TSG 234 Opening Actions Thread

[Nizef]

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.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
- 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?
- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
- Did you get a religion? What religious beliefs did you pick?

 

[Tiberiu]

Hello. I would like to play this game.
Here are my answers to these questions, after playing the first 50 turns.

Spoiler :

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

I would like to see how many Wonders I can build on Emperor. I would like the Great Library and Petra, and maybe Oracle and the other Wonders can be conquered if needed.

Where did you settle and what did you build first?

I settled on a Copper hill and I built 2 Scouts, and then a Shrine.
My second city decision was affected by Bratislava not connecting their nearby Gems, which I plan to steal by buying the tile.

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

The terrain affected my decision to build a Shrine quickly to catch Desert Folklore. Other than that it also affected my plan to build Petra, which should be great for Morocco.

- What were your initial priorities?

To build the Shrine fast, to steal a worker from somewhere, and to rush the Great Library. Also to try and get as many Ruins as possible, but that's luck based.

- What tech path did you follow and why?

Pottery for Shrine, Writing for Great Library, then Mining to connect the Copper. Since I realized I can't use GL free tech for Mathematics, I discovered Calendar for Philosophy and decided to delay Petra for exchange of building a very quick NC and maybe also build The Oracle.

- What Social Policies did you choose?

Liberty, it feels like a good tree for the game. I should probably finish it and build an Academy or maybe a Prophet to enhance the Religion.

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

The Great Liberary, I got it. And Now building NC first, delaying my 2nd city until I finish it. After this I will attempt the Oracle and then Petra.

- Did you get a religion? What religious beliefs did you pick?

I will most likely get the first or second religion and will pick a gold-giving founder belief, and either Pagodas or Mosques as my first follower belief.

 

[Rhodro]

Here's a log of my first 100 turns:

2 - ruin barbs, found mt kilimanjaro
11 - ruin map
14 - ruin 70 gold
15 - ruin pop
16 - ruin culture
21 - ruin prophet
29 - ruin writing, stole worker from hiawatha
33 - stole 1st worker from bratislava
34 - peace with hiawatha, gave him copper for money
38 - war with egypt, stole settler into worker
41 - finished temple of artemis
54 - founded city next to mt kilimanjaro
59 - founded city on river coast SE of capital
72 - finished hanging gardens
90 - finished petra and completed tradition
95 - found shaka
100 - 1st golden age, national college finished next turn

When I found the island SW of Antwerp I was like, yay, that seems like good lands, crabs, pastures, fish, deer, natural wonder. Then like 2 turns later I found shaka on that island and the joy evaporated. Not sure if I will settle that island, maybe I will on a hill and then immediately send him a trade route. I will also get a great engineer in 9 turns, I might use it on chichen itza. I will probably also settle between bratislava and antwerp, buy the marble and try for the gems. I kept war with bratislava so far, got a few workers from them. Since they are hostile i figured it wouldnt be worth to make peace early.

Still thinking about the policy strategy going forth. I really like commerce cheaper buying, and maybe patronage opener + forbidden palace.

Screenshot:

Spoiler :

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
Get petra and desert folklore and play a bit with external trade routes. So after warring nearby civs for worker steals make friends and send trade routes.

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?
On the copper like I said in opening thread. Build scouts first of course, because with fractal I feel I need good scouting

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
Sailing was not initially on my prio, because I wanted to get some key wonders, but I just needed to buy a trireme sooner then later because I found I was stuck with 2 civs on a big plot of land.

- What were your initial priorities?
Want to get key wonders temple of artemis, hanging gardens and petra. Also want to play a bit with the UA external trade routes. Stealing workers.

- What tech path did you follow and why?
Granary, because of 2 wheat. Then focused on getting wonders with a side step to calendar. I was lucky to get writing from a ruin. Now I will focus on civil service. Then I will see if full science or I take chivalry for kasbah early.

- What Social Policies did you choose?
Full tradition.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
temple of artemis, hanging gardens and petra, got them all.

- Did you get a religion? What religious beliefs did you pick?
Yes, got tithe, pagoda, desert folklore. So far i bought 1 missionary to spread to city states up north, one of them had a quest for it. Bought 1 pagoda so far.

 

[raider980]

• - What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
  • Thought about how to get DF and Petra (since last time I missed it by a few turns - to none other than the civ we're playing as now! I had read how Morocco is good for wide play so I was hoping there was enough land for that (there was!)
• - Where did you settle and what did you build first? - How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
  • Settled on the Copper River Hill as discussed in the announcement thread. Early build order was Scout, Scout, Monument, Shrine, Archer, Archer, then 4 settlers. When I saw all that land with good spots, I decided to just pump out settlers so Hiawatha couldn't be his normal self and spam cities everywhere. First expo was way over to the east of Mt. Kili thus forward settling Hiawatha. Fortunately, I was able to block his first settler for a very long time from coming west by using units getting in his way. Luckily there was that mountain range so he couldn't go around me to the south.
• - What were your initial priorities?
  • Initial priorities were to set my borders and build as many cities as I could - turned out to be six. This delayed the NC by a lot but I think it was worth it. Also, of course to get DF and a religion and Petra.
• - What tech path did you follow and why?
  • There were a lot of techs I needed for luxuries off the path to Currency so I used my Liberty GE for Petra.
• - What Social Policies did you choose?
  • Opened Tradition because the first ruin was Culture and I wasn't sure about the lay of the land yet. Then full Liberty.
• - What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
  • Have only tried Petra and got it with the Liberty GE finisher. Am building Hanging Gardens now.
• - Did you get a religion? What religious beliefs did you pick?
  • Yep, got a religion T99. DF, Tithe, Pagodas, Peace Gardens because I was worried about happiness with six early cities (at one point I hit -10 happiness), Initerant Preachers.

Another fun game where wide play is viable! I got quite lucky with early ruins: Culture, Pop, Gold, Barbs, Culture. Some turn milestones:

• T8 Met Hiawatha, dagnabit, is this going to be the second recent GotM where I will need to kill off Hiawatha. Turns out no because I was too busy building settlers and I was able to block his settler from being able to found his second city for like 60 turns. He still hasn't gotten his settler out - I wondered why he doesn't just go to the east but then I explored over there and found out there is no room; poor Hiawatha.
• T31 Desert Folklore
• T34 Stole Iroquois worker.
• T35 is when I spotted his settler and started blocking it, at first because we were at war and then we peaced out I had enough units to prevent him from getting through the space between my city and the mountains.
• T75 I founded my 6th and final city on the west coast; I'll need a coastal city since this turns out to be a smallish continent with just me, Hiawatha and Ramses on it.
• T78 Bought the Gems out from under Bratislava; not sure why they didn't expand to them.
• T99 Got the Moroccan Shinto religion.

At T100 its looking pretty good. Science is lagging, but it always is for me. I've only met Hiawatha, Ramses and Shaka which is part of it but I'm researching Sailing now so hopefully will be able to meet the rest soon. I have six cities, DF, and awesome Petra citiy and as soon as I get some Kasbahs up Marrakech will be an awesome capital.