Isolated start, some tips please

Hey everyone,

In my current game, I am playing as the Inca, and I quickly found out that I am on a small continent. I was there together with the Persians but they dissappeared by now...

Of course being pretty much by myself, keeping up in technology was a bit hard, and also bad for my economy. I have now discovered optics and navigation and started to explore the world around me. It turns out that Montezuma is to my north, also on a small continent but he can't reach me yet. Most of the other civs are on a huge continent together. Someone on that continent founded Buddhism and the whole continent is Buddhist. I founded Hinduism and thus am Hindu. Persia founded Confucianism, but they don't exist anymore. I founded every remaining religion as well.

The problem is that everyone is either cautious or annoyed with me. (Is Monty ever anything but annoyed?) They are all Buddhist, and I am Hindu, which doesn't help with diplomacy. Monty to the north has no religion.

I was thinking about the following approach:
1) Introduce Monty to Hinduism so that he converts to my side.
2) Aggressively spread Hinduism to all other civs to see if I can get some converts there.
3) One of my cities is a Great Merchant farm, which I tend to put to good use, bringing in massive income to update my antique military.
4) Trade for resources I don't have with luxuries I do have. (surrounded by silk, feels good )
5) Colonize some spots where there is still room on the map, claiming some important resources.

What do you think? Good strategy? Anybody want to offer some tips?

General Failure

General Failure said:

Hey everyone,

In my current game, I am playing as the Inca, and I quickly found out that I am on a small continent. I was there together with the Persians but they dissappeared by now...

Of course being pretty much by myself, keeping up in technology was a bit hard, and also bad for my economy. I have now discovered optics and navigation and started to explore the world around me. It turns out that Montezuma is to my north, also on a small continent but he can't reach me yet. Most of the other civs are on a huge continent together. Someone on that continent founded Buddhism and the whole continent is Buddhist. I founded Hinduism and thus am Hindu. Persia founded Confucianism, but they don't exist anymore. I founded every remaining religion as well.

The problem is that everyone is either cautious or annoyed with me. (Is Monty ever anything but annoyed?) They are all Buddhist, and I am Hindu, which doesn't help with diplomacy. Monty to the north has no religion.

I was thinking about the following approach:
1) Introduce Monty to Hinduism so that he converts to my side.
2) Aggressively spread Hinduism to all other civs to see if I can get some converts there.
3) One of my cities is a Great Merchant farm, which I tend to put to good use, bringing in massive income to update my antique military.
4) Trade for resources I don't have with luxuries I do have. (surrounded by silk, feels good )
5) Colonize some spots where there is still room on the map, claiming some important resources.

What do you think? Good strategy? Anybody want to offer some tips?

General Failure

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Sounds reasonable. If you have the time and caravels, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try to get an ally on the main continent, too, since Monty really won't be able to launch serious attacks on anyone (since he sounds to be as isolated as you.)

Can you upload the 4000BC autosave file? Would be kind of curious to see how this one plays out...

jkp1187 said:

Sounds reasonable. If you have the time and caravels, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try to get an ally on the main continent, too, since Monty really won't be able to launch serious attacks on anyone (since he sounds to be as isolated as you.)

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True. I also have some misgivings about having Monty as an ally. I just don't trust him. I feel he might just as easily turn around and stab me in the back.

jkp1187 said:

Can you upload the 4000BC autosave file? Would be kind of curious to see how this one plays out...

Click to expand...

I'll see if I can do that when I come home. I'm at work now.

Thanks for the advice!

General Failure

Converting Monty to Hinduism wont really help that much. He is still highly likely to attack you, I have experienced this myself. The rest of the plan sound good, but instead of converting Monty, I would build up a military and invade his continent before he can get to you.

Shoot for liberalism. Enact free religion. No religion penalty isn't as good as a religion bonus, but is easier to reach.

Race for chemistry. Use grenadiers to discuss your isolation and border issues with your closest neighbor.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

I was thinking about the following approach:
1) Introduce Monty to Hinduism so that he converts to my side.
2) Aggressively spread Hinduism to all other civs to see if I can get some converts there.
3) One of my cities is a Great Merchant farm, which I tend to put to good use, bringing in massive income to update my antique military.
4) Trade for resources I don't have with luxuries I do have. (surrounded by silk, feels good )
5) Colonize some spots where there is still room on the map, claiming some important resources.

Click to expand...

1. Good but never trust him too highly. He`ll still be obnoxious.
2. Good to try. Somewhat hard since some AIs just love theocracy! Good money too if you succeed.
3. Good
4. Just do it.
5. Worth to try but is not really promising.

I remember that someone before has posted a savegame where he was alone on one continent. He was researching with 0% science and negative income. You can try to find it.

I assume you have an optimal number of cities. Just keep trading techs and resources if you can. Build "science" and "money" in some or all cities. With good cities you could catch-up with sooner. You`re alone, so you`re less likely to be attacked succesfully. Therefore, units can be minimal. Use GM to get money and use it for research. Research heavily on techs that AIs are likely to ignore.

sounds like you're in good shape!

I would
1)go for liberalism for the free tech, if still available, and the economic boost of free speech and the diplomacy no-malus of free religion.
If you manage to get there first, you can choose astronomy as free tech = ability to invade montezuma
2) either as a free tech or researched (long!), go for astronomy.
While teching to astronomy build you best siege units+assault units in overwhelming numbers + a few galleys. Once you hit astronomy, it's time for galleon building. After that tech to chemistry for frigates.
3) open borders with the other continent while invading montezuma. you're gonna lose loads of units, but keep building.
4) look at the victory screen, look for landmass requirement. Are you near enough to actually try for domination or not? If not, it's time for teching fast with 2 continents. If yes, it's time to build more troops.

Here is the 4000 BC Autosave, for people who are interested in playing this map. I usually don't like to start in too isolated a spot, but so far, this game has been interesting.

Thanks to everyone who has posted tips so far! Looks promising. I always like to hear other people's strategy or approach.

General Failure

my suggestion is capture the budist holy city adopt it bud and take it from there

Open borders, build missionaries.

Take Monty out, use his cities.

You've got to break up the Buddhist hegemony on the big continent, or join it. Looks like fun!

hi ive tried your game
i wiped out cyrus easy
built the graet wall
got christainity
heres screenies

Cultural victory anyone? Get those cathedrals etc (you have stacks of religion) up and running, get Liberalism and the lovely Free Speech that goes with it and then just move the slider to 100% culture. Any gold deficet can be fixed by assigning cities that you aren't using for culture to build wealth. Make sure you have least one GP farm and don't fire off those culture bombs as soon as you get GAs. Stack them up and use them all at once to send all three cities to legendary simulateuonlsy.

General Failure said:

1) Introduce Monty to Hinduism so that he converts to my side.

Click to expand...

Why is Monty still alive?

Never leave Monty alone. If he's going to share a border with you, KILL him. Fast.

Vizzini said:

Why is Monty still alive?

Never leave Monty alone. If he's going to share a border with you, KILL him. Fast.

Click to expand...

Well, Monty is (I should say "was" by now) half a world away, hadn't discovered Optics yet, so he couldn't get to me. I found him after I got optics, but obviously then could not go out to destroy him.

But since I discovered Navigation, went to Liberalism for the Free Religion, I no longer incur the religion penalty. Monty however, does. He is now a true Hindu, converted by me. So all the Buddhist civs don't like him, especially Saladin. To make a long story short, Saladin declares war on Monty, but apparently runs into trouble after landing his troops as far as I can see (I have a caravel nearby to watch the action). He is hit pretty hard by Monty, and asks me to join him.
Since Free Religion, my diplomatic relationship with the others has improved dramatically. I've traded techs for techs and bought some techs from the AI with the gold I got from my Great Merchant farm. My army is now up to date and has been growing nicely for my planned invasion of Monty. So when Saladin comes asking, I accept and join him in his war. Saladin loves me now!

Together, Saladin and me (okay, mostly me) make swift work of Monty's backward empire (he has been isolated too, and way behind in techs!). Saladin has managed to capture two marginal cities, I have the rest. So that's the end of Monty.

I now plan to integrate Monty's land into my economy, culture flip the two cities Saladin took and not go to war for a while. Instead I will concentrate on improving my economy and research and probably go for a diplomatic or space race win. Or...I may go ahead and invade Mehmet....

All in all, this has been an interesting isolated start.

General Failure

i tried your game and got buddism as i researched medatation first. how ever that puts you in the same situation except the other continent is all hindu

My advice adopt Buddisim (if possible if not yet build city on main continent and wait for Bud to spread there then build missionaries and convert your heathen religion LOL