Cities

Cities are the centers of population, production and power. When founded or captured, a city is assigned to a Family. The first city founded by a Nation is its Capital and gains a yearly bonus of +2 Culture and  +2 Money.

Cities can only be founded on certain locations called City Sites. Originally those are controlled by either Tribes or Barbarians.

Culture level
Each city has a culture level, which is increased each time the Culture bar fills. Culture level provides increasing bonuses to the city but also increasing costs per population.

Once a City reaches Developing Culture Level it will gain the ability to Hurry Production using a chosen resource, causing the item at the top of the production queue to be finished next turn. Each turn that an item is produced normally decreases the resources needed to rush it. However Hurry Production always produces 25 Discontent unless the  Monetary Reform law has been passed.

Improvements
Improvements can be used to grand various bonuses to a City. There are two types of improvements: rural and urban. If a Worker is selected the game will suggest the tile where each improvement is most effective.

Improvements without a Specialist will increase the City's Maintenance.

Rural improvements
Rural improvements can only be constructed on non-urban tiles. They require either certain terrain or a certain natural resource present on the tile.

Urban improvements
Urban improvements can be constructed only in the following: Barracks and Ranges are limited to 2 per City.
 * An urban tile.
 * A tile adjacent to two urban tiles. The tile will become urban once the improvement is completed.
 * A tile adjacent to one urban tile and one water tile. The tile will become urban once the improvement is completed.

Hamlets
Hamlets may be built anywhere. In 20 turns it will grow into a Village, and in another 20 turns it will grow into a Town. Only one Hamlet may be built for each Culture Level of a City.

Shrines
Shrines may be built anywhere and gain various bonuses depending on their location and the Nation's Religion. Each Shrine can only be built once unless the Polytheism law is passed. They may not be built next to each other.

Specialists
Specialists are unlocked by certain Improvements that can be trained to boost the yield of the Improvement. All Specialists also produce a small amount of Science. A Specialist's production cost increases with each one built in a city.

Rural specialists
Rural specialists produce 1 Science. They can also provide Luxuries if the Improvement is built on a natural resource that can produce it.

Urban specialists
Urban specialists can be upgraded, improving their bonuses. Upgrading a specialist does not require Citizens.
 * Training an Apprentice specialist costs 40 YIELD FOOD.png Food and 40 YIELD CIVICS.png Civics and produces a bonus of YIELD SCIENCE.png 2 Science each year.
 * Upgrading to Master specialist costs 60 YIELD FOOD.png Food and 60 YIELD CIVICS.png Civics and produces a bonus of YIELD SCIENCE.png 3 Science each year.
 * Upgrading to Elder specialist costs 80 YIELD FOOD.png Food and 80 YIELD CIVICS.png Civics and produces a bonus of YIELD SCIENCE.png 4 Science each year.

Wonders of the World
Wonders of the World are powerful Improvements that can only be constructed once. As soon as a Nation begins constructing a Wonder of the World other Nations cannot start it unless a hostile unit enters the tile of an unfinished Wonder of the World and destroys it. Not all Wonders of the World are available each game. They are chosen randomly at the start of each game. Most Wonders of the World require the City to reach a certain Culture Level before they can be constructed. Each Wonder of the World provides 2 Victory Points.

Projects
Projects are internal City enhancements that on completion grant an instant bonus and a permanent bonus. Each Project can only be constructed in Cities with the same tier of Culture Level.