I hope I am not offending anyone by resurrecting this thread.
Basically I've been trying to get the achievement for the Ottomans on Deity (I got a glorious victory with the Boers already!). By turn 11 when Italy declares (because, well, NO DOUBT IT WILL) it storms me with about 4 privateers, 1 Frigate and 3 CDC (Caio Diullio Class). I have traded all of its coal at turn 0, but I think they start with 2 CDC and they probably get one the turn they declare war (they get their coal back). I have been trying to follow what you guys said in this thread, build 2 settlers, have everything with production maxed, used trading dudes for production and so forth. By the time Italy comes knocking at my door, I have 1 cannon and 1 privateer. You can imagine the disaster.
Selling Tunis to Egypt changes absolutely nothing. They come to Tripoli instead, and well, they do take it all the same, hopelessly. Once I've managed to send them off to Egypt. They took Alexandria on turn 9 I think, declared war on me, and came at me on turn 12, for the very same ending. I've tried to hold on Tunis (or Tripoli) by using my single privateer and cannon, but most of the times their CDC simply won't flip, regardless of how many times I reload and try things in different order. I might load back 3 turns until it actually allows me a combination of moves that make it freaking flip. Most of the time it won't help because it gets bombed in the next turn, and they already have another CDC ready in Palermo to replace the one who got down.
Don't get me wrong, I love a challenge, but this is just ridiculous. I am probably doing something very, very wrong. I've seen some of you saying that you bought a cannon on turn 10, but by turn 10 I have about 300 gold, 450 if I am very luck with finding barbarians which is not normally the case, even if I trade absolutely everything I have with Egypt. I usually sell some buildings too (like the Harbor in Tunis) to no help. Having 2 cannons instead of one could definitely change the scenario, but I can't see how it is possible to buy one that early.
Anyway, I have a pretty darn awesome starting game, which I just don't know how to use. I'm attaching here. Basically, you can get Solomon Mines and 18 Coal in the same city, surrounded by hills and all, and Source of the Nile in the next city. I thought that that was just very promising, but apparently it doesn't matter if it is promising when Italy will just fill the whole ocean with their CDC.
Did anything I said sound silly? Am I doing something obviously wrong?