Civilization 5 - The Early Game

Filthy describes his early game goals and thought processes.

[@blazingflames32]

WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN A TRADE AGREEMENT WITH ENGLAND

[@Harctor]

+blazingflames32 HELLO BROTHER

[@blazingflames32]

Harctor TRADE AGREEMENT?

[@maddafakka7783]

+blazingflames32 I TRUST YOU'RE A FRIEND TO LIBERTY

[@Anonymous_PUBG]

GO AHEAD...

[@jokebyLASSE]

WHO DARES TO ENTER MY AUGUST PRESENCE?

[@zapxcero]

21:44 "I really should be thinking about happiness." damn man I've been thinking about that my whole life

[@tylerbuttpants272]

i know this was 2 years ago and might be a joke but are you alright?

[@Hankyman583]

@@tylerbuttpants272 is anyone

[@davi-yn4kp]

I know this comment is old, but stay strong

[@hungrymusicwolf]

@@davi-yn4kp I am gonna continue where you left off and ask @zapxcero "you doing well today man?"

[@gmatsue84]

@@hungrymusicwolf is anyone

[@taytay6563]

Came to revisit this after 8 years. Aged like a fine wine :))

[@evanfaimon6281]

Rt

[@Stforv]

Speaking of wine and other luxuries.. the example settling with Japan is bad=) Don't settle like this, especially in MP. You have 5 useless desert tiles, and this city can be shot from 6 water tiles (impossible to defend from frigates). But if you move 1 tile north and settle on silk you have less desert and only 4 water tiles to be shot from. And also 2 bonus gold in the city (from the tile) and free lux on calendar without the need to build anything.

[@milosmilovanovic3929]

2024 and still going strong :') we miss you @FilthyRobot

[@TravagGames]

Dropping the info like Gandhi drops nukes.

[@dudeistpreist5721]

TravagGames I got 4 silver in one city with and with the pathfinders wiped out that cunt at turn 54... good game so far!

[@meneither3834]

I have never seen a nuclear Ghandi in civ5.

[@TheKevdaawg]

@@meneither3834 buy a lottery ticket cause I swear I get nuclear ghandi almost every game

[@John_Flam]

@@TheKevdaawg LMAOOOOO

[@lord6617]

Filthy, this video is completely unrealistic. Japan with a coastal start with fish resources never happens. You should have restarted to get the appropriate bare ocean tiles. Preferably on tundra.

[@FilthyRobot]

Right?

[@Vuosta]

landlocked tundra ofcourse.

[@emberguard5009]

uh, the idea is to learn how to make good decisions no matter your circumstances, not cherry pick your location through resetting

[@OsetrRYTP]

Emberguard r/wooosh

[@baronvonbeandip]

@Jay Cee I don't play at all and I got that...

[@EvanSaltare]

21 minutes in and I'm still interested. Good job.

[@itsjustanapple5452]

Same. I had to do school work but now i am playing civ 5...

[@MrJatmesdragon]

Wow.... dude why dont you have more subscribers. This guide is so useful, and as well as your others. Nicely done, you deserve more internet points

[@FilthyRobot]

+MrJatmesdragon If only it were that easy!

[@MrJatmesdragon]

Haha true. Thank you so much though, I'm playing much much better now thanks to you. I like the "No Bullshit" types of videos you have. Great job, keep it up!

[@zariars]

+FilthyRobot You have uploaded 4k vids in under 3 years. Impressive but bombarding subboxes is not liked by some people. Just so you know. It's an average of 4 videos a day. People don't have the time to watch that either. Do what you want. This could be some things for you to think about.

[@EASTNSIM9454]

he doesnt have millions of subscribers cuz he isnt an obnoxious kid yelling everything into the mic. hes mellow and into the actual game. i dig it

[@jetfire232]

Dude this guide really helped me start playing on a tougher difficulty... which was prince but still thank you very much!!!

[@FilthyRobot]

Glad it helped!

[@charlesavelino7502]

im new to civilization game what are your suggested other videos that can help me with early game to understand the basics give me links

[@charlesavelino7502]

and what is your suggested configuration settings game.. im playing on large map, 20 states.. what do you usggests

[@fancypig]

In general, this guy is amazingly helpful, but Marbozir is another great channel to watch, although he doesn't really do tutorials, and it is much more a "watch and learn" type experience.

[@comradebillyboy]

This discussion hit on almost every flaw in my early game strategy. So I decided to move up to King again and try your approach, especially getting settlers out early, compact empire and not bothering with the GL. The result, my best King level victory. Your explanations are very clear and your strategy worked well for me, thanks for your good work.

[@FilthyRobot]

Glad to hear! These videos are geared toward playing against human opponents, but I imagine many of the principles would translate to single player too!

[@MaryRoseGrace]

I was introduced to the game a few weeks ago by my partner. After getting my butt kicked I decided to invest some time in Filthy's videos. Thanks for making them, they are awesome and you are a really good teacher. I took notes on this one, and I am ready to crush said partner! I'm posting my notes below for anyone who does not want to watch the whole video. Although I don't know who that person is because it was an excellently articulated and to the point watch. I apologize for the shorthand but I think the point gets across: Found a city on hill, you get a defensive bonus Tradition you want between 3 and 5 cities very early game Always do production focus , manually assign workers When debating new city location prioritize contested areas For these cities look for unique luxuries not found near you capital Cargo ships more efficient for trading than caravans; if you have one coastal city, more is a good idea Settling note: mountains and rivers good, rivers = food/ defensive, mnt = observatory/science victory / defensive When you are building settlers food doesn't matter anyway Never improve banana (not actually in this video but I read a lot about it on Reddit today: ) Tech order: pottery, animals, mining, calendar, bronze When settling new cities, define border before you back fill inner territories even if those have better resources ~One unique luxuries per expansion to break even on happiness Try to steal a worker from a city state instead of investing in one Find city states for tributing Early game faith lead to getting early shot at religion Late game you want to have met as many city states as possible, more missions, more chances to purchase culture After settling new cities, prioritize city growth Send trade caravans from capitol to help expansion grow, once they are one their feet send them back to your capitol Open diplomatic channels with other players; maybe neither of you settle the contested area Define borders before building Wonders After expansion cities, National College should be you priority Early war always sucks, only do it if the land you have would not allow you to win by limiting your late game production Check Demographic sheet to check yourself compared to other players and monitor runaways

[@FilthyRobot]

Glad to hear people still find this useful all these years later!

[@Staric354]

@@FilthyRobot I really prefer Civ5 to Civ6, and a lot of people do.

[@mcf2071]

Almost 8 years later. Loving the video, Filthy.

[@FilthyRobot]

Glad to hear it. The Civ 5 guide videos have really done well over time!

[@misteratoz]

​@@FilthyRobotthat's because it's an amazing game you're an amazing player. Thanks for your thousands of insights.

[@unamite3762]

My man just called it “Kaiyoto” XD

[@rudywang4289]

immediately scroll down to find this comment after hearing it LOL

[@unamite3762]

Rudy Wang XD

[@Silentstrike46x]

One thing I love about his videos, is that he isn't saying "Build this, then build that", the actually explains the whole thought process behind it. This is the only way that new people (and even veterans) can learn and improve.

[@zackwhite5959]

Just checking in 3 years later to let you know I've learned a lot from this video! I've probably got at least 200 hours in Civ 5 now (started playing a few months ago) and I thought I had the basics, you've proven me wrong. I've still never used caravans for transferring food/production, but you've convinced me to do it to get my expansions up and running ASAP. Also, I never realized the benefits of prioritizing your capital too much, but you've explained it pretty perfectly. Higher multipliers on everything from wonders, social policies etc. Thanks!

[@FilthyRobot]

+zack white love to hear that these older guides are still useful!

[@JosephLachh]

@@FilthyRobot I bought civ five three years ago and never played it. I'm watching these guides and getting started. Also thinking about civ 6 or the future civ 7.

[@makavelismith]

Wow you really belt out the information man. great video, thanks

[@robnob8982]

This answered a lot of questions I often asked myself aswell as given me insight to things I never asked myself. 10/10

[@miracozkurt9002]

Well i clicked your video randomly, i wasnt expecting very informative thing but hell yeah you suprised me Great work, Great video helped me a lot subbed

[@FilthyRobot]

+Miraç Özkurt Cheers!

[@darkfalcon7760]

+FilthyRobot Thanks for the info! ;) I always struggled in the early game and had to catch up, which I managed, but it was wasted time. Liked and subbed!

[@da1vinci1edi]

+FilthyRobot I don't play civ , but watching your videos and going in-depth about every little thing is inspiring , watched ur tier guide 2.0 vid too . This is what gaming is all about u enjoy the game u know almost everything about it ur confident with it(+what makes a good youtuber) and most important youre playing to win. Cheers

[@FilthyRobot]

da1vinci1edi Cheers for that!

[@roxianv9728]

Picked up Civ5 a few days ago and I'm hooked. Thank you for explaining things the way you do, it really helps.

[@parkerhardy8398]

The efficiency of this video is amazing bro, good job. I loved watching and I learned exactly what I wanted to about how to play the game effectively.

[@Przeswietleni]

Thank you so much for those videos. I love civ since 1st version and recently started playing BNW. Your knowledge makes me appreciate it even more. This stuff is amazing!

[@MarauderM00gi]

I have a group of friends that I always play Civ with and this has actually helped me frame a lot of the concepts I had begun to piece together. Really appreciate it, man. I've been subbed for a while and I definitely appreciate you taking the time to make these vids.

[@danhansen7523]

Great guide! Helped me figure out some big mistakes I was making in the early game! Thanks a Bunch!

[@robertscribner8293]

Jam-packed with info for the entire hour. Fantastic.

[@jaggerjdm9787]

Perfect tutorial! You were straight to the point and didn't talk to the viewers like idiots (perfect amount of depth). Keep it up! You definitely earned some subscirbers.

[@cenving123]

53:40 when the tips for a game turn into life advices

[@markstevenson603]

Not sure if you read comments on old videos, but your series of civ 5 is brilliant. I just got civ not too long ago (very late to the party) Its helped me a lot getting ramped up to play single player, along with playing with friends who have more experience. Cheers. Wish you well.

[@FilthyRobot]

Glad you like them!

[@tom3832]

Ive subbed to you yesterday cos of darkest dungeon and today i found this, thank you so much for your content, very informative and helpful!

[@alexforst8171]

I could watch your videos all game they are very informative and well done! love civ even more because of your videos

[@JebeTheGreat]

It's fun to see that after hundreds of hours in Civ5 I've intuitively figured out some of these things, but my god is there a lot of fine details I hadn't paid any mind to.

[@RemcoHeerdink]

One thing you might not be aware off regarding the production 'trick' is that it works exactly the same for culture/faith/gold. So say you have a mt. sinai in your city and want to work the faith with the next pop. Selecting faith focus will pop the citizen in the faith tile when you grow the next turn. There are only two exceptions to this; if you grow with 1 excess food, which rarely happens, and the city would starve if it where to work the faith tile In that case, the governor will select a food tile to work instead. The other exception is if a barb comes in, at the beginning of the turn, and steps on a tile making the governor go wild. This trick is relevant when you want to get a religion early on but also want to grow. It can also be used to get a little more gold in the early game (say you have a 4 hammer tile and a 3 hammer+3 gold tile). Also in some situations your city doesn't have a production tile to work and in that case its almost always better to select a different focus. The governor does strange things in that situation like sending your citizens into unemployment for one more hammer... Another micromanagement trick is when you'r two turns away from growing. Reassigning a production tile to a high food tile may cause the city to grow next turn, instead of in two turns. Because of production focus the new citizen will work the tile that you where previously working. By doing this you not only get the production but also gain the additional tile yield from the food tile. Essentially you grow a turn faster without any downside other than more micromanagement. :D Naturally this is a TON of micromanagement and probably not worth it. Still I found it interesting and it can be usefull in some situations (especially 'trick nr. 2'). Enjoy your games, wanted to give something back. ;)

[@FilthyRobot]

Nice comment. I was aware of these things, but didn't think to spend the time to explain them in the video. I'll occasionally use it for gold or faith too. The governor only un-assigns citizens if you have a building with specialists and don't have "manual specialist control" ticked.

[@wyckedone8626]

Great job with channel man, got 1+, u deserve lot more! I really like that you're not underestimating your viewers and getting straight forth to the main point with subtle things (that impact the whole game) in between.. Really helping me a lot since I just started with Civ, though I'm a veteran strategy player.. And I think I know why I delayed Civ for years so much: need to keep them alarms queued to go and get some food^^

[@Hunter-zq9lt]

thank you for these videos, ive been listening to you on pka and just got a pc. Civ was the first game i bought. These videos help me so much!

[@callumdavis8307]

Just coming back to civ 5 and this guide really helped in my current mp game. Interesting video as always

[@pearseflannery2913]

Just picked this game/DLC up in the Steam Summer sale, thanks for the tips for a first timer. Earned yourself a sub :)

[@GeneralsGentlemen]

Great video! Very helpful and yet still concise. I could tell you were very prepared for the video which was very appreciated. :)

[@kevinmitchell1011]

I've been getting back into Civ 5 recently after years away. This nearly 8 year old video is still super useful - thanks!

[@user-pr3fb3km3j]

Great stuff, man. I appreciate your time and your skill in presentation.

[@ImJarlen]

Loving these long in depth videos. I can have them running while making food

[@Henry-mm9xe]

These videos help me a ton with Civ. I am a very new player and these guides are just what I was looking for.

[@jorbell98]

Excellent video, even this long after posted - subscribed! Keep up the good work

[@ap080]

Thank you, this vid is great. I played on King for ages, but have started some MP play with friends on Emperor. I really am having some trouble keeping up with AI, and needed a new way of thinking. I got a lot of ideas from your vid and helped me break some bad habits! Cheers mate.

[@rafaelcubas85]

Wow, Man you are The Best ever. Your video came to South America. This is the first solid guide I found after several I watch. Grats.

[@steveg7000]

Good advice of a general and basic nature.

[@wrinkmd]

Robot I know you posted this video a few years ago, but i am just now getting to watch it. I just obtained Civ 5 and have been playing it. This video was super helpful in explaining alot.

[@FilthyRobot]

Glad to hear!

[@junseokoh8073]

wow so smart... every vocab is just perfectly at use, so much helpful and clear to understand Thank you!

[@akuhnert]

Good job with the video. I have been playing off & on for several years using some suggestions from blogs. Your explanations are quite accurate in revealing why some of my strategies were destined for trouble. Looking fwd to playing again with deeper insight into gameplay.

[@Mumbolian]

Loving the video so far, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the civ tiers.

[@wonderbop2656]

this was a great video. I love how fast you talk you don't waste time with dumb stuff. you had so much information great job we appreciate

[@TayNez63]

Love your videos man! I also first heard of you from FPS Kyle/Russia. Loved you on PKA too, awesome guest

[@Luke-nz7ms]

Great guide mate, I usually start with settling my city then making the monument while researching pottery ~ writing. after the monument is done i built a quick scout/warrior then build a great library. It's working for me so far in all of my games but do you have any tips for me? you seem to know what you are talking about. Btw keep up the good work mate, i can see the time and devotion :), easily subbed.

[@yariang0]

Hey Filthy, loving the guides. Would love to see one on pacing. I'm new to the game so when you describe things as early or late I have no idea what that means in terms of actual turns.

[@skyisclear8461]

I know this is an old video, but I just wanted to say that Civ has sat unplayed on my Steam account for years, and you have single-handedly got me to finally play it. I needed this guide to kickstart my enthusiasm. Thanks so much.

[@FilthyRobot]

I love hearing feedback like that. It's a great game and I'm pleased to hear that'll you get a chance to enjoy it!

[@MenTos2882]

Really enjoing these vids! thanks man

[@DynamyteTV]

Filthy is to civ as Purge is to Dota

[@Tamiss]

+DynamyteTV purge can't play for shit though

[@DynamyteTV]

Because He's a support?

[@Tamiss]

no he's just bad

[@luckygozer]

+Tamiss I am fairly new to civ multiplayer but i don't think it's a huge esport by any means? Purge is fairly bad compared to competitive dota players. But he is still probably significantly better then the people who watch him for tips guides etc. And for dota 2 since it has such a high multiplayer focused playerbase the level to be competitive is going to be alot higher. in short Purge is shit comparatively in dota but compared to civ he might not be that far off.

[@DynamyteTV]

luckygozer He is hugely knowledgeable of the game he plays, as is filthy with Civ.

[@SoFarSoGoodSoWhat14]

Filthy, any chance you could put all your kinda "guides/tiers/tutorials/tips" videos into a playlist or something? It's hard to find stuff since there are like 120~ games on your channel. Love your videos though! Definitely some of the most informative Civ videos on KZbin :)

[@FilthyRobot]

They're already in a playlist. It's stickied on my front page too...

[@FilthyRobot]

***** I could never, ever, reveal the true, secret, strategy tips.

[@FilthyRobot]

***** Why would that matter at all?

[@FilthyRobot]

***** I'm not that person ;p

[@FilthyRobot]

***** I haven't see him. But since I'm neither Russian nor a blogger, I can safely assume I'm not him.

[@silent-trouble]

When I watch these videos I so want to play it myself, but since i am an absolute beginner, I soon find myself lost with all the complexities and information to cope with and give up. Seems like a great game once you got all of it into your head, though. Huge amount of input here, very good video ;). Seems FilthyRobot really mastered it.

[@techbone5683]

eli4s Just play on easy difficulties and wing it, move from there once you feel comfortable. Learn little by little obviously but don't try to memorize all the information before playing. Getting the feel of actually playing and the experience will help you a lot more as a straight beginner than watching guides.

[@workingguy]

Filthy, thank you. This was an awesome rundown; really helped me straighten out my early game.

[@StopFear]

This is an old but an extremely useful video. Also whenever I see strategy built around rivers, I think how awesome it would be if the origin of the river and the ocean outflow could be affected by those who settled closer to start of the river. Then you could either make the river less helpful for those settled below it, or maybe you could even build a dam. The dam could have a good and bad outcomes. You could pretty much make the river useless to those further down, BUT you could get unexpected water tiles that the dam would create and destroy or limit your hexes availability.

[@willdiduch8926]

great video! I have about 800 hours on civ and i still learned lots from this. You should do your next civ video on tips for playing on diety difficulty.

[@cgibbs011]

Excellent video, as a novice player looking to improve, I found this really insightful. Thank you.

[@speeddemon12321]

Good job! I appreciate your effort at writing notes before. Very professional.

[@tacitplague7079]

Great guide :) thanks for all the help i am definetly gonna sub you have helped me go from finding it hard to win one emporer to wining on imortal :D

[@freedadrive]

you're videos are really good man

[@David-mg5jx]

Great video, very informative from start to finish!

[@unidorsalicosahedron7416]

~7:00: "Barbarian encampments will do nothing to help you" Unless you're Germany.

[@XJOEMANN13]

Dör Is They're OP with Germany :/ If you get Archers/Spearmen you can easily take another Civs second city

[@doesitmatterwhoiam8838]

I'm addicted to milking them for culture, but none of these guides reccomend that so its probably a mistake

[@7deuc2e38]

Just started playing this game and these videos are a godsend

[@Zeriel00]

Wow I only have a 10 minute attention span and I sit trough this whole video!! I learned a lot! Just started playing Civ V so I can be there for Civ VI on day one! :D

[@connorlw1]

This helped me so so much. Thank you!

[@matt05h]

This just might be the most informative video i've ever watched.

[@N0rwegianGreenDayFan]

This was helpful, I consider myself an average(perhaps average plus) Civ player, mostly play singleplayer though and I notice how many decisions I don't even think about and make stupid decisions. Especially like settling on hills/rivers and possibly next to a mountain. I never really thought about these things, I just looked at resources mainly. Definitely improved by play.

[@warkito]

u just got 1 more subscription. Really nice video and thanks for explaining everything

[@adriansmith2022]

Can I say... I love you! This was a great great help to me... THAN K YOU SOOO MUCH... very organized... you stayed on topic... I feel like I will be a better player!

[@ToniosPlaylist]

Really cool video and stuff. Actually I try explicitly to spam wonders, because the benefits are just too good, either to have them myself, or to stop enemies in getting them. I try to compensate my loss in growth with gold, focusing on production and hunting barbs and ruins.

[@erict5005]

Great video/tutorial. Jam packed with information. My only critique (and one you mentioned a few times) would be to play through turns a bit faster while you are explaining concepts. A few turns from 21:00-30:00 would help the flow a bit. I was thoroughly engaged, though. Thanks for your time.

[@1interesting2]

thanks for the upload

[@Gquain]

My special trademark Artemis rush is not so special anymore. Now I feel so dumb now with my half-assed motivations of rushing my usual wonders. Thanks for letting me see the errors of my ways!

[@racheecha974]

Would you still say that production focus is always a must-have? I would argue that having a growth focus at certain points or the default would allow you to grow faster which would allow more tiles to be worked and would minimize the need for production focus throughout the game.

[@jfreem1898]

Great videos! Very thorough and informative. Perhaps consider moving your face screen to the 10 or 3oclock position so it doesnt block the view when u hover mouse? Noticed in tier breakdown 2.0 lots of info blocked by your lovely face ;p

[@i.b.818]

This is brilliant and wo, so helpful. Thank you. :)

[@skab111]

Very accurate and efficient guide, very well explained!

[@tokyomag]

dude this video is great. i was so confused playing this game over the years

[@villekorvala5914]

Thank you for the useful tips!

[@terryobrien6726]

You talked about not going for wonders, but what are your thoughts on Temple of Artemis, I know i’m super late but it seems really good

[@jirikramar7581]

You´ve just earned another subscriber. I really like your videos. You beat the others and bring them to their knees. There are so many bad videos in these days full of unnecessary "funny" chitchating and mostly lacking finess and true strategy.

[@paulitothechicken4242]

Great vid, even for a new player who didn't understand all of it! Subbed + liked, keep it up!

[@dumple123]

could you do a video on the late game?

[@Jcblmao]

the single best civ video ive ever watched.

[@zubex22]

Informative and funny. I like it man, keep the videos coming! I don't sub to many people, but you got me brotha!

[@Hootiefish]

Extremely helpful thank you

[@Deal2MC]

Thanks for these guides. Maybe one day we will meet on the field of battle!

[@nickdengler2985]

good job professor! love the info

[@carcar4425]

Should you be accessing what kind of victory you want before the game, or have it depend on your location of cities and the benefits they provide? Also whats the best non-domination victory to be striving for? Great video, a lot of information in an efficient and quick manner.

[@tonedogmillionaire]

Very detailed video, well planned out man! Found you through PKA btw, Is any of this info outdated? or is it all up to date?

[@Thor233PL]

I really liked the video, it explained a lot for me! Though I still have some noob questions so if you'd either answer them, or at least point me in a direction where I could find an answer - I would be grateful :) First - I see why building a city on a hill is beneficial, but you didn't mention the fact that you can't build a Windmill in these. Is it because windmills are not worth later on? Second - wouldn't it be more beneficial to start tradition and liberty just for the culture per turn, and later for the ability to choose form both trees (Landed elite and free worker thing)? Third - I'm curious about the world generation settings (sea level, climate etc.) that are being played on the Multiplayer matches.

[@GreatBritishGamers]

Awesome video, thanks for the tips. Subscribed!

[@michaelcookielover6091]

I really enjoyed this video. I've been playing this game for awhile, but realized I didn't really know what I was doing, but always seemed to win on research against the AI at the mid difficulty. I just recently tried winning a tourism victory, but was defeated due to a time win on 6/7 influence and the last at 84%. Watching this video really helped me out; going to check out some more. Do you have a guide on what all settings you turned on, cause your resources and values look different than mine (stock settings). I assume since you play online, these are all available by default without mods.

[@reznikvolodymyr8145]

There is also one thing, if you spawn at coastal spo t there is no sence to build 2nd(or 3rd scout), becuse from side of ocean there is nothing to scout, comparetevly to mid map spot where you need scout in al directions

[@Tenjeen]

I've been playing Civ games since III, on a REALLY casual level against AI (warlord, mainly), just enjoying the whole thing and trying goofy strategies just for fun. This video actually inspired me to finally play this game in a more serious manner, maybe even Multiplayer (mostly with friends). It's astonishing how much knowledge you have and how well you understand how this game works. Kudos. I'm gonna use this knowledge to finally beat my friend (who usually pummels me into oblivion) in this game

[@FilthyRobot]

Glad you enjoyed it. Good luck with the stomping!

[@SaalarSaadatmand]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@jasonmathis6976]

Hi Filthy, still playing this and have moved up from king to emperor vs. AI. I have a few questions: Do you leave your city on production emphasis the entire game, or do you ever switch it back to default? Seems like your science output would really suffer with this. Also, when you set up internal caravans, do you move food or production early on, or do you ever switch these later?

[@FilthyRobot]

Production focus with manually locking your growth tiles. You production focus because of how the game counts resources at the start of the turn. For some reason non-food resources are counted after population growth, so with production focus you get "free" hammers each time you grow.

[@FilthyRobot]

Caravans are like 90% food, it can be worth switching them over for a couple of reasons, one of which is that the game is going to end soon enough that you'd rather have the production "now" than the impact of extra citizens later.