Production Optimization Question

[David Floyd]

On a grassland square with no shield, is it better to mine it or irrigate it, initially? I can see an argument for either way.

[Harovan]

Mine it. You won't get benefit from irrigation while you're in despotism (due to the penalty). Even later it's better to mine it, unless you have many mountain or desert tiles in your city radius and need the food. It's not necessary to let a city grow far behind size 20, because the "specialists" are ineffective and all you'll produce this way is unhappiness and pollution.

[Xarathas]

oops, reply was posted under a new thread by accident:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=949934&t=1999#post949934

[Arrian]

Definitely mine it under despotism. Otherwise it depends on the other terrain. There isn't any difference between these two options:

Grassland - irrigated (three food, 0 shields)
Plains - mined (one food, two shields)
Total - four food, two shields

Grassland - mined (two food, one shield)
Plains - irrigated (two food, 1 shield)
Total - four food, two shields

So, under despotism I mine them, always. Under other forms of government it depends on many things.

Ralph and Xarathas are right about specialists being useless. The only reason to have cities larger than 20 is score.

-Arrian

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by Arrian
Ralph and Xarathas are right about specialists being useless. The only reason to have cities larger than 20 is score.

-Arrian

Well specialist do have their uses. I'm thinking scientists here. Anytime a govt. is in anarchy simple set a few extra citizens to scientist so that research can still be accumulated. It's slow during anarchy I agree but at least it's something.

[Harovan]

Agreed. Just like in the countless 95% corrupt cities it's better to leave them size 1 and let the only citizen be a taxman (better) or scientist. The city won't grow this way, and 1 citizen is always content, specialist or not. And if it's a taxman, you get 1 shield + 2 gold per turn out of the city, instead of 1 shield + 1 gold if he wastes his time on farming or mining. But these cities aren't needed to be improved anyway.

[Xarathas]

I tend to use those un-growable size 2 cities for making units. Usually something cheap, and workers.

It usually goes like this:

spearmen, worker, spearmen, worker, etc.

It's slow in production, but it saves you population and production elsewhere.. somewhat.

for the rest of the 95% corruption cities, once you get to a point where you can do WLTKD it ends up being pretty good.
Anything that can't grow to the min pop required I'll just use a unit/worker/settler factory.

[Harovan]

Yeah , but be ready to finish a unit, initially built as rifleman, as mechanized infantry .