What is your beginning stratagy?

[Bigv32]

I have heard people say that the way you start the game is the way you finish the game. I also, have heard many strategiesin guides, but what about people who haven't writen guides? What are your strategies?

I usually shoot for an early religion followed by a beeline for literature and alphabet. Through trade and war, I get caught up with other techs. Beeline to scientific method for the GL and on to electricity, radio, and mass media for the wonders. This is usually followed by some backtracking to assembly line for the pentagon. The next steps are usually the same but not always. Medicine to rocketry for the spacerace victory and on to robotics for space elevator. I admit I am more of a builder than warmonger.

[slobberinbear]

This is one of those unanswerable questions. If you play the same what every time, you will find yourself hosed when you try different civs, raise difficulty, or try multiplayer.

I usually play at Monarch. My strategy is determined by my civilization, map, and mood.

If I am planning on early warmongering, I tech for the military resources, hook them up, build units, and go clobber someone. I then go into economic recovery mode with the help of whipped libraries and scientist specialists.

If I am planning on early expansion, I focus on worker techs and those techs that unlock the better civics. I try to get out enough settlers to block off the AI from expanding into my area and build enough military to keep the AI at bay.

If I am planning on wonder-hogging, I focus on worker and wonder-enabling techs and securing any wonder-boosting resources, then build build build while my satellite cities attempt to expand and build a few military units.

I rarely have a victory condition in mind when I start the game. Often, your goal will only become clear midway through the game. It is true that some starts are better-suited for certain victories than other starts.

[Bandobras Took]

My only real strategy is explore, explore, explore. Then I make most of the rest of my decisions based on the map and my neighbors. I can't make those decisions until I know what the conditions are.

[JBossch]

Originally Posted by Bigv32

Beeline to scientific method for the GL

[Daedal]

The standard answer is that you should always play to the map. Fine, but I tend toward one of two extremes.

If I'm playing an industrious or philosophical civ and I have a good production capital and I have stone or marble nearby, it's gonna be a wonderspam game. 2 workers and then start chopping/mining. City #2 produces the necessary units to keep the game moving along and I won't settle a lot of cities. Priority goes to techs that get me wonders fastest.

Otherwise default to warmonger mode. Tech BW for axes and slavery, then beeline math for cats and improved chopping. If nobody's around, you're in great shape to get currency/CoL and REX.

[Sync]

The first thing I do is head for Archery so I am capable of defending my cities from Barbarian raids. Then I head for the Priesthood techonology so I can begin constructing the Oracle. I make sure I have Writing researched by the time I've completed the Oracle so I can get Code of Laws as my free tech. In almost all the games I play on Noble difficulty I'll discover Confucianism with this method.

I find it much less risky than competing to be the first to research Meditation/Polytheism/Monotheism, especially if you don't have Mysticism as a starting tech.

[troytheface]

i follow the dictate of Attacko's strategy guides. And disagree with the multiple
civ/leader change up strategy. I say one Civ, one learder- become the master of that and with this totalitarian mechanic destroy all in sp and mp.

[Tibur753]

(Warlords)
I usually build a few cities, and concentrate on vertical expansion until the mid Medieval era and then do a beeline for chemistry and steel. I then proceed in conquering two or three civs. Then beeline communism for state property to manage maintenance costs. After that I tech Astronomy and begin to colonize the new world while trading for techs with the remaining AIs.

[Monsterzuma]

In as far my strategies can be given general definition at all: tech and expand toward a military advantage, then act on oppurtunities to attack. As a player I am strongly disinclined towards risking wonder construction or letting fellow players live as neighbors for the tech trading gains.

[MikeH]

Set everything to 'random' and prees start

[Abegweit]

warrior 1 SE

[vicawoo]

Grab lots of land through REXing or war. Hopefully don't get dominated by barbarians when I REX. Then become indecisive between developing my economy or killing people.

[CivCorpse]

Originally Posted by Abegweit

warrior 1 SE

It's 1NE you rookie

[harusame]

important to mention is fast astronomy without paper, especially if you start isolated
mining>BW
wheel>pottery
masonary
writing >alphabet
mathematics
fishing>sailing
Calendar
IW>MC>Machinery
Compass>Optic

voila, you get astronomy

[madscientist]

Based on the title, I'll discuss my opening game. I play marathon speed, monarch/empoeror level

1) Religion: If I start with mysticism AND can work two different tiles with at least 1 commerce I will attempt to found hinduism. Since Isabella starts with fishing and almost always tries for Buddism, meditation is a losing race. Otherwise I will not target religion

2) FOOD: Unless going for polytheism, I decide if I have enough food techs at teh moment. If I start with fishing and have seafood, I will not tech a food reseource. Ditto agriclutre if I have corn/wheat/rice.

3) Military: The sooner the better. Mining/BW usually although Animal Husbandry if there is livestock in the capital BFC. I also do not delay archery unless I get other military VERY early.

4) Trade/commerce: Wheel is most important followed by sailing and pottery. writing is up there and I generally do not over expand past 60% science slider until I have this teched.

I will quickly evaluate my neighbors. If I can strike quickly at a neighbor and have horses or axes I will do it, even if it leads to isolation (alot of my recent RPCs went this route). THe best second city is an AI capital!

Early builds I generally go either workboat or worker depending on starting techs and terrain. Occassionally I get no seafood or nothing for the worker to do, so I build a warrior or scout.

I try to bring my capital population close to or at the happy cap before building settlers, then I will try an capture resources and cut off the AI. Sometimes I will REX, but not always.

These are guidelines and I play it out based on the map, traits, and starting techs. I generally like to play a balanced play style favoring both the peaceful love one another approach and and the demon-eyed mass musrdering monster, with MOST games somewhere in the middle.

[spider1]

I chop my way to three cities with one worker each as quickly as possible, then one city does nothing but churn out military units while the other two do whatever it is they have the resources for. After that, it's all up to the map and the AIs as to how I proceed.

It doesn't always work though, sacrificing your home city's production to get those settlers and workers out can backfire sometimes.

[Bleys]

My starting strat is like this.

If I am not on the coast, I find the coast and move there. Then I build the GLH. Then I REX cities around the coast of my landmass.

This doesnt always work, especially when I am on a Pangaea map with 3 civs blocking me every direction I look. In those situations, see Slobbsters post, the Bear speaks truth!

[DaveMcW]

First I look around the starting location to see if there are any plains hills. If I find one I build the capital there, otherwise I settle in place.

Then I put my first citizen to work on a forest, preferably a plains and/or hill forest.

Then I hold down Ctrl and click the Quechua icon.

After I have 4 Quechuas, I kill my first neighbor.

Then I make a stack of 6 Quechuas and kill my second neighbor.

8 Quechuas to kill my third neighbor.

If there are still civs left on my continent I drown them in a flood of more Quechuas. Otherwise I build lots of cottages and win the space race.

[harusame]

Originally Posted by DaveMcW

First I look around the starting location to see if there are any plains hills. If I find one I build the capital there, otherwise I settle in place.

Then I put my first citizen to work on a forest, preferably a plains and/or hill forest.

Then I hold down Ctrl and click the Quechua icon.

After I have 4 Quechuas, I kill my first neighbor.

Then I make a stack of 6 Quechuas and kill my second neighbor.

8 Quechuas to kill my third neighbor.

If there are still civs left on my continent I drown them in a flood of more Quechuas. Otherwise I build lots of cottages and win the space race.

cant stop laughing
very funny

[Nibs]

I base my game plan off of the map. If I can eliminate a few civs quickly, I go for it with warriors or an early axe rush.
Tech wise, it really depends who I start with. Do I need to research a religon, no. I can always let a nearby civ do the work for me and capture the holy city. Now i have a religion. I almost always go for the techs that lead me to the great wall and orcale. The GW to keep the barbs at bay, and the early GS, who is great for exploring rivials. Never gets caught. Nice little feature.