More than 3 cities, my economy collapses

[chequita guevara]

By city number 3, my science rating goes down to 70%. If I dare to make or take city number four, it's below 50% and maybe down to 20% or 10%, if I want an army to protect me. Needless to say, the AI runs rings around me technologically and citywise.

Here I am, stuck with three cities, and they are happily plunking down settler after settler, growing around me, or attacking me if I manage to block off some land to try and hold it for later (and refusing to open my borders to let them at it).

I try building gold generating cottages, gem mines, gold mines, etc. It doesn't seem to help. I have Vel's strategy guide printed out right next to me. I try and build ever freaking building in order to develop my cities.

The only thing that's ever managed to keep me even is getting an early religion, spreading it widly, and getting a religious great person, so I can build the gold generating wonder.

Obviously, I'm missing something here. I'm playing on monarch level at the very slowest speed settings. What the hell am I doing or not doing wrong?

[Blake]

What difficulty are you playing on?

[chequita guevara]

Re: More than 3 cities, my economy collapses

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
I'm playing on monarch level at the very slowest speed settings.

[rjmatsleepers]

Once you have discovered currency and provided you have open borders, you should have 2 trade routes in each city worth 2 commerce each. That gives you 5 commerce in even the smallest city. At 70% research and with a market in your capital, I would expect you to be earning enough gold to support 4 cities. If you build the Great Lighthouse, those 2 extra trade routes should be able to take you up to supporting 6 cities. Go for any resources that you can use that give you extra commerce. Plus any cottages will give you some more gold. That doesn't mean you can support a 20 city empire, but you should be able to get more than 3.

RJM

[Blake]

ugh.. meant to ask what map and all settings...
If you play on a very small map then upkeep ramps up much faster.

Otherwise I don't see why you should be crashing your economy so early...

Oh hmmm... you don't automate workers right? They'll put ur economy in the crapper in no time.

1) Connect your cities together ASAP or sooner (ie found them along the same river)
2) Cottages are much more important than farms. Only build farms on grain resources. You should hardly ever build a farm until Civil Service... build them then to give grains fresh water.
3) Um.... well as long as you build a trade network and avoid farms, that should be enough for basic needs.
4) Don't play marathon until you have the economic basics down, it makes it 3x slower to learn....

[rah]

Try a civ that is organized or financial. And try to keep you first couple of cities a bit closer to each other.

[CerberusIV]

What size are your cities getting to before unhealth/unhappiness? If you aren't getting past size 3 or 4 they aren't working many tiles and generating much commerce so you need happy/health resources ASAP.

I normally build my first cities in a ring (coastline permitting) around my capital to help keep costs down. A city 10 tiles away to grab that copper resource looks tempting but can be expensive.

[padillah]

One of my biggest problems moving to Marathon was realizing that the game speed is going to make it take three times as long to get an economy that can support another city.

Try waiting a little longer to build the second and 3rd cities. Don't start on the second (or maybe 3rd depending) until you have a Village at least.

Tom P.

[MasterDave]

Building a courthouse in your 2nd and third city will go a long way in shrinking your deficit. Once you have courthouses in city 2 and 3 you will probably be in a better position to build cities 4 and 5.

If you have a trade route with your neighbors, open borders can greatly improve your income as well. Most internal trade routes only produce one commerce, but international trade routes are far more lucrative.

[Jaguar]

Who would have thought a communist would suck at fiscal management?


Make sure you're letting your cities grow. Building too many settlers and workers early stunts your economic development. Sometimes I find myself building warriors even if I don't really need them, just to let a city grow.

[chequita guevara]

Large sized map, high sea levels, I don't automate my workers.

Courthouses and markets come a long at a time when the whole world is filled with AI cities, and I still only have my three.

I can squeeze a fourth city if I play Washington/America (Financial and Organized), but I'm obviously teh suxxors.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by CerberusIV
What size are your cities getting to before unhealth/unhappiness?

Generally size 6 or 7 before I get an unhappy face. If I get monarchy, I dont' get unhappy faces, at least not for very long.

[Urban Ranger]

You need to pick your city sites carefully. I would also suggest attempting the Civil Service slingshot.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Jaguar
Who would have thought a communist would suck at fiscal management?

But I'd counsel patience che. Hold off on building your cities. Get your feet under you with your first two cities... then think about a 3rd one. CivIV rewards a little more patience than the other Civ games in city building with the new economic model.

[trev]

Go to the F2 screen, and see what is costing you money, my suspicion is that your unit cost may be too high, as 3 cities will not damage your economy that badly by itself, generally in games I go quickly to about 5 cities (on monarch or emperor) if possible, with plenty of workers to get the cottages established quickly, so more cities are possible early. If unit cost is too high, build less warriors early and build more powerful archers, and axemen etc to keep your strength up. Disband the early warriors.