7 Cows

[Puppeteer]

So when I founded in-place on turn 0 I was disappointed to see that the cow was outside my future fat-x.

But by turn 10 I quit complaining.

Spoiler World Seed and Settings :

• World seed: -1388811212
• World size: Large
• Barbarians: Roaming
• Land Mass: Continents
• Ocean Coverage: 70% Water
• Climate: Normal
• Temperature: Temperate
• Age: 5 Billion

I also had random civ and got the Ottomans, and all random rivals.

Edit: I'm curious how joining a worker to the second city would pan out. I'd immediately be collecting more food. I tried a join-the-worker to the first city previously to get a settler on turn 10 and proved to myself that's a bad idea, but I'm wondering if amplifying the food advantage makes a difference in the calculus.

 

[CKS]

If only you had moved to the coast before settling, you'd have gotten a cow for Istanbul.
Seven cows is nice, but I'd still be disappointed by the lack of fresh water.

 

[jarred!]

I'd maybe try settling city #2 2SW, 1SE from the capital after having my capital produce a settler the turn it reaches size 3 (turn 20). Pre-road to the tile so you found on the turn the settler is produced then build a worker in the capital to join to city #2 (done on turn 30). Start work on a settler in city #2 right away (2×6 + 3×4 + 4×2, then down to pop2) gets you a third settler on turn 32 but then you have to walk them to the northern cows. Maybe you build another worker in the capital (turn 40). You could shave a few turns off the second settler by mining the cows (turn 15, turn 22, turn 31), I think that'd be (3×6 + 4×3) complete on turn 29 but wouldn't be to pop3 until next turn (with worker join); unless you join the initial worker on that turn but they would otherwise be roading to the northern site and mining those cows.

I hope I did the math correctly, interesting question.

 

[jarred!]

I think I gave the workers 2 turn roads but 6 turn mines but I guess that just gives more time to improve a 4th tile