OK, let's get this thing going! :hammer:

My suggestions for startup:

Noble
Continents
Quick
Random for climate / sea level etc. settings
Random civ / leader
Name: Early Bird 48 hours max for discussion on these settings (as little as 24 hours if there is no dissent), then I'll create a game and we can discuss the starting moves.

Sounds good.

Umm question here, we start all this on our own games byareselves, you make it sound like a multiplayer :).

Umm question here, we start all this on our own games byareselves, you make it sound like a multiplayer :).

No, there will be just one game, which will be played by various designated players in sequence. It's more like a succession game with voting. :)

those sound like a good settings for the warmup

Map size? I haven't got Civ 4 yet, so I don't know a good size...

Map size? I haven't got Civ 4 yet, so I don't know a good size...
Small? Tiny? This is just a warmup after all, it shouldn't take too long...

Other than suggesting we use "small" as the map size, I say let's go.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Sounds fine. Small looks fine: Tiny is really _too_ small in my opinion. Let's get this started...

The game has been created using:

Noble, Small, Continents, remainder of settings random.

We are Genghis Khan of the Mongols, aggressive and expansive. Our starting techs are Wheel and Hunting. The starting location is coastal grassland with corn and bananas.

Discussion is now open on:

Tech path
Build queue
Settlement location, if you have a very strong preference for anything other than settle in place

The <<save>> (http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads10/Early_Bird_BC-4000.Civ4SavedGame).

I suggest you move the scout first, onto the corn fields in turn 1. Then onto the hills to the left in turn 2.

If there are fishes / whales below; we might consider moving the settler south. Otherwise, the current place is also pretty good. (Banana, Corn, Fresh Water, Coast, Hills + Forest from Production)

We should immediately start upon a worker to better improve the tiles below. A scout should naturally follow the worker, then a warrior of self defence. Of course, as we're an aggressive race; we can skip the warrior for a barracks and get a late archer instead.

As for the techs, we definitely need to take Farming in the first two techs, so as to benefit from the corn. The other tech could either be archery or animal husbandry (Both required for our Keshiks)... Of course, it's up for debate; but Farming before the worker comes out (appx 15 turns) is a must.

I'd say settle in place. If there's no sweetwater we have a coastal city, which is good nevertheless...

I would first prosduce a second scout :confused: because our foremost concern should be to find our enemies, err, competitors ;)

The Keshik replaces the riding Bowman, right??? If we find someone early we might want to use him (or not, depends on what the map turns out to be!).

Concerning techs I wouldn't waste turns going for Buddhism, we can grab a religion later...
Since we have corn at sight I would go for farming...

Scouts should take 2 moves - don't go for the hill right away!! ;) Personally I would go 1east on the coast and then... Let's see...

Comments are welcome!

P.S.: Once the savegame's out we should play, don't you think? Otherwise people could become naughty and check the map beforehand? Hopefully not...

I say settle in place, go for farming then animal husbandy.

-the Wolf

On real quick suggestion: Would it be too annoying to turn on the Grid for screenshoots? For those of us who'd rather not have to download the save and boot up the game (in case we're at work? ;)) it'd make it just a tad easier to see the tiles in the screenshoots.

1st Move - I second moving the scout to Corn...just to see what's down there a bit more. If nothing significant, just build in place.
Tech - definitely farming.
Queue - I second the scout build. Building a worker before size 3 (without 2 or more resources) can really kill the game...slows advancement tech and growth wise too much imho.

moving the scout to the corn is not likely to reveal anything that would be outside the city range ... maybe a hill two tiles south of the corn.

I'd say settle in place first, let the cultural borders reveal a little more map, the pick a direction for the scout. I would guess we're north of the equator based on the forests around us and banana to the south, but that's just speculation. So I'd send the scout south east/west along the coast for starters.

As it's a small map, I'd say one scout may be enough ... just a thought.

I certainly concur on tech: farming.

Settler: Found where it is.
Scout: Move on to Corn.
City: Make a scout.
Research: Agriculture (a.k.a farming), then a beeline for Polytheism to found Hinduism. If we don't get it first, continue for monotheism.

Settling just S of the corn looks like the best spot, since that will give access to 2 hills we can mine. I suggest sending the settlers S & the scouts N onto the hill for the first turn, then we can decide on a settling location from the added recon.

Settle there, for worker-chop and general forest production benefits. Other cities can pick up aquatic resources; +2 health from corn and (eventually) from bananas is plenty.

Research agriculture, produce scout first while that research takes place. Farm/route-to the corn then start chopping forests (bronze working after agriculture). Once we have bronze working, beeline to monotheism (bud. and hindu. will be gone).

My 2 cents:
Settle in place before moving scout.
I think south is ocean, if cultural borders show its land then send the scout south, otherwise hit the hills to the north east then head eastward with them. I think the mongols with small map begs for a quick strike on our nearest neighbors. I'd build 3 warriors and try and take the nearest civ over before they start. There just won't be much room, I think early military roll out. Hopefully we find horses nearby to build keshiks. As far as techs, ag would be good like everyone seems to lean towards, might even try to win a religious race since we are on noble.

settle, move the scout north to the hill, decide tech then.

Thats what I would do, but I havent gotten the hang of civ 4 yet so my opinion isnt the best

settle on spot move scout to hills

Settle in place and get a religion!!!!!

Move to the hill.

I say you leave the settler right there so you could get those banana reasources and the other one (if that is one). You will also be next to the grassland for some good city grouth.

Move the scout to the hill to get a better visioal range.

Settle as is. Hit the hills then the corn, then start a'scoutin.

SaaM

IF you wanna go on the hill, then go 1 n first... Maybe we spot a second hill ne or we see something else interesting then (would be a shame to loose those 2 move-points on the 1 hill) I'd still go e along the coast since there's desert to the n...

Farming's cool, then ;) , animal husbandry is already a pre-requisite...

I would poll if we should go for Hindhuism or wait on religion for mining, Bronze-working etc.

Dave-Shack? Alpha?

Settle in place
Send scout NE
For research I think Agriculture is best since we don't yet have mysticism
I prefer building a worker first. I think 1 scout will be enough on this small map.

Cheers!

Discussion is now open on:
Tech path

I'm inclined to get agriculture for the corn and animal husbandry en route to our special unit.

Build queue

We need a 2nd scout regardless of map size, if for no other reason than to find horses (required, right?). Then I'd probably go worker for the farm and warrior for defense. In rougher terrain (where you'll probably be limited to 1 move anyway), I tend to build a warrior first for point-defense scouting and wild animal control.

Settlement location, if you have a very strong preference for anything other than settle in place.

Settle in place. Coastal, immediate corn, and a hill are a fine start. What's peculiar is that both coasts report that they are Fresh Water Lakes when you mouse over them, so that suggests that we're on the northern border of a large inland lake (or between two lakes should the southern tiles improbably not end in a peninsula). There might be an opportunity to use our capital as a channel to shuttle units along the coast or between two lakes.

If we're on a peninsula, I'd scout NE and then N to the hill unless something really interesting pops up.

If we've got more tiles to the south, I think I'd still move the scout NE/N and then the 2nd scout becomes even MORE important. I'd consider using the eventual warrior to scout NW a bit.

I'm inclined to get agriculture for the corn and animal husbandry en route to our special unit.


Last comment. If settling in place reveals fish/clams in the SSE square, I recommend fishing before agriculture. This allows you to build a working boat to work a growth resource without slowing down your city growth for a worker and such boats also make superior scouts. In this case, I'd probably go:

Warrior (while researching fishing).
Working Boat (fishing boat), explore inland a bit with warrior (while researching agriculture/animal husbandry)
Working Boat (Odysseus) set to explore
Settler
Then worry about workers (lighthouse?)

Thanks everyone for your input, I'm tentatively set to play 10 turns tonight. Unlike Civ3, there isn't the traditional 20-40 turns of doing almost nothing so there is less pressure to play more turns in the first set.

4000 BC 1
found Karakorum, start warrior, agriculture
3950 BC 2
3900 BC 3
Hut via expansion, 58g
3850 BC 4
3800 BC 5
Scout pops hut, 56g
Meet Saladin of the Arabians
3750 BC 6
Agriculture done, start Pottery
3700 BC 7
3650 BC 8
Warrior done, start scout
3600 BC 9
Animals spotted
3550 BC 10
Meet Hatsheput of the Egyptians

http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/1045/civ4earlybirdhomelandbc35506mf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/1792/civ4earlybirdworldmapbc35503wc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

We need a religion badly. Head for monotheism

Starting with a non-spiritual civ, getting one of the first 3 religions is unlikely. It might be worth trying though.

Hut via expansion, 58g
Scout pops hut, 56g
Animals spotted


Please bear with me here I am still new; I'm guessing "Hut via expansion" means that we overtook a hut with our culture boundaries, "Scout pops hut" our scout hit up a good hut, "Animals spotted" these would be the type that attack us right?

-the Wolf

Alphawolf: yes, yes and either that or the pigs just SE of Hatty's place

message moved ;)

I say u start making two more warriors after the scout to protect the civ from does barbarians. After pottery start on archery or a religous tech.

Alphawolf: yes, yes and either that or the pigs just SE of Hatty's place

Thanks for the info.

-the Wolf.

Are we supposed to micromanage things this much? It makes it hard to agree/disagree with other people.

Scout our NE borders, prepare to take control of that marble nearby and start on religion techs.