N00b questions continue: how do I not blow this?

[Blaupanzer]

I didn't read it, I've seen something of the sort for early temples. Not sure it's quadruple. Just know it's more than double.

[Fleme]

What you've seen is the effect of the Sistine Chapel. With it, old temples create 12 and old monasteries 14 since the +5 per turn you get from the Sistine Chapel for all state buildings is also subject to the doubling effect you get for buildings that are older than 1000 years. There's no quadrupling.

[Solomwi]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly

5) National wonders: one city had Oxford and Wall Street, the second had National Epic and Globe Theater, the third had the Forbidden palace and the Hermitage. Better choices? Better combinations?

Thanks in advance!

Oxford/Wall Street isn't a bad combination, but it's often best to split them unless, as Fleme said, you've got one city just miles ahead of the rest in commerce. The reason I like splitting them is that each allows several extra scientists/merchants, respectively (which I think was also the case in Vanilla; if not, disregard this advice). I like to max out my WS city with merchants and my Oxford city with scientists, in order to maximize the NWs as much as possible, and rare is the city that will support the full complement of both. NE/Globe is a combination I really like, as long as you're growing that city to the gills and stuffing it full of specialists. FP/Hermitage works because neither of those is very synergistic with any other NWs. Yes, Hermitage doubles the culture of whatever NW it's paired with, but that's small potatoes.

[Arrian]

bah, stupid dp. See below.

[Arrian]

Rufus,

1) You will know if you are expanding too fast. The game will tell you by wrecking your economy. My basic rule of thumb is that if I have to drop below 30% science, I might need to consolidate a bit before I expand more.

2 & 4) Cultural victory... I have absolutely no expertise there. I've never tried to win one, and I probably never will. I produce lotsa culture, mind you. I just have no desire to pack it all into 3 cities and win the game that way.

3) Looks decent enough.

5) I typically put the National Epic in my capitol, because that's where most of my wonders are and that's how I tend to get my GPP. It should be put in your GPP-pump city. The Globe + NE idea is sound. As is NE + National Park (you're playing vanilla still, though, right? So no National Park).

Wall Street really should be in a city with a religious shrine. I often pair WS with the Ironworks (if the city is hammer-rich), but I've always separated WS and Oxford (Oxford, for me, is typically in my capitol with the Great Library).

-Arrian

[Solomwi]

Originally posted by Arrian

5) I typically put the National Epic in my capitol, because that's where most of my wonders are and that's how I tend to get my GPP. It should be put in your GPP-pump city. The Globe + NE idea is sound. As is NE + National Park (you're playing vanilla still, though, right? So no National Park).

-Arrian

I remember seeing the math done in a CFC War Academy article that suggests two GP-pumps racing one another will produce more GPs overall than one super-GP-pump working by itself. If I'm remembering that right, the best use for the NE would seem to be to bring a lesser city (in terms of GPP) up to par with your capital/primary GP-pump.

[wodan11]

Originally posted by Arrian
(Oxford, for me, is typically in my capitol with the Great Library).

IMO that's not necessarily a big benefit. The Great Library is obsoleted fairly soon, I believe. And, Oxford isn't available all that early.

Much more important is to build Oxford in a city high in specialists (scientists) or cottages. Either way not a lot of production. Meanwhile, build the GL in a city with a ton of production, to be sure you can get it, period.