What do you do when you start off in the midst of mountains, plains, and deserts?

[Jim W]

About every third game, chance has me stuck in a place with maybe one shield, no farming land, and everything mountains, hillls, brush, and desert.

If I start off my first city right there, I have a hard time making it amount to anything, or even produce enough to get going on other cities. If I move to a more salubrious area, I'm already three turns behind the AI.

There is one solution, to just start over again, but that's just a little bit too easy.

Are there any other answers?

Jim W

[War4ever]

Jim against the ai it is ok to explore a good 10 - 20 turns looking for a good site and to tip huts..... against humans.... well thats another post.....

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They call me Mr. Fierce

icq 30200920

[wonderdog4]

As Slowwhand would say: if life (or civ) gives you lemons, make lemonade. But in this case you might want to try Mountain Dew.
[This message has been edited by wonderdog4 (edited January 17, 2000).]

[finbar]

Even against humans I'd go for a little wander. How little? As t'other guy said, that's another post. But I wouldn't build my first city in MP in an absolutely junk spot.

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finbar
Mono Rules!
#33984591

[War4ever]

Jim against the ai i have wandered three millenium , conquered three civs had a fourth on the run and got aobut 15 techs and about 18 units and hordes of cash before my first city...... you can always catch up and it is better to be lower in pop early in the game..... i like to see my civ rise to the top as opposed to being on top the whole game andincurring the wrath of the ai early hehe.... as for what finnie said.... a small wander is ok as longs as everyone else hasn't built their city yet


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They call me Mr. Fierce

icq 30200920

[finbar]

Even then, I've built my first city half a dozen turns after other players and still come through. Because I found a bonzer spot. I was lucky. Life's a gamble!

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finbar
Mono Rules!
#33984591

[rah]

Getting to monarchy quickly in mp is so important, that it is worth delaying your first city till you find a trade special. With corruption in the rest of your cities prior to monarchy, it takes a lot of extra cities to make up the difference. Having said that, if i wander and don't find anything quickly, i'm more likely to try to use an ics type strat to catch up. And pray that the barbs don't butcher me.
RAH

[geofelt]

Don't found the palace in a place with no potential. Exploring lets you find a good place, and you might get some good things from huts. If the starting spot is outstanding, I still explore a few turns.

[Ming]

I agree with Rah (no surprise there)

Your Capital is critical in terms of developing science. While it sometimes really gets me in trouble if after wandering, I don't find a decent location, I will still wander until I find some kind of trade special. Trying to research the early sciences while getting only one or two science beakers just won't cut it. Even if it takes you 8 to 10 turns to find something good, you can still catch up if you find a location that can deliver 5 or more beakers.

Plus, a few free non units from huts can really help you explore the world quicker.

[War4ever]

KCBOB.... wander until you find that first perfect site so that catching up will not be difficult!!!!

I love whatching my civ grow in strength as the game progresses...... My Mongols actually do grow in to a horde

You can wander at least two millenium without serious consequences

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They call me Mr. Fierce

icq 30200920

[kcbob]

I feel like life is one big "weaning" experience. I've successfully broken myself of the habit of saving, trying something, and reloading if I don't like the results. And I seem to be holding my own on Emperor level now. BUT (there's that big but again), I still restart the game if I don't like the starting position.

Now in my own defense, I do wander a little, maybe 5 to 10 turns, but if I still find myself in the middle of nothing, I restart. My question is, if after wandering for a millenium or so, I find a great city spot, can I really get back in the ballgame? Is there a window or combination where all is lost? Or is this just another habit from which I need to be weaned?

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Frodo lives!

Better dead than "Red"... or green... or blue... or yellow... or orange... or purple... or white.

[Campo]

My recent experience differs from this. On Friday I started a game and didn't like the map features. I started exploring with my settler, got a couple units from huts, and explored with all three for about a dozen turns. I founded my capitol, and within two more turns Zulu elephants showed up to attack my one warrior. I figured if they were already past polytheism I was in trouble, so I quit the game and restarted.

Might this be another MGE difference? I have got to find a cheap copy of v2.42 to play.

[Graag]

In a 1x prod mp game I find the starting position very important. On the other hand in mp you've got about 3 - 5 turns wandering time at most otherwise everyone will sail past you.

In a situation of bad land all around in mp i find the best strategy is build on a bit of grass, ignoring specials, churn out two scout warriors then a settler to go to the best nearby spot. this new city should of course be made capital as soon as is conveniant.

if this fails moan to all the other players endlessly, it works for me

Graag


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A man could not be in two places at the same time unless he were a bird!
#47222759

[Caesar the Great]

Restart... its as simple as that.

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CtG

[My Wife Hates CIV]

If you need to restart against the AI than you need to play a few games from a bad start anyway. This is what makes the game fun! I can always catch the AI in terms of science and units. It's so easy to dig in. The AI will attack but can't win a war to save its life. Any city that is under threat - transform city center to hills. No attack by the AI will take it. Now you have time to aquire the units you need to stomp the AI. I've started to expand much more against the AI and it does make a big difference. The last MP game I was in was against Ming. I expanded much more in that game than I have before. Now I was not beating on Ming bad but for me it was one of my better games (although I still say rivers made the big difference).

So play the bad starts against the AI. It will make you a better player in MP. And oh yeah, I dont see a difference in AI between CIV versions and MPE (gold, whatever).