Move From Starting Position?

[Nikomakkos]

Oh, and when you beeline elephants, as you did, you at the same time beeline catapults, which is good regardless of any elephants. Catapults is how you take cities.

Don't waste worker turns building roads everywhere. Try to have enough workers so they can keep up with the population growth of your cities, and try to have them improve tiles in order of importance. That order you sort of have to learn to figure out, by thinking. There are some things to consider.

Some basics concerning that: Food resource first. Then, in this case, those gems, and you should get a tech lead easily. Then maybe something for production, but don't wait too long for placing those cottages by the river. And build a cottage on the dye, like someone said.

I have such a beautiful vision in my head of this land all settled with towns everywhere. Please do it, for me? (I've been away from the game for a while).

[okblacke]

Well, I had more cities in earlier attempts, but I ended up having lots of easy targets for Monty.

Chopping trees, you say? Bronze working you say?

I have to get out the religion biz, eh? That's interesting, because this latest game, Huyana beat Monty to Buddhism and now Monty's a benign little sweetheart at the bottom of the pile.

OK, ok, I'm the type that goes for the Bud-Hind-Jew trifecta which is why I end up ending everything cultural. I'll try your stripmining approach...

[snoopy369]

I would like to strongly discourage going for more than one of the early religions. You can easily get three of the late religions if you want lots of them, and at any reasonable level it's impossible anyway; weaning yourself off it earlier is better than later.

I rarely go for ANY of the early religions unless i'm a Myst. civ and not creative. Even then it's probably 50/50; if I have a useful worker tech to research right away, I definitely go there first.

[okblacke]

Yeah, I actually don't bother when I venture into above-Warlord territory. And to get to Judaism I have to go through Buddhism and Hinduism as well so, yeah, it seems like a bad idea.

Just a bad habit.

[Nikomakkos]

Yeah, the higher difficulties it is very ill advised to try to found a religion. Even if you manage to get it first, it's likely to be more of a drag than a benefit since you'll make enemies fast. And you are a big target for the AI. It's much better to try and wait for factions to form and choose one of them carefully and have their religion as state religion. That way you get allies, which can help a lot. You can direct the course of the game this way.

Aside from all that, when your not researching the religion tech, and not building monasteries and missionaries, you expand faster in the initial stages.

God I love talking about this game. Why didn't I join these forums sooner? This is the first time I'm talking to people who play.

[snoopy369]

Actually, Polytheism(Hinduism)+Masonry gives you monotheism... (which is why it's usually better to go for Hinduism if you go for one, because Judaism is closer if you fail).

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Nikomakkos
God I love talking about this game. Why didn't I join these forums sooner? This is the first time I'm talking to people who play.

One of the few questions I won't attempt to answer Welcome aboard

[Theben]

I disagree about founding a religion. In fact monotheism is excellent b/c you get +1 from the state religion and +1 more w/ temple if need be. Mainly you get +25% towards buildings, including wonders, with Mono/Org Rel. So getting that early dramatically cuts down on usage. With his gems + bonus in the capital he shouldn't have a problem getting Judaism. I wouldn't bother with the 1st 2 tho.

So research BW, Agri, masonry, myst, poly, mono pretty much in that order, later going back for wheel, pottery- hunting & archery if you feel threatened, or priesthood and writing if not. Maybe even throwing Sailing in there, for trade routes and a shot at the GL. hook up that stone and chop those trees and build those farms and slave those people until you have settled the area, getting that copper, elephants, and as many resources as you can. Even with only copper you can build archers, axemen, and spearmen which should be enough to keep the enemy at bay. While a CE economy is what you'll want eventually, think about getting the Pyramids with all that forest and stone, and then you can build libraries everywhere with 2 scientists. Later as your cottages mature into towns you can switch to Uni Suff. Try to plan ahead where you want your cities, with as many coastal as possible for your UB.

If you're thinking conquest, aim for CS and machinery to get macemen, which can be built with copper. Throw in some cats and elephants and destroy your enemies. Happy hunting!

[okblacke]

Actually, Polytheism(Hinduism)+Masonry gives you monotheism... (which is why it's usually better to go for Hinduism if you go for one, because Judaism is closer if you fail).

Well, that's what I thought--but then if I click on Monotheism first thing, it selects meditation as well. (Or am I hallucinating? Sure seemed like it did. But then, what's the point of having the two tracks?)

All right, so I've taken some advice here: No early religion, chop like crazy, I've tried to produce more settlers and settle more land but I'm only up to six cities, I think. I probably could have settled a couple more (still probably can).

I feel better about my position; I think I'm going to ramp up an attack on Monty. I think it's smarter to capture towns from him than try to squeeze in between Justinian and Monty.

I managed to get Stonehenge and Pyramids, so I'm experimenting with Representation.

[okblacke]

Well, the attack on Monty went so-so. I managed to fend him off and had enough production to capture one outlying city. I toyed with trying to capture another but ultimately went for peace while researching toward riflemen.

As I'm researching and trying to build, Huyana passes me in points. I'm kicking ass tech-wise, but slipping in production. (Which I don't like at all.) I'm kicking up culture as well, in anticipation of razing Tenochititlan and settling a new city where it is.

After I got riflemen, Justinian solicited me for a co-war, and I went along. I really didn't have enough troops. So I hunkered down in my one formerly Aztec city and then, when Justinian's army passed by, I sent a war elephant and my would-be uber-medic along. (I tried that trick of using a general on a warrior to get the Wood III + Medic III but screwed it up by forgetting it needed to have combat I to get to medic. Doh.) We went past the capital to a city on the other side of the land mass, which I had my eye on.

Then I noticed Justinian had killed all but one troop and my war elephant had a 2/3rds shot, so I gambled and won. That was nice.

The Justinian took over Tenochtitlan, which quickly became an island surrounded by me.

Huyana is still ahead of me in points, though I at least ended up with lots more land area. I'm 4th in soldiers, though I have the strongest troops, but more worrying is that I'm 5th in production.

Then Huyana declares war on me. He gets a massive stack next to my first (formerly) Aztec city, and I start loading up cavalry (against his macemen and trebuchet and catapults). Outnumbered though we are, we survive with a few casualties, and now everyone's pumping out cavalry.

Well, pumping as much as is possible with 5th place production. I go for steel and settle a general in my second production town. I'm moving toward assembly, will probably get communism and fascism first. Factories should help. Then maybe artillery, just for giggles.

There's a thin layer of Justinian's empire (formerly Aztec) between me and Huyana. Not sure what I should do about that.

In any event, it's been different. This is the furthest I've played so far. I could make peace with Huyana and try to crush Justinian (who, even with our long shared struggle, still tells me how he won't share squat with me because he's just not that into me). Having done that, I could go after Huyana.

Or I could pick on the Chinese. I thought we were buddies, but they don't like me much either. Well, they say they're pleased on the one hand, but don't like me enough to do anything meaningful to help.



Anyway, thanks for the help. Further suggestions are welcome.

[couerdelion]

Am I seeing things right that you are researching Education (Renaissance era) and have only three cities?!!!

That looks very odd

[ColdPhoenix]

Looks like Aesthetics and 5 cities to me!

[wertyu70]

Could you please post the starting postition save game?

[Blaupanzer]

The education and 3 was on the first expansion map. The new one is 5 and aesthetics. I tend not to do education until post steel if I am warmaking. Definitely not a priority when at war and only 3 cities.

[snoopy369]

I think meditation can take you there as well, but Masonry is the better track, because masonry is more useful than meditation in the short run.