Searching for OCC strategies

[Elephant]

Aside from finding the right site, a primary goal of more exploring is tipping huts. The AI tends to found right away and stay near home for a while. If you get several early NONE units you can cover a large continent fairly quickly. Getting started on a small island is a killer for this strategy. What offsets the late city founding is that the AI has been researching for you, so make peace with anyone you encounter and consider setting up your city close to a neighbor for the extra road/railroad trade bonus.

[ramses II.]

Another question to the experts:
Is it better to deliver the caravans as soon as possible to fat AI cities that are close to my city (about 10-15 tiles away) - or is it better to deliver the goods to cities that are more far away (the goods will be delivered later)?

[Scouse Gits]

In OCC the received wisdom is to get the first three trade routes in asap - then as the game develops to replace the initial routes with more lucrative ones as the opportunities are offered - ideally with a nearby capital to which you have road/rail links, but I can only recall a single game where this was possible (one of the OCC fortnight games - but lord knows which)

SG[1]