Horse archer rush guide

vicawoo said:

Philosophical reduces the number of turns before you get a great scientist, which can be used to replace or augment your assigned scientists.

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Sure, I could have guessed that was what you meant. However, you said creative and philoshical traits provide for cheap Libraries, but this statement is still only half correct (only the creative trait provides a Hammer bonus for building/whipping/chopping Libraries). Please try to be as precise in your statements as you possibly can. This is a strategy article that many players will refer to for years. Thank you very much for your efforts in writing and refining it.

I assume you will incorporate all constructive critisms, time permitting. For an early draft, the article is very well written. Please surround all images with spoilers, since some people may be using devices that are too small to display them and still retain enough detail to follow the article. Please try to write the article such that not a single image needs to be refered to understand the strategy enough to apply it to a game (some players may be reading your strategy article on a smart phone while trying to apply it on a game running on their PC).

EDIT: If I generated a Great Scientist before or shortly after Horseback Riding was completed, I would use it to bulb Mathematics for +50% Hammer bonus on 'chopping' Horse Archers; That would provide 3 Horse Archers with Mathematics versus 2 Horse Archers without Mathematics, considering only Hsmmers from Chopping Forests; For a forested start an sufficient Workers to chop them, an either faster rush using 2/3 the forests or a significantly larger number of Horse Archers.

Sun Tzu Wu

I beieve that the timing of building cities after the one settled near a Horse plot comes too late. These cities beyond the first two should be fully developed so they add more research than they cost to maintain and can immediately be put to work building Horse Archers when Horseback Riding and Archery are completed. These ancillary cities might be best settled on the coast, where water plots can be worked for extra commerce and be switched to Mines once Horseback Riding is completed.

Sun Tzu Wu

Obviously, leader traits and surroundings should be accounted for too. A Financial leader working 3-4 grassland tiles in the Capital is only going to be bringing in something like:

+8 for Capital
+1 for City tile
+1 for trade
+1-2 for other random tiles worked
+9-12 for working 3-4 rs cottages

Seems like an average of around 22 at 100% slider is pretty normal. A CRE leader skipping pottery and getting quick writing would be right around the same numbers while running 2scientist. So the only real difference I can see to this point would be a CRE leader taking that extra 4-5 turns to reach Writing.

It also takes several turns to build cottages so IMO, by the time you take 2 workers and chop 2 forest for an instant Library you're pretty much EVEN. Then whether your using scientist/cottages each additional city has to work food then cottage/library as appropriate. Libraries are a quick whip/chop and then get straight beakers so imo new cities are once again, pretty even.

I suppose what I'm saying is initially both routes appear, at least to me, to be pretty even. I don't consider PHILO quite as strong as CRE/FIN. It seems likely that you'll only get a Library up i the Capital if you go the PHILO route.....and it takes longer to get one which will delay your HBR time too much imo, not to mention new cities will be significantly slower than CRE/FIN new cities would be. The only plus in PHILO route is you get more powerful chops sooner. Who knows, if someone want's to take the time to create a map maybe the 3 could be tested/compared.

So why do I prefer CRE over FIN for HA rushes? Well, skipping pottery lets you get to Alpha a lot quicker which will save quite a few turns in research on the whole plus you get to bulb Math for powerful early chops. Getting to Alpha quicker also means building research and a quicker Currency tech time too, not to mention the ability to sue for peace and acquire more techs sooner too.