Another Prince player trying to get better

[Stoner68]

I am pretty much in the same boat as Testithree(sp?) I am posting the start save and my last save game. Trying to play the Vikings. Current decision is over Iron...I have none...have the "Greed" quest to go take it from the Americans or there is a source way up in the ice.

View attachment AutoSave_Initial_BC-4000.CivBeyondSwordSave

View attachment Owner AD-0700.CivBeyondSwordSave

I have already figured out that I need more workers, just from the "Man, I wish I had a worker to improve this tile" that I keep saying to myself.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

I am pretty much in the same boat as Testithree(sp?) I am posting the start save and my last save game. Trying to play the Vikings. Current decision is over Iron...I have none...have the "Greed" quest to go take it from the Americans or there is a source way up in the ice.

Read "The Everyone's Guide..." for suggestions on how to get more feedback.

Overall, your position isn't bad - first in a number of demographic categories, second or third in one or two. Your only tech rival is Mansa, and he doesn't have nearly enough land to be a threat right now.

Constructive criticisms

A) Mansa has a Triple Gold + Triple Clam capital just five tiles from your border. So you need to decide either to take it from him, or to keep him around as your research assistant.

B) Your capital has an absurdly large number of trees lying around for this stage of the game. Likely they should have been mowed a long time ago to claim even more land, or to build an army to capture more cities.

C) Your city count is low for this stage; the AI is catching up (check the trade screens, and remember to add one more because the trade screen doesn't show the capital). You've got at least one good city located up in the north west that you haven't bothered to settle yet.

D) Your cities are all so SMALL -- this is the main reason that the AI is close right now: you've got ridiculous amounts of health and happy that you aren't using.

E) You need a plan. The greed quest is not a plan. What is the connection between researching Music right now and winning the game?

 

[Shaandore]

I looked at your save. Thanks to difficulty setting, you are doing well (9 cities, and ahead in tech, good tech path). It doesn't mean that you don't have room to improve.

1. You are working unimproved tiles. You don't have enough workers (5 worker for 9 cities, 15 worker would be about OK). You should prioritize worker building for now instead of soldiers. They can help to chop the soldiers out.

2. You have a gazillion of forests, sitting unchopped, waiting to fuel your war machine and wonders. Luckily, you didn't overbuild, but some granaries would be nice.

3. Get a feel for whipping. Those citizens that work unimproved tiles should be whipped away.

4. Capital way too small for this date. Clear the forests and cottage up, or farm+mine the hell out of it, and grow. You have very few cottages, so try to speialize some reiverside cities for commerce.

5. Academy in capital is good. Try to get some more scientists for bulbs.

6. Backfill your land. When settling cities, use overlap, because tile sharing is your best friend and maintenance is your worst enemy on higher difficulties. The goal is to finish peaceful expansion ASAP, so that you can concentrate on growing, infra, and war/teching to space eventually.

7. Read the war academy guides, watch some TMIT/AbsoluteZero vids, and post games/questions to get better!

Edit: xpost with VoU, but luckily we observed some different things

 

[Mylene]

E) You need a plan. The greed quest is not a plan. What is the connection between researching Music right now and winning the game?

Music..actually a very good plan, he can get a free GP and trade value, Mansa will happily give him techs I'd do that no matter what my plan would be currently, for sure.
He's not SPI so that GA has big value.

Besides other stuffs already pointed out...research with 100% urgently, and sell cheap techs for gold. If you tech, always do with maximum speed..especially when aiming for Music.
And with so much gold that is potentially all yours from HC, Roosy and so on, never stop running 100%.

 

[Revent]

Not sure if VoU has mentioned this, but there's sites with fur up north. One site even has a deer. You should settle those ASAP because their income>revenue so they will always generate profit.

You also have room for a lot of cities. You could probably build around 5 more cities easily. Also, why are you building war elephants? Your diplomacy is really good (except for Inca) so you pretty much can forget about war for now. If you need iron, there's the icy city with fish up north you can settle, but you won't need iron for a long time I think because you already have copper! You only need copper for swords (axes beat swords anyway). You will need iron later on for nice ships, cannons and curs but that is a VERY long time away. Also Music should be researched at 100% if you want to guarantee yourself the GA. As VoU said, you do need a plan, you're going for the GA I assume; have you decided what it will be for?

 

[Archon_Wing]

You need to work on chopping jungles in the south and blocking the Greeks on the North. Interestingly, Mansa and Roosevelt are willing to be bribed against Inca.

 

[Stoner68]

Thanks, everyone, for the input.

I declared war on America and used the GA from Music to bring Washington out of revolt the same turn I captured it. I stopped the war after taking New York and am now ready to start the post war recovery.

View attachment Owner AD-1130.CivBeyondSwordSave

 

[Stoner68]

You also have room for a lot of cities. You could probably build around 5 more cities easily.

I have a few more now and am planning one more right on the west edge of the great forest around Nidaros. What else am I missing?

 

[Stoner68]

Your diplomacy is really good (except for Inca) so you pretty much can forget about war for now. If you need iron, there's the icy city with fish up north you can settle, but you won't need iron for a long time I think because you already have copper! You only need copper for swords (axes beat swords anyway). You will need iron later on for nice ships, cannons and curs but that is a VERY long time away. [\QUOTE]

I did not realize exactly what I needed iron for, and what I do not. Thanks for opening up my eyes on that one!

 

[Revent]

I have a few more now and am planning one more right on the west edge of the great forest around Nidaros. What else am I missing?

Don't know why you're teching PP, you should be getting Education right now.

What I would do now if I were you is just finish off PP now. Then research Education. Trade with Mansa (don't trade Education) and get Nationalism off of him and then use Lib to get MT.

While you do that, build stables and barracks and forges in every city. Then let all of the cities grow to their maximum possible size while you wait for MT. Once you do that, start whipping Cuirs everywhere. Make sure you have iron though. I see only one iron source in your territory and you do not want to lose that to the Americans by culture.

Your general game play:
-You have lots of forests that haven't been chopped around your capital.
-Some of your cities are working more than 1 unimproved tiles
-You can whip a monument in Tonsberg.
-There's a city you can settle for 5 fur resources. Not only will that be extra happiness, it's also be good to trade around and maybe get some gold and more happiness resources

 

[Ghpstage]

He's not SPI so that GA has big value.

It could have had good value, but it got wasted on a culture bomb....
What makes it worse is the GA was wasted getting a captured city with the MoM out of revolt!

@ Stoner68,
Bringing cities out of revolt fast is very rarely worth it, and whhile you only need one great person for a golden age then I can't think of any reason except a culture victory attempt where it may be worth it and even then its up for debate.
Having the MoM in the captured city makes the G.Age even more attractive.

 

[vranasm]

very quick shadow to 125 BC... expanded to 15 cities and negative gpt ;-) having currency, alpha and CoL though so easy recovery.

built Oracle->CoL and Mids...

could use more workers...some of them are a bit misplaced most probably.

 

[UnforcedError]

It could have had good value, but it got wasted on a culture bomb....
What makes it worse is the GA was wasted getting a captured city with the MoM out of revolt!

@ Stoner68,
Bringing cities out of revolt fast is very rarely worth it, and whhile you only need one great person for a golden age then I can't think of any reason except a culture victory attempt where it may be worth it and even then its up for debate.
Having the MoM in the captured city makes the G.Age even more attractive.

+1 . @Stoner68: Mylene was surely referring to the fact that you could switch your civics around for free during a Golden Age. Also, a Golden Age doubles your GPP output (besides from giving you the extra hammers and commerce).

 

[Stoner68]

I always get frustrated waiting those 8 turns for an established city to come back on line. But I now see the error in my ways. Helping the whole empire with extra production/commerce over 12 turns was worth more hammers/commerce than one established city for those 8 turns. let alone the GPP.

I also wasn't sure if a Wonder still operates with the city in revolt?

 

[UnforcedError]

I also wasn't sure if a Wonder still operates with the city in revolt?

Yes it does. Although it's true that some buildings (Holy Shrines, ToA etc) will not, as your city will not have any income during a revolt.