Deciding when to build more settlements in Civilization VII (Civ 7) is pivotal for the growth and success of your empire. Here are strategic considerations for the timing and circumstances under which you should expand:
Early Game (Turns 1-50):
•Immediate Settlement: After your capital, aim to settle your second city within the first 10-20 turns to avoid falling behind other civilizations in terms of land control and resource exploitation.
•Scouting: Before settling, use your initial warrior or scout to explore nearby areas. Determine if there are better spots with resources or strategic locations not immediately visible from your starting position.
•Resource Availability: Look for places with high-yield tiles (food, production), strategic resources for military units, or luxury resources to boost happiness. Settling near natural wonders can also provide unique bonuses.
•Fresh Water: Ensure new settlements have access to fresh water for the housing bonus, which is crucial for population growth.
Mid Game (Turns 50-150):
•Expansion Balance: By this point, you should have a few cities. Expand when you can support another city with amenities, military protection, and infrastructure without over-stretching your resources.
•Settlement Upgrades: In Civ 7, you can upgrade towns to cities for gold. This is a good time if you have the gold to do so, as cities offer more advantages like building districts and wonders.
•Cultural or Scientific Victories: If aiming for these victories, settle near mountains or natural wonders for adjacency bonuses to campuses or holy sites which boost science or culture.
•Military Expansion: When planning conquests, consider settling new cities in newly conquered or contested areas to secure your territory.
Late Game (Turns 150+):
•Space and Resource Management: At this stage, expansion might be more about filling in gaps in your empire or securing key resources. However, be cautious about overextension since managing a large empire can become unwieldy.
Victory Type:
•Domination: Continue settling to control more land and resources, focusing on strategic locations for military advantage.
•Science: Settle where you can maximize science output or control key resources needed for spaceship parts.
•Culture: Focus on settling near areas where you can leverage cultural output or tourism.
•Policy Cards and Civics: Use policies or civics that enhance settler production or settlement capabilities if available.
General Tips: 
•Population and Production: Ensure your capital or main cities have enough population and production to support new settlements. If your cities are struggling, focus on growth and infrastructure before expanding.
•Defensive Considerations: Settling in areas that are hard to defend might be counterproductive unless you have a strong military presence or plan for defense.
•Diplomatic Relations: Avoid settling too close to aggressive neighbors unless you're prepared for conflict or can leverage diplomacy.
•Luxury and Strategic Resources: Settle to secure or control these resources, but balance this with the need for food and production tiles.
•Era-Specific Bonuses: Some civilizations have bonuses that are era-specific or depend on the number of cities. Use these to your advantage.
•Gold and Amenities: Make sure you have the gold to buy tiles or upgrade towns to cities and the amenities to keep your population happy.
Remember, the timing of your expansion should be fluid, adapting to the game's dynamics, your civilization's unique abilities, and the strategies of your opponents. Expansion should always aim to complement your overall strategy for victory, whether through cultural, military, scientific, or diplomatic means.
