Best resources for first city (1x production)

[Scouse Gits]

We have never seen river and mountain either - are you sure, Rah

Tom': When you say 5 special start are you talking about dateline anomolies? (in which case our own research suggests it can't happen) or some other phenomenon?
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The SGs in concert

[DaveV]

Paul - you're right, of course. Oops.

[Paul]

Dave, whales have 3 trade, so you lose 1 in despotism.

[SCG]

quote: rah (or anybody else): The "build settler from capital trick"? Please explain.

A concurrent Thread

Trying that thread address 1 more time :P

[This message has been edited by SCG (edited June 16, 2000).]

[Adam Smith]

rah (or anybody else):
The "build settler from capital trick"? Please explain.

[DaveV]

Another great thing about whales for the early game is that they are custom-made for despotism. 2 food, 2 shields, 2 trade; no penalties!

I'm always on the lookout for a five special pattern, but haven't found one yet.

Baring that, my favourite site would be grassland for the city centre and 2 whales/2 wine. Oh, and rivers, lots of rivers...

(By the way, I just changed my username from Tom DeMille )

[SCG]

actually, i don't think i've ever seen a river flowing on a mountain square. I've not really played around in the map editor, so i can't say whether it is possible or not.

As for founding cities early, i hope for an oasis or wheat nearby so i can get that city to a 2 quickly. They are the only specials i can think of that produce 3 food in despotism. I'm also rather surprised that wheat/oasis rate so low. It takes very little time to put down a road, and your settler can do it enroute to a new city. And a roaded, mined oasis is better than a pheasant any time except when you have near 100% corruption, in which case its equal.

[The Mad Monk]

Founding a city on spice has at least one benefit down the road: if you build a supermarket in that city, it gets the farmland bonus, even though it's otherwise impossible to even irrigate a swamp!

[jpk]

I like to have as many specials as possible for my capitol. In general I try to get several specials for a city. When there is an isolated special I will build on top of it. Spice is really nice. In the early game buffalo are nice too. If you build a barracks in that city it will rapidly supply veteran phlanxes for your empire.

[rah]

Of course whales are my favorite, but when you play 4 man games on 36x42 maps you'd be surprised how much gold shows up. (since the whole damn world is mountains.)

RAH

[Ely McGreen]

And how often Rah do you get a gold on a river? Its like having four whales- very nice, but the odds are incredible.

Anyhow, I like to build on top of a corn terrain [if I can] with some special nearby, preferably pheasant or silk [or whales]. I have been known to build on top of spice [and yes, on rivered spice] but a rivered gold is something I have yet to see.

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Elizer R. McGreen

[rah]

In mp, give me gold on a river and I'll pop my capital on it so quick your head will spin. You can use your second settler to take advantage of two (if it's a four pattern) other specials. Couple this with the build settler from capital trick, and you get off to a great start. First to monarchy, philo. Big in an MP game.

If you build on it, you get one food and can take advantage of it imediately. If it's on a river you can usually bet there is a grassland shield river square in reach.

Note: this is usually in a 2x1x game but will still work in a 1x1x game as long as you get the one food from it. You can use the second settler to irrigate a square while you do the settler from capital trick.

RAH
Never underestimate the power of big trade squares.

[This message has been edited by rah (edited June 16, 2000).]

[Carolus Rex]

I have an excel spread sheet at home listing the resources produced by different city squares, depending on its terrain. Checked both under despo and monarchy.

I'll post it when I have the time (sometime this week end).

Carolus

[This message has been edited by Carolus Rex (edited June 16, 2000).]

[DaveV]

I think there was another thread on this topic, but I couldn't find it. These rankings are biased toward the early game, when you're in despotism, but some consideration is given to the later game. Anyway, here's the argument starter:

City site (goal is 1. food, 2. shields, 3. trade):
1. Rivered grassland
2. Rivered plains
3. Rivered buffalo
4. Rivered pheasant
5. Buffalo
6. Grassland
7. Plains
8. Wine
9. Spice
10. Furs
11. Wheat/Oaisis

1st worker square (goal is 1. food 2. shields 3. trade):
1. Whales
2. Rivered wheat/oasis
3. Rivered shield grassland
3. Rivered pheasant
4. Pheasant
5. Wheat/oasis
6. Shield grassland

2nd worker square (goal is 1. shields 2. trade 3. food):
1. Whales
2. Silk
3. Peat
4. Iron/Oil
5. Buffalo
4. Forest/Coal

After your city grows to size 2, switch both workers to a "second worker" square, if possible.

I rate special squares relatively low for the city square because it means you won't be able to work any other special squares. I won't put my first worker on a square that produces high food/trade but no shields (e.g. spice, fruit, fish). The AI loves these squares, so you need to rearrange your workers every time the city grows.