So I by selecting random climate I rolled just about the worst thing possible for me, Arid. I have never seen such a landscape devoid of food. Can you give me some tips on how to settle? I'm Korea so I'm Fin/Pro. I still don't know whats to my east, but given the columns of desert I wouldn't be able to settle it very well. I'm playing on Warlord, so not too much pressure, although I'm not the best player.

Here's the land.
http://home.comcast.net/~ac196nataku/bare_north.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~ac196nataku/bare_south.jpg

This is my tenative plan. I hate having to share food in the south but it seems necessary if I want to actually work any tiles. Civil Service is my top priority now, I REALLY need to spread the irrigation just to make plains tiles self-sufficient.
http://home.comcast.net/~ac196nataku/dot_north.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~ac196nataku/dot_south.jpg
PS: That town up by Germany that is actually on grassland... I'm not really expecting to settle it. Haha. I hope Freddy does though...

I suggest moving your capital up a tile, along with the city northeast of your capital. Relieves pressure on the southern cities as well.

Oh, and the hill where Shaka's scout is--you can always put a city there. Sure, you miss out on a lighthouse and other sea building, but windmill the hills and cottage the floodplains and other tiles, and you have yourself a descent little commerce city that's close to the capital. But I wouldn't bother with that city until you have your main workhorse cities built and have access to windmills.

The citycross that has the horse? Move that one to the desert hill next to the fish resource. Next move the city you plan near the elephants ON the elephant southeast of its present location. And move the spices cityspot on your westcoast to the desert hill 2 plots down. Chances are that this patch of desert will have oil later on.
I'll wait on the southern ones until you know if there's a searesource near the coast there or not.

Oh, and the hill where Shaka's scout is--you can always put a city there. Sure, you miss out on a lighthouse and other sea building, but windmill the hills and cottage the floodplains and other tiles, and you have yourself a descent little commerce city that's close to the capital. But I wouldn't bother with that city until you have your main workhorse cities built and have access to windmills.

Yes I know now that it would be fantastic is my capital would move up a tile, but I'm not going to restart and do that now.

that's actually pretty good land you've got there, flood plains make excellent terrain for the first few towns

it'd be more useful if you'd posted the screenshot on the first turn, if you wanted feedback on how to settle ideally

since the horses wouldn't have been showing on the first turn, I'd have likely have gone one north to settle, to waste one less flood plain square and to free up 3 down the bottom for another town, while also having quite a few hills in the fat cross to set up a production center later on

Definately settle north first it has ton of resources!

I would have to agree that is a very nice start. I would be happy if I had that start. Since you have lots of FP and a financial civ, you should be a tech machine come mid game.

As for settling strategy, go north and settle the horses and elephants as quickly as possible. Since Germany will try to get towards those resources as well, you would want your cities on them first. After you get those resources you will probably just need to settle around the german cities.

Oh, I see you are playing on warlord, at that difficulty as long as you don't pick the absolutely worst locations available, you should get some pretty good cities out of it.

your second city should be under the cows. with its first border pop it should have wheat and the extra jumbo. It will have 3 grasland tiles to irigate and plenty of hills for mining. Its a great early production center for your army.