Cities

[Trident]

 What exactly do cities do?  I built one, dropped 10 million networth, and gained a bunch of workers.  Is that all it does?  Give you workers?  

[Nohcnonk]

 They provide you with 1000 tents and 500 camps on 1000 acres of land.  Or... that's what it used to be.  Cities also don't take turns to be built, but have a lot of other requirements.  I found this as well...

Tents: While will live on unused land, are specifically designed for housing. As a result, they allow you to house a great deal more than otherwise.
They basically give you more workers. ^_^

Camps: allow you to reduce your military expenses by more efficiently housing your units. They will also lower the price of all military units purchased from the black market. Those first two benefits do not increase once you have 30%.  They also increase the rate at which your black market refills.
I don't think the increased rate in which mercs are refilled isn't limited to a certain percentage or amount of camps on your land, and if it is, I don't think you have to worry about it.

Conclusion: Forget cities and only build huts.

[Retto]

 For every city (or 500 camps), your goods also go to the public market half an hour quicker.

Cities also have an advantage that they cannot be taken in regular troop attacks. Therefore, if you are a leader masser, and are afraid that someone is going to kill you, then having a city is a good protection (in the calculation for the Take City mission, leaders have 22 defensive points each). It is often a good buffer, as people will begin to get less land earlier.

Cities also cost $750,000 per turn. While you are running green, this is a good thing, but when you're trying to minimize costs, it can drive you into the mud. I've had a few accounts, though, where I've been trying to pull up from a mire of troop costs, and building a city brought me right back into the green.

[calria]

For every city (or 500 camps), your goods also go to the public market half an hour quicker.

*blink*

I did NOT know that.

[wolf bite]

 Nor did I until I reported it to Retto as a bug. hehe.


Wolf Bite

[Nohcnonk]

 That was one of the first things I'd learned.  Of course, I wish I'd learned about health that quickly.  Or leaders. XD