Whats up with forests?

[MattPilot]

This is pre-conquest. Version 1.27f (not upgrading cause i'm in the middle of the game and i'm just waiting for Conquest to arrive in the mail).

Are forests useless? It seems like it. Only land tile they are useful is on arctic.

Doesn't it look odd that on plain grassland tiles you got lots of mines? Shouldn't a Forest be more appropriate?

This is how its now:

Mines on grassland = 2 food 2 shields & 2 commerce

Forests on grassland = 1 food (!!) 2 shields & 2 commerce

It seems even though planting forests is a better tech, mines are better for everything. Now in the hills, mines are better (+1 shield), which is good, but on level terrain?

I usually have half my workers on auto, and the other half i control myself. But i always notice that auto workers hack down forests and plot mines. If even the AI thinks forests are useless, shouldn't that signal something?


Please tell me this has changed in conquest ??

Thanks

[vmxa1]

Well as you can imagine, it is not wise to let your workers be automated. Now forrest are very poerful in the early part of the game. You do not have the workers to chop and mined so you get the 1/2/2 from a forrest. This is really great for camps.

Later, yes chop them down and mine or irrigate, depending on when you do it and what you need in that city.

AFAIK this is the same all along. The only change I can recall is they nuked the endless forrestry exploit. Now it is one chop per tile.

[MattPilot]

thx for responding

I always thought forest was useless at the beginning, since plain grassland gives you one extra food, which means faster growth. But since 'planting forests' can be researched AFTER mines, i'd figure forests should have some use in the later part of the game. BUt i guess it just doesn't work out.


Anyway, when modding the game using the editor, is it possible to make units on forest squares invisible, unless the square is entered upon by another enemy unit? (like the 'fungus' on alpha centauri). This would give the forest more tactical use.

If yes, you don't need to explain how, just a simple answer is enough - i'll figure it out

[Kuciwalker]

Mines on grassland = 2 food 2 shields & 2 commerce

Only with RR's or a bonus grassland. Normally they're 2-1-2 (and isn't that only under Republic or Democracy?)

[Cerbykins]

Forests are basically mini-hills you can control. The issue is not if you should chop them, but -when-. Oh, and yes - arctic should get forests

Nothing not already said, really

Oh, and even if you don't think you can handle your workers better then the AI, take control anyway. It has the annoying habits of sending them all over the place to do single tiles and dring the railroad era, to bounce on and off the railroad, wasting your precious worker efforts.

It does seem like an intelligent AI at first...it's only later when you find out what's it's up to

[steven8r]

Forrests are basically just a 10-shield boost waiting to happen. When you chop it, it will give you 10 shields, but you have to be careful because you can't get the shield boost if you're building a Wonder.

On Tundra, they are almost imperrative. They give 1 food and 2 shields, whereas if you mine Tundra, you'll get the 1 shields, still only 1 food, but your production will ingrease.

One other (totally superflous) use for Forrests is to just plant them to break-up a dreary landscape. Sometimes (only if my Workers have absolutely NOTHING else to do that turn) I'll just plant Forrest for their asthetic quality. However, I usually make sure that there are enough Workers on that spot to do it in 1 turn.

Steven

[MattPilot]

thx for everyones input!

I put my forests to good use against the AI

As someone mentioned, forests work as hills - they reduce movement points. AI was creeping up on me with some cavalary. Thank god for that forest cause my city was virtually undefended and it gave me enough time to resupply

[Theseus]

Ah... yes, they also provide a defensive bonus. I have, on occasion, planted forests on a forted chokepoint just for that little extra oomph.

[vmxa1]

Yes you do not want to overlook having them on border tiles to stop traffic in the event of an attack. I will leave them in place as long as I can on frontier towns. May give you an extra turn t deal with incoming troops.

[Cerbykins]

Inventive! I like it
Still...pity it's only a 25% defence bonus :/

[steven8r]

Originally posted by Cerbykins
Inventive! I like it
Still...pity it's only a 25% defence bonus :/

Build a Fort, then Barricade. That should up the Forrest's defense bonus nicely. Just watch-out, if the enemy gets inside your Fort/Barricade, it works just as well for them as for you.

Steven

[Arrian]

I tend to forest my fortress/barricade tiles too. Why not, for that extra 25% bonus, right?

Two infantry, fortified, on forest, with barricade, with 2 artillery pieces (standard defense for vulnerable luxury tiles). COME GIT SUM!

-Arrian

[Sarxis]

I am disappointed with the utility of forests. They are pretty straightforward, and there's not much to do with them. SMAC had some city improvements which allowed for enhanced harvesting of forest resources, while the existance of forests within at city's radius helped reduce pollution.

:\

[MattPilot]

hmm ....


new city improvment: Logging camp - Gives every forest square worked on an extra shield and commerce (to make up for the lost food/growth)

Any other ideas?


**edit Btw.. there would also have to be an improvement or something that would give a forest more food, or a city with forest squares will never grow very big, but perhaps, thats the trade-off for having a productive city? The question is, would it be worthwhile to have one forest square(with logging camp), as compared to a regular grassland tile with a mine?

[annoyed]

"while the existance of forests within at city's radius helped reduce pollution."

Are not forests supposed to help with pollutuion in Civ3 or am I confused.