Navy Strategies.

[Marquis de Sodaq]

EST, your idea about the small town in the unused corner of the empire does work well. If you use the accepted cheat of mining a hill, then settling it before the mine is done, you end up with a small city with strong shield production. This is worth doing if the hill has wine or (better yet) coal. Doing this on iron can work, but only if you plan to keep it size 1 or 2.

The size 1 city on coal has a production of about 7. With a harbor, this city will grow slowly. A temple should be enough to keep the folks happy, any wonders (Mike's Chapel, etc) eliminate unhappiness altogether. The lone defender behind walls will be literally invincible to the AI - from land or from sea. The remaining shields can go to ship building. A size 4 city with a harbor and one additional mine can have a production of 10 or so very early in the game. Roll out the ships!

[Edward]

Marko_Polo,

One possible explanation: Perhaps having loved ones piloting a sea-worthless ship in the scary ocean is just as disturbing as having them involved with some military force in the field. Stay-at-home relatives are placated when more seaworthy ships come on the market. (If you do use Scouse Gits's Shakespeare’s Theater trick, be sure to delay the release of "The Tempest" until after you've discovered Magnetism.)

[Scouse Gits]

Sieve Too - When you get JSB things are starting to become comfortable. Medicine isn't really a long wait with prerequisites of Trade/Philosophy which are both high priorities on the research hit list.
So there is less wait for Shake's and it comes in with just 6 caravans.

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SG(2)
[This message has been edited by Scouse Gits (edited March 09, 2001).]

[East Street Trader]

Thanks Marquis, you're well ahead of me on this one, Sieve Too also, by the look of it. I'm not sure my current game is going to lend itself to this but I'm definitely going to follow your prescription asap.

In general terms I think Civ comes down to grabbing as many of the fundamental sources of production - wheatsheaf, shield and arrow - as you can, by whatever method; augmenting them - by trade, by land development and by city development; and then using the productive capacity generated to best effect. Balance of many and varied kinds is required along the way.

I do best with arrows and worst with wheatsheaves. I do OK with shields but have a feeling that others could show me many a thing or two about timing the exploitation of the shield specials. I definately, for example, underuse the food caravan. In fact, I virtually NEVER use that facility. And shield special squares sometimes cry out for that sort of expertise.

I have a feeling that coal and iron specials are probably rarer in coastal locations but I'm going to keep my eyes open about that in my next few civs. And if I find some, I'll maybe solve a specific problem I have. Playing in one of my favoured styles the ironclad window will arrive when I have my trireme ship chain buzzing and while I want to maintain my representative government for a while yet. I am a greedy character so my ship chain will likely be a long one and I simply won't have enough coastal cites to stick to one ship per city if I want both a large merchant marine plus a decent ironclad fleet. Hence some of my inchoate thinking.

[Marquis de Sodaq]

EST, if you are unable to find a hill special on the coast, the next best option is a coastal hill near a whale or fish. Any suitable combo on the coast can result in good production with <5 city. At a minimum, all should have a harbor and one special:

An unused whale or fish plus the mined hill city

Iron, gold, or mined desert oil also need an irrigated grassland square to grow. As a bonus, your defender on a mountain special will be as good as immortal.

Coal i discussed in my previous post

Wine or silk offer fewer shields, more trade than coal

Pheasant or mined oasis (3/3/1) - don't forget desert can be mined - allow for faster growth rate, but fewer shields than coal.

Such a city works without a special, but less impressively. It's worth doing only if none of the above options are available. Remember, too, that the desert locations will not add a defensive bonus. If the city is on your frontier, you might want a second defender. Good luck!