Cows in early game. Emperor level. Irrigate or mine them?

[Artifex]

If you have cows around your capital or 2nd city at the very start of emperor game. What do you do to them?

I read someone said always irrigate but I think mining them would be better. The city grows super fast anyway. Usually flood plains are nearby.

Is there a clear cut choice?

[nbarclay]

Irrigate, build a granary (if there is any kind of decent production available), and turn that growth into settler after settler. With a granary, irrigating instead of mining gives you a settler every six turns instead of one every eight turns. (Note: you'll almost certainly have to crank up the luxury slider to support the size necessary to operate the city as a settler pump. But that's fine, especially if the city in the question is the capital and/or can make good use of rivers for extra gold.)

When two cattle are available, irrigate one and mine the other. Irrigating the second one doesn't give any faster growth, since excess food above what's needed to grow is wasted.

Nathan

[DaveMcW]

Or if you have a LOT of room to expand, irrigate both, give one to each of your first 2 cities, and build granaries in both cities.

[Master Zen]

Irrigate cows always! Cows are probably the best resource for early city growth and irrigating them maximizes their effectiveness. (and as nbarclay said, don't forge the Granary! )

[nbarclay]

Originally posted by DaveMcW
Or if you have a LOT of room to expand, irrigate both, give one to each of your first 2 cities, and build granaries in both cities.

Actually, that doesn't work because you end up losing more to unused excess food than you gain from the second irrigation. With two cities always working one irrigated cow each, you get two six-turn settler pumps, for a total of 20 settlers per 60 turns. With one city using both cows and the other having a granary but no food bonuses, you get a 4-turn settler pump and a 10-turn settler pump, for a total of 21 settlers per 60 turns.

If you're willing to do the micromanagement, you could irrigate both cows and alternate turns between your capital using both and each city using one. That would give the capital the same food as having one irrigated and one mined, and would give the other city half the food advantage of the irrigated cow. But whether it's worth the hassle and the potential for mistakes, especially in anything but a PBEM game, is another question.

Nathan

[Harovan]

One cow: irrigate and use the extra food to expand quicker.

Two cows on grass, or one cow, one wheat: Irrigate one, mine the other, build a granary and prepare a 4-turn settler factory.

Two or three cows on plains: irrigate all, build a granary and prepare a 6- or even 4-turn settler factory.

[Arrian]

SR hit on an important point - there is a difference between a grassland cow and a plains cow. Mining a plains cow does nothing. So you always irrigate those. Grassland cows... well, it depends on how many you have, like others have said.

-Arrian

[wilbill]

Originally posted by Arrian
there is a difference between a grassland cow and a plains cow. Mining a plains cow does nothing. So you always irrigate those. Grassland cows... well, it depends on how many you have...
-Arrian

Arrian, with your permission I'm going to have this quote made into a plaque to hang on the wall. Truly words to live by! Only Civ 3 people would understand the concept of "Mining a plains cow"

[Arrian]

Of course, be sure to include a footnote indicating that this applies only under despotism, and that mining a plains cow will, in fact, increase shield output under any other form of goverment.

-Arrian

[joncnunn]

Re: Cows in early game. Emperor level. Irrigate or mine them?

Definately irrigate.

Mining cows under Despotism doesn't yeild anything.

From most desirable to least desirable tiles to be irrigated that have a choice between irrigating and mining once the city is big enough to still work all tiles.

1. Desert
2. Plains without resources
3. Plains with cows.
4. Plains with other resources (If Resource adds exactly 1 food, this is USELESS under Despotism)
5. Grassland with cow
6. Grassland with shield (USELESS under Despotism)
7. Grassland without shield and no resources (USELESS under Despotism)
8. Grassland with other resources, including Wine

And most desirable to least desirabe to be mined that have a choice between irrigated and mining once the city is big enough to still work all tiles.

1. Grassland with most resources, including Wine
2. Grassland without shield and no resources
3. Grassland with shield
4. Grassland with cow
5. Plains with resources
6. Plains with cow (USELESS under Despotism)
7. Plains without resources
8. Desert

There's no relationship between plains & flood plains.

Flood plains are near desert instead.

Originally posted by Artifex
If you have cows around your capital or 2nd city at the very start of emperor game. What do you do to them?

I read someone said always irrigate but I think mining them would be better. The city grows super fast anyway. Usually flood plains are nearby.

Is there a clear cut choice?

[nbarclay]

Mining a plains with cow is useless under Despotism. Mining a grassland with cow gives two shields instead of one.

Also note that under despotism, irrigating a grassland with wine gives an extra food, and can therefore be a viable option.

[Catt]

And you probably don't want to spend any time improving desert unless a roadway is vital for some other purpose. Even then, a mine or irrigation is probably well down the priority list in terms of worker activity.

Catt

[Jawa Jocky]

Hey let's not forget about mining tundra

[Bluefrog]

Originally posted by Jawa Jocky
Hey let's not forget about mining tundra

Hey! I had to do this in AU204, heh.

[Datajack Franit]

Mines and Mooo don't mix