How does food work?

from Elemental Forums

There's nothing in the manual or the Hiergamenon on how food works now.  I assume it impacts maximum population, I suspect it impacts growth rate, but I don't know for sure either way.  I am also unsure of whether or to what degree it is city specific.  Various improvements imply that it is largely city specific, but that there are some spillover effects.

Can anyone enlighten me on the precise mechanics?

Also, with respect to growth, how do the city / faction factors interact?  For example, an improvement that gives +1 growth - is that to the city or to the faction?  

7,417 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

I believe food simply decides that maximum population for a city. Once you reach that, any +growth bonuses are effectively being wasted.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Am I way off base and see growth and growth increasing stuff as fairly pointless, at least in the early game, seems like they are stuck at level 2 cities due to food almost always.  And then after building lots of food items and research they might get to 3 or 4, but it's not growth that's keeping them low, it's food. Been a real long time since I have seen a level 5 city. 

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

@OP, food simply determines maximum population. It determines what level your city can get, and thus determines the base bonuses of the city and what free improvements you can get. Improvements that + growth is for the city only, however there are improvements (usually wonders) that + prestige that effectively boosts overall faction growth (prestige/total cities).

@Xia, I think the only way you'll see lv5 cities now is if you had multiple farms near a city and lots of towns in your empire... I managed to get one last game, they are pretty rare. I also agree that early game, growth infrastructure is fairly pointless now. Prestige is more than enough for growth. Only in later game, when you're building more cities does growth buildings become useful (partly because your prestige is split by the number of cities).

 

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Lord, reply 2
Am I way off base and see growth and growth increasing stuff as fairly pointless, at least in the early game, seems like they are stuck at level 2 cities due to food almost always. And then after building lots of food items and research they might get to 3 or 4, but it's not growth that's keeping them low, it's food.
End of Lord's quote

Quoting Kalin, reply 3
I also agree that early game, growth infrastructure is fairly pointless now. Prestige is more than enough for growth.
End of Kalin's quote

This depends on your strategy.  I usually build growth buildings as soon as I get level 2 in my towns.  And I seldom upgrade to anything but towns, so apart for a short period between levels 2 and 3 I never have my cities capped by food.

I think I have never created more than one fortress per game, and I cannot remember the last time I have upgraded a native city into anything but a town. I certainly have not in my last three posted play-throughs. (I upgrade captured cities into conclaves quite often, because the AI gets essence bonuses when it settles)

Quoting Lord, reply 2
Been a real long time since I have seen a level 5 city.
End of Lord's quote

Well, I can say the same thing, except that I have not had a game last beyond turn 200 since Beta 3, so that's no surprise.