Cities

Cities are the centers of population, production and power. When founded or captured, a city is assigned to a Family.

City sites
City sites are the only locations where Settlers can found new Cities. A city site can be claimed by a Nation as long as a unit is located on it.

Barbarians
Barbarians occupy City-States like other Tribes, but they are in a permanent state of War with all Nations. They have a number of special units: Marauders, Skirmishers, Elite Marauders and Elite Skirmishers.

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.

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 may be built on any non-urban tile. Specialists working on a rural improvement cannot be upgraded.

Urban improvements
Urban improvements expand the urban area of a city by transforming the terrain underneath to urban. Most urban improvements need to be constructed next to two urban tiles, or one if the tile is coastal. Specialists working on a rural improvement can be upgraded.

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. 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.

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.