So I was playing this game on a terra map using Chinese. I sent out my warrior to explore, about 5 turns into the game, I ran into Frederick, which I was even fortunate enough to get on a hill was diagonally 1 tile away so I was able to overlook Berlin and its defense, and what I saw - no unit guarding the city. So I thought - even though this wouldn't win the game for me, I may as well just be an a$$. On the next turn I declared war on Fred and moved my warrior right next to Berlin - no sign of his warrior present, so the next turn, Berlin became a ruin. BTW this is on noble difficulty
Has anybody else been fortunate enough to do this in their game?

I've done it. It was to Isabella too, so I felt especially righteous. And her city site had at least 5 aquatic resources. I couldn't resist!

I don't think you can capture the city though. I think they'll just raze it automatically
When I was thinking - sweet, a free city 7 turns in the game! Boy what a pity
It may even be better if I can do it on a human player

You could try sitting there and wait until it grows to size 2, before attacking, in hopes of capturing it.

I got Isabella about 15 turns into an Epic game (Monarch) while playing Huanya. My roaming Quecha saw her capital had only one archer and a better start location so I decided to give it a shot. Moved into her territory declaring war and she discovered Buddishm the same turn. Attacked at roughly even odds the next turn, killed the archer and captured Madrid wiping her from the game. It was the easiest Monarch win ever.

Nah, if I wait they may get a warrior the next turn and my victory is screwed
What is the first thing that you'll build in the 1st turn? A warrior I suppose?

I build a scout to take some huds.

Nah, if I wait they may get a warrior the next turn and my victory is screwed

Then again, you gain relatively little by wiping them out, while you gain much more by capturing the city.

What is the first thing that you'll build in the 1st turn? A warrior I suppose?

Or a worker, but in that case the city won't grow, so that won't help.

But, depending on the yields, even if the city is producing a warrior, the city may grow before the warrior appears. Usually it would have to be working a tile that yields no hammers: e.g., flood plains, or oasis, or grassland/cow, etc.

Play Earth map as Julius or Qin. Both are in the position where they can destroy a neighboring civ (Germans and Mongols) very quickly, since both of those civs have hunting as beginning science and thus start with a scout instead of warrior...
It can be argued if Julius should do that or not, as he can wipe Germans out later with praetorians, but if you prefer a surgical strike instead of a real war, go for it. For Qin, Genghis acts like a nice barbarian buffer so destroying him early tends to bring more trouble than worth...

I played the earth map as Julius, and I gathered warriors (rome was working on the marble, 3 hammers+1 food) and wiped out Alexander (and got Athens). Then I more warriors and destroyed Germans (and got Berlin). This was an epic game and noble difficulty (and I was lucky).

Whilst I haven't ever taken out an AI civ that quickly, I have developed a nasty trick to ensure I capture the capital and take them out.

If my warrior discover an enemy capital early in the game (i.e. first 5-10 turns), I immediately declare war, and simply fortify the warrior in a forest next to the capital. I don't attempt to take it. I'll reinforce with another unit or two when I can.

I can then develop at leisure, until I've got a small force to take the city when it's grown. There's no rush - the AI won't send out any workers, so it won't produce anything much. Any units he produces get wasted trying to kill my warrior/archer, giving them extra experience.

It works well for me.

Do you guys tend to send out your first warrior as a scout?
If such thing happen in a multiplayer game, it will be a *****

A started a game on a small map with 18 civs, I managed to destroy 2 in about 3-4 turns

You could turn off city razing before starting the game and the city would be all yours.

A started a game on a small map with 18 civs, I managed to destroy 2 in about 3-4 turns

That's impossible. You only have one warrior, and he can only move one tile per turn. Cities must be at least 3 tiles apart. So best case scenario, you have an opponent 3 tiles away from you, and another one 3 tiles away from him. This will take 6 turns minimum, not 3-4. And this setup is very unlikely (probably even impossible because the computer tries to assign starting positions in a somewhat homogeneous density).

Not impossible at all. Who says that you have to wait for the AI to settle? :D

That's impossible. You only have one warrior, and he can only move one tile per turn. Cities must be at least 3 tiles apart. So best case scenario, you have an opponent 3 tiles away from you, and another one 3 tiles away from him. This will take 6 turns minimum, not 3-4.

It's possible to pop a warrior from a hut on turn 1, when you settle your capital.

It's possible to pop a warrior from a hut on turn 1, when you settle your capital.

Good point.

As for destroying AIs before they settle, as far as i know, AIs always settle their first city right on the spot.

If you play on Marathon speed setting and go exploring with your first Warrior then its quite easy to take out one of the AI Nations who only spawn with a Settler and Scout e.g. Alexander, even on a Large map. Ive even taken out Monty who left his city empty to go exploring.

As for destroying AIs before they settle, as far as i know, AIs always settle their first city right on the spot.

But the AIs do that in turns. On a tiny map with a lot of civs, this can mean that an AI cannot settle on its first turn(s) due to the two-square rule.

I know because I've tried it. Rather funny, actually.

The main point I'm getting from all this is that in a multiplayer game, I should never ever leave my first city ungarrisoned unless I am sure that my exploring warrior can intercept any would-be invaders.

The main point I'm getting from all this is that in a multiplayer game, I should never ever leave my first city ungarrisoned unless I am sure that my exploring warrior can intercept any would-be invaders.

I think it depends a lot on the map size and also the level of difficulty (which affects hut rewards). It may not be worth passing up a significant chance of substantial rewards from huts for the small risk that one of your opponents shows up at your capital. Especially if they are all afraid to explore, too!

That's impossible. You only have one warrior, and he can only move one tile per turn. Cities must be at least 3 tiles apart. So best case scenario, you have an opponent 3 tiles away from you, and another one 3 tiles away from him. This will take 6 turns minimum, not 3-4. And this setup is very unlikely (probably even impossible because the computer tries to assign starting positions in a somewhat homogeneous density).


Ok, i may have exaggerated a small amount :mischief: (but not by much)

Try putting 18 civs into a small map, you normally end up with a couple of people extremly close to you...with their warriors off exploring :satan:

i wiped out frederick in 3 turns

I should post a pict of this one start I had. I was somwhere in the prince-monarch level, was Julius, large continent map. I was on the coast, sort of in this little bay with one end a 3 square pennisula almost like a jetty. Monty was out at the end with his starting complement of scouts/archers/settler/worker. I moved one square and founded my capitol, Monty was stuck too close to my border to found his, so he had to wander 6 or 8 turns to find another spot. His worker AI got confused and separated from his stack so I nabbed him on turn 4. Monty was so crippled he toppled in a couple of years without even as much as a threatening letter....

(this was also a funny game - where my continent - which I shared initially with Cyrus and Monty - didnt find religion until about 1200AD)

i once started an 18 player hotseat game (all under my control) on a huge continents map just to look at all the starting positions.

The first 15 were good, adequate distance apart. The last three were bizarro.

Civ 16's settler was next to a tile which contained both Civ 17 and Civ 18's settler. Yes, the two settlers were on the same tile, next to another one.

Civ 16 had a warrior next to the tile containing 2 settlers, so it was actually possible for me to destroy 2 civs on the opening turn.