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I played the new game for a couple of weeks and am now about to read the posts here to find out what I’m doing wrong 
First, however, in order to provide a little amusement for those who really know what they are doing, here are some “bedrock principles” that look like they work well for a simplified starting strategy, at least on Monarch, which I’m using to learn the game.
1) In your first city, which better have a good source of fresh water, grow population to it’s highest happy level while building a stack of warriors. Then pump out a worker to increase food supply as much as possible. Settlers will follow at a pace the AI does not match.
2) Research whatever economic techs your early recon mission tells you are necessary. Then you absolutely have to get horseback riding (and horses) or copper. Otherwise, you are a dead civ. If you have neither available, you have to research for iron. Unlike earlier civ versions, archers will not suffice and the AI will attack you if you are weak.
3) Once you have a military style, either mounted or not, beeline for alphabet. Many times you will achieve a monopoly on tech trading for a lengthy period. Often you can trade writing around for early techs. (Also, one more tech along the top line of the tech tree gets you the happiness slider.)
4) As your settlers start towns, build barracks and then focus exclusively on powerful units. Beat up the neighbors. Standard civ practice looks good in the new game to me.
If there is a must-have location for a town, perhaps containing the needed horses or copper, and you are worried the AI will grab it, blocking your expansion, you might choose to build a settler earlier. I still strongly prefer in most games to be satisfied with what the AI leaves open and to treat towns built close to my capital as a donation by the AI of “settler services” for my civ.
Religion will come to you and deserves, in my view, little priority in your strategy. There is no harm in starting a religion if your starting techs let you make an immediate run for one.
Unlike in earlier civ versions, you should avoid building too many workers. There is limited use until civil service and you are likely to capture some from your neighbors anyway.
I agree that you should turn your farms into suburbs later in the game. However, it appears to be all about population growth and conquest of your neighbors in the early game.
The new game is much more fun than the old largely because the AI is more effective as an opponent, IMO.
Comments on what's most crazy about this outline are welcome.
First, however, in order to provide a little amusement for those who really know what they are doing, here are some “bedrock principles” that look like they work well for a simplified starting strategy, at least on Monarch, which I’m using to learn the game.
1) In your first city, which better have a good source of fresh water, grow population to it’s highest happy level while building a stack of warriors. Then pump out a worker to increase food supply as much as possible. Settlers will follow at a pace the AI does not match.
2) Research whatever economic techs your early recon mission tells you are necessary. Then you absolutely have to get horseback riding (and horses) or copper. Otherwise, you are a dead civ. If you have neither available, you have to research for iron. Unlike earlier civ versions, archers will not suffice and the AI will attack you if you are weak.
3) Once you have a military style, either mounted or not, beeline for alphabet. Many times you will achieve a monopoly on tech trading for a lengthy period. Often you can trade writing around for early techs. (Also, one more tech along the top line of the tech tree gets you the happiness slider.)
4) As your settlers start towns, build barracks and then focus exclusively on powerful units. Beat up the neighbors. Standard civ practice looks good in the new game to me.
If there is a must-have location for a town, perhaps containing the needed horses or copper, and you are worried the AI will grab it, blocking your expansion, you might choose to build a settler earlier. I still strongly prefer in most games to be satisfied with what the AI leaves open and to treat towns built close to my capital as a donation by the AI of “settler services” for my civ.
Religion will come to you and deserves, in my view, little priority in your strategy. There is no harm in starting a religion if your starting techs let you make an immediate run for one.
Unlike in earlier civ versions, you should avoid building too many workers. There is limited use until civil service and you are likely to capture some from your neighbors anyway.
I agree that you should turn your farms into suburbs later in the game. However, it appears to be all about population growth and conquest of your neighbors in the early game.
The new game is much more fun than the old largely because the AI is more effective as an opponent, IMO.
Comments on what's most crazy about this outline are welcome.
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