Smartest Way To Expand?

[DeletedUser14718]

Smartest way to expand? Delete buildings then rebuild or have a couple empty 5x5's?

 

[Ashrem]

I'm not sure there's going to be a way that is "best." A lot will depend on your patience and play style. When you get a province or tech expansion is a handy time to move stuff around, as well as between guest race chapters when you tear the old race down, and before you build the new one.

 

[DeletedUser14718]

Okay. I didn't know about other races.

 

[DeletedUser]

Okay. I didn't know about other races.

The first guest race you'll encounter is Chapter 6, which is Dwarves.

As for assistance with planning your city's layout, http://www.elvenarchitect.com/ is a great tool.

 

[DeletedUser9601]

Early chapters, I pretty consistently deleted my culture buildings and rebuilt with more current ones (eg, delete Flying Boats when I unlocked Spot of Whispering Trees). I also played frequently though, so I consistently had supplies to spare.
Once I started getting through major events and had better buildings, I deleted less frequently.

Also, not the question you directly asked, but its a good idea to "expand" (meaning choose expansions) so that your city is a square. It makes it much easier to reorganize as your city grows.

 

[Rocce Sqirl]

I still feel fairly new at this (currently in the middle of Level V), but I've found patience is a virtue. If you can hold out long enough to stack up 4, 5 or more expansions then play them all at once, you end up with tremendous flexibility in reorganizing your city.

 

[Mykan]

There is no best way, just some things that help if the situation is right.

• Try to time an expansion (tech or world map) to occur just after a tech upgrade to workshops, residences, factories, etc.
• Some buildings gain a lot of efficiency when upgraded. Sometimes you can delete a building and use the space to upgrade 2 others to the new size and still be as or more efficient than before but with the ability to keep upgrading in the same space.
• If space is cluttered decide if you really need everything you currently have. particularly culture buildings, factories and armories.
• Aim to have the best culture per square, so delete old culture buildings. Exceptions might be event or premium culture
• See if a wonder can give you the same benefit for less space. A lot of wonders are very powerful even at their weakest point of level 1. As they scale with your progress you may need to revisit some you previously ignored as some only get worthwhile later in the game.
• Guest races when you get to them give a great opportunity when you finish one and before building the next to rearrange your town. The guest races occupy several expansions so you will have lots of space during those times for a major overhaul if needed.

 

[DeletedUser5800]

Once you get to the guest races you will need space for the guest buildings but you will sell them at the end of each race to make room for the next. i.e. You will sell the dwarf settlement and build the fairy one, then sell the fairy one and build the orc one. Once at that point the easiest way to reorganize is between them while you have many empty squares as said above.

Before that point I always go to chapter 3 keeping everything full, if I need a little space it's quickly gotten with coming techs or expansion earned by completing provinces (either way the wait for space is never long). I then start leaving a little open space in chapter 4 (a couple of expansions), then leave a little more open in chapter 5 (a few more expansions), that way I have plenty of room to get everything to level 15 and arranged how I want it without stressing and don't have to completely rethink my city to make room for a dwarf settlement.

Note: If you don't have a healthy culture boost you can always throw some culture in the space you know you will delete when you need the space just to have a higher boost in the mean time.