how *does* production overflow work?

[guermantes]

When I build a unit but have a few hammers left unused on the turn the unit is finished, those hammers are carried over to the next thing I build in the city. Simple enough.

But I have often noted in the late game that I have a couple of big-time hammer cities that produce more hammers in a single turn than some units require.

So the city may produce 275h and if an infantry costs 200h there should be 75 in overflow (the numbers are just made up). So one could think that if I queue 3 infantry I would get enough in overflow to produce a fourth infantry for free. That's what logic would say anyway, but in the game it is not so.

So how exactly does this production overflow work?

(And I mean not so much which the algorithm is, but if I can use some strategy so that I don't lose overflow hammers.)

[Solver]

So the city may produce 275h and if an infantry costs 200h there should be 75 in overflow (the numbers are just made up). So one could think that if I queue 3 infantry I would get enough in overflow to produce a fourth infantry for free. That's what logic would say anyway, but in the game it is not so.

Infantry 1. Build @ 200h, 75 overflow.
Infantry 2. Build @ 125h, 150 overflow.
Infantry 3. Build @ 50 h, 150 overflow.
Infantry 4. Build @ 50h, 150 overflow... ad infinitum.

I think. I probably even got something wrong here.

[Kuciwalker]

If you're correct then he wasted a ton of hammers.

[joncnunn]

It appears to me that cities can only save a total of X - 1 hammers as overflow; X being the hammer producation of that city without overflows.

[rjmatsleepers]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
If you're correct then he wasted a ton of hammers.

My understanding is that excess hammers that exceed the overflow limit are converted to gold.

RJM

[ColdPhoenix]

So from what RJM and Solver say it appears there is a cap on how many hammers can be carried over? I've never heard of this nor of the excess being converted to gold. It does fit more with the Civ 4 spirit rather than the hammers being lost completely but why not just store them up (with degredation after 10 turns) until a larger build comes along? I guess there could potentially be a small exploit if you store up a lot and then use it to get a head start on a wonder but I don't think that would be a major problem.

[Solver]

I don't remember how exactly it worked anymore, but with unlimited overflow, one of the testers managed to exploit it massively, up to the point of getting Wonders almost for free.

[ColdPhoenix]

I guess it's a bigger exploit than I thought. I suppose a very high production military pump would end up storing a lot of hammers. I would have thought that when the hammer degradation kicked in it wouldn't be too efficient but would have just meant a head start on the wonders. Perhaps it wouldn't ever kick in though as the hammers are always "new" as they're overflow.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Solver
I don't remember how exactly it worked anymore, but with unlimited overflow, one of the testers managed to exploit it massively, up to the point of getting Wonders almost for free.

Not for free, just very quickly. It's equivalent to building caravans...

[Solver]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker


Not for free, just very quickly. It's equivalent to building caravans...

It is for free. Caravans = accumulating hammers from many cities in one. Overflow exploit = putting overflow from builds together to get a Wonder, while still completing all those builds.

Well, you can call it whatever you'd like. You can say it's not free, but it's still a huge exploit.

[ColdPhoenix]

Well, your city still has to produce the hammers in the first place. In a close wonder race it would make a lot of difference though.

[Solver]

The exploit wasn't just for close races. It was accumulating literally hundreds of hammers to spend for when you need them.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Solver
It is for free. Caravans = accumulating hammers from many cities in one. Overflow exploit = putting overflow from builds together to get a Wonder, while still completing all those builds.

The city actually produce those hammers, so it's not free. Duh? Yes, it's an exploit, but one of timing, not production.

[ColdPhoenix]

If used effectively you could have your city producing something every turn, no more waiting. Just researched military tradition? Switch to west point, pop it out in a turn, and return to units. Nice.

[rah]

Just what are the limitations on this?
I use it to a small degree every game, but if I know the max, then I won't waste.