ALC Game #10: India/Asoka

[Eggolas]

The map generator normally doesn't put your starting city in a health deficit. In this instance, it is most likely using the fresh water and forests to offset the flood plains. That leaves very few forests to chop to speed along a settler or finish an important project. Moreover, you don't really have enough hammers in this location to quickly build the health buildings you'll most likely need.

Also, I don't see happiness resources to aid all that nice food-induced growth.

On the other hand, farming those flood plains will probably net you an SE game since Asoka isn't financial.

Is an early religion really all that important? You can almost certainly get Monotheism first if you seek it or CoL.

In this situation, it's a close call, but I would move to the NW and see what's up there. Coastal is nice obviously, especially if you find a sea resource, but more important will be to find a good starting location with a decent mix of hammers, food and commerce and happiness. You might have to scout around and not found your starting city until turn two.

 

[Mannu]

Won't moving 1 tile N with the settler lose a movement point since he is crossing a river? If so I recommend:

With the warrior
1) Move to the forested hill to see what is down there. Take a SS and post it.

With the settler
1a) Move 1 tile NW with the settler and post a picture to see what we can see

then for the final move of the turn.
1b) Settle in place
or
1b) Move NE to the plains hill and settle there on the next turn
or
1b) Move E to settle on the flood plain

My reasons for doing this.
1) I like founding as many cities on the coast as possible.
2) The plains hill on a river on a coast is a great (very) early game advantage.
3) If there are sea resources they will help mitigate the FP unhealthiness, but you won't be able to get them for quite a while without a coastal city.

Cons
1) smallish risk you will miss out on Polytheism. But polytheism is not the only religion. Maybe you should think about worker tasks like agriculture or pottery or the wheel and try for a later religion (though if it is a very long river you could get a trade route with another nation, in which case the earlier the religion the better).
2) You probably will have to move the capitol


If the warrior reveals a very good city site to the south I would consider moving down there for your first city a good move, if! you leave enough room to the north to found your 2nd or 3rd city on the coast. This will definitely be a risk to polytheism though. I don't think you can get a city founded to the south in less than 2 turns.

 

[Killroyan]

Hmmn, interesting thought moving 2SE. This will net you in some plains hills, you will still have the pigs, lots of floodplains and you can settle your second city in the NW spot without having too much to gamble. If you move the warrior to the SE on the hill it would give you a good indication how strong the 2SE spot would be.

 

[Welnic]

Won't moving 1 tile N with the settler lose a movement point since he is crossing a river? If so I recommend:
...

Crossing a river only affects you if you are on a road before Construction. Then it is treated like there isn't a road there.

 

[Sisiutil]

Good suggestions. Later today I will move the Warrior 1SE onto the forested hill and the Settler 1NW and then take a screenshot and post it here, which is what I usually do for the opening turn. We can then make better decisions based upon what other tiles are revealed.

 

[johnny_rico]

With all the ideas rolling in, I think you should move the warrior 1 SE and post a screen shot, allow some discussion, and then decide if the settler is going 1 NW.

The warrior move to the SE might provide enough to negate sending the settler towards the delta.

 

[Mannu]

good point. 1 step (tile) at a time!

 

[bugstud]

another vote for warrior only then ss

 

[Sisiutil]

All righty then. I moved the Warrior 1 SE to the forested hill, and this is what he revealed:

Nothing too exciting, certainly nothing at this point to entice me to move the Settler down there. It's a good place for another city, though, I'm thinking commerce city with all those riverside grassland tiles, but I'd rather wait until other resources are revealed. I'd hope to see copper, horses, or iron down there, and/or maybe some resources still in the fog. I see jungle, so we're not too far from the equator and it's now safe to assume we are in the northern half of the continent.

I'm all for moving the Settler 1 NW and then posting that screenshot for debate. What say you?

 

[drkodos]

I see jungle, so we're not too far from the equator and it's now safe to assume we are in the northern half of the continent.

Remember the trees. They are usually still a giveaway.

I'm all for moving the Settler 1 NW and then posting that screenshot for debate. What say you?

Go for it. Release the teasing tension.

 

[flamingzaroc121]

MOVE HIM MOVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cant wait to see what it reveals

 

[johnny_rico]

What a gorgeous river. Lots of nice turf. Seeing that, I'm all for seeing the settler move 1 NW and more than likely settle.

 

[Jeff1787]

I'll be following along, trying to learn something....

Hopefully, there is ocean by the mouth of the river.

 

[Gwil]

I'd personally take the position 1 NW as has been stated, although i'm pretty rubbish - dominate easily on Warlord but wars are long and slow. I'd only just struck the balance between war and peaceful building on Civ III and they bring IV/Warlords out.. darn it!

Great threads though Sisiutil, i've read them all so far and your games and the people who have contributed have added great knowledge to my Civ IV experience, and slowly but surely i'm getting better. Oh, and making that galley (the old "suicide galley" - you did this on your very first IV game?!) to explore coastlines isn't such a bad idea IMO.

Good work keep it up!

 

[aelf]

Nice scenery so far. Not amazing, but certainly nice.

Moving away from the starting tile poses the risk of you losing out when a strategic resource pops up later. Do consider it carefully.

 

[Eggolas]

Move one tile NW and post the shot. It would appear that unless you're in the Gobi desert, that's about the end of the desert tiles.

You can always capture a strategic resource that shows later. In the meantime, you need to find a better starting position.

 

[Elandal]

Settling NW would lose 4 floodplains (three in the east, one in south) and one forest (south) which can't have resources.
Also two tiles south currently in the fog which look like grassland. Those two can have resources: food, horse, copper, iron, oil, uranium.
The north looks like coast, so adds two or three coastal tiles to cross. Seafood possible.
Two tiles in the west look like plains, and they would stay in the fat cross. The new three west are deep in the fog, so nothing I can even guess. As is the westernmost north tile in the new cross - center north I count as possible coast, although could as well be land.

 

[Jeff1787]

Move one tile NW and post the shot. It would appear that unless you're in the Gobi desert, that's about the end of the desert tiles.

You can always capture a strategic resource that shows later. In the meantime, you need to find a better starting position.

I guess I am not seeing the entire picture..how do you know there is better starting position...seems like you guys have exay vision..

 

[pigswill]

Have to wait for next screenshot but looking like capital on plains hill, second city on south plains, between them they'll cover the floodplains. Second city would be good location to chop/build Oracle, particularly if going for a religious slingshot (Col orTheology) because it would put GP points in one place.

 

[Eggolas]

I guess I am not seeing the entire picture..how do you know there is better starting position...seems like you guys have exay vision..

Seeing that a current position will result in fewer early hammers and long-term health problems is not the same as knowing where a better position lies. He's headed for what we hope to be the coast based on the river delta he described. There could be a sea food resource up there and maybe some hills.

It's only Monarch level, he has a turn to use to find something better.