What do you do with your first leader?

[badman]

I have built the Pyramids once with an early leader and that game didn't end up being very successful. Ever since I rather spend my leaders on FP's.
The extra granaries are nice but I usually build 90% of my settlers in a single city (most of the times my capitol) which almost always has granaries by then.
The other cities grow fast enough and even if they don't, the benefit of a FP is greater.

Early Pyramids are awesome but an early FP might be better IMHO.

If I don't have a good spot for a FP yet I will produce an army hoping for the effects of the Heroic Epic.

[Dominae]

Well, it's nothing more than a feeling Arrian, since I have a total of 2 games-worth of experience in the matter. A part of it is that I like economic challenge of having all my cities grow twice as fast; reduced Corruption due to FP is just there.

Funny, I thought our games were quite similar. Perhaps I was little more powerful, but not by a huge margin.

And, by the way, did you notice my city spacing? That was before I made the switch to 3-tile! It just looks funny to me now (yet somehow attractive and beautiful).


Dominae

[Arrian]

Dominae,

Yes, I noticed the city spacing. I was looking at your screenshots and thinking "hey! that looks like one of MY empires! Look at all of those nice, wide-spaced cities!"

-Arrian

[TimHobbit]

My normal GL use is not on the list. I have never gotten a GL prior to the modern age, using Modern Armor. I don't know how the rest of you do it? So I use mine to build my Spacship. Many times I have build almost the entire ship with GL's they come out of the bushes during my modern age domestic conversion project (world domination).

[badams52]

For me, I usually build the FP in a city close to the capital and palace jump later, so if the leader comes real early, he often gets used for an army for the heroic epic. But that's if I'm playing a militaristic civ which can get oodles of leaders. If I'm not militaristic, palace jump or wonder and sometimes army. I love armies in war.

I'll build a wonder if one is available that I haven't pre-built and I want, but I usually build the wonders I want from scratch.

So for me it really depends. I rarely get the "early" leader. My last game's "first" leader happened during the middle ages where I wanted a palace move. I knew I wouldn't be warring much more so an army would have been pointless.

[Artifex]

What a timely thread.

Emperor level. It's about 440 BC. I am the celts. I have about 8 cities. I know that seems small but I am doing good since I have conquered england, got the great library from them. Then got 3 cities from the english in peace treaty. I had toi disband since barbarian uprisings happened outside each one and they were crappy sities with no defenders so it would have cost me too much..and I need the $$ for GS upgrades.

I am on large contenent anf the russians are on the other side..we are seperated by steepes in the middle about 20 squares apart give or take. It takes my GS's about 5-6 turns to reach the russian frontier border edge cities. I am at war with russians and want to hurt them bad. They have about 9 cities atm and are my other major rival on the continent.

Now I just got my leader at this time too.

So I can do one of a few things with my GL.

1. take a settler..go out about 14 tiles away from my capital on those steppes and found a city right in the middle and then immedietly build the FP in it with my leader. Then found new cities around this area and make it my second core.

or

go about 8 tiles to the south and build the fp in london..it would be closer but more immediete.

2. Get monarchy in about 5 more turns, then immedietly build the hanging gardens with my GL.

3. trade currency to the germans then they get monotheism..(russians already have it then I get it from GL)..then I immedietly research the tech for sistine chapel (.forgot name I am drawing a blank it comes after monotheism). Then in 30 turns when I get that tech use the GL to rush sistene.

4. Build an army. I have 2 elite swordsmen. and 4 vet swords..plus more on the way. I just lost 4 in some real bad rolls.

[Konquest02]

It depends. If I have the perfect spot for my FP, i will build it ASAP with my leader. Otherwise, I would get a good wonder, either the GL or Sun Tzu if it is that late...

--Kon--

[BRC]

Definitely not 3.

I'd say 1 or 4, depending on how much fighting you plan to do this game. If you choose the first part of 1, you better keep it defended.

[Artifex]

hmm so you like sun tzu even for militaristic civ like celts? mainly for denial purposes I suppose?

[cumi]

I vote for a Wonder.

I usually don't get a lot of leaders, because I am always very peaceful. Once I have have enough space, or don't have some special reason, I am not attacking. I usually make an archer rush early to have space to expand or kick out someone out of my continent.

When I get a leader I build a wonder immedietly. A build a wonder in a weak city, that has a bad production, while the productive cities are on good way to finish another wonder. Usually there is no need in productive cities to hurry a wonder.

I never hurry a FP, because I have another strategy to finish it asap. In the city I choose to place the FP, I build (or buy) courthouse -> aqueduct -> FP, while joining a few settlers into the city (until there is still an civil order). These cities build a FP in approximetly 40 turns.

Since I am a quite peaceful, I don't really see the use of an Army. Reason for me for building an Army can be a preparation for war/aggression.

I don't really like to move my palace. I tried it a few times on the same map/game (loaded a few times from the beginning) and I was not really satisfied. I played Earth, having a strating location in "New York" - coastal city. I conquerred the whole American continent and moved my palace to "Texas" (or a bit above, to the geometrical middle of North America). The result was almost nothing, but having more corruption in "New York". BTW I built my FP on the geomertical middle of South America. Nice empire .

When left the palace in New York, I did not recognised that my cities on the west coast (from California to Alaska) had more corruption than when I moved my Palace. Interesting.

cheers

cumi

[Jethro83]

What I do with my first GL depends entirely on situation. If I haven't conquered much, or I got my leader from an archer/warrior rush, I'll build an army purely to be able to get the Heroic Epic.

If I've already conquered most of the continent, I'll use it to rush the Forbidden Palace.

If the race for a must-have wonder (eg. Sistine Chapel, Leo's Workshop, Smith's Trading Company) is way too close, or I have absolutely no chance of building it the conventional way, I'll rush it.

[Artifex]

are courthouses the only buildings that help with corruption?

[Arrian]

Police stations do too, but they come much later, obviously.

"We love the King Day" also reduces shield waste, so in a way, happiness buildings and luxuries can be viewed as corruption-fighters.

-Arrian

[Artifex]

Well Just got my 2nd leader it is 290 AD. Germany owns half of my continent and I am doing a mop up with russia.

My age of domination is over I think as fuedalism has been discovered and my GS units have been rendered more or less obsolete by pikemen.

I conquered half of my continent with them. Now I occupy half and a powerful germany occupies the other half. If I go to war with germany I guess I am going to have to use knights.

I wonder if I should upgrade MY GS units to medieval infantry..

My first leader I made an army out of gallic swordsmen. Then I promptly built the heroic epic.

Across the seas china is my rival..they are pretty powerful.

Now I can do one of 4 things with this leader.

1. Build the hanging Gardens before the other powers beat me too it.

2. Build Sun Tzu's

3. In 15 turns build Sistine Chapel after I discover the necessery tech.

4. Build my forbidden palace on the steppe area in the middle of continent around former russian territory. I still haven't built it and it is getting kinda late actually.

[Arrian]

Get that FP down. NOW. Time's a-wasting!

By the way, feudalism doesn't make the GS totally obselete. Particularly if you have a lot of them. But against a strong foe, like the Germany you describe, yeah, it sounds like it's time to settle down and build for a bit. Hence, the FP!

-Arrian