50 shields is all you need

[smilo]

We all agree that the fastest way of growing your cities is using the food caravan trick. So if you want to grow your empire fast, focus on getting your net production up to the required shields for building caravans or freights in one single turn. Off cource you'll need the nessesary techs, but don't research anything that's not in the path to the required production. Also don't start landscape improvements all over the place, you don't need it.

Trade is crucial, as it can provide the nessesary means to fill in the gaps where you don't have the nessesary production. Fun part is , the more your pops grow, the more trade ... the wonderfull balance of a circle.

This way you'll get your empire growing at a rate others civs never can keep up with, you'll shoot past them on techs, power, trade, ...

ps : all of this is against AI off course.

[smilo]

With landscape improvements I mean stuuf that increases food production, its better to go for production/trade. You don't need the food you need the production/cash.

[Ming]

Does anybody really still use my old trick It is great for record shooting... but IT IS SO BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, you really don't need 50 shields... by that point in the game, money should be pretty much meaningless to you. You can just buy the damn things outright ... but I guess you are right... It would take SOME OF THE BORINGNESS out of it

[Archangel MasterBob]

I think the biggest city I've seen is size 123!

[La Fayette]

quote: Originally posted by smilo on 03-27-2001 04:33 PM We all agree that the fastest way of growing your cities is using the food caravan trick. .

Sorry, sir. I am compelled to disagree.
WLT*D!

(though I build many food caravans in any game, especially when using a 'Starving Science City')


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aux bords mystérieux du monde occidental

[smilo]

.[/QUOTE]
WLT*D!
[/quote]

I'm afraid I don't know the meaning of this acronym, please explain.

So what is your advice to grow cities faster than using the food caravan trick, I certaily would like to know.

[Scouse Gits]

When your government is Republic or Democracy you can grow your cities by celebrating. The WLTPD (We Love The President Day) is the window you receive when your city (or cities) celebrate.

This festivity adds one population to each city. (Faster than the food caravan tactic)

To achieve this you must meet the following conditions:

1) You must have at least as many happy (light blue) as content people (dark blue).

2) You must have NO red faces

3) There must be surplus food for the new population.

4) Aqueducts and Sewer Systems must be built for cities to exceed the 8 and 12 limits.

Your celebration is controlled by the luxury rate you give to your nation. To grow your population this way the following are useful/essential.

a) Happiness Wonders - an early Mike's Chapel works well - the Hanging Gardens always useful early in the game.

b) Three reasonable trade routes for each city.

c) MarketPlaces.

d) Temples/Colosseums are sometimes needed but the upkeep of these improvements can be heavy in the BC years.

e) Try to arrange for your cities to celebrate in short bursts then the Tax and Science rates are not compromised by high luxuries for too long.

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SG(2)
[This message has been edited by Scouse Gits (edited March 29, 2001).]

[Scouse Gits]

To clarify item (3) in SG(2)'s excellent post above - you must have surplus food production for growth to occur.

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Scouse Git[1]

"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 must be built!"
"A short cut has to be challenging,
were it not so it would be 'the way'." - Paul Craven

[Guest]

quote: Originally posted by Scouse Gits on 03-29-2001 06:16 PM c) MarketPlaces.

..and as your cities grow bigger, you naturally need bank & stock exchange as well. All of these three improvement add another +50% both to your gold and luxury production.

[La Fayette]

Thank you SGs.
I wrote a short post (for once ).
Your explanations are so clear that our common friend smilo will certainly be happy to have try at Republic in his next game (which is precisely what I tried to suggest).

[DaveV]

Worth noting: WLT_D can only grow cities to size 41, since you can never have more than 20 happy citizens. After that, food caravans are the only option.

Also, in other threads it's been mentioned that if all of a city's citizens are unhappy, that city will get "stuck" on odd number populations. You need either an extra happy citizen (from HG, CFC, or courthouse/palace in Democracy), or a very unhappy citizen (from more cities) to break this cycle.

[smilo]

Sorry guys but I can't agree. WLTP has one major drawback : you need food surplus. Once a city has no food surplus, it wont grow anymore no matter how happy your people are. Food caravans don't have this drawback. Over the long run you'll notice that food caravans are faster than WLTP, as they work a lot longer (always) than WLTP. Offcource WLTP is a nessesary step in the growing of your empire because at that stage, its hard to have the production or cash to build caravans every turn.

Try to focus an production and trade instead of food, you'll see what I mean.


ps : I have been gone from this site for a while so I'm still using the old term.

[La Fayette]

quote: Originally posted by DaveV on 03-30-2001 08:14 AM Worth noting: WLT_D can only grow cities to size 41, since you can never have more than 20 happy citizens. After that, food caravans are the only option.

LOL@Dave
Are YOU building cities size 42 (or 84 or 123)?

[DaveV]

quote: Originally posted by La Fayette on 04-03-2001 09:28 AM Are YOU building cities size 42 (or 84 or 123)?

LoL @ La Fayette! No, but I've managed to grow into the low 30s in OCC. I've also built up a fairly large capital when I'm trying to run a trade sleaze. I can't imagine ever growing beyond size 36, since citizens beyond that size contribute only to score.

[Scouse Gits]

Marko - you can only have 16 specialists in any city. After that they are all singing "Jailhouse Rock"

SG(2) - Showing his age!