The Appian Way

1x1 vs 2x2 Housing

At all housing levels below Large Insulae, it is possible for housing to exist in either 1x1 or 2x2 form. What is surprising is that which form they are found in can make a very large difference to the way a city operates, and the ratings it achieves. Hopefully I will be able to explain why.

Why only some houses go 2x2...

This question, by and large, remains unanswered. A house will only change to a 2x2 form if it is possible, (i.e. housing tiles occupy a 2x2 space) but whether or not 4 1x1 tiles form a 2x2 building appears to be dependent solely on their exact placement on a map, and nothing else. There is no way to force evolution to a 2x2 structure below Large Insulae. This all seems a matter of no more than academic interest, but this issue effects several aspects of city-building, which will now be discussed in turn.

Prosperity rating

For information on exactly how the Prosperity rating is calculated, this page is well worth a look, but the basic upshot is that Prosperity cannot go above an average value calculated from the intrinsic Prosperity factor of the houses in the city. Both a single 1x1 house and a single 2x2 house are counted as one house, so four 1x1 houses affect the Prosperity rating more than a single 2x2 in the same place. The greater the proportion of 1x1 houses, the more the overall Prosperity rating is shifted towards the Prosperity factor of that house. Clearly, if the target rating is more than the Prosperity factor of the house concerned, it is desirable to minimise the number of 1x1 houses, whereas if the target rating is less than the relevant Prosperity factor, then 1x1 housing is a very much to your advantage.

Consumption of non-food items

Non-food goods are consumed on a per house basis. Consequently, four 1x1 houses consume four times as much pottery and furniture (oil and wine are only used by large insulae or above) as a single 2x2 house which holds the same number of people. Thus, in terms of non-food consumption,it is always desirable to have 2x2 houses. This is why, whenever I supply more than one non-food item (i.e. above small insulae), I always evolve my housing to large insulae. Building medium insulae is simply less efficient. Not only is this additional consumption of goods expensive (in terms of labour, and perhaps imported raw material or goods), it also puts an additional strain on Markets, and may require you to build more, increasing costs still further.

Immigration rates

Immigration is also done on a per house basis. Each house is only allowed to have one immigrant sprite on the screen at any one time. Thus the immigration rate is four times greater with four 1x1 houses than it is with a sinle 2x2 occupying the same space.

In Conclusion

Like so many other things in the game, there is clearly a balance to be struck between 1x1 and 2x2 housing. It is possible to eliminate all 2x2 housing by simply not placing any 2x2 areas of housing. You can also eliminate 1x1 housing, but only by evolution to Large Insulae. If pottery is plentiful, then I tend not to worry about this issue, since I will only build small insulae and the highest possible Patrician housing. If pottery is limited, I have to seriously consider eliminating all 1x1 houses. Of course, where speed of immigration is important, 1x1 houses are to be preferred.

This website was created by Mark Snow a.k.a. Caesar Alan. Most of the information presented here was gleaned from a number of other websites. Where possible I have credited my sources. You are free to use any of the information here, provided you acknowledge your source!