First City Strategy

[Ming]

What are you looking for in your Capital.

In 2x pro, I'm always looking for a city location that has some trade... silk, gold, wine, whales, spice, gems... and I'm willing to wander a bit to find it. And in a perfect world, there should be at least an average amount of production availble as well.

I've noticed that some players in our games just slap a city down in the first turn or two, regardless of what's available.

What's your strategy for your Capital?

[Flatlander Fox]

I look for a trade special, then a production special. If there are neither I will wander (a little while) until I can find one of those.

If after a few turns of wandering there isn't either of them, I will panic-plop my capital.

[rah]

in 2x, minimum requirement for combined first two cities.
5 beakers.

Other than that, it's nice to have some food or production if you actually get a choice. But if there is no choice I'll settle for 5 beakers regardless of the other surroundings.

The real question, is how long you're willing to wander before you "Panic Flop".

RAH

[atawa]

Either a good trade special (whale/silk/spice/gold) or even better a production special that lets me build a settler before the city turns size 2. (iron/peat/buffalo)

If the map is big enough (50x60 and up) and/or its 5 bil I'll wonder a bit.

On a 40x50 3 bil map I'll just build anywhere I got a shielded grassland, forest and ocean tile.

[SmartFart]

x2x1...Forest and ocean is minimum.

x1x1...Shielded grassland and forest.

Of course,starting place is better in 95% chances.

[War4ever]

obviously i want trade too, but if i see a ton of forest in the opening , i have no problem dropping two cities and looking for trade....

if you dont' find trade you could be in trouble, but in x2x1 that is easily offset by finding water...

of course rivers are nice anytime, but the combo of trade/growth and production is obviously best.

personally i like alot of production

[deity]

The more I play the more I don't care about starts or specials. Sometimes I might wander looking for sea or trade but usually I plonk down the cap where it is in 4000BC.

[Ming]

If the opening screen has no huts, no specials, and no rivers... I may move one turn to see if I expose anything, and my movement will be aimed toward possible city locations assumming nothing additional is uncovered. If there is ocean, some production or food, I'll just plop them down, especially if it looks like that it will be a long time before I have a hope of finding a prefered location. Hopefully, by the time the first settlers are ready, I'll have found some trade.

If I'm on a river, or can see part of a pattern, I'm a lot more patient.

[War4ever]

well spoken ming, i couldn't agree more......

sometimes its worth it to grow your cities to size two asap ....so there are many different strats to follow.

i doubt there is an ideal start unless its two huts, gold, spice, whine, and silk on a river adjacent to ocean

[Alexander's Horse]

I hate starting on plains. That's about the only time a I move more than one or two before settling. Although I will explore a river if I start on one.

[Ming]

Oh yeah... when the opening screen shows mostly plains, there better be some huts or a river...

With a unit starting on a river, unless there are EXCELLENT starting postions readily available, I will always check the river out first. Nothing better than finding a river/forest silk tile

[War4ever]

yes rivers really offer an unfair advantage to someone who doesn't have them...early in the game when defence is questionable, and each beaker or trade arrow counts, rivers can give you that earlier monarchy which is absolutely huge in mp....same if you go the republic route

[Ming]

Tonight was a classic example... while there were no specials or huts on my openning screen, I was on a large river basin. Granted, it took me awhile to find ANY special worth a damn, but at least I was able to do it quickly. I did manage to catch up to you. I got my third city down before you did because my second city was settler a factory with two buffalos and a pheasent.
With the city on a river dot... I cranked a settler out pretty quick and just used one of my non units to protect it. Damn... we started close to each other.
Too bad you killed my non chariot, or you would have had real problems

[rah]

Yes, rivers are your friends
But they can cause problems if your opponent can establish himself on the same river basin. Advance, fortify, and instant fortifications can be difficult to deal with.

[War4ever]

yes thankfully, my warrior was avet after that attack, and thankfully i saw you coming haha....

neeedless to say i have boats, and have found some other land, and my bad move for missing out on HG, i should have been paying attention to that, i even had an embassy....

oh well....cest la vie