How many squares a city begin with?

sekong · September 7, 2001, 15:26

Just see how many think as same as me. Counting the square the city are occupying, how many squares can be used for a new city
1) 1
2) 9
3) others?

Ralf · September 7, 2001, 15:39

As it stands the food/shield/trade area will start out with 8 surrounding squares. At a certain threshold-level, the remaining 12 squares will be available also. A 2-step process. Together 20 squares + the city-square itself.

sekong · September 7, 2001, 15:46

Ok, all 3 so far agree that a new city begin with 9 squares.

Yes, a size 2 city will have 21 (20+1) squares.
But how about size 3 city? Any ideas?

lockstep · September 7, 2001, 16:04

Quote:

Originally posted by sekong
But how about size 3 city? Any ideas?

I don´t think that the workable city radius will grow beyond size 2.

BTW, sekong, some of your poll options are ... imaginative.

sekong · September 7, 2001, 16:10

That's something we have to wait and see.

isaac brock · September 7, 2001, 16:25

No, we WON'T have to "wait and see." The borders expand, yes, but it's not the same thing as a city screen, and it grows due to culture, not population. What would you do with a 21 tile radius at city size three? You'd be clicking over and over to see which is the best tile, eating away at time. That's not fun. It's a terrible idea.

No thread for you. Next.

tniem · September 7, 2001, 16:35

Quote:

Originally posted by isaac brock
No, we WON'T have to "wait and see."

Yes we will. I will explain it by answering the rest of your post.

Quote:

The borders expand, yes, but it's not the same thing as a city screen, and it grows due to culture, not population.

Actually Firaxis has confirmed that the workable city screen radius grows as well. You will start with what appears to be the 8 tiles surrounding your city at the start. Then slowly this workable radius will grow. But it will do it seperately from culture. So it would appear that it will grow when you population reaches a certain level or maybe used up all 8 tiles. We don't really know except that it will grow. So we have to wait and see.

Quote:

What would you do with a 21 tile radius at city size three? You'd be clicking over and over to see which is the best tile, eating away at time. That's not fun. It's a terrible idea.

It is the same thing we did in the first two. So what would be the difference?

Quote:

No thread for you. Next.

Gramphos · September 7, 2001, 16:42

Quote:

Originally posted by isaac brock
No, we WON'T have to "wait and see." The borders expand, yes, but it's not the same thing as a city screen, and it grows due to culture, not population. What would you do with a 21 tile radius at city size three? You'd be clicking over and over to see which is the best tile, eating away at time. That's not fun. It's a terrible idea.

No thread for you. Next.

See this thread.

You may also read this (also posted in the thread above)

Quote:

Originally posted by Dan Magaha FIRAXIS
The way it currently stands, your borders are seperate from your "workable city tiles". The number of city tiles you can work does increase as your city grows, but it doesn't expand nearly as far as your city borders do. Even if your city has only the beginning 1-square (no) border, you can work the requisite number of surrounding squares. But until those squares actually fall within your borders, the enemy can come onto them and do what he pleases. Once you've got borders around those squares, you can tell the other players to get out (and in most cases, they listen).

As for colonies, the resources go to whoever builds a colony and connects it with a road first. Consequently, colonies become key while your borders are expanding, and if you leave them unguarded or weakly guarded, you will pay the price. Also, since colonies need to be connected to a city with roads, an enemy can destroy your roads and sever the connection to that resource.

This can be disastrous, especially when you're relying on goods to pacify unhappy citizens. I had a game going this week and the CPU destroyed my roads at a key juncture and sent four cities into revolt.

Dan
Firaxis Games, Inc.

isaac brock · September 7, 2001, 16:50

I suppose i spoke to soon. I agree with my train of thought, but my post doesn't coincide with the facts. I was just doing the math poorly in my head, and i didn't realize that it was 21 squares. it seems like a lot.

sekong · September 7, 2001, 16:54

Thanks Gramphos for quoting Dan's word.
This make things clear. The city begin with 1 square border, and 9 squares as workable. Am I right?

Gramphos · September 7, 2001, 17:15

Quote:

Originally posted by sekong
Thanks Gramphos for quoting Dan's word.
This make things clear. The city begin with 1 square border, and 9 squares as workable. Am I right?

You're welcome.
We actually don't know. Things have changed during development, and in the last video it seamed to start a city with 9 squares both border and workable area. In the sideshow the cultural borders start at 1 square. We will have to wait for more info to be 100% sure.
Also that post was a bit old, but it says that the size of the workable are will change.