building queues

André Alfenaar · May 24, 2002, 07:32

Hi!

One of the more difficult aspects of the game is to find the best BUILDING queue depending on the profile of your civilization.

This is what I thought up:
temple-library-marketplace-aquaduct-cathedral-....

The timing of building an aquaduct is important. Usually you would want to build a marketplace first to ensure sufficient happiness for your people.

Playing a scientific civ doesn't change the queue. Playing a religious one does:
temple-library-cathedral(!)-aqueduct-marketplace-....
The cathedral ensures sufficient happiness, so now one can postpone the building of the marketplace.

The timing of building a courthouse is important, too. In general I build a courthouse (after builing a temple) when 50% or more of a city's shields are corrupted.

What do you think? Are these good building queues?

AIL · May 24, 2002, 07:45

Current game I used something like Temple, Leginonairy, Legionairy, Legionairy,...

However, there are to many factors that make differences between cities so that I usually do not make a queue but select a new project when the prior is finished...

André Alfenaar · May 24, 2002, 08:00

You are right. I don't use automatic building queues, as there are so many circumstances that may cause you to decide something else.

I use this more as a kind of a general guideline. (And it seems to work as I am winning at emperor level rather easily playing either the Babylonians, Americans or French!)

Jethro83 · May 24, 2002, 08:19

Circumstances may change in an unpredictable way. Therefore I don't use build queues.

I know that I'll be trying to build up a few good cities in peace for the first part of the game, so as to establish a firm foundation for my conquests. So therefore, in each city, I'll build a temple, barracks and possibly a courthouse. That way, when my diplomatic circumstances change (ie. I have to go to war), I'll be ready to crank out veteran military units and just wipe out everything in my path. You can catch up technologically by doing this and demanding all techs from your enemy in exchange for peace.

But anyway, since I'm drifting, I'll get back to the point at hand. Since peace may turn to war in the blink of an eye, its no use using the build queues, once you have your basic setup (temple and barracks)

Zachriel · May 24, 2002, 08:23

I definitely use build queues. However, they are always subject to change along with changing circumstances. Later in the game, with an expanding empire, they are quite useful.

V.O.C.'02 · May 24, 2002, 08:50

i only use the queue for my worker making cities ( size 6 strategy, which really works for me). this way I am not suddenly making an improvement or something

Nym · May 24, 2002, 08:54

Quote:

Originally posted by André Alfenaar
You are right. I don't use automatic building queues, as there are so many circumstances that may cause you to decide something else.

I use this more as a kind of a general guideline. (And it seems to work as I am winning at emperor level rather easily playing either the Babylonians, Americans or French!)

Absolutely agree. It not only depends on the city (where it is built for example) but also on external factors, that is to say other civs and barbs. So I only use a guideline: spearman - settler - temple - worker - library...

Bella Hella · May 24, 2002, 10:35

i usually only use build queues when i have one town pumping out a whole @$$load of military units.

modern armor
modern armor
modern armor
modern armor
modern armor
modern armor

Inverse Icarus · May 24, 2002, 10:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Bella Hella
i usually only use build queues when i have one town pumping out a whole @$$load of military units.

modern armor
modern armor
modern armor
modern armor
modern armor
modern armor

why not just turn on the "always start construction of same unit" flag... works for me.

jshelr · May 24, 2002, 10:55

I'm seriously worried about the survibability of any civ whose leader does not start the building que with barracks.

Bella Hella · May 24, 2002, 11:43

Quote:

Originally posted by UberKruX
why not just turn on the "always start construction of same unit" flag... works for me.

(dumb question coming up) is that in the governor? i never use those...

Sinapus · May 24, 2002, 11:44

...but if you are at the point where you can build modern armor, shouldn't you have had barracks already?

Cookie Monster · May 24, 2002, 11:46

So far in my experience I have not used saved build queues. The dynamics of each game change so rapidly that I find a saved queue just slows down your growth.

Wars tend to start overnight, just as in real life

, and the hunt for resources in the early game is fierce. Too many things can change in the game situation to cause you to rethink strategies that for me anyway long queues don't make sense.

Or it could be that I'm a control freak and love to micromanage!

Bella Hella · May 24, 2002, 11:57

Quote:

Originally posted by Sinapus
...but if you are at the point where you can build modern armor, shouldn't you have had barracks already?

no, i pump out hundreds of "regular" modern armor units.

Inverse Icarus · May 24, 2002, 12:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Bella Hella

(dumb question coming up) is that in the governor? i never use those...

no it's an option in the Prefrence tab... it just makes it so if u finish a warrior it starts building another one without asking and whatnot. when you go to moce the warrior you can change the production if you want, a real timesaver for me anyway

Nym · May 24, 2002, 12:40

Quote:

Originally posted by jshelr
I'm seriously worried about the survibability of any civ whose leader does not start the building que with barracks.

I always build barracks in some cities, but I win my last game (Monarch level) without ever fighting.

Bella Hella · May 24, 2002, 13:28

OOOOOhhhhhhhh, i get it. that does sound helpful, but i'm not sure i'm secure enough in playing to select that option. i feel like i'd lose track of what was going on, and i like the little popup so i can assess the situation to make sure everything's going ok. but thanks for the info - maybe i'll give it a whirl using that option.

planetfall · May 24, 2002, 14:55

Quote:

Originally posted by André Alfenaar
Hi!

One of the more difficult aspects of the game is to find the best BUILDING queue depending on the profile of your civilization.

This is what I thought up:
temple-library-marketplace-aquaduct-cathedral-....

Playing a scientific civ doesn't change the queue. Playing a religious one does:
temple-library-cathedral(!)-aqueduct-marketplace-....

The timing of building a courthouse is important, too. In general I build a courthouse (after builing a temple) when 50% or more of a city's shields are corrupted.

What do you think? Are these good building queues?

You forgot to mention the level you play at. I used to play with a build order similar to yours but have changed to standard order of
city improvements {actual order spaces settlers and military and possible wonders between improvements}

1. library
2. temple
3. cathedral
4. aqueduct
5. marketplace

Note lib first, 3 CP vs 2 for temple. At small size city don't need happiness but need city to expand size asap. Then temple (2cp) and cathedral (3cp). Now have max cultural base and can add aqueduct and marketplace as needed. Always go for Sistine so not dependent in early game on availability of luxuries to keep up happiness in empire. I can add people later, I can not accelerate culture except thru building culture producers.

Sometimes switch marketplace and aqueduct, just depends on city and situation. Big cities may not be as important as other concerns.

The city building queue is very very helpful if not at war and everyone is fighting the infrastructure growth contest. It eliminates some of the micromanagement.

Inverse Icarus · May 24, 2002, 15:00

Quote:

Originally posted by jshelr
I'm seriously worried about the survibability of any civ whose leader does not start the building que with barracks.

in MP, barracks will definately be #1 in all cities. but the AI sucks too much to take out a regular spearman, never mind a veteran.

planetfall · May 24, 2002, 16:47

Don't think you always need to start with barracks, remember we were talking about general improvements. Barracks will be very important for border cities, but if player is creating a city ring and filling in, the fill in cities might only be settler farms and may not need barracks. Having an extra settler or library/university/research lab come on line may be more important for those cities than barracks.

zulu9812 · May 24, 2002, 17:52

Quote:

Originally posted by planetfall
Don't think you always need to start with barracks, remember we were talking about general improvements. Barracks will be very important for border cities, but if player is creating a city ring and filling in, the fill in cities might only be settler farms and may not need barracks.

Barracks are eseential during war time. It depends on your style of play. I'm more of a war monger, so Sun Tzu's is a must have - being able to build veteran units off bat in a newly-captured city is invaluable.

Zachriel · May 24, 2002, 18:56

Quote:

Originally posted by zulu9812
Barracks are essential during war time. It depends on your style of play. I'm more of a war monger, so Sun Tzu's is a must have - being able to build veteran units off bat in a newly-captured city is invaluable.

Also the ability to quickly heal units can be very useful in carrying the attack forward rapidly.

phunny_pharmer · May 24, 2002, 19:08

Well, if I have 5+ resources, I bump up the marketplace. I only get those multi-happy bonuses with the marketplace. Sometimes, even when religious, I build temple-marketplace (I almost always build near rivers

) as opposed to temple-cathedral. This, of course, assumes a road connection to the res/lux.

Marketplaces, especially with the happy effect, are probably more important than any single other improvement for a small city. I know this is a strong statement, but it is a very strong improvement.

Lucilla · May 24, 2002, 19:14

Quote:

Originally posted by phunny_pharmer
Marketplaces, especially with the happy effect, are probably more important than any single other improvement for a small city. I know this is a strong statement, but it is a very strong improvement.

I agree, but that is only true if you have the luxuries. It can turn pretty much against you if you imported the luxuries and then the trade agreement is over after 20 turns or you are at war and loose your trades. If you then don't have other improvements, e.g. cathedral, etc. you're screwed.

Coracle · May 24, 2002, 19:25

About queues, just remember that a long queue causes problems:
the strategic-military situation changes, and other more important improvements become available as techs are developed. A long queue locks you in unless you remember to change it, and if you have to change it what's the point of it?

Alanus · May 25, 2002, 05:39

I use saved queue at a certain time of the game when starting to have a lot a conquered cities. After a military conquest, there is usually not many improvements left (after a few turns of bombing), so my queue is something like that :

1. Barracks
2. Granary
3. City Walls
4. Temple
5. Marketplace
6. Courthouse

It is just to let the city grow initially. When the queue is empty or it has grown quickly, then I build an Aqueduct, and then I see...