TSG 232 Opening Actions Thread

[vadalaz]

This thread is used to discuss the game's opening decisions and strategies through the first 100 or so turns. Here you can post questions related to the game and share your achievements/anger/frustration/victories while you play.

Quick links: Upload submission | Announcement thread | After actions

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
- Have you played Arborea before? How did the abundance of forests affect your decisions?
- What religious beliefs did you pick?
- What Social Policies did you choose?
- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?

 

[zxcvbob]

This thread is used to discuss the game's opening decisions and strategies through the first 100 or so turns. Here you can post questions related to the game and share your achievements/anger/frustration/victories while you play.

Quick links: Upload submission | Announcement thread | After actions

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
- Have you played Arborea before? How did the abundance of forests affect your decisions?
- What religious beliefs did you pick?
- What Social Policies did you choose?
- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?

I overshot the first 100 turns last night so I just kept playing. (I'll be posting in the after-actions thread shortly) So I won't be posting any screen shots here. From what I remember, here's how the early game went:

1. Just looking at the preview picture in the announcement thread, I thought "that's a lot of citrus", so since Boudicca doesn't need faith from a pantheon I might go Sun God for extra food. That's good for science, right? Or my favorite general purpose pantheon God-King, which is great when you can get it early for the extra hammer and culture. But ultimately I settled on the gold (I like settling on a hill) and took Religious Idols, more for the extra culture than the faith. I don't know if that was the best choice but it was a good one.
2. I have played Arborea before but not recently. It meant I was a bit alarmed when I met Hiawatha on about turn 2 or 3 because he's a city-spammer and he gets combat bonuses in forest. So I had to get my expands out in a hurry before he claimed all the land. I usually research Pottery first, but this time I started with Mining and built scout, scout, worker, settler, archer, and *then* granary, then another settler. (notice there's no shrine or monument in the list) Then I built a library and my first 2 wonders. I used the worker to chop some forests that I would eventually want to chop anyway to rush the settlers. I settled my first expo to the north by the mountain and the silver, and Hiawatha didn't like it. Actually he was coveting my land before I even expanded in his general direction. My second expo was to the south on the coast by the marble.
3. Religious beliefs were Religious Idols, Tithe, Pagodas, Religious Texts, and the one that gives 1 food per shrine and temple.
4. Social policies were straight Tradition and Patronage. On lower difficulties I usually open Honor but I didn't this time. Next comes Rationalism.
5. Early wonders were Temple of Artemis, Hanging Gardens, Great Lighthouse, Petra, Machu Picchu, and Oracle. I easily could have built the Great Library but I didn't try for that one. I kinda wanted Colossus too but someone else built that before I even started it. Great Lighthouse delayed my national college a good bit; I think I built NC about turn 115.

I wanted one more city on the coast to the northwest but there really weren't enough unique luxuries to support that, and didn't want to provoke Hiawatha. So I kept it at 3 and used internal trade routes to grow them (that's why I wanted Colossus for the extra trade route.) Even with just 3 cities I had happiness problems in the medieval era; none of the AIs had extra luxuries to trade. I added another city later, but I'll talk about that in the after-actions thread

 

[raider980]

Haha, I was worried when I met Hiawatha real early too! That city spammer would have to be delt with sooner rather than later.

Before starting the game I figured I could try some unconventional things because of the Celts UA and it being a Prince game. I have played Arborea and so I wanted to spam cities in all that glorious forest; trying to get locations with 3 adjacent forest even if it wasn't exactly the traditional ideal spot. I thought about trying Sacred sites but didn't think Piety was worth it since we are the Celts.

For religion I went with the Pantheon that gave science for city connections. I didn't need a faith pantheon and didn't really want a lot of food because of happiness - I was going to try a small wide strategy. And maybe for the first time ever, I didn't take Tithe. I figured happiness would be an issue so I took Ceremonial Burial, happiness for cities following my religion - I was going to try and spread my religion before the AI even got one. I even used my first prophet after founding to spread instead of enhancing. (I did find out that Cer. Bur. has been nerfed since launch - the Rate the Beliefs thread here says it is +1 happiness for each city; but now in game it is +1 happiness for every 2 cities. Not sure why they nerfed that but not Tithe - because now Tithe is really the only Founder Belief worth taking.).

For SP I went Liberty to the free settler then opened Honor because my Pictish Warriors were going to go out barb hunting. Then would finish liberty.

I actually went for GL and got it - rather late even on T68. Also got ToA and Pyramids.

I decided to settle on the Gold Hill and I would keep the Citrus and one other tile forested (along with the Deer that would give me the +2 faith). I hard build a settler and sent it to found Dublin on the Silver just south of the mountain range up north. A few turns later my Liberty Settler went to found Cardiff next to Berringer Crater; even though there was no forest I had to get the wonder so the AI wouldn't try and settle it.

Tech path was unconventional; since we didn't need a Shrine I went Mining first (nice and refreshing since normally Pottery is the only way to go), then to Bronze Working for the PWs. I had bad luck with the ruins: Map, Culture, Map, Unit upgrade (War to PW, nice), Barb Camps.

On T50 I spied a lone Iroquois settler heading south toward the sacred Celtic forests. That could not be allowed. Luckily one of my units was in striking distance and I DoW Hiawatha and took the settler. I didn't have the units to really attack him quite yet so I sat around his city harassing him for a while; and managed to get another settler out of it. His warriors were no match for PW so I decided to go for CB and take his capital. He hadn't managed to get any settlers out so I wasn't sure if I wanted to kill him off entirely because of the diplo hit. But luckily both Korea and Portugal offered me a DoF so I decided to go for it. On T80 two CB and three PW captured Onondaga and the city spammer threat was gone.

Unfortunately, Maria sent a settler by me to settle Braga in a prime spot that I had coveted. We were friends so I couldn't do anything about it; and I didn't want two wars already either. I'll just capture it later but she's probably going to cut down all the forest. On T84 I settled Truro on the coast-river south of Onondaga to block any further incursions into my territory. That would give me time to build the NC before filling out the rest of my lands.

 

[billybgame]

I am giving this one a go.

By turn 100, I had roped off Hiawatha....as I placed cities NE and NW of capital. The one to the NW, a bit SE of his capital, I got there one turn before his own settler was about to plop down! Next was a city on coast to the W....so he had no room to expand Southward. Think had 6 cities by turn 100. Next city went up just S of the city state NE of us. Then I started expanding southward in some good city sites.

Took Liberty to start. Always seem to in race to religion.

I'm going to show Hiawatha what it's like to city spam. We have all that room and I can make both Pagodas and Mosques. I may be thinking past turn 100 here...forgive if so.

Did not get too many Wonders built. Not even Pyramids, which I usually do. AI are most def going all out for Wonders..as usual in Prince and beyond. Great Library was built before I could even think about it.