Why is plains cow considered a bad start?

[sargon0]

I did not see this response to the OP question so better late than never...

I have heard people dislike plains cow starts but only when this is the ONLY food resource in your capital (no other food special and no flood plains). Apparently the game thinks this is sufficient food for the capital so does not add any extra. This is why it is particularly plains cow that is disliked since one 3-food tile would make for a very slow growing capital. Of course in every other respect plains cow is a fine resource.

[Ming]

I did not see this response to the OP question so better late than never...

I have heard people dislike plains cow starts but only when this is the ONLY food resource in your capital (no other food special and no flood plains). Apparently the game thinks this is sufficient food for the capital so does not add any extra. This is why it is particularly plains cow that is disliked since one 3-food tile would make for a very slow growing capital. Of course in every other respect plains cow is a fine resource.

I agree with this. I love cows, whether they are on plains or grass, they are a great resource. However, I do get a little pissed when all I have in my capital for food is a plains cow. Especially if there is limited grasslands that can be farmed early. I recently had a start like that in an mp game. My only food specials were 2 plains cows and a single grassland that could be farmed. I was on the sea, but there were no sea resources. While I had great production early on, the city took forever to grow, and specialists were pretty much out of the equation. The rest of early empire didn't have any significant amount of food either. That's not one of my favorite starting positions.

[smbakeresq]

What really gets me is when you get a start like Ming described yet when you see the AI set up, someone like the Dutch or Portugal has a coastal start, with 2-4 sea resources and a mineable resource, on a river.

I cant find the picture, but in one of them the Dutch had 3 fish, 6 rivered grassland, a pig on a hill and stone on plain square.

[Ming]

Sooooo true. I really hate when you discover bronze work only to find out there is no copper anywhere close to you, and your nearest neighbor has it in his BFC. And in some of those cases, he usually has Elephants as well

[Theben]

Or an AI capital with stone AND marble in its BFC. There was a game where the Roman AI had that plus one more marble! And iron!(!!!!).

[Ming]

If I see Iron in the Roman's BFC (or anywhere in their territory) and it isn't mined yet, it's like the clock is ticking. It's time to take them out NOW or make sure I'm their best buddy.

On another note, it's always funny when the Romans ask you if you would like to trade them iron... like you really are going to even consider it

[Boracks]

Or, as in a recent game, I had no copper unless I researched sailing and went over water to get it while my second closest neighbour had it in their BFC - the Native Americans!

[Ming]

The native americans don't need copper...

And I have no problem getting to a resource if it requires sailing. Some things simply have to be done... especially in an MP game when you don't have the option to reset

[rah]

My favorite is starting on one of those one square wide swastika shaped peninsulas with no sea specials, or copper or horses and 7 turns latter reaching the real mainland only to discover it blocked by a civ that has flood plains, gold copper, and elephants of course.

[wodan11]

My favorite is starting on one of those one square wide swastika shaped peninsulas with no sea specials, or copper or horses and 7 turns latter reaching the real mainland only to discover it blocked by a civ that has flood plains, gold copper, and elephants of course.

I think that's what's called a "learning opportunity".

[Ming]

I think that's what's called a short game.

FIXED

[rah]

I hate having to research iron that early. But it's even worse when your sight has expanded out far enough to see that there are no islands nearby either.