User Guide

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An Oasis is a very fertile island in Desert terrain where workers can harvest substantial
quantities of food. Conversely, Oil, representing the presence of mineral wealth, especially
petroleum, can also be found in Desert squares. As they do in Glaciers, Oil squares in
Desert terrain yield extra shields when worked.
A Pheasant peers through some Forest terrain. The presence of game indicates
excellent food sources available. On the other hand, Silk represents a luxurious product
of mulberry Forests that brings increased yield from trade goods.
OPTIMAL CITY SITES
The economic usefulness of the various terrain types is important when selecting city sites.
Citizens work the terrain within a city’s radius to produce the food, raw materials, and trade
that the city needs to grow and be productive (see The City Radius). Some terrain types
are more valuable than others, in that citizens working them produce more resources.
Other terrains start out yielding little, and only develop their full potential when they are
improved. These squares can be irrigated, mined, or surfaced for increased economic
value. Other squares are important because they can be converted into more valuable
terrain, as we’ll discuss soon (for instructions on how to irrigate, mine, surface, and
convert terrain, see Settlers & Engineers). The best city sites offer immediate food, raw
material, and trade production, plus the potential for long term development.
TERRAIN CONVERSION
When surveying sites for a new city, keep in mind the potential for terrain squares within
the city’s radius to be improved. Hills and Mountains squares can be mined so that citizens
working them produce increased raw materials. Plains and Grassland squares, whether or
not rivers run through them, can be irrigated so that citizens working there produce more
food. Swamp and Jungle squares can be cleared to yield Grassland or planted to yield
Forest. Forest can be cleared to yield a Plains. Plains and Grassland squares can be
retimbered to yield Forest if you need raw materials. An area dense with Jungle and Swamp
squares looks barren at first, but has the potential to become a very rich city site.
Improvements are not limited to agricultural effects. Settlers and Engineers also
improve terrain by laying roads across terrain squares. Roads allow better access to a city,
and therefore, increase the trade goods citizens working some squares produce. Plains,
Grassland, and Desert squares all produce trade once penetrated by roads. Railroads
eliminate the movement point cost of the terrain across which they are laid and might
increase resource production as well. For more information on terrain improvements, see
Settlers & Engineers — they’re the units that do the work.
Terrain &
Movement
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