Advice on excellent Poland start?

[eewallace]

I've got a game going as Poland (king, continents, standard map) with a REALLY beautiful starting position and am looking for advice on how to maximize my potential here. I have a lovely area enclosed by a mountain range and am thinking of building a tall, super-secure empire with a production/defense city east of Warsaw to block off my territory. Then probably 2 more cities along the river south of Warsaw, next to the mountains (looks like good science city territory).

Darius is in the east and looks like a bad position so will probably need to expand toward me. Pedro in the jungle below. Pocatello is around somewhere too--probably southeast. And I'm pretty sure there is another CS north of me, I need to clear out some barbs to get to it though.

Suggestions on where to put cities and how to play this out? I'm thinking it is likely to be peaceful, considering my neighbors and defensive position. Possible science victory? Or go culture and see if I can beat Pedro?

 

[FrostK]

Some ppl play without icons. I do not understand how? How some1 is proposed to see smth on this screen? Why u building archer? And why warrior is in city?

 

[Tachii]

Did I just see Fountain of youth? Lol. Cruise to victory.

 

[eewallace]

Yes, the fountain of youth by Jerusalem. I won't have happiness problems.

FrostK- The warrior is in the city to protect the worker from nearby barbarians. The new archer is to clear the barbarian camp to the north, and then to defend my 2nd city (settler will be built next).

--I play w/o icons because it is prettier that way. I should have turned on the icons for the screenshot though. There are 3 silver and 1 marble near Warsaw. 1 incense and 1 silver at the potential city site in the east. Lots of horses and sheep to the south (very useful with ducal stable), as well as 1 spice.

 

[Tachii]

You can probably snatch the fountain quick if you get a settler soon. Plant another one south of Warsaw by the river near the spice.

Though the east lacks food, unless you plan to go far into the river, but that means not getting the incense.

 

[eewallace]

If my city to the east is on the coast, I can get cows, sheep and wheat, as well as incense and silver. That isn't the best defensive location though. The other option would be settle in the better defensive position slightly south and ship in food by caravan.

 

[tyrael233]

Well you've won already, might as well start a new game.

 

[kb27787]

oh my, it's the fountain of unlimited expansion (although the tiles around your capitol are nothing to write home about)
Good luck going wide... (I am a staunch believer in Tradition but in your case I'd get the 50% to settler production and expand like an bowl of yeasted dough)

 

[Bandersnatching]

Is that little icon in the research screen the Banau Rice Terraces?
You should definitely settle the eastern city first - my initial location is adjacent to the mountain on that forested hill, but if that blur on the coast is a fish, then a coastal city is probably better.
(Blergh, touchscreen phones make it impossibly difficult to look at screenshots .)
There is a huge amount of ripe land to the east, and once you block off your territory at the mountain-coast chokepoint you will be free to expand into it.
As the other poster said, go Liberty and get a lot of settlers. After the chokepoint city, you could expand to the east with two more cities probably, and then build a high production city on the desert hill in between the sheep and the wheat in the heart of your territory .
To get the Fountain of Youth you could either hope to claim it with a fast settler - I wouldn't - or you could capture the City-State (again, no), or just settle near it and claim the tile with a Great General that you'll generate in a likely war with Darius.
I bet that Solidarity is really good for a wide empire. Good luck with your game!

 

[eewallace]

Bandersnatching: Regarding the rice terraces, yes, the only mod I'm using adds several new wonders and that is one of them--AI seems to build it alot though.

And yes, that is a fish on the coast which probably makes the northern site the best location the eastern production city.

I already opened tradition--found a culture ruin--but can easily move over to liberty--with Poland that's not a problem.

As for fountain of youth, if Jerusalem doesn't expand there first, I was thinking of grabbing it with my first settler, then making a 2nd to get the eastern spot. I like the alternative of using a great general though--since I don't particularly like invading CS.

I will resume the game tonight after work--thanks for the tips, everyone!

 

[compwiz1202]

That's the closest together I've ever seen capitals other than the dual map I played once with max civs. That was some crazy warring

 

[cairnsy44]

that mountain range is huge! Who needs a great wall when you have THAT surrounding your capital?

 

[Nickbonista]

Whoah. That river tile between the cattle, wheat and desert is a good spot, will allow you to go for petra. Could you post the turn 1 autosave for this? I fancy a go at it

 

[kingofsealand]

That's the closest together I've ever seen capitals other than the dual map I played once with max civs. That was some crazy warring

While restarting the other day i started so close to a CS that when i moved my warrior before settling I found their settler! I didnt realize city states started with a settler I always assumed they were just generated in position. Made me wish i could steal it but it was a single step out of range. Also can you declare war without having founded a city?

 

[compwiz1202]

While restarting the other day i started so close to a CS that when i moved my warrior before settling I found their settler! I didnt realize city states started with a settler I always assumed they were just generated in position. Made me wish i could steal it but it was a single step out of range. Also can you declare war without having founded a city?

Yes CS I've seen it a lot, but never a major Civ with usual settings.

 

[eewallace]

I think Rio de Janiero is 14 tiles away from my capitol on this map--that isn't the closest I've seen, for sure.

Update on game: I managed to place a city close to the Fountain of Youth and buy that tile. The CS apparently didn't prioritize expanding to that tile because it is not a workable tile--you get the happiness if it is in your borders but you can't assign a worker to it.

 

[VladTepes]

If I had this map I would put a city in the valley to the east (two hexes east of the incense, north of the mountain ridge) and fortify it to the max. I call choke points like that the "Gateway to the Empire."

 

[eewallace]

Whoah. That river tile between the cattle, wheat and desert is a good spot, will allow you to go for petra. Could you post the turn 1 autosave for this? I fancy a go at it

I think I found the correct save file--it was in "moddedsave" directory, which may mean you need the same mods installed for it to run properly. I've added a screenshot showing the mods (they just add world wonders to build but otherwise don't affect gameplay). They are all available on Steam.