TSG117 Opening Actions

Welcome to the TSG117 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. Anything after that should be posted in the After Action thread once you have completed your game.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
- Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?
- Where did you settle and what did you build first?
- 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?
- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?
- Any surprises?

Guess I am the first one to turn 100? This map is pretty crazy.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
Stay away from Sacred sites, survive the AI initial onslaught, and build up to a late game.

- Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?
Settled right by the mountain turn 1

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?
See above, built two scouts and teched to pottery like usual.

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
As usual, my entire strategy flip flopped as soon as I started scouting. I went from tall to wide immediately thanks to the nice wide area I have to expand to.

- What were your initial priorities?
Cities, religion, infrastructure, and machinery for Brazilwood Camps.

- What tech path did you follow and why?
Beelined Machinery so far, will go back for education after. I might regret that later but I think I can catch up to it.

- What Social Policies did you choose and why?
Just finished Liberty and grabbed a Great Admiral since La Venta asked for one surprisingly. Works for me, I wanted to meet everyone.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
Went for pyramids only, Great Library was gone Turn 29.

- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?
I took Earth Mother since the salt would give me faith immediately, but I was burned when no iron was anywhere on the continent!!!

- Any surprises?


At turn 109, I am last in everything but have 8 cities. Money is a bit of a problem, but not as bad as it could be. I think the next 50 turns will be very interesting. We will see what happens.

My hopes and dreams were shattered not even ten turns later...

VERY tough start!

What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?

Keep an open mind and use Brazil's strengths

- Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?

Yes I planted away from river on Hill near all three stones Dreaming about stone circles and that Halo wonder. I lost the hanging garden and went into depression at turn 65 I had one city and no time to build the NC because I had to throw out a river city 4 my guilds.

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?

Monument, Worker

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

Great spot 4 supper city if only I had HG. I really wanted to get cargo food ships going and built third city to feed my guild city, Didn't lose a step by not getting HG. Guild city went up fast.

- What were your initial priorities? Temple of Artemis 4 engineer point- need this to snag a wonder

- What tech path did you follow and why?Delayed Optics 4 ever, Got sidetracked to Mathematics 4 HG. Not optimal by any measure.

- What Social Policies did you choose and why? Tradition -> Asthetics I really want to open commerce tree and probably will soon.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them? Temple Artemis and lost Hanging Garden

- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith? No faith- in test games could never get stone hedge, Catholic faith is starting to spread and it is no Help.

- Any surprises? The game is set up 4 some really good times

What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
Hmm, deity. I usually lose. Think I'll wing it

Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?
Moved my warrior on turn 1 - couldn't see anything to make me not want to settle.

Where did you settle and what did you build first?
Settled by the mountain. Scout first (because I'd forgotten that ruins were off). Found La Venta for 8 faith, so went for a shrine next to get a Pantheon.

How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
Took Earth Mother because there was lots of salt around. Wanted my Capital to be big for science (with observatory) and great people.

What were your initial priorities?
Thought I might try for Parthenon (stupid idea - no chance). Soon found I was alone with lots of barbs, so needed some defences. I wanted to get the National College up, and a second city. And meet all the civs (kept putting this off which was stupid) and try and get early great works via the writer's guild.

What tech path did you follow and why?
Mining for salt, headed to philosophy but decided to try for Drama and Poetry first (at least I got a Writer's guild).

What Social Policies did you choose and why?
Went liberty when I thought I'd need a worker quickly, nobody was around to steal one from and there were so many barbs I needed to build warriors/spearmen to hold them off. Besides, I'd probably want a good few settlers and the golden age later on would be very useful. Switched to Aesthetics as soon as I could.

What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
Tried parthenon. No chance. Never even considered a chance at anything else.

Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?
Tried it. Even had 200 faith with one religion still available. But never got my Prophet and the last religion went a few turns later. At least the faith should be useful later on.

Any surprises?
When I loaded the game it briefly said something about configuring data. I assume that means something fun will crop up somewhere...



Looks like this game will go like most of my Deity attempts. A valiant attempt at a peaceful game because I'm so far behind in tech, ending in the inevitable dogpile when the AI realises I'm vulnerable. Everyone seems to be better at tourism than me too though, even though I've been trying nothing but. I'm looking forward to see other people's attempts to figure out where I'm going wrong.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
May try early wars if good targets nearby, otherwise peaceful turtle to internet with airports.

- Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?
Not much, 3 salts nearby with a gem and ivory and mountain with river was good enough.

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?
On the river next to mountain. Scout > Shrine > Worker > Archer > settler x3 with 1 more archer between settlers.

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
Didn't start next to jungles, so was already better than the default brazil start. Salt start was much stronger. Need to rush to Astronomy for the observatories and explore other continents, so no point in early wonders.

- What were your initial priorities?
Salt meant pretty easy pantheon provided I get some early shrines up and it was guaranteed when I saw a religious CS. Next was clearing the barb camps and settle 3 expo quickly for 4 city NC.

- What tech path did you follow and why?
Pottery, Archery, Mining, AH, other lux tech, Philosophy, optics, beeline Education, Astronomy while stealing Acoustics, then back to Machinery.

- What Social Policies did you choose and why?
Full Tradition start, then Rationalism, no spare SP before renaissance for maximum science output. Liberty might work on this map although the happiness is an issue when I founded the 5th city before meeting the 4th civ.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
No point to get any early wonder on an isolated start on deity. I don't even bother with Renaissance ones at this rate when my spies revealed several wonder spammers. Seriously turn 57 Oracle?

- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?
Saw salt and when for early shrine and with religious CS managed salt/copper/iron pantheon, and got the 5th religion. Went Tithe, +production. Used faith to buy cathedrals from a neighbor's religion which had sacred sites. Will reconvert back my cities near end with a prophet.

- Any surprises?
Isolated start on a continent meant no easy science leech, no worker steals, so pretty much in for a tough start.

I cancel everything what I wrote in announcement thread (great start, easy win with hotels and carnival only).

Isolated start, no ruins, no worker stealing, annoying barbarians - won't be a great result.

I settled three cities, very late 2c NC (87t), managed to found religion, but
built Stonehenge, Borobudur, Hagia Sophia and Great Mosque - it will be hard to defend my religion.

Anyway great map - really someone can feel deity difficulty.

T85 missed the last religion, so I thought I would check in, even with being allied to the nearby religious CS. I should have gone for quarries, gambled on iron...

I started this game late, trying a couple more CV games since I really struggle with those.

I was disappointed not to see jungle in opening screen shot, but people complain about Brazil having a weak start.

Did my usual scout-scout-shrine-monument. I thought I was having exceptionally bad luck with ruins -- then read OP again.

Opened Liberty instead of Tradition because I overestimated the size of the continent. Found some jungle, but not really enough.

Fourth item in queue was worker, chopped out the mids, so that was good. Two expos and MoH because I could and thought it help with gold problems.

Third and final expo before NC around T80 though. I have met one AI and found one wonder.

IronfighterXXX said:

Anyway great map - really someone can feel deity difficulty.

Click to expand...

Glad someone appreciates it.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?

I thought I'd treat this as an exercise in learning how to Deity without using XP-farmed Xbows to burn down industrial cities.

- Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?

No

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?

Riverside mountain. Monument > Worker > Shrine > Granary > Mausoluem > Pyramid > Settlers & Archers

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

I wanted four gold & faith from my Stone and being a Marathon player really appreciate the novelty of regular 100G gifts

With hindsight, I'm not sure that the money is worth the big delay in first GS.

- What were your initial priorities?

Barbarian security, pantheon

- What tech path did you follow and why?

Mining because Salt > Pottery > Masonry > worker techs > Writing > Optics > Phil

- What Social Policies did you choose and why?

Liberty for free second worker to help chop wonders. After that, filled left side for cheap settlers, then got happiness. Left GP & carnival for endgame; this was a mistake, I should have got a GAD for to find Salt markets.

Opened Commerce for Big Ben, and opened left side Rationalism. Should have put it in Piety. Extra faith would have bought two GMs.

Full Aesthetics, finishing late for strong Carnivals.. Standard tourism Freedom.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?

Got early goals. GE from Pyramids got me Louvre despite Expo being opened by a rival. Lost race for Sydney.

- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?

Yes. Missed out on a religion due to bad luck delaying CS friendship. Shame; cathedrals weren't taken and I was converted to Sacred Sites Pagoda Buddhism.

- Any surprises?

Planned sixth city site getting settled by a rival D:

How advanced the AI were in the very top of the tech tree. Thought it was safe to sell open borders as I'd not seen Frigates around; as I got Archaeology, I watched all but two of my own ASs get dug up



Endgame: I lost, but had a great time and learned a lot. When I threw five Carnival GMs at the culture leader and still had 300 turns left to go Influential, I felt like Woody Harrelson in White Men Can't Jump when he got hustled XD