Great Engineer x City Size?

[Theben]

REcently I tried to build Versailles with a GE in a size 1 city (location). It was 1200 hammers (epic speed), and the GE only offered 780.

So then I moved it to a size 5 city, and it changed to 900. I decided to build a forge, but that didn't change anything.

So finally I moved it to a size 15 city that had lots of production and wonders in it already, and it allowed me to build it in 1 turn.

So what's the mechanics involved deciding how many hammers a GE generates? Btw, I've also noticed that the tech points one gets from various Gpeople vary between each other as well as a GS that waits until later to lightbulb (i.e., you get more science from a GS if you wait). Any ideas?

[Thoth]

I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but the hammers generated by a GE increase with city size. The beakers generated by a lightbulb increase with your total empire population (lightbulbing just after a round of drafting/whipping is a *bad* idea )

[Boracks]

Originally posted by Thoth
The beakers generated by a lightbulb increase with your total empire population (lightbulbing just after a round of drafting/whipping is a *bad* idea )

So if you're about to go to war, holding off on lightbulbing until you 'aquire' some more population will get you more beakers? Cool!

[Lost Soul 1]

GE Hammer Value (Warlords, Vanilla)

Don't know if it's the same for BtS (I only play on Warlords currently), but the Warlords/Vanilla Civ4 GE production ("hammers") value is set at

500 + 20*(city population)

for Normal speed games.


And, it's most likely factored to be a higher payout for longer (Marathon, Epic) games. For instance, since the multiplier for Epic games is 1.5, a GE applied to a size (population) 1 city could/would be:

1.5* (500 + 20*1) = 780 hammers [Epic]

for a size 5 city, it could/would be

1.5* (500 + 20*5) = 900 hammers [Epic]

The size 15 city (Epic) could/would yield up to 1200 hammers (just enough to build Versailles in your game)


Similarly, the same city yield played during a Marathon game (multiplier = 3) could/would be:

3.0* (500 + 20*1) = 1560 hammers [Marathon]


Lost Soul 1

[TriMiro]

Wow, I did not know that about the GE and the lightbulb.

Thanks guys.

[Vampgelus]

I tryied this out in the last games, and it seems to me that light bulbing is an optimal thing for the first middle-age techs. Before theese you don't get enough beakers from it, after, it's just not enough to get the techs instantly. The gain by increasing pop seems to be minimal. By increasing the pop of my 6 core citys by 2, i gained about 150 beakers (marathon). So if you have to lightbulb, do it at the end of classical for best profit (this actually makes the music tech some kind of liberalism through lightbulbing paper or printing with the GA).

I did not get the chance to test the GE in that game, he came out two turns to late for AP . But i think the +3 +3 is great for itself, so i am sceptical about sacrificing GE exept for Pyramids or AP.

Best lightbulbing IMHO is theology with a GP, especially if you don't have religion yet and can rush the AP building with a GE shortly after. But if someone else already has founded christianism, i would settle the GP in order to help with upkeep and production.