Iron Works or not?

[Cypselus]

Both of course.
I love the Iron Works, but it's so rare that I get to build one. Last game I finished, Abydos could feed 20 pop points while producing 226 shields per turn. And that's without any resource mods. Of course I didn't hit that until I added the Nuke plant and manufacturing plant, but even before that, it was churning out 120 or so. That one city built most of my spaceship (and SETI, UN, Cure for Cancer, Hoover, ToE, and the Military Academy). Iron Works is great, and besides, I just had to brag.

[Marquis de Sodaq]

Originally posted by Cypselus
Iron Works is great, and besides, I just had to brag.

I'll play this game out, if Paris pumps out 227+ shields per turn, I'll be sure to let you know.

Yes, Catt, it is still my capitol city. There are 3 coal and 1 iron in the radius, iirc. (tho the 3rd might be just outside...)

The only other chance I've had to build one was in a conquered city with runaway food production - something like 2 cattle, 2 wheat, and a fish, the rest grassland + the two hills. I ended up building a stream of settlers instead of improvements. My, how CivII food caravans would have come in handy with that city...

[Theseus]

I love IW so much that I will capture an enemy city with coal / iron if I don;t have one. Hopefully, there will be enough battle to generate 2 GLs, one for the Iron Works (for it's cultural value, of course... HA), and one for the factory.

Imagine the power of a beach head intercontinental attack pumping 50 shields per turn...

[miccofl]

There’s no such thing as too much production.

[Colonial Impact]

Without a doubt build both! If your concerned about pollution there is no need to worry. The French having an industrious strength means workers complete tasks faster, if any pollution is made your workers will clean up the mess double quick.

If drooling just thinkin about what Theseus said..... I can just picture the invasion and the poor sob civilization as it tries to repell it. Bahahaha......

[playshogi]

I only built Iron Works once, in my very first game. It was an AI city that I got by culture flip. It seems the AI knows how to place cities so that it can later build IW. Has anyone ever built IW in a city that wasn't an AI city originally?

[Theseus]

Yes, I have. But notice, AI city placement is valuable as a pointer to future resources.

[Catt]

Originally posted by playshogi
I only built Iron Works once, in my very first game. It was an AI city that I got by culture flip. It seems the AI knows how to place cities so that it can later build IW. Has anyone ever built IW in a city that wasn't an AI city originally?

Many, many times. I actually get to build the Iron Works in a majority of my games (or so it seems). I consciously look for locations that might be an IW city though -- lots of hills / mountains, with a few jungle tiles falling within the 21-tile city radius is an ideal location. I've found that in many of my games (even when I don't get an IW opportunity), there are numerous potential IW city locations.

Catt

[Nakar Gabab]

You people don't play it out to the Modern Age often enough, do ya? IW + Factory + Nuclear Plant + Manufacturing Plant.

Ya want shields? Huh? Ya REALLY want shields? Want a GW in 6 turns, an army from the Academy in 4? Howzabout a MA every bloody turn? 150 shields is just the beginning!

EDIT: Too bad I keep getting IW candidates on the ocean... oh well, there's always Offshore Platforms...

[Marquis de Sodaq]

IW and factory are now complete in Paris. Shield production up to 117 per turn, railroads are still being laid (while the workers aren't busy cleaning up pollution, anyway ). Coal Plant has been delayed by Universal Suffrage and now Theory of Evolution.

I'm going to need 6 workers employed full-time in HazMat just to keep the countryside clean...

I'll try to post a screenshot once I get the coal plant built. Or should I wait for a hydro plant, instead? Electronics will be discovered within 10 turns or so.

[Theseus]

Build Hoovers.

[Harovan]

If the IW city has a river in its radius, you can start to prebuild a palace 7 turns before Electronics in it and then switch to Hoover Dam to build it instantly. If not, choose another city with a river and start to prebuild the wonder now.

[Marquis de Sodaq]

Theory of Evolution complete, hello electronics! Sir Ralph, Paris is still my capitol - but I've had a phony palace being built in a nearby city. 4 turns to complete Hoover Dam, and no other civ is building a wonder. So I guess missing the coal plant was no big deal.

Currently, Paris is at ~130 shields, depending on which squares get polluted each turn. This is kinda cool - this is as far as I've ever played (with techs, anyway), but the previous times I had no cities with production possibilities like this. You seasoned modern era gamers are probably less impressed, tho. Thanks for the tips.

[The_Hawk]

I agree to build both based on what Theseus said. Imagine a city with Iron Works, Factory AND Mfg Plant. OUCH! Just awsome production. You kick out an army every 4 turns! Then its beach time!

[Theseus]

I went a little crazy about the IW tonight... finishing the June MT, England had misplaced a city near the only spot on the map that could build the IW... razed a perfectly good city to reposition, and then won by domination before I could build the damn thing. C'est la guerre, et la vie.