Slingshot strategies

[Dactyl]

Under what conditions are the various slingshot strategies optimal? (I'm playing on monarch level.) I've tried a number of them, most recently slingshotting to CS with the Oracle and without. I don't find them to be that useful except perhaps when you're on a continent alone. The reason is that I've found that nothing succeeds quite as well as slapping the AI civs around early and hard, and I say that as a person who is a builder by inclination. That means that I follow a pretty balanced course of development, and that the first wonder that I build is the Great Library.

[Alkis2]

Under what conditions are the various slingshot strategies optimal?

As you said, when you are alone on a continent it's very usefull.

Also when you have the Philosophical trait you can build Stonehenge and use the Prophet to take CS or Philosophy. I prefer Philosophy. You change to Pacifism and very soon you get another Prophet to speed up CS. In essense you sacrifice two GP but I think it's a good exchange.

Sometimes, I build the Oracle just to deny it to the AI. I consider it important even if I just take CoL with it.

Your strategy of just expanding normally and attacking the AI civs is just fine too. Especially if you choose a leader suitable for attack and conquer.

[Blake]

Slingshots are basically a way to increase your power without expanding and are a good way to convert food/hammers into beakers.

If the start is good for commerce you shouldn't slingshot, expanding and cottaging it over is better, or getting to Calendar ASAP.

The ideal slingshot start is the "Oasis in a jungle/desert", your capital is great but the expansion oppurtunities just aren't there (or will only reduce your research rate for the forseeable future).

[samspock]

What I have been doing is play as rome, build two cities, build the library in the capital and chop rush the oracle in the second city. When I am done with the slingshot, research iron working then alphabet. Hopefully you will have iron in your borders then hook it up and chop rush praetorians then use them to take a bunch of cities from them. That way you get the benifit of the slingshot and let the ai do the city founding for you. I have not had much luck using a civ that does not have a good early uu though.