Useful forests

[TheHateMale]

Something I've done in my last game, and want to know if others have tried it.

Started with my capital on the edge of a large forest/jungle reason. I didn't cut down the forest because I like lumbermills.

At the start, I was mostly fighting barbarians, so tried giving my warriors/archers the first two woodsman upgrades. This meant that they could move through the forest as if it was roaded, and received massive defensive boosts (base forest defence + bonuses from promotions). I found that I was able to defend on side of my empire for a long time with just a few units. Not roading/chopping the forests slowed down future invasions from other civs as well.

I'm only on noble at the sec (was going to move up a difficulty level, but since the patch noble seems to be far harder). but I am wondering how many higher-level players ever keep forests for the defence value?

[baboon]

I've read about people using it that way, yeah. I usually try to kick the AI around instead of being pushed back

[Enigma_Nova]

What is this ... De ... fence ... of which you speak? Is that a way to more efficiently camp your base and send fast units out to destroy enemy pillagers?

If there's Forest in a strategic area where I can't put a base, I might consider Forting the tile - especially if it's on a hill. =]

[Diadem]

In the beginning I often keep forests. They provide health, defence, and production. That's pretty good!

No forests will survive late game though. Lumbermills are okay, but lateage there are simply better improvements. A lumbermills gives a net. bonus of 2 shields and 1 trade if along a river. A watermills gives something like 1 food, 2 shields and 2 trade or something like that. If there's no river, a workshop will give you 3 shields, still more than a lumbermill.

So all forests die. Unless if you want to run environmentalism.

[Tacit_Exit]

Lumbermills give 3 hammers with rail, no food malus regardless of Civics.

[Blake]

In short a workshop under state property is a slightly inferior forest, inferior as it doesn't give health bonus.

Under non-state property civics forests are superier.

It is possible to get full-powered workshops a little earlier than full-powered forests though.

[GeoModder]

Originally posted by Enigma_Nova
If there's Forest in a strategic area where I can't put a base, I might consider Forting the tile - especially if it's on a hill. =]

Forting a forested tile (constructing a fort I mean ) actually decreases the defense value of it.