Two questions for the experts

[TheBaumer]

The first is an easy one - is there some sort of bonus for being the first to circumnavigate the world? I have seen people mention they were the first and I wonder how they would know unless there was some sort of reward for doing so.

The second might be a little more involved - can someone tell me why I wouldn't want to just keep chopping trees after the settler chop? Are these forests really that important later in the game because my first greedy response is to chop everything in sight.

Thanks.

[Bill3000]

is there some sort of bonus for being the first to circumnavigate the world?

Permanent +1 movement to all ships to the civilization that first circumnavigates the world.

The second might be a little more involved - can someone tell me why I wouldn't want to just keep chopping trees after the settler chop? Are these forests really that important later in the game because my first greedy response is to chop everything in sight.

There is a small health bonus (+0.4 health per forest tile), but more importantly, forests are in itself a sort of improvement which adds production to the tile. Combined with railroads and lumbercamps, especially near rivers, Forests can be much more productive than they are in previous games. The lumbercamps add +1 production and +1 gold if it is near a river, and a railroad adds +1 production further on. So yes, it is better in the long run to at least keep some forests. They can be just as productive as some mines.

As well, they are quite good for tundra, which normally can't be improved that much.

[fluffy]

Originally posted by Bill3000

is there some sort of bonus for being the first to circumnavigate the world?

Permanent +1 movement to all ships to the civilization that first circumnavigates the world.

You have to compete the task before it tells you what bonus you get, which isn't very helpful.

[Blake]

Note that, if you run State Property, workshops are exactly the same food/hammer as Forest+Lumbermill+Railroad, but they don't have the health benefit of course.

In any case, assuming a willingness to run State property, clear cutting does not reduce your final hammer potential.

[Bill3000]

You know, I don't understand why State Property of all civics has no upkeep. Maybe Free Market, but State Property!?

[Fried-Psitalon]

It's because, uh, the people pick up the tab for everything, because, uh, the people are the government and the government is equal for everyone and the state is therefore picking up the tab through the people and....


LOOK! Over there! PONIES!

::runs away::

[TheBaumer]

Thanks for the replies all - I didn't realize you got the bonus for the first map around the world. Nice little bonus!

I will have to give some more thought to the chopping but right now I just can not see how you can get any more efficient production than chop-rushing say 3 or 4 settlers and a building or two if there are forests around. I am considering trying (just for fun) to chop rush 5 workers, group them together and send them out to chop tiles in one turn. With a military units to guard them I would just send this "hammer machine" out into the wilderness chopping everything in sight - especially those forests near the borders of my neighbors.

[Enigma_Nova]

Save the hammers for Settlers, Workers or something you get a production bonus while building.
Oh, you don't get bonuses for chopping in enemy lands, only neutral or your own. Otherwise I'd send workers along with any invasion force for some permanent pillaging.

[Crossfire]

Also realize that you don't need to circumnavigate the globe to get the bonus. You merely need to expose a tile on each column of the map. So send a ship in each direction and when they get around to the same column you are good. This is way faster and the AI isn't this smart.