Poprushing Settlers

[Theseus]

What are thoughts on this?

As a specific for instance, I have a city on a river with six, yep six wheat floodplains accessible... in despotism, with two luxuries. I'm REL, so a Temple is tempting. What is the optimum size? How important is a Granary? How many shields should I be trying to balance against food?

Most importantly, what should I be poprushing? When? It's a ridiculous surfeit of food, and I'm not quite sure what to do with it.

[Stylesjl]

pop rush a temple but keep the population because they provide commerce

[Aeson]

Don't waste them all on 1 city.

[Theseus]

Originally posted by Aeson
Don't waste them all on 1 city.

I'm not... five out of six can be shared by two of three cities; the one city originally referenced is just the most extreme. The questions still stand though; I am honestly at a bit of a loss as to how to maximize all the food that can be harvested.

[Donegeal]

Originally posted by Theseus


I'm not... five out of six can be shared by two of three cities; the one city originally referenced is just the most extreme. The questions still stand though; I am honestly at a bit of a loss as to how to maximize all the food that can be harvested.

What kind of shield tiles are around it? If you got hills, bonus grass, forests or plains, you should be able to build several pumps right there...

[punkbass2000]

I don't think I'd be inclind to pop-rush more than one settler.

[Theseus]

Originally posted by Donegeal
What kind of shield tiles are around it? If you got hills, bonus grass, forests or plains, you should be able to build several pumps right there...

That's the bad part... there's no real balance. Food food food and crap. Mostly desert and plains, so I'm dealing with a fairly extreme food situation. That's why I am focused on the best way to poprush, as opposed to the more normal balance of food and shields.

[Solomwi]

Not ideal, certainly, but a wheat FP and mined desert balances out to a pair of mined grasslands under despotism (4f2s for the pair), and two mined grasslands plus a food bonus once you irrigate or switch governments.

Now, knowing you, I'm sure you've taken that into account and your particular situation doesn't allow for many pairs like that, but I wanted to point it out for anybody who might not have considered looking at it that way.

[Theseus]

Here, I thought I'd make it easier to discuss.

In full disclosure, this is part of my position as Egypt in the Dual Dynasty PBEM:

[Theseus]

[Note: I'm not actually building those GWs]

As Solomonwi points out, I can balance the huge food surplus with desert and plains mines... that just sucks though.

Even so, the huge amount of food available, even in despotism, gave rise to me posting this thread.

[Solomwi]

Covering up the actual builds, eh? Nice move.

Well, that definitely looks like Egypt.

[Theseus]

Originally posted by Solomwi
Well, that definitely looks like Egypt.

Yeah, I hadn't thought of that... north to south reversed, although I'm sure the ancient Egyptians didn't think of it that way.

And yeah, that's the fundamental problem, maybe the same that caused the Egyptians to last so damn long, but also be so vulnerable as tech evolved: abundant food (depending on that Nilometer thing they had), and good luxuries, but not enough basic or strategic resources.

[Solomwi]

Just think how frustrated you're going to be when you don't have saltpeter with all that desert.

I wish I had some productive suggestions, but I rarely poprush, though I've been trying to make an effort to do it more, so anything I could give is theoretical only.

[Modo44]

Well, you do share the tiles already. If you do not focus the food on one city, pop-rushing Settlers is hardly an option. Personally, I would rather have three normal pumps than a single weird one.

I would say Mining all around the cities ASAP is what you should do (Plains too). With that kind of food, the balance should arrive at or near what a pure Grassland city has. Working most of the time as if without Bonus Grassland, but still pretty good. I would say pump out a ridiculous amount of Workers and then start building normally.

Besides, you know the drill, do you not? Post the save.

[Solomwi]

Is posting a save kosher when it's a PBEM?