defect. A lucky player (or one who doesn’t mind saving and reloading a lot) can turn this into a terrific early-game advantage. Defection also grants a little extra Gold.
- Catherine (Russia): Cathy gets +1 Production from Worked Strategic Resources, and double quantity from Improved Horses, Iron and Uranium. The first ability is a good early game boost, and the second provides great trade fodder in all stages of the game.
- Darius I (Persia):* Darius enjoys long Golden Ages, that carefully manipulated can lead to more effective Golden Age chaining, resulting in spectacular periods of Production. Darius' Units also get faster and tougher during Golden Ages.
- Elizabeth I (England): The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire, apparently because the speed of their vessels outpaces the Earth's rotation. If you like boats, then rule the court of the Virgin Queen. All English Naval Units are significantly faster than those of rival powers. *
- Ghandi (India): Ok, here's the deal. Ghandi makes empires with too many Cities MORE unhappy, but he makes unhappiness from the base number of Citizens in Cities much lower. Don't build many Cities with Ghandi, but grow the ones you have to the hilt.
- Harun al-Rashid (Arabia): Mr. Trade Routes. Create as many Roads and Harbors as you can, because all grant extra Gold. Also, al-Rashid gets double Oil from each improved Oil Resource. *
- Hiawatha (Iroquois): Your go-to guy when the world map resembles the Moon of Endor. Hiawatha's Units move through Forest and Jungle at Road speed, and Forest and Jungle tiles count as roads for trade routes. The Iroquois rock at exploration. *
- Montezuma (Aztec): Montezuma's special power appeals to the Hannibal Lecter inside us all. He grants you Culture every time you kill somebody. Each Unit you eliminate yields a significant Culture bonus, that is especially useful in the early game.
- Napoleon (France): Napoleon's Cities each produce extra Culture until the discovery of Steam Power. If you build a lot of Cities quickly, this really adds up.
- Oda Nobunaga (Japan): Ganbate! Oda Nobunaga's Units don't lose combat strength from taking casualties, that means one standing Spearman still punches as hard as ten. The best leader for conducting war, bar none.* *
- Ramesses (Egypt): Every civilization needs a Wonder, and Ramesses builds them cheap. A good choice for all strategies.
- Ramkhamhaeng (Siam): You don't have to be able to pronounce his name to appreciate his advantages. Ramkhamhaeng harvests the fruits of City-State gifts better than any other leader. He's a good choice for civilizations with a Cultural focus.
- Suleiman (Ottoman): Don't like pirates? Convert them to your side and take their Gold. Suleiman requires a player to adopt a strong maritime strategy, many coastal Cities and an interest in ruling the waves. While his ability seems weak, free ships are quite handy, as Naval Units are generally expensive and inconvenient to produce.
- Washington (America): Ol' George does a good job of hiding his teeth, but not much hides from him. American ground Units can all see an extra space, a huge scouting advantage useful for finding Ruins, Barbarians, Natural Wonders and rival Units. The reduced cost of Tiles is less of a big deal but not completely useless.
- Wu Zetain: Great Generals appear more frequently in Wu's empire
and enjoy increased bonuses. This has two advantages: better bonuses
for well-organized armies, and more access to on-demand Golden Ages.