Got a phenomenal starting location in a multiplayer game. How should I go about this?

[Mercarcher]

Started a new game with a few friends last night. This is an absolutely phenomenal starting location. Its a standard sized map on standard time with continents type. I somehow spawned on a large island completely alone.
http://i.imgur.com/P0Ricgs.jpg My 2nd city also got access to Mt. Fuji.

I got fertility rights, already have Collective Rule and Tradition Opener.

I'm currently researching Philosophy and I was planning on b-lining it to Theology for the 2 free social policies and getting a Oracle on the way.

Since I'm alone I know I'm relatively free to tech without needing a military, but I don't know how far. Any help would be great.

 

[GhostSalsa]

Yikes... "phenomenal"? I hate starting alone. Though I suppose in multiplayer it means not worrying about being killed... in trade you are giving up a ton of early benefits leaching science and money off of other civs, and swap luxes for all those duplicate incense, and the ability to conquer someone yourself, before it's already late game.

Your island has 4 lux resources, could be worse, but isn't great. Also, plantations are terrible tiles, though at least incense can be buffed with monasteries, it's still pretty week since those take a while to come online. Mt Fuji can't be worked until you grow that second city, but that city has absolutely no food tiles that I can see. Settling near the wheat might have been better but even one wheat isn't good enough to work Mt Fuji without killing city growth. You obviously bought that tile and the connector which was probably half a library of gold (NW mountain tiles seem to always run expensive), but you can't even work them.

At least your capital has a middling amount of river and hill tiles, but better would have been to settle on the shore and get food cargo ships going. I recommend liberty and shore settling for isolated starts because you have to make everything yourself, getting cargo ships and granaries running can be better than tradition.

With where you are now instead, I'd say settle one more city near the dye like it suggests, get two food caravans going to your capital, get NC and try to wonder-monger a bit, then settle a second coastal city later.

Sorry, this was a really negative eval... i just hate isolated starts now what with the current importance of trade routes.

 

[Doctor Doom]

you're Poland you can pretty much do what ever you want and win! no but in all seriousness you check Tommynt's Poland guide.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Your island has 4 lux resources,

Five: marble, ivory, incense, dyes and spices.

 

[GoStu]

I'm a bit surprised by Fertility Rites over Goddess of Festivals with all that Incense, but otherwise looks decent.

I suppose a 4 city Tradition and Wonder-spamming run is in order, however in the renaissance you'll want a strong naval presence to defend a lead if you can get it.

 

[GhostSalsa]

As it happened I just rolled Inca alone on a small continent (standard Continents map). Which helped me remember that you never realize you are alone / need to get to the coast, before you already have settled your capital.

Anyway, it's going well, here's closer to what I would consider an ideal isolated opening:

Spoiler :

Started with settler a few tiles norther, moving down to the hill was a very good choice because I got four pasture tiles. Poland would like that. All four of my northernmost cities are settled directly on a Copper tile. 5 unclaimed lux types are available, though I'm not in a hurry for the Truffles. Only have 4 types improved.

Lucked (this is on Immortal) into first pantheon and religion thanks to Kathmandu, got Earth Pantheon (copper faith), Pagodas, later Swords Into Plowshares since I'll be at peace for a while. I've built Pyramids, Mausoleum, Oracle, Borobudur, nothing great.

More to the point, it's going well because obviously it's Inca, you can't mess up Inca, and my natural wonder - Mt Kailash - was better. The 2 happiness was critical to found my third city in time. I have lots of food tiles to allow me to work Mt Kailash because I'm Inca and surrounded by mountains.

Went straight Liberty. Tradition opener is pointless since I'm not competing with anyone for tiles. Aside from the free aqueducts - I clearly haven't teched Engineering yet - I haven't missed Tradition at all. Liberty got me my free roads and super-powerful Terraces up faster. The reason I have 59gpt is I used my free great person on an admiral, so I found the other civs and have traded all my duplicate copper - delaying Liberty would have made that strategy pointless. Now I'm friends with 4 civs and signing RAs.

Exploration for my second tree though I know most ppl would favor Patronage or Tradition. Exploration will pay off because all three of my coastal cities are decent spots. I'll probably conquer Assyria in Industrial because they're the bad guy.

 

[HanNorwood]

Watch Gustaves plop a city right in the middle of your island.