Coming back from a bad start in MP

[Matthew]

You are playing an MP game, double production, and right from the outset you find that you likely have a problem. You move 3rd or 4th, and just before your turn starts you click on the top 5 cities to see that 2 or 3 other civs have cities down already, and the place you find yourself just isn't viable. At 2450 BC, a few turns before you expect to get Monarchy, someone builds a wonder, and you only have 3 cities with a couple on the way, largely because the freaking %$@@#&^* host has a thing for Raging Hordes. How do you come back? Oh, and by the way, the people you play with have almost an obsessive compulsion for building on forested river squares and the like, so don't think that warfare will get you any where.

[finbar]

Persistence, patience, perspicacity. There's an awful long way to go. There are other civs out there possibly to ally with, there are all sorts of opportunities. Hang in there.

------------------
finbar
Mono Rules!
#33984591

[rah]

Having played with Matthew quite a bit...

1. People that settle forrest squares vs grasslands have a harder time expanding. Which is why you usually end up leading the powergraph chase (due to pop).

2. Very rarely do I get a city down in the first turn. Usually it takes 3 to 7 turns, and I rarely have a problem of falling too far behind in the city count game.

3. Raging hoards rocks. It keeps people from having more cities than units. Those people who are betting the whole ball of wax on not being discovered early. And then when they are, they have excuses why they can't continue and just leave the game. And then quickly forget they were even in the game when bragging about how well their strategy works. I love looking at the top five cities and seeing a barb city there.

4. Yeah luck can sometimes really hurt early in a game, but SH*T happens.

5. Don't chase the happiness wonders and go straight for the war monger sciences. (if you have fewer cites, you really don't need them.

6. Even if people build on forest or river squares, (you can't always find the combo), Early on they don't have vet defenders so racing for math, to send out the horde of vet catapults will put the fear of god into them. 90% of the time they won't have the offensive units in the city to take out the Phalanx or pikeman that you send for cover.

7. Build your army of diplos and keep up in the science war that way. (I know you're really good at that.)

And if all this doesn't work, so what.
You're one of the better players. You can't win them all. Let the other players enjoy winning every now and then

RAH
First time in a month that I dropped the first city.

[Matthew]

come now, RAH. I would never steal a tech.

[rah]

LOL

RAH
That freaking %$@@#&^* host

[Bird]

Say what you want about raging hordes, but I learned my lesson. I refuse to pop huts anymore unless either I haven't settled a city yet, I first settle a city so the hut is within the city radius, I can pop it with one move left, the hut is on good defensive terrain and I am moving a defensive unit or, sometimes, I'm far enough behind that I need to start taking chances.