Should saving trees for lumbermills should be rewarded more?

[Strategist83]

The facts:

Lumbermill = Production: +1, commerce: +1 (next to river), production: +1 (with railroad), production: +1 (from forest)

Totals: 3 production, 1 commerce, fresher air, happier citizens with environmentalism. Available mid-game.

Workshop = Food -1, production +1, production +1 (with guilds), production +1 (with chemistry), food +1 (with state property)

Totals: 3 production, one-time additional +30 production from clearing forest. Available early game.

[Bhruic]

You left out the +0.5 health bonus from trees.

And although State Property will gain the -1 food back, you are either forced to use that civic, or you end up losing the food. And considering you don't get State Property terribly early, you'll be slowing your growth down with any Workshops before that point.

Bh

[GeoModder]

Bah, workshops are a flip option. It's nice to have a couple within your city radius if you need to produce something fast(er) on occasion, especially if the city is in the middle of grasslands/plains.

[Solver]

Replacing forests with workshops isn't a good idea. Workshops are more for plains squares where you need production.

With trees... you always have that health bonus, the +2 production from lumbermills w/RR is good, you can have a defensive bonus if you need it... I like trees.

[Enigma_Nova]

I like to guess how many tiles I'm going to be working. Cottage over the tiles I am going to be working, and keep the +5 health on the rest.

[Dr Strangelove]

I miss being able to plant a new forest. Why was it removed? There are numerous real-life examples of forests being re-grown in the US. Almost all of the National Forests in the South are essentially "man made" forests. The new forest may not be old growth, but it's still a forest.

[Feyd]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
I miss being able to plant a new forest. Why was it removed? There are numerous real-life examples of forests being re-grown in the US. Almost all of the National Forests in the South are essentially "man made" forests. The new forest may not be old growth, but it's still a forest.

This is an easy one... because of the massive abuse that the replant chop caused in previous Civ's. Once you can replant forests, you can effectively choprush EVERY improvement you get with enough workers.

Lumbermills take the place of "replanting" because that's what responsible lumbermills do... they clear the forest in part, but they also replant it... that's why they provide a production boost without clearing the forest.

[TheHateMale]

As mentioned in various interviews, the designers wanted you to make decision about whether to chop or not. A forest might grow back, if the square is left empty and there's surrounding forest, but you can't count on it.

What they were trying to avoid was the 'terraforming' that was previously present where every square was the same, regardless of what it started as. This made city location mostly irrelevant apart from the early game and making sure the fat crosses didn't overlap.

[xxFlukexx]

I think trees for lumbermills should reward a bit more but you can't really add on another hammer or food to a forest tile as 'normal' tiles all cap out at 5 food+hammers.

I would suggest changing environmentalism, giving forests +1 commerce would be nice, or maybe +2 commerce. Environmentalism is silly to me, If I have forests then why do I need +healthy's especially when I just got hospitals and soon I will have genetics and supermarkets and recycling facilities. Even if you keep a lot of forests I still recommend free market over environmentalism.

[byrath]

No, lumbermills are fine, it is the forest chop that needs a nerf. Cutting the hammer return from a chop in half should be about right, though I'd be happy to see it removed entirely.

[cloudwasher]

I disagree with all and advocate the banana option. Surely we can all agree on its fruity goodness.

[Enigma_Nova]

I vote in favor of deforestation. Down with the hippies!

[Blake]

I usually clearcut the tiles adjacant to cities (so enemies can't siege from cover), and along rivers, and outside city fat-crosses. Forests not in one of those 3 clearcut zones tend to get left alone. Sometimes I'll cut more aggressively if I have a lot of health or just really need something. I'll cut less aggressively if a city has crazy good food resources. it'll need the health, especially if it gets Globe Theatre.

[Dr Strangelove]

When a worker is placed within the radius of a city blue circles appear, generally in undeveloped squares. If the worker is moved to those squares usually certain development option icons begin to flash. Sometimes a square alreeady developed will also be given the blue circle, and when the worker goes to that square usuallly one or more development icons other than the development in the square will begin to flash. This represents some sort of development advisor. My question is: How good is this advisor? Should I generally follow the advice of the advisor?

Sometimes circles appear on developed squares, but when a qorker is place on the circle none of the development option icons flash. Why?

[Odin]

The production/chop should be lowered somewhat (maybe to 25 or 20 instead of 30), the forest regrowth rate increased, and increase the health bonus per forest tile from .4 to .5.