Fat cross question

[saw]

Just checking to see if I understand this right...

It is pointless to build cottages, farm, mines, etc anywhere past the 21 square cross?

Thanks
Saw

[Jaybe]

Improved RESOURCES beyond the city radius still provide the resources, as do forts (though forts take much longer to build). Cottages, while useless, MAY delay invaders if they decide to stop and pillage. They get some extra gold, you get some extra response time.

[saw]

thanks!
What exactly is an Improved Resource? I assume a mine? but what else migt be?

I further assume it must be connected by road?

Thanks again
Saw

[Jaybe]

"Improved": mine, quarry, plantation, farm, winery*; whatever the resource requires for improvement. Hover the mouse over the resource and it will tell you in the lower left corner of the map view.

Road connection is required for all resources to possess it, unless it is connected by a river (which connects to a road). River connection may require the sailing technology. Again, hovering the mouse may explain that "route is required" to a resource already improved.

* Addendum: add "camp" for ivory & fur access.

[saw]

cool thanks!

[saw]

Another question on the fat cross....

The white circles shows what tiles are being worked by the city correct?

Mine keep changing places with seemingly a mind of thier own, every few turns I have to set them back where I want them.

is this normal or can I make them stick somehow?

Thanks again

[MoonWolf]

I almost always build forts for getting resources outside my BFC (=Big Fat Cross). They're harder to destroy by spies or bombing..

In the city screen on the lower, right part, you have some tools. Here you can active and deactive Citizens Automation. Just hover your mouse over the button and you'll see what it does

[Colm]

If you set your workers yourself, they usually stick there. But, for example, if there is civil unrest, workers are removed from the tiles. After the unrest is over, the town usually chooses the best tile to work on (which may not always be to your liking).
I always click once on the city in the town view and then the best tiles will be worked on.
But sometimes you need to change it. Like for example there is only 1 turn to grow the town but it decides to go to a food-stagnant state.

[saw]

Can someone verify I am doing the calculations right?
if I understand things correctly if I were to build here I would need 1 farm + the pig farm to support the city?

[Theben]

Originally posted by saw
Can someone verify I am doing the calculations right?
if I understand things correctly if I were to build here I would need 1 farm + the pig farm to support the city?

I assume you are trying to figure out how much food you'll need to use each tile at size 19 (desert tile doesn't count). You forgot the fish resource, which would be +4 with boats and a lighthouse. Also I assume you're going to mine the hills and not windmill them, which would also get you extra food.

[Theben]

There are other improvements you can place outside the BFC that are useful. Forts and railroads/roads for starters... you can also build forest preserves next to empty tiles in the hope that forests will grow into adjacent tiles. You can build mines on hills on the slight chance that a resource will be discovered there. And you can build cottages on tiles next to jungle in order to stop them from expanding.

[Solomwi]

You seem to have overlooked the fish. Putting a workboat on it will give you +3 food, for a total of 5 and surplus of 3. Combined with pastured pigs (+3 surplus) and the city tile, that gives you 8 extra food to work with. Adding a lighthouse brings the fish to +4 surplus and neutralizes the other water tiles, allowing you to work all the other tiles with a +3 overall food surplus. That said, the non-forested tundra tiles are pretty much worthless, so I'd remove them from the calculation altogether, which gives you 2 more surplus food, or 1 extra specialist. The forested tundra isn't great, either, as it will only be even remotely useful with the advent of lumbermills.

[saw]

thank you all very much, steep learning curve to this game it seems...I appreciate the forum and members as its nice to have a resource to turn to.

Saw

[Theben]

Originally posted by Solomwi
The forested tundra isn't great, either, as it will only be even remotely useful with the advent of lumbermills.

With a mill and RR it'll make 1 and 3 , which isn't a total loss. Considering that if he Lmills all the forest and mines the hills, he's only going to get ~16 total, I wouldn't knock it. It does have the potential to be a good commerce city.

[Solomwi]

Originally posted by Theben


With a mill and RR it'll make 1 and 3 , which isn't a total loss. Considering that if he Lmills all the forest and mines the hills, he's only going to get ~16 total, I wouldn't knock it. It does have the potential to be a good commerce city.

True, didn't mean to imply that it was a total loss, just that it won't be a factor for a while (though now I realize that I'm not sure how late in the game saw is already).