Vel's Strategy Thread, Volume III

[eluciv]

In the early game, I prefer to keep my pop working the tiles/getting whipped rather than delegating them to specialists. In my city (#2) that built the 2 wonders that will generate Gprophs, I'm taken care of and that GProph will pop before I even have to consider a GS for the Academy. Even if not, it would likely pop before the capital pops the GS if I were to assign the GSs (writing is too far removed from Oracle and Stonehenge in my play).

The only time I allot citizens as specialists early-on is in the cap to get that first Academy. I've been saving National Epic for that first conquered enemy capital (as I seem to recall you suggesting they make great GP farms.)

[Lesbaker]

First settle goody hut

Vel
Forgive me if I have missed this bit in your extensive guide. One of the initial problems I seem to have is having a goody hut either in or very near the initial settlers starting point. In my games (Noble/Prince - Epic - Continents) I have tended to move the settler away from the goody hut to avoid popping it before research has started as you can never get a tech if you settle on move 1 and pop the hut. Maybe at the levels I play I am more likely to get a tech (?) rather than money, map or Scout, so have adjusted my strategy accordingly. A popped Tech can certainly give an immense turn advantage so is it worth the potential move from an optimum site to avoid popping the hut?
Les

[couerdelion]

The chance of gaining a tech versus the immediate chance of gaining a scout plus the comparison of city sites would indicate that moving just for this reason would not make a great deal of sense. Even if the hut does give you a tech, it may be one that is not much use to you.

In general, the capital city sites location is too important to compromise on just for the chance of gaining 100 beakers.

[Velociryx]

I concur...I think I'd settle, auto-pop the hut and hope for either a scout or some early game gold!

-=Vel=-

[zeace]

Also, auto-popping the hut guarantees it isn't hostile. I think that's a fair trade for the inability to get a tech.

[eluciv]

I personally barely ever auto-pop huts on turn 1. Regardless of what tech it could be, that's one less tech to research. It also may allow my short-term strategy to become more concrete. It does depend somewhat on the difficulty. On higher levels (Monarch and up) I'd be prone to just popping it outright. At least I won't get the stupid "your units have been given experience" "bonus". What a waste...

The only time I won't wait to pop it (Prince and lower) is if the capital site is compromised significantly or if my "next best" site would use both of the settler's moves. But sometimes the combination of the chance at a free tech coupled with waiting a turn or two to settle ends up no worse off. If I can pop BW, I just gained 16-20 turns of research or so.

Also, if put in the situation, I will often move my capital away from a hills and plains start toward a river, for instance - unless the bonus tiles are too much to pass up.

[couerdelion]

Well you may be able to get away with this on lower levels but with higher levels you take what huts you find before the AI gets them. Also, hut goodies are more generous at lower levels. Beyond Emperor, it’s not that common to pop a tech.

As for moving from a plains hill to a river, this is usually a bad thing. I’m not even sure why you are doing that since starting sites almost always get fresh water anyway and you could probably still work the river tiles from the hill. Moving your city from that tile will normally lose you 1 hammer per turn which is a BIG bonus at the beginning of the game (the bonus is worth two Axemen by 1200BC – slightly later at Epic speed). At the more unforgiving levels, this move might be very costly.

[Addled Platypus]

Originally posted by Addled Platypus
wow


as of
5-05 190 downloads
5-27 399 downloads
6-20 699 downloads
7-3 829 downloads
7-30 1017 downloads
12-5 2144 dl's WOW

2/23/07 2589
4/26/07 2889

many many thanks Velociryx

when it hits 5k, sell ?

[eluciv]

Originally posted by couerdelion
Well you may be able to get away with this on lower levels but with higher levels you take what huts you find before the AI gets them.

The AI is never getting a hut that I can see at the start of the game. No way.

Also, hut goodies are more generous at lower levels. Beyond Emperor, it’s not that common to pop a tech.

As I inferred.

As for moving from a plains hill to a river, this is usually a bad thing. I’m not even sure why you are doing that since starting sites almost always get fresh water anyway and you could probably still work the river tiles from the hill. Moving your city from that tile will normally lose you 1 hammer per turn which is a BIG bonus at the beginning of the game (the bonus is worth two Axemen by 1200BC – slightly later at Epic speed). At the more unforgiving levels, this move might be very costly.

I guess it depends on your style. If I have a choice between river/FP and lots of hills, I'm moving my capital to the high potential for commerce every time. You can't blanket statement something like this , though.

[Flhaus]

Originally posted by Velociryx


I’m not going to tell you what’s a “good tradeoff” or bad between a tile worked and a specialist created…that is for you to decide, but obviously, the more valuable the tile that the pop point could be working, the lower your return on the specialist will be (so if you pull a worker off of a tundra tile, said specialist will offer a VERY good return, but if you pull a worker off of the iron mine, said specialist’s return will be significantly less…perhaps to the point where you have no desire to do that).

-=Vel=-

I'm new to CIV4, and have a question regarding this statement. This is probably rudimentary for most of you, but how do you know where the pop is working when you decide to use them for a specialist? The city screen has so much info, it is a bit overwhelming, and i haven't been able to understand all of the things it is telling me. I see where i can assign specs, but I cannot see exactly how it is affecting my city, or even specific tiles.

Thanks you all for this great thread, it is very helpful, but is a little over this noob's head.

[couerdelion]

Originally posted by Flhaus


I'm new to CIV4, and have a question regarding this statement. This is probably rudimentary for most of you, but how do you know where the pop is working when you decide to use them for a specialist? The city screen has so much info, it is a bit overwhelming, and i haven't been able to understand all of the things it is telling me. I see where i can assign specs, but I cannot see exactly how it is affecting my city, or even specific tiles.

Thanks you all for this great thread, it is very helpful, but is a little over this noob's head.

In the city screen (where you appoint specialists) you can see the different workable tiles in the main picture on the left. Those circled are the tiles that you are currently working.

If you want to work a tile currently not being worked then click on that area of the city map.

[Flhaus]

Originally posted by couerdelion


In the city screen (where you appoint specialists) you can see the different workable tiles in the main picture on the left. Those circled are the tiles that you are currently working.

If you want to work a tile currently not being worked then click on that area of the city map.

This is showing what the population is working, not the "workers". Or am i confusing the two? If I were to assign a specialist, it would take from the current tiles showed as working? I think I am confused between worker units and population working. These are two different things - right? If I click on a tile not being worked, does it assign population, a worker unit, or the specialist?

Thanks for the help. I wish there was a how to book. Vel's strategy guide is a big help, but a book on the how to stuff would be better for me right now.

[fed1943]

A specialist is one "point" of population; like one "point" of
population collecting food/hammers/commerce in a tile it is.

The worker unit is a unit like other unit, so can never become a
specialist.

Best regards,

[Virdrago]

Originally posted by Flhaus


I'm new to CIV4, and have a question regarding this statement. This is probably rudimentary for most of you, but how do you know where the pop is working when you decide to use them for a specialist?

The specialist pop isn't working on the land around the city when you assign a specialist. Technically, the specialist lives "inside" the city, so he doesn't go out to the fields and mines. On the right, where the specialists are, you can see what the specialist is giving you, instead of food and/or production around the city. Just mouseover it.

Hope this helps. Cheers.

[Flhaus]

Originally posted by fed1943
A specialist is one "point" of population; like one "point" of
population collecting food/hammers/commerce in a tile it is.

The worker unit is a unit like other unit, so can never become a
specialist.

Best regards,

So if I assign a specialist, does the computer decide where the 1 point comes from? I imagine that as a spec is assigned, the circles in the middle will show that populatin working has decreased.

Thanks for the help.