[B][SIZE=”5″]Hammer Overflow[/SIZE][/B]
[B][SIZE=”4″]Introduction[/SIZE][/B]
In this article, I will explain what happens between turns to the excess :hammers: from a completed build. After that I will examine some potentially uses of overflow to gain some advantages. Throughout the article, any numbers I quote are from the marathon game speed but can be scaled appropriately to your game speed of choice. Also note that everything here is using Warlords 2.08 although it appears to work the same way for Beyond the Sword 3.03.
[B][SIZE=”4″]Definitions:[/SIZE][/B]
[U]True Cost[/U] – The actual :hammers: cost of a build
[U]Production Multiplier[/U] – The production bonus applied to a build converted from a percent + 1
[U]Base Cost[/U] – True Cost/Production Multiplier
[U]Excess Hammers [/U]- at the completion of a build in a city, the total number of :hammers: invested minus the True Cost
[U]Base Hammers[/U] – Excess Hammers/Production Multiplier
[U]Hammers per Turn[/U] – the number of :hammers: produced in a city each turn before any production bonuses
[U]Modified Hammers per Turn[/U] – the number of :hammers: produced in a city each turn for a build including production bonuses
[U]Overflow Hammers[/U] – the number of :hammers: that are carried over the turn after a build is completed in a city (how to calculate is below)
[U]Overflow Gold[/U] – the amount of :gold: added to the treasury as a result of overflow (how to calculate is below)
[B][SIZE=”4″]The Mechanics of Overflow[/SIZE][/B]
At the completion of a production project in a city, if the Base Hammers value does not exceed both the Base Cost and the Hammers per Turn values, then the Overflow Hammers = Base Hammers. This is what happens most of the time.
However, if the Base Hammers exceeds both the Base Cost and the Hammers per Turn values, then the Overflow Hammers = max{Base Cost, Hammers per Turn}. To compensate for the lost :hammers:, Overflow Gold = Excess Hammers – max{True Cost, Modified Hammers per Turn} is added to the treasury.
[B][SIZE=”4″]The Wonder Whipping Overflow Trick[/SIZE][/B]
Whipping wonders does not convert :food: to :hammers: at the same rate as whipping normal buildings or units. However, if you whip a building the turn before completion, the Overflow Hammers will be applied to the wonder that follows even though they were created using a more beneficial :food: to :hammers: ratio. This is very easy to pull off, just try to ensure that none of your Excess Hammers are being converted to Overflow Gold by whipping only on a building that has a Base Cost somewhat greater than 90 :hammers:.
[B][SIZE=”4″]The Chopping/Whipping Wealth Without Currency Trick[/SIZE][/B]
Another possible use is to generate gold by creating an enormous Excess Hammer value. Since production bonuses do apply to the gold generated this way, early double production buildings can be used to create a large amount of gold. Lets do the math on one example:
Say we have an aggressive leader knowing mathematics(not Shaka since his barracks are more expensive) and bronze working, have adopted slavery, and are building a barracks in a city with some available forests, a granary and at least 2 population. We build to within one turn of completion then move it down in the queue and build something else while we chop two forests simultaneously. On the turn that the forests finish chopping, we move the barracks up in the queue and whip it. So
True Cost = 150
Production Multiplier = 1 + 1 = 2
Base Cost = 150/2 = 75
Excess Hammers = [90 (forest chop) + 90 (forest chop) + 90 (whip hammers)]*2(production bonus) + 150 (cost of barracks being covered by “real” production of city) – 150 (True Cost of the Barracks) = 540
Base Hammers = 540/2 = 270
Hammers per turn is unknown but certainly less than 75
Modified Hammers per turn unknown but not relevant because of the above
Overflow Hammers = 75 since 270 > 75
Overflow Gold = 540 – 150 = 390
So, for the cost of chopping two forests and whipping one population we have created an overflow of 75 :hammers: and 390 :gold:.
[B][SIZE=”4″]Do Production Modifiers Really Make a Big Difference?[/SIZE][/B]
Heck yes. Lets do the math for this with a monument.
True Cost = 90
Production Multiplier = 1
Base Cost = 90 = 90
Excess Hammers = [90 (forest chop) + 90 (forest chop) + 90 (whip hammers)]*1(production multiplier) + 90 (cost of monument being covered by “real” production of city) – 90 (True Cost of the monument) = 270
Base Hammers = 270/1 = 270
Hammers per turn is unknown but certainly less than 90
Modified Hammers per turn unknown but not relevant because of the above
Overflow Hammers = 90 since 270 > 90
Overflow Gold = 270 – 90 = 180
So we are only getting 180 :gold: and 90 :hammers:.
[B][SIZE=”4″]But How Does This Relate to the Protective Trait?[/SIZE][/B]
What a great question :lol:. Lets redo the above math, but this time we will be using walls with a protective leader and access to stone.
True Cost = 150
Production Multiplier = 1 + 1 + 1 = 3
Base Cost = 150/3 = 50
Excess Hammers = [90 (forest chop) + 90 (forest chop) + 90 (whip hammers)]*3(production multiplier) + 150 (cost of walls being covered by “real” production of city) – 150 (True Cost of the walls) = 810
Base Hammers = 810/3 = 270
Hammers per turn is unknown but certainly less than 50
Modified Hammers per turn unknown but not relevant because of the above
Overflow Hammers = 50 since 270 > 50
Overflow Gold = 810 – 150 = 660
So, for the cost of chopping two forests and whipping one population we have created an overflow of 50 :hammers: and 660 :gold:.
Admittedly, you did just build a walls and everyone gets to make fun of you for that.
[B][SIZE=”4″]Can You Do the Numbers for Other Game Speeds?[/SIZE][/B]
No. It isn’t too hard to convert them yourself. In general any numbers I’ve used as an example here that aren’t multipliers will be multiplied by a factor of 1/5 for quick, 1/3 for normal and 1/2 for epic. Multipliers are obviously independent of game speed.
[B][SIZE=”4″]Conclusion – Isn’t that a Little Cheap?[/SIZE][/B]
Hey, I’m just reporting the mechanic here. Exhibit restraint if you think its an exploit. I do agree that at best this borders on exploitative. I haven’t actually used this in game but a way to generate that type of cash that early in the game seems pretty decent.
[url=http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=218272]Discuss this article on the forum[/url]