TSG84 Opening Actions

Hammer Rabbi

Deity
GOTM Staff
Joined
Jan 3, 2012
Messages
4,460
Location
USA
Welcome to the TSG84 Opening Actions thread.

STOP - Please do not continue reading this thread until you have completed at least 80 to 100 turns in your game.

This thread is used to discuss the game once you've started playing through your first 100 turns. Apart from normal decency, the only posting restrictions are to please not post videos until the deadline is finished and to use the spoiler tags for screenshots. Here you can post questions related to the game and share your achievements/anger/frustration/victories while you play. Please remember that we are running a family friendly site, so express anger or frustration with this in mind. :)

Please use this thread to discuss your goals for the game and your opening moves through the first 100 turns. We are going to try something new and limit your game description in this thread to the first 100 turns. Anything after that should be posted in the After Action thread once you have completed your game.

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
- What were your initial priorities?
- What tech path did you follow and why?
- What Social Policies did you choose and why?
- How did No City Razing impact your strategy?
 
Apologies for the delay on these threads. I had been called into work surprisingly and just got back. I hope it hasnt impacted too many of you so far.

Apologies
HR
 
turn 101 - and I'm at war on 2 fronts but haven't taken a capital yet - just 2 satellites.

I started on the theory of scout, monument, shrine, granary, archers and chariots.
That started well enough - went liberty, grabbed the gold mines pantheon, thinking I might as well grab a religion to get a happiness building in case I need it.

Then I scouted - slowly - ran into a wall, ran into another wall, ran into a lake, met 2 civs but couldn't figure out how to walk to their capitals.

Eventually decided that the rush win wasn't in the cards, and started wonder whoring while I scouted, GL-NC-Pyramids-Zeus-Stonehenge-Terracotta Army.
Also teched to Optics so I could cross the lakes.

And I finally have 2 armies attacking my first 2 capitals, and a 3rd large army heading out - Terracotta Army gave me 6 troops.

So I'm moving finally - but wow does it feel like a slow start. Pillaging is keeping me in gold for the moment - but if I don't take these caps soon, I'm gonna have big money problems.
 
I'm around 50 turns in, since I don't think it's supposed to be a long game that seems an okay number for the oppening (delete if you disagree). Not like my strategy will change anyway.

I went scout x3, archerx2, Charriots until the end.
Bought a worker and a chariot

Main difficulty is obviously to move around, I just hate these map. I have found everybody but one guy who I think is hiding behind a choke point occupied by Zulus.
I have conquered Washington and now have to decide which direction to take. Everybody put his capital on flat so it will be easy picking, the exception being Zulus and they are in a very narrow area... I think the best strategy would be to kill them first before it becomes impossible to take their capital with chariots. The other can wait.

Went Trad for capital/happiness boost. Techs are Wheel, Optics, then Mining

Edit: Zulus were easier than I thought, took them around turn 65

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
More scouts and have to take Optics
- What were your initial priorities?
Finding the closest neighbour and finding a path to everyone else
- What tech path did you follow and why?
Wheel for charriots and then optics for movements
- What Social Policies did you choose and why?
Tradition for the happiness/gold and capital boost. Maybe Liberty can perform better with an additional city or free worker I don't know, didn't spent enough thoughts on that.
- How did No City Razing impact your strategy?
It is just an extra annoyance to an already annoying map :p
 
since this game is on Warlord , so i created 4 scouts at the beginning. I found a lot of ruins and get 2 upgraded archers , 1 upgraded spear man. They all got "no terrain movement penalties" so it's really good

the bad thing is i delayed Sailing too long , at first i think that tech is worthless until i see only one hex land to go Zulus & Carthege. That's my mistake =((
 
I notice I have approached this game much to cautious. My plan was to build a lot of scouts to quickly uncover the map and find as many ruins as possible. Meanwhile my workers should build a road network for my armies to quickly move to the foreign capitals. But certainly on this difficulty level this plan was to elaborate because I see it taking too many turns.

I build a second city towards the northeast, near Washington, thinking that my road should lead in that direction anyway.

Just for fun, I counted the number of ruins I got in the first 100 turns. It turned out to be an even 20. I think I never had that many.

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
Build more scouts than usual
- What were your initial priorities?
First: getting a good location for the capital. Moved settler south, then back to the original location to settle there. Next priority was scouting and growing the capital
- What tech path did you follow and why?
Nothing special, just the techs required for growing
- What Social Policies did you choose and why?
unlocked tradition, unlocked liberty, unlocked honot, citizinship, representation, unlocked patronage, consulates
- How did No City Razing impact your strategy?
Not at all. I think I would have ignored the not-capital cities too if I was able to raze them.
 
No war for me just yet -- I wanted to build a good foundation with three cities to start.

Spoiler :


- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
I moved my settler down a hex - looks like it was a good decision.
- What were your initial priorities?
Wanted a strong 3 city foundation, go traditional opening and grab Honor to go for the Statue of Zues. The only thing that comes to mind that I should of done was grab the policy first before Tradition to help combat the barbs early.
- What tech path did you follow and why?
Everything in the Ancient Era and the first three in Classical. I was able to get them so quickly due to some real nice ruins. I don't think I have ever gotten as many techs from ruins before. I probably should have done a better job of flow for my techs but I do now have two wonders (Stonehenge and 2 turns away from Terracotta Army *fingers crossed* )
- What Social Policies did you choose and why?
Traditional and Honor. Just wanted the honor opening to get the Wonder.
- How did No City Razing impact your strategy?
Because I know that I can't raze a city, I went strong on religion so i can get a good amount of happiness. Picked up the Religious idols pantheon, but i'm wondering if I should have went for the forest pantheon in stead... picked up pagodas, Tithe, and Religious Center (I'm hoping will stack up well with Burial Tomb?) and Just War.

Hope I didn't over-think things.. I typically go for Cultural or Diplomatic victories... never been an aggressive domination player.
 
Keep in mind the religious building, such as the pagodas you chose, can only be purchased in the cities you founded or annexed. So unless you plan to annex cities, you'll only be able to buy 3 of them. Also keep in mind that they are local happiness. If you're concerned about happiness the founder belief for +1 happiness for every 2 cities following the religion is global happiness so it doesn't matter how big or small the city is.

The follower beliefs that add happiness to shrines and temples are good in a situation like this, because puppets will build them. Also, since Egypt's UB is a temple replacement that adds happiness you could end up with much more local happiness than most of the cities can even use.

I would have gone with Asceticism (+1 happiness from shrines) and Feed the World (+1 food from shrines and temples), because that adds a little happiness and enough food to cover working 1 mine.

The only "forest" pantheon there is is Dance of the Auroras, which is faith on tundra without a forest. So in essence you'd be trading 1 production for 1 faith on a tile you really don't want to work anyway.
 
Turn 117 and I've got Washington before he could settle another city (took his settler from a barb camp) and Ulundi and it's neighbour in a peace deal. I have a 15 or so hex road north from Washington to Attila's place. I have taken the city next to Attila's Court so next stop is Attila's Court itself.

Japan and Attila have been at war all game for a deal I struck with Japan that if forgotten about it's that old. I'm hoping Japan has been suitably weakened but doubt it.

Depending on what I find once I take Attila's Court I'm hoping to consolidate there then take Japan and hopefully find an alternative route to Carthage but I suspect that might not exist.

I am simultaneously scouting west of Thebes for a shorter route to Carthage and also hoping to make two new friends. (I suspect one may be hiding behind Shaka. If so, time to build an army in Ulundi...).

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?

I knew I'd need a lot of roads to get the army around so made a lot of workers. Am leaving Dido to last or until I can figure out how to get to her.

- What were your initial priorities?

Only one: Getting on my warhorse early!

- What tech path did you follow and why?

I went for the wheel for chariots - despite the terrain. I took liberty and built pyramids so I had lots of workers and built lots of roads.

- What Social Policies did you choose and why?

Liberty opener and first on the right then all tradition and started into Commerce. Liberty for the quick build. Tradition for, well, tradition... Commerce to save some cash to fund the war effort.

- How did No City Razing impact your strategy?

So far, not greatly other than to keep things happier than usual before going on my spree.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Spoiler :
At first I wasn't going to mess with this but since I could use the warlord achievement I decided to. I almost wish I didn't now. I built 3x scouts as well thinking ok find caps, kill caps. Not so easy, this map is full of mtns. and hills so a bit of a pain. I just wiped out America turn 80 and not sure which way to go next, most likely Zulu, or I could go take out a few CS's and hit Japan. My Religion is Religious Idols, Tithe and Pagodas. I guess Ill be annexing and trying to make some pagodas, dunno yet, I thought this game would be over fast but I can see it's gonna take some time now. I built GL turn 54 or something LOL. Im so used to not even thinking about that. My tech order was probably wrong for this map after I seen it too late. I went Animal Husb, Arch, Wheel, Mining, Writing, Calendar. Free Trapping and Pottery from ruins and Free Philo from GL. I went full liberty, opened tradition, and used the GP for GS and rushed Theology and am about 7 turns from Hagia Sophia. Oh ya and I settled my 2nd city on the gold next to cerro.

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
**Made me build more scouts and not worry about making a solid empire.**
- What were your initial priorities?
**Uncover map and kill all civs**
- What tech path did you follow and why?
**answer above but I think I would of been better going a differnt way**
- How did No City Razing impact your strategy?
**Hard build less cities and just puppet or annex cities in my way**
 

Attachments

  • Warlord 81...jpg
    Warlord 81...jpg
    336.3 KB · Views: 132
Tough going for Warlord. On turn 116 and have just found the last civ (Zulu). Have knocked out Washington so far but I feel I have a bit of momentum going. Very different game!

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?

Looked around for two turns - found the edge of the map. Was surprised but glad to not found city further south. Delayed a second settler until I figured out the map layout.

- What were your initial priorities?

Scouting for routes to enemy civs, food.

- What tech path did you follow and why?

Granaries, bows, then lost a bit of focus.

- What Social Policies did you choose and why?

Was debating Honor, but ending up going Tradition to build up my capital, as I'm not going to have many cities.

- How did No City Razing impact your strategy?

Decided to found only one city far NE of the capital and not go for complete civ kills.
 
How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?




- What were your initial priorities?
Get an army ,get to char archer discover all civs ,steal a worker from New York,capture New York


- What tech path did you follow and why?

archer. chariot archer

- What Social Policies did you choose and why?

Honor to get gold and culture from all the barbarians that kept on spawning as I only built one city

- How did No City Razing impact your strategy? none
 
Turn 91 Ragequit :mad:

I litterally scrapped a good finish time when my only melee unit(scout) have died to Carthagians. He popped an archer on the same turn and killed my unit! I should have bought a 2nd scout just in case but i have wait instead to rush another(useless) chariot.

So on that turn i would have captured Carthage and 3 civs were be left at that point: Japan, Zulus and Venice. I expected a finish time for around the turn 103-105.

I built a granary and spammed chariots and no other cities were founded. Made 3 armies, 1st one for Washington and China and Zulus, 2nd one for Attila and Kyoto and 3rd one for Carthage and Venice.

It's incredible how a simple little thing can change the world's fate...

I don't have any saves left so no pics too.
 
Turn 91 Ragequit :mad:

I litterally scrapped a good finish time when my only melee unit(scout) have died to Carthagians. He popped an archer on the same turn and killed my unit! I should have bought a 2nd scout just in case but i have wait instead to rush another(useless) chariot.


:lol: I know that feel! I also got surprised once with my scout being one shoted with an archer buy.

Btw I obviously don't know anything about your game but you really think you could have finished 3 other civ in the map configuration in less than 20 turns???
In my game, I finished with zulu and they just got impies.... Oh boy, things got really nasty there.
 
T84. Pfff... It's long, very long. So empty space is a nest for barbarians : Irritating.
I took Washington, on the way to Kyoto, maybe with too many units.
Second army is blocked near Utique. I'll need Optics to take this city or go straight to Carthage.
Third army is just born : Terracotta army. Zulus have +30% city range attack. They'll be the first target. I wonder if I can took Ulundi before Artillery. :cry:

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
No influence. I went into my basics domination game. I just now it will be quite long. As I discover the map, I realize it will be very long.

- What were your initial priorities?
Discovering other civs. One miss and I wonder where it is hide.
Settle Thebes, found a pantheon, monument, shrine, ganary, units, terracota...

- What tech path did you follow and why?
Pottery - Archery (domination) - Mining (Gold) - Wheel (Charriot archer) - Writing (Dynamite, I know it's warlord and it's very far, but I suck in dom) - Construction (Terracota) - BW (Barracks - Spearman) - Maths (Catapult) - Currency (Market, I need gold) - Education...

- What Social Policies did you choose and why?
Liberty for hammer, free settler, free worker, Great person at last. After, I'll go into honor.

- How did No City Razing impact your strategy?
I forgot :)
I tell me, I'll have hard work with Carthage. Utique block me to Carthage and Venise.
I'm happy to have choose happiness for city on river as Pantheon and happiness with Shrine as belief.

Tabarnak : I had this in many games. So, now, I never go against a civ with only one melee units. :D
 
It is strange to me how all of you went pottery for granary, in a spot with rivers and deer. Would not farms suffice for the first 20 turns? Are you overvaluating the granary?

If you go archer first, you can make two scouts as first build and an archer as a third option on turn ~10 then a second or third one, this should be able to take a city early (scout + 2-3 archers).

So why not go archery first then go back to pottery? Can't it be delayed 10 turns for a faster capture? (more than enough happiness early if you settle on the gold on your right side...)
 
I started from pottery. This four food from granary was really helpful to work gold mines faster = more units :)
 
Top Bottom