Best conditions for a Super Sci City?

[Dark Hawk]

What are the best conditions for a super science city?

I know that getting wonders like the observatory, newton's, and SETI work, but in terms of terrain, what works and what doesnt?

[Kc7mxo]

Science is a waste of time. Set up a massive money city instead. And buy tech from the ai.

[jbird]

Anything for commerce, sacrificing shields except for those needed for wonder building (or, use leaders for the science wonders). Rivers and oceans are nearly ideal for commerce generation, and a couple hills our mountians nearby can be used *strictly* during the wonder construction process. Also, a river allows you to get your city to size 12 much more cheaply than building an Aquaduct, so that's another advantage. (note, rivers through grassland may be better than rivers through flood plain, simply because of the lack of disease generated)

Oh, and gotta have little to no corruption.

Jbird

[Special_K]

A city with lots of gold mountains/hills would work well. You would have tons of production and trade.

[squid]

lots of roads. whales are nice.

Obviously:
Library
University
Copernicus's Observatory
Newton's University
Seti
And some happiness improvements can't hurt.

[SerapisIV]

Gold, because the mined and roaded hills and mountains will give you the big mineral counts to build the wonders with and the trade to make more beakers. Throw in some rivers on grassland and you've got a brain trust in waiting.

[Conquesticus]

At first I thought the key was getting the science improvements and building scientists in your "science" city. But, after wasting tons of resources on my "science" city, I kinda realized that all you need to do is build a few gold cities and slide the bar in the domestic advisor screen over a notch or two for the science spending.. Or, like the man said, buy it. Seems the computer always has a price. It seems that scientists aren't as needed as in Civ 2 or CTP, but I guess money buys research in real life, so it might as well in this game. Only thing I can't get a lock on is when it's ever effective to build taxmen? Does it only make a big difference in your cities near gold or gems, etc? Seems it's better just to have big cities than to have specialists. Does this change in the late game?

[Conquesticus]

At first I thought the key was getting the science improvements and building scientists in your "science" city. But, after wasting tons of resources on my "science" city, I kinda realized that all you need to do is build a few gold cities and slide the bar in the domestic advisor screen over a notch or two for the science spending.. Or, like the man said, buy it. Seems the computer always has a price. It seems that scientists aren't as needed as in Civ 2 or CTP, but I guess money buys research in real life, so it might as well in this game. Only thing I can't get a lock on is when it's ever effective to build taxmen? Does it only make a big difference in your cities near gold or gems, etc? Seems it's better just to have big cities than to have specialists. Does this change in the late game?

[Larz Smith]

or if you really wants the gold and the techs, forget trying to make a super city and think globally......sell off a couple of non-important techs to the civs that you know, get a **** load of gold coming in per turn, then jack up your reasearch bar...works everytime

[remconius]

Also Colossus is a great help as it doubles commerce, which is doubled by copernicus and the others....

You'll need to build Colossus for a high science city, especially in the early stages.

[Skanky Burns]

Alternatively, get the Great Library, cut science spending Totally and let the other civs research for you, while raking in heaps of cash. Once the GL is obsoleted, pump the science rate up high, and quickly pass the other civs. Buy any techs they have that the GL didnt give you yet.

[SanPellegrino]

The Science City is not as important in Civ3 than in part 1 or 2. Mostly because you get sanitation so late and you have a bunch of 12 cities by then. At civ2 my science city made 50-60% of the research, in civ3 it is 20-30%.