Cathedrals and Colloseums: Do you build them?

[geniemalin]

As a Religious Civ (usually Spain) Cathedrals are usually built before even Libraries, for the combination of culture and happiness at a cheap cost.

For a non-Religious Civ it becomes a tougher choice as to whetehr to build them or not - and in practice Itend to only have them in Core cities.

[Kuciwalker]

Colloseums, no, unless I REALLY have nothing better to do. Cathedrals, yes.

[TeeAhr1]

cathedrals yes, colloseums sometimes

I'm big on cathedrals, early, often, and everywhere. Upkeep sucks, but the culture boost is worth it, IMHO.

Colloseums, not if I can help it. Unless I'm in republic or democracy and know I'm about to be hip-deep in a war that will end no time soon. Otherwise, I stick with the slider and/or trading.

[Commy]

If I end up capturing a city in the modern ages, and need some culture boosts, I'll usually just rush a colloseum and skip temples and cathedrals, mostly because it is cheaper.

On another note, looking at history is usually a good way to decide warfare strategy and improvement building. Very few colloseums were built in the ancient and medieval ages. Then look at the industrial and modern ages, where very few cathedrals were built. True, most nations had already built some, but take a relatively young nation such as America and you won't see any cathedrals, but lots of 'colloseums', or stadiums.

[Aramis]

I think temples and libraries are necessary for the culture boost, but cathedrals and coliseums are only good for WLTKDs and luxuries and upping the slider can take their place.
But that's all been said, so I'll shut up.

[Commy]

The slider is nice and convenient. Too bad there aren't improvements that multiply entertainment, like the holo theatres and research hospitals in SMAC...

[Arrian]

I'm a builder at heart, and since I play down on Monarch, my answer is Yes and Yes! I build 'em everywhere, eventually. Since I'm kinda compulsive about getting Wonders, I typically get the Sistine, and thus Cathedrals usually get built long before Colosseums, even if I'm not playing a religious civ. I often find myself putting in the Cols in the late medieval or even early industrial age.

-Arrian

[Commy]

The trick is playing communism while convincing your people it is actually a democracy...imagine the government letting everyone vote, then burning the ballots and making up winners...

[Yosho]

Originally posted by Commy
The trick is playing communism while convincing your people it is actually a democracy...imagine the government letting everyone vote, then burning the ballots and making up winners...

Heh...you know, in the Soviet Union, everyone did vote, but they only had one candidate to choose from, and "protest" voting was a very dangerous idea...

Personally, I almost never use the luxury slider after the very start of the game. In my big cities, I build cathedrals, while in small useless distant corruption ridden cities, I always build temples first, as it's an easy way to at least get enough culture to expand the borders and control more land.

[vmxa1]

What level are you playing on that you do not need the lux slider? Any level where you only get 1 citizen born content is going to make that a big problem.

Especially before you can even build caths and your capitol is getting quite large.

[Commy]

That is not true, especially if you are playing a religious civ. Building the Oracle, Sistine Chapel, Hanging Gardens, and J.S. Bach Cathedral not only might trigger a golden age, but also can take care of a lot of unhappy people. I remember playing a game as the Babylonians and building the Sistine Chapel. With a cathedral alone, and under monarcy, I was able to get to pop 11 without having to have specialists or by using the slider. True, it requires a wonder, but in my opinion it is worth it...

[vmxa1]

Commy could you include a qoute so one could tell what your response is referencing?

If it is to what I posted then all I can say is you have applied parameters that are not realistic for most games I meant.

I am not building those wonders as the AI has them built before I get the tech in most cases. Anyway even at Emperor you going to be needing the slider before you ever get to Sistines or HG or Bachs.

I am not going to bother building Oracle, but if I did I would need the slider before then. Unless you are keeping the cities down to size 3 or 4. If you are then it will be hard to build any wonders.

If I play at emp or demi I tend to not research Myst and ignore that branch, so no Oracle. If I play at sid, I am not getting the Oracle anyway or anything except the GL and maybe the Colossus.

[Yosho]

Originally posted by vmxa1
Commy could you include a qoute so one could tell what your response is referencing?

If it is to what I posted then all I can say is you have applied parameters that are not realistic for most games I meant.

I am not building those wonders as the AI has them built before I get the tech in most cases. Anyway even at Emperor you going to be needing the slider before you ever get to Sistines or HG or Bachs.

I am not going to bother building Oracle, but if I did I would need the slider before then. Unless you are keeping the cities down to size 3 or 4. If you are then it will be hard to build any wonders.

If I play at emp or demi I tend to not research Myst and ignore that branch, so no Oracle. If I play at sid, I am not getting the Oracle anyway or anything except the GL and maybe the Colossus.

I usually play on Emperor. I do need to use the lux slider right at the begining of the game as soon as my first city reaches 2 people and for a little while after that, but that's about it. My usual stratagy involves very fast early expansion, building a ton of settlers and workers, and I don't really let any cities get above size 3 until I've run out of room to expand into. I don't generally bother with wonders at all, except when I get a great leader or in unusual circumstances. Another advantage of early expansion is that I usually manage to grab a lot of luxuries; in my current game, I'm still in the Ancient age, and without taking any cities in wars at all I have 3 luxuries; I realize how lucky that is, but I usually get at least 2 and can trade for more. With that, I'm able to make do with marketplaces and temples, and sometimes an entertainer when a city grows especally fast , until I get up to colloseums and, later, cathedrals.

Just as a note, this is my standard stratagy, with a religious civilization. The one time I do have to use the lux slider is when I play a non-religious civ and have to fight wars as a republic.

[Shaka II]

Well, it's been said, but it depends on whether playing a religous civ or not. If religous, happiness buildings are cheap, so usually build them before university, bank, etc. Keep the people happy and producing I say. Though I like to think of myself as a fierce warmonger, I am really a builder at heart.

If non-religous, then I may build only cathedrals, unless I have Bachs.

Recent game as Iroquois, I have captured all happiness wonders, built Suffrage, cathedrals, colloseums, police stations, but Democracy still causes too much war weariness, so Communism it is.