What's the point of Feudalism govt?

[joncnunn]

I think "Ralphing" is when your planning on disbanding half the towns that are initally in a Borg-lite formation.

"Borging" is just placing your cities as close as possible.
rotate 45 degrees:
CXCXCXC
XXXXXXX
CXCXCXC
XXXXXXX
CXCXCXC

This pattern seems optimized for city sizes 3 - 5.

Ralphing features this pattern (rotate 45 again)
PXX
XXT

P = Perment City
T = Temporary City [Military Camp]
If there's a river nearby, the permenat city will have fresh water and the tempoary camp won't.

This optimizes for size 6 in the Camp and 7+ in the permenent city.

Tight patterns are :

C-X-X-C [not on the diagnoal] and C-X-C [on the diagonal]

These optimimze for sizes 7 - 10.

Loose patterns are :

C-X-X-X-C [not on the diagnoal] and C-X-X-C [on the diagnoal]

These optimize for size 13 - 15

There's also an OCP placement :
C-X-X-X-X-C [not on the diagnoal] and also
City, 3 Diangnonal + 2 Straight, C.

This optimizes for sizes 18-20

[Modo44]

Originally posted by joncnunn
C-X-X-C [not on the diagnoal] and C-X-C [on the diagonal]

These optimimze for sizes 7 - 10.

Actually, a C-X-X-C pattern can give you exactly size 12, if you can sustain the population, and if no neighbours interfere (i.e. all cities have food and all cities can work tiles in the whole city radius). Only thing is, you need to cheat it from time to time, by moving cities farther away, or make your borders break more often.

[jshelr]

Feudalism has one overwhelming advantage that I didn't see while quickly skimming above:

You don't need to research a government tech.

Beelining for Feud is a powerful strategy, particularly for a religious civ on a higher difficulty level. You often are behind the research pace with your building and town growth. So, you have small towns that do a good job of unit support under a feudal government. And, if you are a science civ, skipping both governments and zooming to the middle age can present powerful trading opportunities while on the way to knights.

[joncnunn]

I think I was reducing the opimum pop count by also factoring in likeyhood of things like too much hills / tundra / mountains / desert to work all allowed tiles in first two eras.

Originally posted by Modo44

Actually, a C-X-X-C pattern can give you exactly size 12, if you can sustain the population, and if no neighbours interfere (i.e. all cities have food and all cities can work tiles in the whole city radius). Only thing is, you need to cheat it from time to time, by moving cities farther away, or make your borders break more often.

[Modo44]

Yes, they can stop you until railroads. But after that it can be mostly 12, even in rough terrain, I think.

I forgot to mention another way to allow size 12 nearly everywhere: a few smaller cities. Not camps in my games, but using only the tiles not worked by bigger neighbours.

[bigfatjonny]

Can someone give me a link to somewhere for the OCN (optimal city number, is that right?) for the different difficulties & map sizes.
I cant find what the optimal is without getting a boost in corruptions.

Does anyone normally abandon and resite cities to get a better use of the tiles? Ive found that it works well in Republic or Demo because you can rush structures easier. In my last gaem i disbanded two small towns and moved one tile futher to the coast to make use of 2 whales that i couldnt see when i first founded my towns. By the time I had Demo i still hadnt built many buildings in the towns so i didnt lose much by abandoning and moving them - it became a powerful metro later on.

[joncnunn]

I've commonly forcibly relocated badly located cities I've captured.

As for relocating my own, my pattern elimates the need for that.
It's bascially Borging / Ralphing / ICS tactics that result in the need to later abandon your own cities.

I'm also a big fan of throughly exploring the area that cities are going to be founded in before doing so that bonsus resources aren't skipped.