Ideal city site? What ideal city site?

[SirLemming]

While searching around the site for good strategies to use, I've noticed a lot of postings describing "ideal city sites". They claim that there is a pattern to the distribution of squares from which extra resources can be tapped, but none of them mention anything further.

My question is, what is this pattern? How can I detect it? And how do I use it once I've found it? (Ok, that's 3 questions, but oh well...)
Is there a posting or website that explains it (preferably with pictures, I haven't read so good since the accident with the garden hose)?

"Marching onward towards the cliff of Destiny"

[SilverDragon]

Well I'm sure you've seen whales and fishes in the water, and wheat stalks and buffalos on plains, grapes and coal on hills, etc. etc. Those are called special resources, because they give you extra resources. Now if you go into the map editor and look at a blank map, then you will see that there is a pattern in where they are. If you put a city in the right place, you can get 4 of the specials.

[Archangel MasterBob]

My favorite is just the plain grassland with a river running through it.

[Dis]

yep just look at the map and you can see the pattern. the 4 specials should be at the corners of the city site. now the trick is determining which direction the others specials lay on turn 1. Or just to stay where you are and be thankful for 1 or 2 specials and get a jump on things. Of course you could always cheat... I may reload on certain stuff, but I never reload on this strangely enough.

[Seeker]

I almost always save my NONE settler to 'mine for specials' in the pattern.

When you find a likely '4' in the pattern, the next resource lies like a knights move in chess, 2 and over. If the square is grassland than the special is invisible. Mine the grassland to get it.

masterbob: in the long run, almost ANY special is better than plain grassland with a river...

[crowatbitemedotcom]

Ideal city site = 2 whale/2 wine, one other hill (or forest), one or two other ocean squares to connect your city to the sea (for harbor/ offshore platform), and the remainder plains or grassland. A few rivers don't hurt either.

Do I play OCC too much?

Crow

[jake03]

[quote]Originally posted by SirLemming on 05-08-2001 08:42 PM
While searching around the site for good strategies to use, I've noticed a lot of postings describing "ideal city sites". They claim that there is a pattern to the distribution of squares from which extra resources can be tapped, but none of them mention anything further.

I am thinking the ideal city site would have to be in the United States. Possably the upper midwest or Northeast.

[Marquis de Sodaq]

Your ideal North American city sites may differ depending on the map size. On smaller maps, New Orleans can be great with spice and whales or silk. On larger maps, there is too much swamp. On any map, New York is hard to beat with specials, as you have varied terrain and river. Any major river conjunctions are also good if specials are nearby: Saint Louis, Cairo (Ill.), Montreal. Rivers and specials are key to picking a great spot.

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"There is no fortress impregnable to an ass laden with gold."
-Philip of Macedon

[jake03]

quote: Originally posted by Marquis de Sodaq on 05-18-2001 09:34 AM Your ideal North American city sites may differ depending on the map size. On smaller maps, New Orleans can be great with spice and whales or silk. On larger maps, there is too much swamp. On any map, New York is hard to beat with specials, as you have varied terrain and river. Any major river conjunctions are also good if specials are nearby: Saint Louis, Cairo (Ill.), Montreal. Rivers and specials are key to picking a great spot.

Yes I agree during basball season NY would be hard to beat and during the Winter I am thinking Florida or Mabie the Carribean. Now that would be the place to build

[Scouse Gits]

jake -- open the map editor with your favourite size of map - you start off with an entirely water world -- but you can see all the specials - on water they are all whale or fish - if you look carefully you can see a pattern based upon groups of four specials - with lots of experience and a fair slice of luck the better players here can make a good guess as to which direction to go from their start in order to find a good place in the 'pattern'...

hope this helps

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Scouse Git[1] -- git1@scousers.net

"Staring at your screen in horror and disbelief when you open a saved game is one of the fun things of a succession game " - Hueij
"The Great Library has been built!"
"A short cut has to be challenging,
were it not so it would be 'the way'." - Paul Craven

[Masis]

Nice question-
Generally as we all know, an ideal city/capital site would have access to the sea, 2 squares of woodland, 3 squares of hills for mining and the rest grassland or plains. Special resources are a bonus. The Woodlans can be cleared at a later stage for farming.
Also make sure you build some good fortresses within the city view to keep out foriegn diplomats, though they will be useless against an air attack.

Yes, it is a good question to ask to make sure we remember what the ideal city site is, even if you have been playing Civ II for 4/6 years.

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MRP