I think that for the outpost placement we favor the food rather than the industry (we sum the fims but with some light ponderation). The idea behind it was that food was a fims more important than industry for a camp, but it might be completly wrong.

I wondered if something like this would be the reason.
I'd like to point out that I find it not optimal. While I do tend to focus on food early on, I know most good players disagree with this way and focus on industry on the get go. Furthermore, the build time is a sufficient reason not to choose this location, as the outpost would not even be ready upon entering the ancient era.

DrunkenChoko wrote:

I think that for the outpost placement we favor the food rather than the industry (we sum the fims but with some light ponderation). The idea behind it was that food was a fims more important than industry for a camp, but it might be completly wrong.

I mean, can't the recommendation make two suggestions ? the best spot in term of industry (with a bit of food) and the best spot in term of food (with a bit of industry). Sometimes my needs are different depending the situations. Also would be nice if there was always recommendations inside the territory the troop is visiting. It's quite annoying when I need absolutely a territory for its luxuries, and the game want absolutely to highlight me spot in a territory far away. I know I can just look by myself, but like, these recommendations are there when I am impatient and playing more casually x)

DrunkenChoko wrote:

I think that for the outpost placement we favor the food rather than the industry (we sum the fims but with some light ponderation). The idea behind it was that food was a fims more important than industry for a camp, but it might be completly wrong.

That doesn't make sense, outpost is built with Industry. At the same time, after you complete it you often can insta-rise harbor (on regions where applicable) with influence/money, so that is a powerful source to offset lower initial food yields of outpost.

I think the design was supposed to emphasize food at first. I already opened a thread sometime ago about the prevalence of industry, at a time where food was more valuable.
On a side note, in this case, the outpost was my first one. It would not have gotten an harbor so soon, so I'd rather have had a 17/2 that would have grown to give me more population an thus workers, than a 2/17, that would have failed to properly grow.
I settled for the 11/8 in the end.

4 units can raise an outpost in 1 turn even if there is very little industry, so there are several approaches to the placement really

Also outpost grows while in construction so if a territory doesn't have potentially good harbor yields and/or luxury/strategic deposits you can settle for food as well

The issue here, is that I probably had only two units going everywhere and anywhere to explore, grab curiosities and mammoths, etc.
And, from what I understand, the number doesn't fasten the contruction, it is the CS, which is lower during neolithic, than later in the game.

Cure_off wrote:

I think the design was supposed to emphasize food at first. I already opened a thread sometime ago about the prevalence of industry, at a time where food was more valuable.
On a side note, in this case, the outpost was my first one. It would not have gotten an harbor so soon, so I'd rather have had a 17/2 that would have grown to give me more population an thus workers, than a 2/17, that would have failed to properly grow.
I settled for the 11/8 in the end.

At this point isn't it more convenient to found an outpost in the tile with the most Industry and then move it to the one with the most Food?

Cure_off wrote:

I'm all for supporting food at first (I often to myself), but because outposts are built with Industry only, I'll try to find a place that maximizes industry so the outpost appears quickly.  If I have enough influence, I'm usually willing to build an outpost near industry so it's built quickly, and then spend influence to move it to a more food-rich place in the territory.  (As A1y0sh4 just said, too).

In fact, once I have harbours, I'll usually split the difference and settle the outpost for industry and build a harbour for food.  It's not a hard-and-fast rule, but if it's a territory I know I'm going to want to attach and have a harbour eventually, I'll often do this.

What if outposts used food + industry to complete themselves instead of just industry?

Food + Industry looks (quite) like what @DNLH proposed in my thread (It was all FIMS but would mostly be food & Industry).
You'd probably get some upvotes for such a thread.

That said, I still like my option, that makes choices more meaningful and takes a bit away from industry.

@DrunkenChoko Sorry to up the thread, but do you happen to know what the ponderation is between food and Industry?
I got a new one that is weirder, as the 15+9 (not suggested) is way better in many aspects than the simple 20+2.

This time, it was however played with @uncle2fire resources expanded. Just saying in case it might be related.

If I'm not mistaken we take 2x the food for 1 industry, so the score of the recommended tile is 42 while the other tile is 39

Thanks for your fast reply, it could have waited until monday not too early morning at least.
I really suggest to make some changes either by scrapping the coefficient or by adding/modifying some mechanics. In the meantime, it could maybe use some limits at some level (total amount of FI, number of turn to create, etc.) to avoid some weird suggestion and get some better ones highlighted as well.

I wish you a great sunday.