General Questions - Second City

Second City

Printed From: Illyriad
Category: Strategies, Guides & Help
Forum Name: General Questions
Forum Description: If your gameplay question isn't answered in the help files, please post it here.
URL: http://forum.illyriad.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=2564
Printed Date: 17 Apr 2022 at 19:31
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Second City

Posted By: dendarkus
Subject: Second City
Date Posted: 07 Oct 2011 at 03:49

I'm at the point where I'm ready to start a second city and I'd like some suggestions. What sort of terrain should I pick? What sort of terrain should I be near? How close to my current city should I be? That sort of thing.

Replies:

Posted By: Rill
Date Posted: 07 Oct 2011 at 05:56

This is a brief distillation of advice I've received so far. I'm looking forward to disagreements and additions.

For terrain there are two considerations: Resource tiles and defense. The best defensive option is a mountain surrounded by plains. Second best is a mountain surrounded by other mountains. This particularly applies for hoomans and elves. Dwarfs and orcs may get along ok in forests.

The best resource tile distribution is PROBABLY a 6 or 7 food tile with relatively even distribution of other resources (if you want to specialize the city in a particular way, pay attention to the resource consumption of the tier 2 buildings). You want to be near a high food spawn spot (e.g., dolmen) and have good secondary sov consistent with your goals for the city, like saddle sov for a diplo city or infantry sov if you want to do infantry.

Ideally you want the first city located within 50-100 squares of the second city. Most people don't put them closer than 5 squares of each other.

However, please note that there are many successful vets clustered cheek by jowl on poor sovereignty with low food spots on terrible terrain. Location is not the only key to success in Illy.

Posted By: tallica
Date Posted: 07 Oct 2011 at 06:12

The generally accepted strategy that you'll see if you look around is that players put town on top of a 7 food plot with an adjacent 15+ food spot (for sov use later on).

I suggest scanning around your town for any dolmens, geysers, etc. that have at least 15 food, then look nearby (within 2 squares) for a spot with 7 food. That spot is a very good candidate for a new town.

HOWEVER, one thing to keep in mind: if you are planning on joining an alliance, or someday moving your capital (if you haven't already) then you may choose to not settle that new town until AFTER you've joined an alliance and moved your capital (using the freebie spell). I know several alliances ask members to relocate to their hub (or one of their hubs if they have more than one).

And as Rill said, defensive positions are different and depend on what race you are playing as.