In the early days when founding cities I always keep an eye on a possible strategic site that will allow naval access to more than one ocean.

In the later stages of the game it is sometimes only worthwhile building strategic cities:

a) The city which offers access to an "inland" capital by a lake - allowing ironclads to start work.

b) The ferry port to transfer troops from one continent to the next.

c) What I call "Cuba" cities - offshore mustering points for a major invasion.

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quote: Originally posted by Scouse Gits on 03-07-2001 12:44 PM Agreed! In the early days when founding cities I always keep an eye on a possible strategic site that will allow naval access to more than one ocean. In the later stages of the game it is sometimes only worthwhile building strategic cities: a) The city which offers access to an "inland" capital by a lake - allowing ironclads to start work. b) The ferry port to transfer troops from one continent to the next. c) What I call "Cuba" cities - offshore mustering points for a major invasion. --------- SG(2)

im currently playing a game where i screwed up by not building a "cuba city" - in cuba!!

im zulus, playing diety, restless tribes, started with 7 civs no restart.
medium real world map.

its 1875, only surivivors are me, persians, french (a demo ruling from paris to russian far east - supreme for now) and the Aztecs.

After building up Africa, sealing the edges with strategic cities at tangier and cairo, and going to republic, i attempted to keep expanding (yeah, i know, folly on rep with HG but no other happy wow's)

I sent an explorer to south america, which, naturally, the Aztecs had left empty. I started a city in northern brazil (roughly Belem) to balance distance from the aztecs, yet being close enough to box them in, and to take advantage of gems special.

Well between the barbs, the aztecs, and the republic prodcution and happiness problems, its been a royal pain. the city has survived and finally stabilized, but i never did get to use it as a base for settling the continent. (Now that ive taken SOL from the Persians and gone fundie, it should be MUCH easier )

I should have started on cuba or hispaniola, where i would have been much safer from barbs and aztecs and built up before going for South america.

It's no wonder you and the Aztecs haven't settled South America. It's all jungle! It's been a while since I've played a real Earth map, but I remember always being excited to find the whole continent undeveloped ... then later realizing that there's nowhere to build a decent city. The southern tip is the only place where you can make terrain improvements without centuries of machete work. It's especially painful when you live in North America and want to keep your empire relatively contiguous.

Early on, build harbors and defenses. This offers you a safe base for trade ships and for staging invasions. Even in wartime you can usually deliver caravans without hinderance from this base. You have quick access to long coastlines, which gives you more options. You can scout for any vacant areas for your settlers, if you wish to expand.

Once you max your shield production, you've created a little powder keg. Build a navy and encourage the neighbors to take up deep-sea diving (after they leave port, of course).

Once you get amphibious warfare, build the port facility. If your navy wasn't supreme already, it will be now.

Once you amaze the world with the discovery of flight, start flying recon over the nearby lands. If you are at war with the neighbors, pick off all their settlers and caravans and wimpy units that dare to leave their cities. If they don't have gunpowder yet, simply fly in, kill all the defenders, and have your army go to town. You can capture big cities without losing a single ground unit.

quote: Originally posted by Shaka Naldur on 03-15-2001 03:56 PM you can also make a two square canal you build a city and you put in there all the ships that you want. in the next turn while the city is still size 1 you rush build a settler or engineer and move to the other square and build a city, then move your ships to the new city and you can make that with all the squares that you want

Does this actually work? I mean when you disband a city with ships still in it the square turns into land again..