starvation growth cycle in cities - problems late in game

[AllanEvans]

I have scanned through many posts to find where city growth /starvation cycles are discussed and didn't find much on the topic... if I have missed the thread, apologies.

I have successfully built many large cities (18-20 population) that are fine until the landscape is 'mature' ... ie: roads, railroads, lots of irrigation and mines... and then starvation starts to occur. Each city seems to find a balance ... growing by a couple, then starving back a couple, ad nauseum. This is caused partially by some areas being temporarily unavailable due to pollution... (which is quickly dealt with) ... but I find it strange that the cities get into this weird cycle.

One way to avoid this is to not build hospitals, capping each city at 12 ... but this seems too much like a 'workaround'.

Does anyone have any insight or comments on this... or can point me to the thread where this is discussed? Thx.

A

[Mizaq]

the problem with the starvation is that each pop point normally requires 2 foods, but sometimes you will have only one available. once your city saves up enough food from that one extra food source, your city will grow and then it will require 2 food where only one is available. thus the starvation.

here are some ways to get around this:

1. change pop points to require only 1 food

2. once your city is maxxed out, change an irrigation to mine or forest, or vice versa in order to make it an even number of foods being brought in.

[Ecthy]

that won't work, guess why

when there are railroads, the food production difference between mined and irrigated is 2, not 1, so it won't change anything. hanging the terrain toforest might help.

[Uncle Thade]

The farming thing has all but disappeared in CIV III, I don't mind building more irrigation to feed more people. It should have been included in this game.

[MonsterMan]

Uncle Thade: It didn't disappear, it was melded with the railroad which gives food or shield bonus depending on what improvement is there. It was probably one step in Firaxis' good project to slim things, such as removing trade caravans and spies as units. Too bad they didn't come up with a system like CtP2 uses for terrain improvements, though. (Public works)