How can I increase border growth?

[merryfof]

Hi,
Border growth seems slow to me compared with previous Civs. I would like help speding it us.
The entertainment district is the obvious way but losing a diatrict slot is a big price.
Ideas?
Thank you,
Merry

[CivNut123]

There are several ways.

1. Choose a 15% border growth pantheon
2. Play as Russia (every GP you spend in a Lavra will expand that city). They also get a bonus rate of expansion.
3. Increase your cities population. (15% growth rate pantheon etc..)
4. Buy up tiles
5. Use a great person

[MasterBlaster]

use the "8 Ages of Pace" Mod, it has faster border expansion

[skylark2011]

The pantheon Religious Settlements will increase border growth by 15%.

[Dray Prescot]

You want a Cultural (or Theater) Destrict, not an Entertainment District, to get Culture which gives border growth.

Culture production is also important to get Civics, which are almost as important as technologies from research.

Some of the Pantheon beliefs might give culture. You might be able to get some culture from the right Policies, which you will to get via the Civics track, i.e. from accumulated culture across your Civilization. Some of the additional buildings from religious beliefs might also give cultural points. (I prefer Faith Points myself).

I get my most of my early to early mid game production of culture from Monuments which should be one of the first three buildings (Monuments, Granaries, and City Walls) you usually build in most cities. In fact I try to build Monuments and Granaries in ALL cities, city walls are slightly optional, although Barbarians can make them more important.

added: In special cases where there is no Barbarian threat you "might" not build city walls. The normal case is to build city walls, if for no other reason than their ranged artillery bombardment you get with the city walls, as well to keep enemy units from taking the city for free while you were not paying attention.

Also you need Ancient City Walls as the starting point to build later and better walls.

added: with the ranged entertainment buildings change so that you only get the best one of each type applying, instead of multiple buildings if they are in range. I think that my first emphasis will NOW be maximizing amenties over any other choice such as religious/pantheon beliefs, buildings, Policies, etc. Before the change I was going for Faith Points and/or Culture points

[CivNut123]

I'm not sure I understand how culture translates into border growth. Though, the Romans are always commenting on how my cities are bigger than Jupiter, and they do get monuments righta way.

City walls are definitely not optional, unless you have many units stationed in your city. The computer always builds walls, if you haven't noticed.

[katzenkrimis]

Culture.

Or use gold to buy tiles. Which is sometimes smart to do on offense and defense.

If the AI drops a city next to you, you can quickly buy up tiles to cut it off, disabling any expansion they might gain from it. That's if you don't want to attack them.

On offense you can cripple them by dropping one of your cities next to theirs and then buying up a whack of tiles.

This completely cripples them.

[SamBC]

Originally posted by CivNut123:

I'm not sure I understand how culture translates into border growth. Though, the Romans are always commenting on how my cities are bigger than Jupiter, and they do get monuments righta way.

City walls are definitely not optional, unless you have many units stationed in your city. The computer always builds walls, if you haven't noticed.

Culture fills up a bucket per city to acquire another tile. More culture, faster it fills. You can even see the bucket filling in the game.

And Rome is possibly talking about population when they say your cities are big. If it's the space taken up, that would be size of your territory, which Rome does go on about a bit.

[BladeSe7en [ICON_RESOURCE_FURS]]

Originally posted by CivNut123:

I'm not sure I understand how culture translates into border growth. Though, the Romans are always commenting on how my cities are bigger than Jupiter, and they do get monuments righta way.

City walls are definitely not optional, unless you have many units stationed in your city. The computer always builds walls, if you haven't noticed.

If you play against the AI walls are entirely optional.multiplayer however I build them in all my forward cities. Border growth is in direct relation to culture. Romans get free monuments so they have faster growth and culture production in the early game

[Dray Prescot]

You need culture for TWO things, both important: city border growth and new civics. In the early game monuments are about the only way to get consistent culture, except in special cases, for new cities. Later in the game other ways of getting culture start becoming available: Theater Disrtict, Policies, Religions, governments, etc. You will have to look at various options and the Tech + Civic Trees to see what will work for you. (see above messages for more info).

If you are not building monuments in your cities, then that is where you have to start changing things to get more border growth. Build Monuments in EVERY CITY.

[Abalister]

Originally posted by Dray Prescot:

You need culture for TWO things, both important: city border growth and new civics. In the early game monuments are about the only way to get consistent culture, except in special cases, for new cities. Later in the game other ways of getting culture start becoming available: Theater Disrtict, Policies, Religions, governments, etc. You will have to look at various options and the Tech + Civic Trees to see what will work for you. (see above messages for more info).

If you are not building monuments in your cities, then that is where you have to start changing things to get more border growth. Build Monuments in EVERY CITY.

Yup, Monument is the first thing that should be built, in any new settled city besides your very first city (You can go Slinger, Scout, 2nd warrior, builder, settler, monument, in that order, for your very first city).

[Dray Prescot]

I sometimes build a granary before the monument to get the extra food and production. Try to get a Trader relocated to a new city, to get more food and production from a domestic trade route.

[Hedgehog in a kayak]

Originally posted by CivNut123:

3. Increase your cities population. (15% growth rate pantheon etc..)

Population does not affect the border growth

[Oragepoilu]

Originally posted by Hedgehog in a kayak:

Originally posted by CivNut123:

3. Increase your cities population. (15% growth rate pantheon etc..)

Population does not affect the border growth

More pop can lead to more culture (and whatever else) with district and religion bonus per pop, thus more border - but it's kinda the worse option here.

[Exemplar]

yes, it is culture. yes, you get more culture per turn as per population, like science.

trajan AI, though, only wants to see you have more tiles in general, not only from culture growth but also new cities. if your total tiles are equal or greater than his you get a small diplomacy bonus for his agenda. if you have fewer total tiles it will contribute to declining diplomacy every turn, until it will inevitably see you as food anyway.

[BezaoBuilder]

The amount of culture per turn a city generates dictates how fast its borders grow.