An analysis of the buildings in each age

[korn469]

Ancient Era
*Palace: 400/0/1 Center of Empire
*Barracks: 40/1/0 Veteran Ground Units, Militaristic
*Walls: 20/0/0 50% Defense Bonus, 8 Bombard Defense, Militaristic
*Granary: 60/1/0 Doubles City Growth Rate
*Temple: 60/1/2 1 Happy Citizen, Religious
*Courthouse: 80/1/0 Resistant to Propaganda, Reduces Corruption
*Library: 80/1/3 +50% Research Output, Scientific
*Harbor: 80/1/0 Veteran Sea Units, Allows Water Trade, Increases Food in Water, Militaristic, Commercial, Coastal Installation
*Aqueduct: 100/1/0 Allows City Size Level 2 (growth beyond size 6)
*Colosseum: 120/2/2 2 Happy Citizens
*Marketplace: 80/1/0 +50% Tax Output, Increases Luxury Trade, Commercial
Total: 11
The Ancient Era has the greatest number of buildings and the most variety, it really sets the standard for all other eras. No building in the Ancient Era overlaps on the prime function of any other building, and almost every building type makes an appearance in this Era.

Middle Ages
*Cathedral: 140/2/3 3 Happy Citizens, Religious [Temple]
*University: 160/2/4 +50% Research Output, Scientific [Library]
*Bank: 120/1/0 +50% Tax Output, Commercial [Marketplace]
*Coastal Fortress: 60/1/0 Naval Power 8, Naval Bombard Defense 8, Militaristic, Coastal Installation (Iron, Saltpeter)
Total: 4
This Era has a rather paultry number of buildings, and is a major disappointment from the Ancient Era.

Industrial Era
*Factory: 200/3/0 +50% Production, 2 Pollution (Iron)
*Coal Plant: 150/3/0 +50% Production, 2 Pollution [Factory] (Coal)
*Hospital: 120/2/0 Allows City Size Level 3
*Police Station: 100/1/0 Reduces War Weariness
*Airport: 160/2/0 Veteran Air Units, Allows Air Trade, 1 Pollution, Militaristic, Commercial
*Hydro Plant: 240/3/0 +50% Production, Must Be Near River [Factory]
Total: 6
The Industrial Era is the only Era that completely lacks a Culture Producing building or a Research Building, though it does introduce production increasing buildings and pollution created by buildings. Unfortunantly the Coal Plant and the Hydro Plant fill the same slot and a city can only have one power plant at a time, so the large number of power plants in Civ3 is something of a mystery since the game is far more abstract about virtually every other structure in the game.

Modern Era
*Mass Transit: 160/2/0 Removes Population Pollution (Rubber)
*Solar Plant: 320/3 +50% Production [Factory]
*SAM Missile Battery: 80/2/0 8 Air Power, Militaristic (Aluminum)
*Research Lab: 160/2/2 +50% Research Output [University]
*Recycling Center: 200/2/0 Reduces Building Pollution
*Nuclear Plant: 160/3/0 +100% Production, Must Be Near Water, Can Explode or Meltdown [Factory] (Uranium)
*Offshore Platform: 160/3/0 Increases Shields in Water, 2 Pollution
*Manufacturing Plant: 320/3/0 +50% Production [Factory]
Total: 8
Grand Total: 29
The modern era introduces ways to clean up the pollution you created in the Industrial Era, and it also gives you the ability to protect your cities form AirRaids, though once agin this era is heavy on the power plants for some unknown reason. This era has the second most amount of variety.

This is just some quick thoughts for now, but what i would like to know is what some of your strategist think about both the distribution of buildings and the relative value of each building

are their certain buildings that you rush to get? are there some building that you skip over altogether? what are the top five buildings in your opinion? how about the five worst buildings? does anyone have a particular build order that you feel is optimal?
lets get some discussion going

[MarshalN]

Now that I've played a game where I got a temple at 2500 BC... I'll definitely rush those again. The culture is huge when it's 500 AD.... the doubling makes a big difference. By 500 AD you're talking about a wonder-quality culture producing building.

Other than that... nothing I'd really rush unless I need it. I think middle ages is when I play catch up a little and build the things I might've missed in the ancient era (marketplace ususally).

[Dyrlac]

Ach, completely agree about the sheer number of power plants, and the somewhat screwey rules for which cities can build which ones. A holdover from Sim City I maybe?

The one building I love more than anything else is ... drumroll please ... the offshore platform. Turns a marginal coastal city into an industrial middleweight. Sometimes I found cities on crappy 1 square wide peninsulas in the ancient era, thinking, man this city is going to, if not rock, at least roll in about 4000 years.

Somewhat more seriously, I rush the library as soon as I can. Highest culture in the ancient era, leading to quicker border expansion in the ancient age, and with cultural values doubling every 1000 years (iirc), a powerhouse toward the end.

Dyr

[henry296]

I used to love the Offshore platform in Civ2, however, when I reach the modern age, I am always on the space ship research tract and don't get to Miniturization.

Todd

[David Weldon]

My games are always over (for all intents and purposes) by the middle of the Industrial Age, so I can't help too much with later buildings, but there are two that I always rush ASAP that allow me to develop such an edge:

Temple
This is pretty clear, expanding boarders and content citizens are _very_ important. The earlier you build, the more expansion you get, and if you're pop-rushing or playing above Monarch, then you _need_ happy helpers as quickly as possible.

Granary
This is more controversial, but here's my reasoning: Even if you have enough food to hit a pop limit before you can build the improvement necessary for more growth, the speed at which you get to that limit is incredibly important! If I spend 50 turns getting to size 12, and then 200 turns at that size before Sanitation, I'm so much better off than if I spend 100 turns getting to size 12 and then 150 at that size. It really makes a difference. In addition, the upkeep is paid for by the extra commerce generated from each faster citizen, so the "cost" isn't really.

Of course, this is even more important if you pop-rush anythying early on.

In the Industrial age, since all my cities are already size 12 (and because of the massive income I've saved up from being limited by the 4 turn barrier and selling techs), it takes only a few turns (at most 10) to have a factory and hospital everywhere and the Hoover Dam to provide power plants. After this point there's nothing to do the whole Age except build a huge army and crush the next biggest civs.

All the interesting buildings are finished less than halfway through the Medieval Age after Universities. This greatly dissapoints me...

[IMRugger]

Temples are a must early in the game. They allow for expanded influence and often you are able to grab cities from neighbors without going to war.

[lockstep]

Originally posted by korn469
the large number of power plants in Civ3 is something of a mystery since the game is far more abstract about virtually every other structure in the game.

I agree, but this was also a 'feature' of the original Civ (3 power plants, 20 buildings total) and of Civ2.

About screwey building rules ... I really don´t get it that Hoover Dam gives me hydro plants in cities without access to a river. Even more, they are listed in the city screen of these cities, but do not appear in the city view (although you can still view granaries provided by the Pyramides).

[Barchan]

Originally posted by lockstep

About screwey building rules ... I really don´t get it that Hoover Dam gives me hydro plants in cities without access to a river. Even more, they are listed in the city screen of these cities, but do not appear in the city view (although you can still view granaries provided by the Pyramides).

One can only presume that you don't actually *get* a hydro plant in each city, but that the effect of the plant (clean electricity) is distributed to all your cities. Although the Hoover damn doesn't power all of America (sadly...) it does generate a lot of electricty. Assuming you have an interconnected power grid, then nationwide distribution is theoretically possible. But beware the rolling blackouts!