Best possible tile-by-tile capital layout?

[Cajamarca]

I realize there is no "100% best all the time" layout due to civilization differences, etc.

I can't really crunch all the numbers like you guys, but here are my thoughts:

Mountain adjacent to capital
River adjacent to capital
Access to Marble for wonder production bonus
Access to Iron, preferably on hills, for Forge
Access to Horses for Circus & Stable.
Multiple rivers converging toward capital for maximal gold and eventually hammers.
Access to Salt. I hear Salt is good.

Anyone have more specific thoughts?

 

[RedRover57]

River hill with an adjacent mountain.
Desert tiles for Desert Folklore and Petra.
Multiple copies of lux resources (mining resources are the best).
Good combination of food and production tiles, particularly pastures and granary resources.

If coastal on a water-based map, then multiple sea reources (fish/whales/etc.) for God of the Sea plus Colossus plus lighthouse/harbor/seaport.

 

[joncnunn]

This assumes your in the map editor designing your map:

1) Every single workable tile on land a river tile for extra gold. (G&K and Vanilla only; not BNW). Be on coast with fewest sea tiles needed for a naval ship to explore; all sea tiles with a unique sea luxury resource.

2) Place every natural wonder that's on the map within 3 hexes of your capital; choosing the best ones. Play as Spain. Choose "One With Nature" as the pantheon.

3) All strategic resources (late game ones in the 3rd ring)

4) Have one of each luxury within three hexes as well.

5) I'm thinking Cows on Hills for the other tiles on land. A possible alternative might be Salt on hills.

 

[Cajamarca]

Which natural wonders are best?

With Spain, Cerro de Potosi gets pretty ridiculous.

So, Uluru, Cerro de Potosi, Mt. Sinai, & what else?

 

[Securion]

River Plains with two Wheat, two Horses and two or more Salt as starting resource.

People dont like Plains, but i dont agree.
Maybe its because ive only played the game for 1600+ hours.

 

[tetley]

Spain semi-near 4 NW's; I don't care what they are.

Incas with lots of plains+forest+hills in its radius.

Huns with 2 horses, 3 cattle, and a sheep, plus more nearby (plains maps are
good at this).

Carthage with 4 fish, a pearl, and 2 clams, plus more nearby for a second
coastal city.

Iroquois or Celts with everything 100% forest except maybe for one mountain and one coastline w/ access to the ocean.

Germany, Aztecs, and Songhai with 3 nearby barb encampments.

Ottomans with 2 nearby barb encampments on coastline.

Anyone but Celts, Ethiopia, or Spain with 2 nearby religious CS's.

Egypt with Marble.

Polynesia with a nice winding coastline.

Anyone with 4 wines, plus 3 more wine/incense nearby for a second city.


...Plus all the generic goodness which other people already cited.

 

[Mesix]

Spain with the Great Barrier Reef is awesome! If you can land a coastal tile on hills adjacent to both a river and a mountain to boot then you can pretty much do what ever you want. If we are dreaming, then 3+ fishing resources along with 3+ land resources along with GBR for the capital would be tremendous. Another natural wonder within 10 tiles which you can settle your 2nd city (finding GBR will provide enough to buy a settler as soon as the capital reaches 2 ) which also has a riverside hill with adjacent mountain tile for placement would set you up for a very fast paced game.