Mastering City Placement: The Definitive Guide to City Distance in Civilization VI

So, you’re diving into Civilization VI and itching to build a sprawling empire? Excellent! But before you spam settlers across the map like a caffeinated Roman, there’s a crucial element to understand: city distance. Get it wrong, and you’ll hamstring your growth. Nail it, and you’ll be swimming in resources, production, and victory points. Let’s get right to the heart of the matter:

How far apart should cities be in Civilization VI?

The golden rule in Civilization VI is that cities must be at least 4 tiles apart. This means the distance between the city center of one city and the city center of another must be at least four hexes. Three hexes between City Centers is not enough; you need that fourth tile of separation. Ignoring this rule is a surefire way to stunt your growth. But why? And what are the nuances? Read on!

The Core Mechanics of City Spacing

Understanding why that “magic number” of four exists requires a bit of game mechanic dissection. Here’s the breakdown:

• Tile Acquisition: Each city, upon founding, claims the hex it sits on and all six surrounding tiles. As the city grows, its cultural influence expands, claiming more tiles within a three-tile radius from the City Center.

• Working Tiles: Cities can only work tiles within this three-tile radius. These worked tiles are where you get your food, production, gold, science, culture, and faith. The resources generated from these tiles directly fuel your empire.

• District Placement: Cities must place their districts within their own borders. This is critical for specializing and maximizing yields.

• Strategic and Luxury Resource Acquisition: Even if a city can’t work a tile outside of the three-tile radius, it can still access strategic and luxury resources located within a five-tile radius, provided those resources are improved.

With all that in mind, placing cities too close together means that worked tiles will overlap, leading to diminished resource generation, less district placement, and suboptimal growth.

Maximizing Tile Coverage

The key to efficient city placement is to maximize the number of tiles each city can work without significant overlap. The four-tile distance accomplishes this:

• Each city has its own unique territory.
• The distance creates efficient resource generation.
• The number of districts that can be constructed is also optimized.

The Wide vs. Tall Debate

For a long time, the strategy of playing “wide” (having many cities) has been superior to playing “tall” (having few highly populated cities). Due to how the game’s science and culture mechanics work, having more cities allows you to generate substantially more science and culture. This enables you to progress through the tech and civics trees faster, and eventually, win the game.

Fine-Tuning Your City Placement Strategy

While the four-tile rule is a good baseline, there are scenarios where deviating from it might be advantageous. Consider these factors:

• Geography: Rivers, mountains, coastlines, and natural wonders can all influence optimal city placement. A coastal city might be worth settling closer to another city if it grants access to valuable sea resources. Mountain ranges may allow for closer city placement without significant tile overlap.

• Resources: A cluster of strategic or luxury resources might warrant a slightly closer city placement, even if it means some tile overlap. The benefit of securing those resources can outweigh the inefficiency of shared tiles.

• City-State Proximity: If you are planning on capturing a city-state and incorporating it into your empire, you can settle closer than normal, secure the surrounding area, and then conquer them.

• Victory Condition: If you’re aiming for a specific victory type, adjust your city placement accordingly. For example, a domination victory might prioritize strategically placed cities near enemy borders, even if it means slightly less efficient tile coverage.

• Unique Abilities: Certain civilizations have unique abilities or units that affect city placement. For example, the Inca can traverse mountains early, allowing them to settle in otherwise inaccessible areas and potentially ignore some of the standard spacing rules.

When to Break the Four-Tile Rule

• Securing Key Resources: Desperate times call for desperate measures. A crucial resource needed for a war or a powerful wonder might justify a less-than-optimal city placement.

• Denying Opponents: Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense. Blocking an opponent from settling in a strategic location can be worth the tile overlap.

• Aggressive Early Game: If you’re playing an aggressive early game civ like the Aztecs or Scythians, a few closely packed cities can provide the production and military strength needed for early conquests.

Governor Synergy

Governors are special characters in Civ VI that can add a lot of advantages to your empire. Pingala is perhaps the best overall, and he is great at improving cities that are meant to be your science and culture powerhouses. Liang excels at city planning and constructing improvements quickly.

Essential Considerations

• Housing: Ensure sufficient housing is available to support population growth. Build relevant districts (like the Aqueduct or Neighborhood) or utilize city-state bonuses.
• Amenities: Happy citizens are productive citizens. Secure luxury resources and build entertainment districts to keep your population content.
• Loyalty: In Gathering Storm, loyalty is crucial. Closely packed cities can exert pressure on each other, preventing revolts.
• Adjacency Bonuses: Plan your districts carefully to maximize adjacency bonuses. For example, placing a campus next to mountains and rainforests can significantly boost its science output.

By carefully considering the four-tile rule and factoring in these nuances, you can optimize your city placement strategy and build a thriving, victorious empire in Civilization VI. And, if you want to learn more about how games can be used for educational purposes, consider exploring the Games Learning Society and their work at GamesLearningSociety.org.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What happens if I try to settle a city closer than 4 tiles to another city?

The game won’t let you! You will be unable to complete settling a city if you attempt to do so within four tiles of another City Center.

2. Does the 4-tile rule apply to city-states?

Yes, the 4-tile rule applies to city-states as well as other civilizations’ cities and your own.

3. Is it better to have lots of small cities or fewer large cities in Civ VI?

Generally, a wide empire (many cities) is preferred over a tall empire (fewer cities). The ability to build more districts and generate more resources outweighs the challenges of managing a larger empire.

4. How do I maximize my tile yields?

Focus on specializing your cities. Dedicate certain cities to production, others to science, culture, or faith. Build districts and improvements that synergize with the city’s focus.

5. What are the best tiles to settle on?

Hills offer bonus production, which is crucial for early-game development. Freshwater access (rivers, lakes, oases) is essential for housing. Look for tiles with bonus resources.

6. How important is freshwater access?

Extremely important. Without freshwater, your city’s housing will be severely limited, stunting its growth.

7. How do I manage amenities?

Secure luxury resources and build entertainment districts. Trade with other civilizations for luxuries you lack. Implement policies that boost amenities.

8. What are adjacency bonuses?

Adjacency bonuses are yield bonuses that districts receive from being placed next to certain terrain features or other districts. Plan your district placement to maximize these bonuses.

9. How does loyalty work?

Loyalty is a mechanic introduced in the Gathering Storm expansion. Cities with low loyalty are at risk of rebelling and becoming free cities or joining another civilization.

10. How do I increase loyalty?

Maintain high amenities, assign governors, and build cities close enough to exert loyalty pressure on each other. Policies and wonders can also boost loyalty.

11. Should I conquer city-states?

It depends. City-states provide valuable bonuses, but sometimes their location is too strategic to ignore. Weigh the benefits of suzerainty against the potential gains of annexation. If you decide to take them on, make sure you can handle the diplomatic repercussions.

12. Is it better to raze or keep conquered cities?

In most cases, it’s better to keep conquered cities. Razing a city destroys improvements and districts, setting you back significantly.

13. How do I deal with barbarians?

Scout your surroundings early and build a few military units to defend against barbarian raids. Fortify strategic locations.

14. Which leaders are best for beginners?

Leaders like Trajan (Rome) and Qin Shi Huang (China) are good choices for beginners due to their straightforward bonuses.

15. How long does a game of Civ VI take?

A standard game of Civ VI can take anywhere from several hours to several days, depending on the map size, game speed, and player skill. It is definitely not a short game!