Strategies for Great Persons?

[Lancer]

Originally posted by Hauptman

Alternately, march your GP right up the the border and wander around aimlessly, willy nilly here and there, then pull him back. Your enemy will assume you're a noob that hasn't a clue and attack right into your ambush!

[johnmcd]

I tend to use the Merchant for the food.

My major production towns are always torn between growth for tomorrow and production now, I find the extra slice of bread is really valuable in giving me something of both.

[Lancer]

Originally posted by johnmcd
I tend to use the Merchant for the food.

My major production towns are always torn between growth for tomorrow and production now, I find the extra slice of bread is really valuable in giving me something of both.

Hows the taste?

[johnmcd]

Originally posted by Lancer


Hows the taste?

It's a poor quality substitute for proper locally grown grain, seems to be millet flour bought in for cheap and sold for about twelve gold a turn, the 50% tax I run on his operation makes it worthwhile though.

[joncnunn]

Personally I avoid settling Merchants precicsely because they switch the polarity of the food brought in from even to odd. I don't much like the Super Market improvement either in mature cities for the same reason but feel compelled to still build those for health reasons.

On the food corporations, I arrange to have it bring in an even number of food.

[Velociryx]

Ahhh, but in those cases, supermarkets make a solid case for not ignoring merchants, non?

I like the phrase "reverse the polarity" btw...appropriate.

-=Vel=-

[Theben]

Originally posted by Lancer
Just march them up to the border and delete them. That will show the enemy how confident you are.

If you're that confident you should gift them to your enemies.

[Hauptman]

Originally posted by Theben


If you're that confident you should gift them to your enemies.

I have done that a number of times with priests... So the dummies will build that shrine.

[johnmcd]

Originally posted by joncnunn
Personally I avoid settling Merchants precicsely because they switch the polarity of the food brought in from even to odd. I don't much like the Super Market improvement either in mature cities for the same reason but feel compelled to still build those for health reasons.

On the food corporations, I arrange to have it bring in an even number of food.

eh? Is that just a fascination with symmetry or is there some mechanic I'm missing?

[Lancer]

Originally posted by Hauptman


I have done that a number of times with priests... So the dummies will build that shrine.

What's the reasoning behind that?

[Seedle]

Originally posted by johnmcd


eh? Is that just a fascination with symmetry or is there some mechanic I'm missing?

In the late game, if a city generates an odd number of food, it will grow with an surplus of 1 fpt. When it then increase in pop, it will have a deficit of 1 fpt, and shrink. The cycle continues. If your food intake is even, this doesn't happen. One of the things that has bothered me since civ2. I actually use the merchants to counter act this.

As for what I do with great persons:

Prophet: Shrine. I play huge pangaea marathon lowsealevel noble, so there are alot of cities to spread a religion to, plenty of time to do it in, and the missionaries are relatively cheap as compared to normal speed. If all shrines have been built, I settle in my future wall street city. I might use one to bulb theology if the Apostolic Palace looks tasty that game.

Engineer: Rush wonders generally. Most often either the University of Sankore or Spiral Minaret, to get an extra 600-1200 beakers/coins, or the pentagon/three gorges dam, because they are so expensive. I've recently been trying to lessen my wonder whorish tendencies, so I've settled a few in my heroic epic cities.

Merchants: Settle in wall street or where I need the food.

Artists: If I am going for a cultural victory, settle. Otherwise, Golden Age

Spy: Golden Age.

Scientists: Academies and settle. Will use for golden age in the late game where their bulb is relatively small compared to tech prices and they don't have time to add up over turns when settled.

Generals: First one on a unit for super medic. I tend to find settling better than making academies, because by the end of the game, most cities crank out units in 3-5 turns anyway, and the extra promotions count for more than a few extra units. Also, although I agree settling is better, I like making a Great General unit of each type just for fun.

[Unimatrix11]

Great Spies i hate - i tell them everytime they pop, just like the incans tell me everytime i click them.

[Yosho]

Golden Ages are a little better now in BTS; I often get at least one at some point in the game.

GS: I usually have 3-4 cities where it's worth building an acadamy over settling. If I do all that, and I still have more GS, then I might use them settle.

GP: Usually about 2 shrines, then I start to settle them.

GA: Settle or golden age or corp.

GE: I usually settle them or use them for a corperation. Once in a while, I'll spend one to get a wonder, but not often.

Merchent: Cash or settle, or corperation. The fact that they make food when they settle is really neat, but a cash payoff of 3000+ can be absolutly huge.

Generals: Acadamies in my 2-3 main millitary production cities. After that, it's a judgement call if I should have them settle in my biggest production city, or if I have other cities with enough production that it's worth getting an acadamy there as well.

joncnunn: Therre's usually nothing wrong with an odd number of food; that just lets you work another plains cottege or something.

[Hauptman]

Originally posted by Lancer


What's the reasoning behind that?

compasion.

If he's a vassal i care not that i'm boosting his economy. in fact then i can trade with him to get some of that $$.

otherwise, I plan to invade and capture that city... no sense just having my priest sit and wait. (unless i really really want that culture.)

[johnmcd]

Originally posted by Yosho
joncnunn: Therre's usually nothing wrong with an odd number of food; that just lets you work another plains cottege or something.

Yeah. And if it's really a big deal, whack up a windmill or take someone on a single food tile into specialisationism.