Residences are needed to provide population for Workshops, Factories, barracks, training ground, armories... needed to Produc Troops & Orcs and to produce coins to pay for - factory productions, upgrades, research, and to cater encounters.
Workshops are needed to produce supplies for - upgrades, research, factory productions, produce Orcs, train troops, and cater encounters.
Standard Factories are needed to produce Standard Goods to pay for - upgrades, research, Produce Sentient Goods, Produce Ascended Goods, and cater encounters.
Orcs are needed to pay for - upgrades, research, train troops, and to cater encounters.
Mana is needed to pay for - upgrades, research, and to cater encounters.
Divine Seeds are needed to pay for - upgrades, research, Sentient Production, and cater encounters.
Sentient Factories are needed to pay for - upgrades, research, and to cater encounters.
Every City need to produce the various forms of currency - with the exception of Troops - to pay for research, upgrades, and goods production.
A Catering city need to acquire/produce the same amount for research & upgrades, AND the cost to cater encounters.
The city that caters encounters requires more - factories, workshops, residences, mana culture, orc culture, seed culture....
The city that fights encounters - needs to produce supplies in excess of upgrade & research cost - to pay for Orc production & Troop Training
Two cities in the same chapter, with the same number of expansions, and completing the same number of Tournament & Spire Encounters - regardless of catering or fighting will not have a space advantage. The except would result from the either player's success in acquiring high value mana/seed/orc culture in events,
As far as Ancient Wonders
38 Ancient Wonders
7 Troop Ancient Wonders
8 Hybrid Ancient Wonders
23 Material Resource (including Population & Culture) Ancient Wonders
Heroes' Forge
I use both troops and resources for encounters, so I built the Forge for the troop benefit, and felt the same as far as its Orc production.
However, as I have increased the number of completed provinces, leveled my forge, and built the Pyramid of Purification the value of my forge has increased in value -
My Heroes' Forge
Improves my Heavy Melee troops.
Produces Orcs Currency
Contributes to Sentient Goods Supply
Decreasing Sentient Factory Productions - increasing my city's available seed supply
Allows me to acquire the quantity of both Seeds & Sentient required for research or upgrades quicker decreasing the loss to decay.
Decreases the demand for Standard Goods that I would have to produce and use for Sentient Factory productions.
Decreases the demand of Coins & Supplies needed to produce Standard Goods
And the value will increase with each completed province - until the map is exhausted.
The Dragon Abbey -
I use all my enchantments heavily, so I earn a lot of mana from my Enchantments - however because I actually use them, I have had to build the maze, in my current chapter, because otherwise the loss to decay is over the top. Today I have used 47 Enchantments - and gained 696,775 mana, but it will be subject to 5% decay beginning tonight.
With the Dragon Abbey every Enchantment in inventory is mana not subject to decay. Why put a mana/culture building in my city when I can acquire more mana by using 1 or 2 enchantments - when the mana is needed? Need a million mana for an upgrading - apply enchantments...
The Dragon Abbey reduces the number of mana/culture buildings necessary by both providing mana and decreasing the loss of mana to Decay.
And the value will increase with each completed province - until the map is exhausted.
Ancient Wonders are never a disadvantage - if used effectively and with purpose they increase available space - that is the ultimate purpose of Ancient Wonders - they increase city production allowing the acquisition/retention of all form of currency with fewer buildings.
In the last 23-hours I have purchased from the Wholesaler
T1: 1,133,440 units
T2: 751,520 units
T3: 505,120 units
Total Coin Cost: 193,200,000
Total Supply Cost: 107,640,000
How many Factories would I have to have in my city to produce over 2 million standard Goods in 23 hours?
How Many Magic Residences & Magic Workshops would I need to generate the coins and supplies I used to purchase over 2 million goods.
There is no possible way to build the number of buildings necessary for this level of production - not with every single available expansion -
18 Magic Residences
8 Magic Workshops
Blooming Trader Guild
Sanctuary
Watchtower
Golden Abyss
Prosperity Towers
The Great Bell Spire
The Lighthouse of Good Neighborhood
Ensorcelled Endowments & Power of Provision Enchantments
Without the Dragon Abbey, Lighthouse of Good Neighborhood, Great Bell Spire, and Maze of Dark Matter - I would need far more mana culture buildings to acquire the equivalent.
Every Single Ancient Wonder adds to the city's seed supply - I do not have even one seed culture Building - other than evolves or sets - my city is not littered with festivals or Orchids ... I collect 120,000 seeds from my trader - with my level 35 Main Hall.
A city that uses troops for encounters will have far fewer armories with troop Ancient Wonders
lol Rambling