Hmm, there are some very interesting idea's for housing blocks here. I'll be sure to try and incorporate them sometime. I have played this game a decent amount and learned that entertaining your people sucks.. :x My housing "blocks" that I designed are always in a straight line with entertainment at one end to prevent intersections (and maybe some schools at the dead end side if necessary to ensure coverage. I have had what I think is decent success. In my last city I had 3 blocks containing 37 Stately Manors and 4 fancy residences, none of which devolved at any time.

I do have a question though. When you are developing your blocks that contain 2x2 and 3x3 houses do you use small statues to ensure that they evolve into the most efficient form? I would assume that you do, but I am just curious. I evolved mine by building statues to block growth, then deleting them in order to evolve the housing the way I desired.

Also, how do I post the design for part of a city like the other posters did?

Hi KillerSim7, welcome to Pharaoh Heaven.

If you are having good success with "straight-line" blocks, then it makes sense to continue using them. (I have used them a few times in appropriate terrain.) However, other block designs can support more houses--block efficiency is sometimes important, especially at higher difficulty levels. I usually design a housing block around an intersection-free loop road, and I rarely have any problem with entertainment. I almost always provide music and dance coverage from entertainers walking from their "schools" to their venues. My most common entertainment configuration has 2 slightly separated pavilions with the entertainment schools connected to the opposite side of the block (like the diagram in reply #42, except with a booth only at an intersection), and similar blocks can be seen in many of my cities in the Downloads. However, sometimes different configurations seem better--my Bahariya Oasis may be an interesting example.

Using a solid object to block a house's expansion into the "wrong" place is a common technique. I prefer to use a cheaper object than a small statue, such as a bit of road (if it won't touch another road and won't become isolated from the rest of the city) or a well (if the ground has water).

If you aren't in a hurry, another technique to prevent incorrect house expansion is to place vacant lots only where they cannot expand into the "wrong" places, such as at the ends of a row of houses. Once those houses have expanded to their final sizes, place additional vacant lots next to the existing houses. Continue until all vacant lots are placed.

If you know the preferences for house expansion, as explained in my new Direction of house expansion thread, then you can place vacant lots in places where they will expand as desired. This technique can be combined with the previous ones.

In most of my recent cities, I have used a technique that might be considered "cheating". It depends on knowing the map locations where a square of four 1x1 houses (of the same type) will merge into a 2x2 house. I typically have run a few tests to discover where merging is allowed, designed the city using that knowlege, and then restarted the mission. (You can also find out where merging is allowed by using Nero Would's "spoiler" Excel spreadsheets, in the Downloads.) The housing blocks are designed so that most of the houses are in places where merging is allowed. By being careful in the play (initially placing 3 vacant lots for each house and adding the 4th only when appropriate), most houses form as 2x2s in the desired locations. Another technique must be used to ensure that the 2x2s expand into the correct 3x3 or 4x4 locations.

Glyphy diagrams can be generated using the Block Generator (also known as the housing layout generator) in our Strategy section.

[This message has been edited by Brugle (edited 04-25-2004 @ 03:13 PM).]

nice topic...

is it just me that all the links to your other housing block topics do not work and take you back to the list of Pharaoh Help, Pharaoh scenario design and community forums?

I often make my own housing blocks every level because I cannot remember what i did the level before but the concept is always the same which I learnt from these forums..

Also I am at a loss over your housing block on page 3 reply #42 I found I could not place booths over 4 bits of road like that

but still love the ideas

[This message has been edited by Fruit Salad (edited 06-22-2004 @ 02:35 PM).]

Fruit Salad,

Although your last reply appears to be intended for VitruviusAIA, I don't suppose you care who answers.

Quite a while ago, the forums were restructured, and many of the links were broken. Clicking on one of those invalid links brings up the display you mentioned. If you know the thread name then you can find it using the Search function (at the bottom of the Game Help forum page). (Links were fixed in some of the commonly used threads, but most of the really old threads still have broken links.)

To make a booth at a corner that is not an intersection, build an intersection by adding an extra road tile, build the booth, then delete the extra road tile. Obviously, this should be done before the booth is surrounded by buildings. (I never use this trick and only build booths at permanent intersections.)

[This message has been edited by Brugle (edited 06-22-2004 @ 04:47 PM).]

Hello everyone!!

So here I am sharing my block and hoping to get some feedback on my way of work and findings. ...

In my attempt to put as much houses in a compact block, I came to the conclusion (while doing it) that a diagonallic approach is more effecient then the rectangular (known as the 'common housing block' in the shape of a square).

The advantages of the diagonallic approach is that many houses can be put in the corners and the statues in the middle give a desirabiltiy boost in every direction. Of course all the roads are plazas (for the noobs).
I know the loop is quite large but I have experienced no problems until now. Perhaps a very experienced player can give me feedback on these layouts?

This block will evolve into 52 Fancy Residences at Very Hard Difficulty (36 tiles to make the loop).

Legend

This block will evolve into 30 Elegant Manors at Very Hard Difficulty (34 tiles to make the loop). I doubt it will evolve into Stately Manor at very hard difficulty, haven't been able to test that. Perhaps someone can give me feedback on that.

Legend

This is all for now!! Feedback very much appreciated...

Greetz,
XtOf

xtof,

Your loops are very long (especially for higher difficulty levels): 68 tiles in the first diagram and 64 tiles in the second. I would expect to see occasional fires at Very Hard difficulty, and maybe even at Hard. In my experience, a long loop also makes it more likely (depending on the surrounding road network) that some walkers will never go by some buildings. (I suppose it's possible that walkers behave better on "diagonallic" loops.)

I don't know what you mean by "more efficient". A rectangular design with the same loop length (and in the same style) would be more compact and would have at least as many houses. Of course, almost any shape may work better than another in suitable terrain.

You seem to be interested in having lots of houses. Without lengthening the loop, you could squeeze in a few more if you took better advantage of corners (especially when the block has "kinks") and space behind 1x1 buildings. For some examples, see the blocks in my Waset (the spacious residence blocks have "kinks") and the largest block in my Thinis.

Your second diagram will support elegant manors at Very Hard difficulty only if city-wide entertainment coverage provides 10 "bonus points" (half of the maximum). I'm too lazy to check whether the houses have enough desirability to be stately manors at Very Hard, but they would have enough entertainment only if city-wide coverage for all possible venues is perfect.

[This message has been edited by Brugle (edited 10-01-2004 @ 05:44 PM).]

Gosh, it's been a while since this thread last had a blue folder next to it...

Some players won't like the mass of shrine a the bottom of your manor block xtof... but then again you could easily disperse them throughout your city. And I really like the idea of having two pavilions at the bottom - one side served by one pavilion, the other by the other

[This message has been edited by WinterPharaoh (edited 10-05-2004 @ 01:36 PM).]

WinterPharaoh,
I think most people will understand your "one side served by one pavilion, the other by the other" comment, since that is a fairly common technique. I've been recommending it for almost 5 years, and (if I remember correctly) all of my non-contest cities in the downloads have at least one block with entertainment supplied that way. For another example (by VitruviusAIA) see reply #42 in this thread.

Brugle, that's true, but it is not so common to have two pavilions specifically for that block, but which are located in an isolated location next to the block, rather than inside the block itself or another nearby block.

What I mean is, most entertainment venues (in my experience), are either located SenetEr style inside the block:

Legend

On the loop road of the block itself:

Legend

Or in another block entirely which has access only through the first block:

Legend

Top is the central core of SenetEr's housing block
Centre is a randomly constructed corner of a larger block
Bottom is my modification of VAIA's Estate Block

In my experience anyway.

[This message has been edited by WinterPharaoh (edited 10-05-2004 @ 01:37 PM).]

WinterPharaoh,

"common" is not a precise term, so I don't want to argue over it.

It should be easy for most players to understand your "two pavilions specifically for that block, but which are located in an isolated location next to the block, rather than inside the block itself or another nearby block", since that configuration is, if not "common", at least not rare. (Actually, I consider the pavilions in xtof's reply #105 to be part of their blocks, since a "housing block" is more than just a road with adjacent structures.) Almost all of my cities have at least one block with entertainment supplied that way. (My Djedu is an exception, with entertainers going through some large blocks to a pavilion in an adjacent block.) When I look at cities by other players, I see entertainment supplied that way fairly often. (Of course, the cities I choose to download might be unusual.) And several players have described using such blocks, including VitruviusAIA in reply #42.

Brugle, I don't want to argue it either (well, alright, just one more time...), so let's just say that:

First of all, and most importantly, I have removed my whispers from the previous two posts, which could have been interpreted as patronising to some readers.

I can understand that there could be considerable debate about whether those said pavilions are in fact disconnected from the block at all. I personally consider them to be separate, due to the fact that they are on an isolated road which is not used for anything else. I understand that again, you may believe differently. However, if I were to use that block, or a similar block, in a city, that pavilion road would probably end up as the labor pickup for a large industrial area, which is obviously connected/related to the block, then I would consider that to be 'problem' solved. So much the better for me that it was designed that way rather than tacked on later, as I am wont to do.

I have used this general technique in my cities, but always the pavilion has been part of another (usually worker) block, the road to which leads through the (manor) block which is to recieve entertainment coverage by means of the passing performers. Or I would connect two blocks by means of a pavilion, such as Xtof's reply #87 to this thread, and inject entertainers from both ends.

Overall, I'm not saying that the technique of using passing desination-walker entertainers to provide coverage to houses is at all uncommon, just that Xtof's particular way of doing it is not a method I have seen done before. Now I come to think about it, it's a rather good idea and I'll probably try it myself.

Thankyou. Let's put this to rest now. (although having had my 'last word', you're entitled to yours...)

Great Itjtawy by the way Brugle - I've just had a look at it, and it runs like clockwork. I expect I'll have loads of questions in the other thread once I've had a proper must over it!

[This message has been edited by WinterPharaoh (edited 10-06-2004 @ 08:42 AM).]

To get this thread back on topic:

Although this is guaranteed to give any 'extra rules' people insomnia and nightmares, here's what I use on really BIG maps when I need to give my culture ratings a mega boost:

Legend

Not cheap, won't pay for itself or provide its own workers, but it does look rather pretty and it gives the most monolithich ratings boost. holds 736 at fancy residence and pays 1760Db per year in tax (again, at fancy residence.

If you don't need that much entertainment, or don't have the space, just cut off sections of it until you get the values you need. The idea for the four central dance stages in this block comes from Vriesa, in reply #6 of VAIA's Estate Block Alternatives.

Hi people,

Just a note to mention that I was having trouble finding the legend for the housing layout symbols, since the link that's been posted under all the layouts in this thread appears to be wrong.

At present they are all, even the very latest ones, leading to:

http://caesar3.heavengames.com/strategy/tiles/legend.shtml

(which doesn't exist).

I did a bit of scouting around and found the actual page at:

http://pharaoh.heavengames.com/strategy/tiles/legend.shtml

Phew! Now I know what to put where!

I was trying a lot lately designing my very own house block, and i came up to this:

Legend
What do you think?