How man cities is optimal?

[Bermag]

New to this game, like it. Got he base game for 4 EUR (normally 40) which was a bargain :). WHat is the optimal cities to have? I my second playthrough (first was SM) with Necrons I built a lot of cities but found out the hard way that it wasn't that good when loyalty got very bad. So how many cities should you aim for?

[TemplarGR]

For most factions, 3 is the sweet spot. Some factions can use more, those are the "wide" factions, but the base game factions are mostly better for 3, for normal games.

[Grotzel]

The Space Marines should obviously quickly build as many cities as possible! ;)

[Foxassassin]

Depends on the match length. 3 is normal, but four to five aren't out of the question if things draw out too long.

Most I ever had was eight with Tyranids, seven with Tau.

It's actually kind of interesting that the game actually doesn't seem to like you having too many cities, or at least in my experiences.

Around five cities (With the other four at max or near max tiles claimed) the game starts getting really laggy and stuttery when doing anything in the city menu, and the more cities and more tiles, the worse it gets.

[Stardustfire]

SM 1
AdMech can live leasurly with 2
Nids and Tau around 5-6
Rest 3 (where both Eldar Factions can jubilate if they find at least one good spot or start at a good one)

[Bermag]

Is there a point in specializing your cities for unit productionn? One for building infantry, one for vehicles etc? Or is it just as a good having one city making all and the other being resource generation only?

[Foxassassin]

Originally posted by Bermag:

Is there a point in specializing your cities for unit productionn? One for building infantry, one for vehicles etc? Or is it just as a good having one city making all and the other being resource generation only?

That's up to you and the tile bonuses you get.

Personally, I use my main city for all unit production unless I need a ton of bodies on the field, the extra cities are resource, maybe one or two slow unit productions.

Until late-game. I can afford to crank out units en-mass, but even then I typically pick one building type to focus on in the sub-cities. (I.E having a Tau city dedicated to mass-producing aircraft or monstrous suits, maybe a few other slow unit productions mixed in)

[TemplarGR]

Originally posted by Bermag:

Is there a point in specializing your cities for unit productionn? One for building infantry, one for vehicles etc? Or is it just as a good having one city making all and the other being resource generation only?

This is a very complex issue to answer.

Depends on many factors, the faction you play, the terrain available, resources available, the opponent and which tactic you want to use etc.

In general, i tend to not give all the unit buildings in one city. If the city has let's say a research boost, i don't want to spend all my building slots for unit buildings, for example. Because the other cities may not have such boosts, so i will lose the advantage. On the other hand, if a city has a unit production bonus, i tend to build there as many branches of units as possible.

A rule of thumb for me is that the first city should always have at least the building chain you need to produce a city builder. For example, i build all my Aedanthropum buildings for the Tyranids in the first city. All my Mek Bitz Yards in the Ork first city, etc etc. Most of the time i build the first infantry chain or vehicle chain in my first city as well. But very rarely i build ALL of the branches in the first city.

[Grotzel]

Sound advice from TemplarGR.
If a city has claimed an outpost (which it ideally should) with an economic bonus, I like to focus on that - although not exclusively. If you get a good tile bonus or suddenly need a specific resource, you should harvest that instead. If you specialize cities too much, you also run the risk of crashing your entire economy in case that city gets destroyed.

I like to have at least one unit production building in nearly all of my cities - perhaps not optimal, but I prefer playing with quests on and with multiple enemies, which means that every one of my cities is potentially in danger. It can help you to respond to threats from different angles quickly.

[Noodlesocks]

You will get away with a lot on only two cities for a decent portion of the game. You will want three when it comes to aircraft and higher tier units.

I usually specialise my cities. One for unit production, one for resources. Which city becomes my resource city largely depends on faction. For example, when paying as imperial guard, whichever city is on volcanic will be my resource city so I have the resources to be pumping out tanks.

Eventually it will get to the point where my unit producing city will near the point of diminishing returns and I will switch it to resources too. Second or third city I will build up it's unit production capabilities so I can have multiple unit build queues.

Some of the DLC factions benefit more from playing tall. Earlier third cities, better potential for more cities. One way or another, always get your second city down as quickly as you can.