Well I'm glad you acknowledge my plan gets settlers faster.
I do, but your plan slaves Pavlodar, and even some who support Gold first, do not support slaving Pavlodar to get it.
If my first settler goes to found the Iron city instead of commerce it founds on turn 81 (one turn faster). But then Judaism is founded there...you don't want that do you?
1. Judaism will probably found in the largest non-capital city without a religion (as per the formula) not the last city founded as you suggest.
Nice try though
2. I actually like the idea of Judaism founding in Iron city since it will be the Moai Statue City working all the water tiles in the radius. Iron city will actually be a
powerhouse with Moais. Judaism in Iron City? No prob IMO. I hope it does found there.
3. We can't spread three religions efficiently anyway, so where Judaism founds is irrelevant. We will engineer Philosophy to found in a
center. I certainly will not let my decision on where to found the next city be influenced by where Judaism founds! ... Especially since we are nowhere near our FIRST Prophet, let alone second.
I think my test results indicate the best course of action but if the facts aren't compelling I give up- Lets have a poll... I can already hear the masses chanting "Iron first, down with Cav!"
It depends on how you define "best." I have seen nothing to suggest that getting Gold first will cause us to get an Axeman faster than getting Iron first. That is how I define "best."
That is why your facts are not compelling. Your argument is based on the assumption that "best" means most
. To me, it does not, in this particular case. And yes we will be having a poll. I will accept the result, whatever it is, with no complaints.
Regarding bulbing Philosophy- confucianism will have already spread to the commerce city by then no doubt. Plus as the GP farm Aktau will rival it in size. Taosim is going to found in an unpredicable location (city 7 or 8 or who knows).
We don't know where religion will spread... it may not go to commerce city. Even if it does, we can use farm and Hereditary rule to mushroom the size of the commerce city to a size where it founds philosophy even with religion there.
No city will rival the size of the only floodplain city in the country (with corn to boot) especially if we use farms instead of cottages (just until Philosophy founds) and keep slaving aktau until we bulb Philosophy.
An easier approach, would be to simply spread Confu to ALL our cities so that the +1 modifier is canceled out. That way the huge commerce city is a shoe in for Philosophy, no matter how many cities we have. Problem solved