Is that investment worthwhile?

[colossus]

In a game I have an SSC fully developed(Colossus+Corpenicus+Issac). The city has 2 silk. I terraform these to two wine and get something like +5 trade. IS the investment worthwhile(20 engineer's turn).

Any comment?

[Julius Brenzaida]

Yes, I think it is. You will gain production too. You should put two engineers together to make it faster. Don't forget the mine and the railroad.

[La Fayette]

There is no definite answer to your question, since it all depends upon how many engineers you have and what they are doing. If 20 of them are busy building railroads leading to nowhere up in the mountains (just like the AI loves to do now and then ), then please terraform!
If grassland squares around your SSC are still without roads, then please build those roads first (and please hurry up, since you should have done that 100 turns ago).

[Marquis de Sodaq]

It's definitely worth doing. The whole point of the SSC is to maximize arrow production in the city radius. As pointed out above by Julius B, you gain more shields, as well. Send those engineers to work!

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"There is no fortress impregnable to an ass laden with gold."
-Philip of Macedon

[colossus]

Thx for the replies.

To clarify my position, I have 20-30 cities with around 20 NON engineers working. All plain/grassland tiles are roaded and all special tiles railroaded. Most of my engineers are working to convert the forest to plains/grassland. Thus they are working to increase trade and food in other cities.

I put two engineers to terraform the two silk. In addition extra two pairs of engineers are terraforming somewhere else, ready to 'relocated' their efforts once the silks turn into grassland. In effect, I put 8 engineers simultaneously working on the specials.

[Scouse Gits]

OK - 'fess up -- how in H*ll's blazing furnaces did you get 20 NON engineers ??

You might be interested in some of Xin's wisdom here in which he expounds his remarkable technique for getting many engineers to work on the same square simultaneously ... (thanks to Marko Polo for digging out the reference)

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Scouse Git[1]

"Staring at your screen in horror and disbelief when you open a saved game is one of the fun things of a succession game " - Hueij
"The Great Library must be built!"
"A short cut has to be challenging,
were it not so it would be 'the way'." - Paul Craven
[This message has been edited by Scouse Gits (edited March 21, 2001).]

[La Fayette]

I was almost sure that you had not forgotten to build roads around your SSC.
Don't forget either that if you put 8 engineers at work on the same tile 2 of them work and the other 6 look at them working (preferably drinking belgian beer at right temperature if the sun is shining).

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aux bords mystérieux du monde occidental

[La Fayette]

SG
Reading your post I realize that I had simply forgotten Xin Yu's 'arbeit macht frei' method. Thank you.
As SlowThinker states: "All information on this forum must be sorted".

quote: Originally posted by Scouse Gits on 03-21-2001 08:17 AMYou might be interested in some of Xin's wisdom here in which he expounds his remarkable technique for getting many engineers to work on the same square simultaneously ... (thanks to Marko Polo for digging out the reference)

You are welcome, SG Btw, I did some experiments yesterday how to put multiple engineers to work simultanious, based on Xin's idea. I was quite successful and will continue today testing some more ideas. For example, quite often it would be nice to have a mountain transformed to hills if not in one turn but in just a few. I'll work on to find a relatively easy way to achieve this!

[colossus]

quote: Originally posted by Scouse Gits on 03-21-2001 08:17 AM OK - 'fess up -- how in H*ll's blazing furnaces did you get 20 NON engineers ??

A bit tedious task.
I wipe out an isolated AI civ(it has contact with me only) except 1 city. Then I build many cities around it, disband it immediately to get the NON engineers.

That tiny 1 city civ serves me three purposes:
1.Generate NON engineer
2.Provide tribute
3.Act as lame duck whence I can gift all my tech freely to it without fear-to boost my research rate.

[East Street Trader]

Do you figure that the loss of time/money is worth the "non" status, Colossus? Intuitively I suspect not but I'd be interested in your view as you've been trying the idea.

By the by, a puppet state is also useful as a trading partner and, to a limited extent (well, much less than in SMAC anyway) for diplomatic advantages. If it is producing antique units and you have Leo's they will usually be a good buy too. Even without Leo's, antique "non" units have value, especially to a civ with representational gov.t. You can use them for such purposes as stacking with modern units to prevent bribery without unhappiness problems; starving out A1 cities; or blocking partisans from appearing on good defensive squares (or at all if you have enough units).