5-6 Gem Start

[Trapper439]

I was going to post this in a "Best Starts" thread that I read recently, but I can't find it, so I've made a new thread.

This is easily the best start I've ever had. 5 Gems (6 if you settle 1NW), all of them riverside, and a riverside cow.

The save is:

BTS
Emperor
Epic speed
Huge
Pangaea
18 Civs
Unrestricted Leaders (We are Darius of the Sumerians. FIN/ORG with the Gems means automatic economic powerhouse right from the start)
No Tribal Villages

This is the first map I've ever had that I plan to replay.

Spoiler :

It is a tribute to just how bad I am at this game that even with this start I still only got to Liberalism at around 970AD. I took Military Tradition as the free tech (first time I've ever done that), but I really screwed the game up by not going to war until then. I founded my second city about 12 tiles away in an attempt to block off territory from a rival, and only had 5 cities at 500AD.

I settled 1NW, but I'm thinking of settling in place when I replay it. Any thoughts on the wisdom of that option would be much appreciated.

I'd love to see what better players than myself can do with this truly insane start.

 

[Abegweit]

1NW is definitely right. It brings in the sixth gem and gets you off the GH. What's not to like?

Spoiler :

Of course, as you know, there a nice surprise 1NW for you too..

Having only 5 cities on a huge map at 500AD shows that there is something seriously wrong with what you are doing. I'm playing this right now and just founded my fifth city at 1050BC. A couple of turns before, I finally brought the sixth gem on line (by bringing in the Gold and Ivory luxes).

Some advice:

1) work the Corn and Cow at all times; just because you have six gems, that doesn't change the fact that food >> hammers >> commerce.

2) Build lots of workers. That jungle hides some gorgeous cottage country but it requires a lot of work.

3) Don't try to block anything off. There's a nice location with Gold and Wheat to the south, which should be your first city. Blocking can't be done anyway on this map.

4) Grow the capital as fast as you can.

 

[Trapper439]

Spoiler :

Having only 5 cities on a huge map at 500AD shows that there is something seriously wrong with what you are doing. I'm playing this right now and just founded my fifth city at 1050BC. A couple of turns before, I finally brought the sixth gem on line (by bringing in the Gold and Ivory luxes).

Yeah, I'm just finding my feet at Emperor level. Won my last couple of games and then astonished myself by majorly messing up this game. I was possibly a bit too reluctant to whip the capital, and really made an absolute hash of this good start.

I'd be interested to see your save file and where you positioned your cities, especially your GP Farm (if you had one).

 

[Abegweit]

Don't ever whip this capital. Aside from the gems, there are a million FIN riverside grass cottages to work.

 

[Seraiel]

Here is the link to the thread. Maybe a Mod can merge your post with it.

 

[strijder20]

Where are the two corns! Rubbish start!

The fact you are playing Darius of Sumeria makes this start idioticly good. Good players could probably pull off a vulture-rush followed by a knight-rush followed by cuirassiers followed by win.

1NW is definitely right. It brings in the sixth gem and gets you off the GH. What's not to like?

Having read your spoiler, 1 NW seems to be the right choice, but you lose a grass hill (current start has three workable ones, 1 NW only two).

 

[happyturtle]

Damn. I'm just barely making my way on Monarch, I rarely play unrestricted leaders, and I don't like straining my computer with large maps - but I am so tempted to give this a play!