The First 10 Turns...

[FrustratedPoet]

Might be useful for when you're exploring in the early game...

An awesome scouting thread by Aeson:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68531

If we're Egypt we can't build scouts, but there's at least a 50/50 chance we'll end up with Iroquois anyway (Egypt are in great demand) so these Scout tactics might be useful.
Any thoughts on how it'd work in MP?
Obviously border violations are not going to be possible, nor is resource denial (unless the enemy are stupid), but since we will never trade for maps the Scouts would be perfect as mobile fog-of-war destroyers so we can see the enemy coming.

Regardless of the scout units themselves, Aeson's observations on the map generator and terrain configurations could be useful in the early game when we're exploring.

[Conqueror]

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
Obviously border violations are not going to be possible, nor is resource denial (unless the enemy are stupid)

that unless.. part

[Meshelic]

I've noticed in early games with PTW so far that the barbarians tend to spread apart, and generally take a few turns to decide what their going to do. Once decided though, it seems they go after that lone worker, and raid your city if no one is defending it.

They seems a bit more aggressive right off the bat in vanilla Civ3, although now in PTW I get the strange feeling that they're up to something else....like figuring out a strategy to attack.

As far as Egypt is concerned, I know we've already announced it as our main choice, but Egypt seems to be the first on everyone's list. The Demogyptian team will probably want them.

It's either PaperRockScissors or Iroquois for us.

[Arrian]

It now looks like Demogyptia is leaning toward the Arabs. We may have no opposition for Egypt.

-Arrian

[Dominae]

I like everything I've heard on this thread concerning the first 10 turns. Some comments (which hopefully aren't too repititious):

1. Science slider should always go as high as required to research a tech in the least number of turns (for any tech). If the least number of turns on our chosen tech is 40, then obviously the slider should go to 10%. Falling behind in research is a real possibility in this game.

2. I think the build order should be such that we produce as much as we can before we reach size 3, with a Settler produced on exactly that turn (I believe most people use this strategy already). This may mean switching worked tiles around to produce fewer shields in favor of extra trade (the shield will go to waste anyway, so there's no loss here).

3. Any tile with a bonus that produces food should be irrigated (if it falls within the city radius). This gets some good REXing going, and still leaves some production available for defensive units. Flood Plains are interesting scenario, the best case being irrigated Flood Plain with shielded Grassland (which should go first?).

4. Is it possible to get Barbarians when a hut is popped by expanding borders (i.e. when our first city is founded)? If so, should be move away from that spot, even if it's a good one?

5. Granary isn't a bad idea depending on the workable tiles, but I don't this decision needs to be made in the first 10 turns. The real question is whether a Granary should be produced before the first Settler.


Dominae

[Dominae]

Should we go for Bronze Working first, or The Wheel (assuming we do get Egypt, which seems a good bet at this point)? Even if one of the other civs is Japan, The Wheel will be a great commodity in early trades. Plus, it's a safe bet to assume that most civs will be researching Bronze Working themselves (especially the AI, from alexman's work).


Dominae

[nbarclay]

High-Cattle Option

I've done some thinking, and if we do get super-lucky and start along a river with three or more food bonus tiles, including two or more cattle, it might be good to go with a granary/"settler pump" opening after all. I'm thinking in terms of a build queue of two warriors to explore, than two to defend the capital, and then the granary (with Pottery as our first tech). If our exploring warriors find a warmonger nearby, we could switch production to a settler during the first 30 shields of the granary or a barracks in the next ten. After that, we'd be within three turns or so of finishing the granary and being able to start something else (and we'd have the population up to a point where we could produce something else pretty quickly).

The down side is that the delay in researching Bronze Working could get us in big trouble if we start right next to a warmonger that's willing to gamble on a nearly all-out militaristic start. But the potential payoff of having a four-turn settler pump/2-turn worker pump would be enormous, setting the stage for a truly fantastic builder game (and the latent military advantage that goes with good building) if we have room. (And a high-food capital with a granary can also turn into a production powerhouse with proper use of the luxury slider should circumstances so dictate.) Further, in a game with few if any expansionists (at least that I've noticed so far), Pottery might be a useful tech to trade.

Nathan

[Meshelic]

I like the idea of the settler pump city, but would really hope we have another city or two for mutual defense so we don't just get swarmed early on. But you already said something like that anyway nbarclay, so I'll pipe down.

[notyoueither]

The start will be critical. We will have a lot of time to consider it. We will still be building warriors by the end of next weekend.

[Arrian]

Very true, NYE. Speaking of which, what's going on? I checked the main PTW-Demo game forum and it doesn't look like things are organized... at all.

-Arrian

[alva]

I guess timezones arn't making things any easier either