predator, the victory type is yet to be decided
Settler W, then worker SW. Seeing all this bonanza i decide to go for the granary gambit. So research is Pottery at max and barracks are used for prebuild. To maximize production, the worker improves the bonus grassland first, then irrigate a moo tile and mines a 2nd moo tile.
In 3150 BC we spot a Zulu pukeman on the mountain nearby, but instead of moving on and taking over our defenseless city he just wander around and then disappears from sight
After the granary Sogut is already a 2-turner for workers and a 4-turner for settlers. The build sequence is settler -> worker -> worker -> settler. Initial city placement is at RCP 4, with city 2 placed southward (river, coast, moo) and city 3 and 4 on the 2 golden hills nearby. The cities struggle to build warriors and workers, to give our small empire at least a minimal defense against barbs, reduce the usage of the luxury slider and at the same time cope with the rapid expansion or our empire.
Another city is placed E (coast, moo) then the pattern is broken with next city at 4.5, right over the ivory source, in the ideal place to build the Forbidden Palace. After the luxury is seized Sogut can grow in population to reach 10 shields per turn and become a 2-turns combo (warrior+worker) or a 4-turns combo (warrior+settler).
Research is the usual path to Map Making and Republic. It proceeds very fast, thanks to our homeland being filthy rich. Contacts with Arabia and Aztecs are bought from the Zulu, maps and some more techs are also obtained this way.
Republic is mastered in 1150 BC. We revolt in the interturn, draw 4 turns of anarchy and do not reroll.
At 1000 BC mark, we have already built a ring around the capital and a 2nd ring around what will be the Forbidden Palace city. Plans are to invade Zululand and Azteca and then relocate the capital to Tenochtitlan, than can host a nice ring at RCP 5.5 that would make 8 cities around the FP completely uncorrupted. Here are the stats:
- 1 city, 13 towns; 50 pop units;
- 13 workers, 6 warriors, 7 horsemen, 1 galley;
- all the AA techs except Currency, Construction, Polytheism and Monarchy.
- 1 granary, 3 temples, 3 barracks;
- Great Lighthouse and Forbidden Palace under construction;
We continue researching Currency, trade Polytheism with the Zulu and then go for the final tech, Construction. Zimbabwe is about to finish the Oracle so we wait for the wonder to be built before invading. The weak regular Zulu troops fall easily to our veteran horsemen. We seize control of spices and head north to capture the gem city.
Meanwhile, Construction is mastered in 750 BC and we enter the Middle Ages, getting Feudalism as a bonus tech. Contact with the civs oversea is still missing, we were able to spot the shores of the other continent and to locate a safe route once the Great Lighthouse is complete, but none of the suicide missions survived enough to make contact.
Here are some logs:
Research:
4000bc: Masonry (prerequisite);
3400bc: Pottery (research);
3250bc: Warrior Code (trade, Zulu);
2590bc: Alphabet (research); Bronze Working (trade, Zulu);
2150bc: Writing (research); Wheel (trade, Arabia); Iron Working, Ceremonial Burial (trade, Aztecs);
1750bc: Map Making (research); Horse Riding, Mysticism (trade, Zulu);
1575bc: Code of Laws (research);
1475bc: Philosophy (research);
1150bc: Republic (research); Mathematics (trade, Aztecs);
1075bc: Literature (trade, Arabia);
_925bc: Currency (research);
_825bc: Polytheism (trade, Zimbabwe);
_750bc: Construction (research); Feudalism (scientific bonus);
Cities until 1000 BC:
3950bc: Sogut;
2850bc: Iznik;
2510bc: Uskudar;
2270bc: Izmit;
2070bc: Aydin;
1910bc: Antalya;
1750bc: Bursa;
1600bc: Edirne;
1575bc: Istanbul;
1475bc: Konya;
1350bc: Adana;
1275bc: Sinop;
1250bc: Kafa;
1075bc: Davidople;
Meetings:
3250bc: Zulu;
2150bc: Aztecs, Arabia;
A shot of our empire at 1000 BC:
So far, the game is open to various possibilities:
1) a knight-driven domination or conquest; it will involve researching Chivalry and Monarchy. Golden age should be achieved with the capture of Great Library (currently being built in Tenochtitlan) and the construction of the Hanging Gardens.
2) a sipahi-driven domination or conquest; it should be possible to reach Military Tradition while still in the BC, and then the military campaign will be fast and furious. This will also solve the problem of getting the golden age.
3) a science run - i don't expect to get much help for the AS, but the huge research potential should allow a very early diplomatic or space victory.
We'll see what to do.
What were your early plans, how did they go and have the AI been much of a problem?
Then another - 
