Infrastructure: The Master's Key To Victory

[Trip]

RedPhoenix said:

I do that sometimes, but really that kind of level of micromanagement in general is a bit too much for me gets way too boring

Yes, but usually in MP there are other things to worry about as well.

[Levi]

You covered just about everything except for the luxury and strategic resources. Each resource adds something different to the food/shield/trade production of the tile. Perhaps you would comment on preferable improvements for each of these to really cover the topic in complete detail.

[Alski]

- dont forget a mined hill with iron is worth 4 shields - 3 with despotism ;D

[synseer]

if you build a city on an iron hill am pretty sure you get 2 shields at city centre square

[Reptile]

One of my favourite articles! Now, I thought I contribute something to it (better late than never...).
Most players know now from Future that growth in 1 turn is the way to go. In Despotism this is usually not possible but you still can get close to it.
A city with a granary usually needs 3 turns to grow. The agricultural trait is so useful because here you only need 2 turns to grow. Now my argument is: If you can speed up your growth and effectively save turns always go for irrigation,e.g.: you are non agri and have a floodplain tile near irrigate it first, because it speeds up your growth from 3 turns to 2 turns.
2. Example: You are non-agri and have a grassland cow, no other bonus square. Here you won´t irrigate, because you can´t get to the magical 5-food-surplus, on the other hand if you are agri and start on a river, irrigate it as fast as possible!
If you are agri and have a cow on plains close it actually doesnt matter much, because you cant effectively raise your growth. You would only have the choice to change your production to a more shield-productive tile later on, but in the early phase of an ancient game, when it´s all about quick expansion and workers, workers, workers its actually not important.
Growth in one turn is so important (in my opinion) that it is worth to hinder growth very early for building a 2nd and 3rd worker right at the beginning, e.g. if you have 3 (or when you´re agri 2) floodplain tiles close.
Always seek to combine these effects, e.g. irrigate 2 floodplain tiles and grassland wines, if you have it. Thats also a 1 turn-growth. (Wines are an underrated terrain type in general...) Here again, if you cant get from 2-turn-growth to 1-turn growth, mine the wine-tile.

Ok, I hope you could get the idea. Just recently, I heard future players complain about how slow growth in Despotism is. However, even in this type of government there are these possibilities, which in combination, may result in future-like growth until size 6. By this size you can produce a worker per turn, keep the size 6 and have massive commerce and research.

One short addition to Fried´s article:
Mining hills and mountains can be useful in ga to get more than 2 shields. However this is only an option with a late ga and lots of workers, at least 15.

[Avogadro]

Wines irrigated only give 2 food no? from 3 back to 2?

[Reptile]

Grassland wines give 3 food when irrigated! (4-1)
Plain or hill wines only 2 (3-1).

You learn to appreciate that when you have a qc game with a wine start

[JONZEE116]

Wines gives plus 1 food, so grass becomes 3 food, irrigated becomes 4. Take 1 off for depo and you have 3, so a wine start is great!!!

[Reptile]

hehe cross-posting