I wonder about these guides. When I play I have to deal with barbs quite often. Reading that guide, the poster seems to think you should be able to smoothly build four cities without having to repair improvements, with just a scout and warrior for defense.
And no neighbors "covet your lands?"
Doesn't seem to fit what I've seen so far. I tried to do something like this with Venice once. Well sorta because I was kind of worried about other civs so I researched construction, and had two Composites and a Spearman in my city.
Then Assyria bum rushed me with two siege towers and four archers. I think he actually took my city with a warrior. I guess I should have taken Oligarchy, but I took Aristocracy instead. I did have a wall though (more time waster I guess).
I know most people play bigger maps (I play small). But there is this much room without another civ being 8 or so hexes away? Additionally I play continents, and I have seen four civs on my one little continent before, along with city states. War is a way of life, and regardless you aren't finding four good spots for cities usually unless you conquer one.
Which throws his tech time table way off, since you wind up researching things that might not directly contribute to the national college in order to have an army. Not to mention producing a catapult or spearman instead of a library.
I wonder sometimes if we are playing the same game. I've seen situations where what he describes is possible, but usually you better get ready for a war. And as far as "bribing" people to go to war, I've been in negative gold flow many a time when I started settling cities. Early gold is awful dependent on what kind of tiles you have to work.
