Best starting strat?

[brokguitar]

Seems to me settle, build warrior, build another warrior, build worker, then build settler? What have you done from the start?



With mysticism as a starting tech, going straight for polytheism will almost guarantee you a starting religion(most of the time the computer will get to meditation before you, and the AI wont try for polytheism before meditation)

[DarkSchneider]

Well, I think the decision whether to build the worker or settler first would depend on how much you can improve your terrain, and what imrpovements you can build. If you are able to build roads and either farms or mines, you can definately speed the production of the settler by improving the squares your city uses.

For my first game, here is the order I chose:
Scout, Worker, Settler, Archer.

Although this nearly turned out to be a terrible choice since a Barbarian was squating near the ideal spot for my new town. Luckily he started moving against another civilization so I was only delayed a couple turns.

My guess is that the best order is:
Scout, Worker, Warrior/Archer, Settler, Granery, Archer

Also, for any new towns, you should probably build the Granery first, and have another town supply the first defensive unit.

[Zhahz]

I usually explore with my first warrior and hope he gets xp to do woodsman II to become a scout of sorts.

I build:
warrior - to defend
worker - to get started on improving (at pop 2, which I usually have at this point)
scout - to explore more (sometimes build before the worker - just depends on how the map is looking and whether I've made contact yet)

Once my city is pop 3 and built all that I build another warrior and a settler to found my 2nd city.

So far I've always gone for a religion early even when not playing as spiritual, and on noble that means your workers have little to do at first.

I'll usually build a worker per city as quickly as possible to get my first 3 cities jammin', then try to build a few building, maybe start a wonder, build a few archers for better defense, and after this brief pause get back to expanding as fast as my treasure/tech will allow.

[lordqarlyn]

When it comes to building, I like to build the barracks first. I know it takes a long time, but typically by the time its complete my city is already size three, then I pump out a warrior, settler worker (all relatively quickly), build another building - usually the granary, warrior, settler worker, unless I am on an island which case its galley, warrior (maybe archer), and settler, by which time my city has grown again, and I should alread have a path to the new city sight. This way my warrior - who are weak to begin with - gets a free promo.

Ultimately though, it really depends what my starting situation is - for example when a hot resource is near by, I may jump to the warrior,settler, then worker, and then a building.

Don

[weakciv]

Originally Posted by Zhahz

I usually explore with my first warrior and hope he gets xp to do woodsman II to become a scout of sorts.

I build:
warrior - to defend
worker - to get started on improving (at pop 2, which I usually have at this point)
scout - to explore more (sometimes build before the worker - just depends on how the map is looking and whether I've made contact yet)

Once my city is pop 3 and built all that I build another warrior and a settler to found my 2nd city.

So far I've always gone for a religion early even when not playing as spiritual, and on noble that means your workers have little to do at first.

I'll usually build a worker per city as quickly as possible to get my first 3 cities jammin', then try to build a few building, maybe start a wonder, build a few archers for better defense, and after this brief pause get back to expanding as fast as my treasure/tech will allow.

Ok i got a question then. do you manually tell your workers to wait then or do you put them on Auto and go?

[AndrewJC]

I go for warrior(defender), scout(to explore w/first warrior at game start),
worker or archer(I make a beline for archery(best early defender in the game)), settler (wait till city is at least size of 3, if not at least size 3
then barracks), send archer and settler together to found second city,
then worker (if not built earlier) otherwise archer.

[madcat_lives]

I like to make worker 1st/warr or arc/ settler/ settler........ I use my #2 city to make arc for my new cities. city#3 I let it build buildings.....

[Wlauzon]

I nearly always do barracks > worker > archer > settler.

[Dakhor]

If against the AI i do Worker - Settler x3 ( with the worker chopping trees )

Multiplayer is different though.

/DaK/

[A_Marauding_Hun]

Barracks, warrior, worker, archer, settler, worker.

Then I go for the second building, almost always a granary.

[Wlauzon]

Originally Posted by Zhahz

I usually explore with my first warrior and hope he gets xp to do woodsman II to become a scout of sorts.

I build:
warrior - to defend
worker - to get started on improving (at pop 2, which I usually have at this point)
scout - to explore more (sometimes build before the worker - just depends on how the map is looking and whether I've made contact yet)

Actuallly on Noble there is no need to build any defensive until around turn 40+, unless you have a totaly aggresive AI next door.

Barbs in Noble spawn at turn 35, and it takes them 5-15 turns to get to your cities after that.

The only reason to build warriors early is for faster exploration.

[Wlauzon]

Originally Posted by Dakhor

If against the AI i do Worker - Settler x3 ( with the worker chopping trees )

Multiplayer is different though.

/DaK/

That is a slow way to do it.

I have tried several options, including one very similar to that one, on test games.

With a size 3 or more city, and 2+ workers, you can build them in about 1/3 the time as a size 1 city with 1 worker.

I almost always build barracks first. Not because I need it right away, but to give the city time to get to size 3 or so. Sometimes I will build an extra military unit or two next, for exploration. Then usually a worker, then archer, then settlers and more workers. Rarely, if I have some valuable resource that needs fast development, will I build a worker first.

Once beyond the first couple of builds there is no set best plan, as it can change with what resources etc you have, but that is the general idea.

The idea on most games is an early land grab, and having a size 4 city with 2+ workers seems to be pretty good for reasonably fast settler building.

[playshogi]

I guess I'm a weird duck. I go warrior, warrior, worker, settler, stonehenge. I wait for the city to get size 3 before worker and size 4 before settler.

[Dakhor]

Originally Posted by Wlauzon

That is a slow way to do it.

Dont agree at all -- I have 3-4 cities when u start building ur first settler. Each settler takes about 8 turns or so - And I can start building them after the first worker is complete. U have to wait for another worker completion ( when the city does not grow ) + barracks.

Anyway there are the barbs to considder though - but chopping forest for a early settler and worker is a good idea. Not so much for anything else - cuz with anything else the city is GROWING.

/DaK/

[Sayounara]

Worker first. The rest is irrelevent.

I can defeat everything except Deity huge map now...

[spiceant]

could you provide a replay of you winning immortal on a huge map then? (preferably with japs, without playing 250 sessions)

[Sayounara]

Originally Posted by spiceant

could you provide a replay of you winning immortal on a huge map then? (preferably with japs, without playing 250 sessions)

Dude, I don't know how to play the Japs.

It was with Catherine + 5 turns to move the capital + the pyramids that made me fully able keep up with the AI.

Basically use 1-2 workers to chop rush the pyramids, then switch to representation and research Drama.

Intersting discovery I was able to defeat the top civlization whom had SAM/Artillery/Infantry with just catepults and cossacks.

But sorry, I don't have the save anymore.

Here was my reasearch route to keep up: Alphabet --> Drama --> Music --> Philosophy --> Military Tradition --> Radio.

[Phoenix_56721]

Originally Posted by playshogi

I guess I'm a weird duck. I go warrior, warrior, worker, settler, stonehenge. I wait for the city to get size 3 before worker and size 4 before settler.

Not that weird, thats exactly what I do! I usually get my worker the same time I finish Bronze Working and start "cutting" to produce my settler and Stonehenge faster...

[Yusaku Jon III]

While I'm still searching for a winning early strat, it almost seems certain that having promoted units (such as archers with the city defense upgrade) as soon as you can, building a barracks while you study archery. This almost guarantees a city's survival against all but the most powerful early barb units (horse archers and swordsmen).

The strats that I do depend on the starting units available with my first settler:

(scout) build warrior -> worker -> warrior -> settler -> barracks -> archer

(warrior) build scout -> worker -> warrior -> settler -> barracks -> archer

[Fieryphoenix]

It depends on what the real estate crush is like. On the top difficulty levels, smaller maps, and especially when I cram in 18 Civs, I find I have to build my first settler when my population is 2 or I lose out on the good resources. It's actually faster at 2 than to wait till three... 30 turns for an unimproved size two city to make a settler, vs 25 or 24 for a size three. Did I say faster? Yes, because the time it takes to grow from 2 to 3 is more than the difference in build speed. If your growth time is 12 turns, you're seven turns faster building at a size two city than a size three, and that can make all the difference when it's needed.