Best starting locations?

[Charles 22]

A lot of times the average starts are actually superior, but it depends on what you do with your land. Some hills will turn into gold or something else later in the game, but left un-mined you never know. I know I've had some starts that were at least very good, and then it started climbing into excellence when those hills started popping resources later.

I wonder how viable a strategy it would be to mine every hill, especially around city one, as soon as possible, in the hopes of more turns being mined will more likely turn to resources? If one follows that idea, I wonder how good it would be later to switch those hills that did spring up resources to windmills? Certainly if you followed strategy one strenuously you would probably be suffering for lack of population, and then when you changed them to windmills you would shoot the population up.

 

[Kurbads]

My current one is uber nice. Y type river, 5 hills, 3foodplains, cow, rest plains and grassland. Iron showed up on plains, Copper one square out of fatcross, but already in culture. EVERYTHING (well, except floods and few grasslands) covered with forest, 3 squares radius out of fat as well 100% forested, one side then protected by south pole, flanks by distant friendly neibours - across forest on tundra/mountains. The river gives +1 gold to almost every square. I am just waiting for some coal or oil or something to pop when reserched - the starting blue circles were multiple close.

also popped multiple huts (monarh), got some 3 (4?) extra explorers and 3 techs, none hut was hostile, some gold. Chopping a lot - but whait a moment - didnt I chop this square few turns ago? The forest grows fast and lot. Is there acually a thread about chance of forest to grow?

For Charles 22 - there is a microscopic chance of resource popping up in a mine that is worked by a city. any resource on any worked mine. No strategy can be built on this, nor You can relay or expect it - the chance is really small, avarage one event per one normal game (a game with many citys and mines).

 

[NuWorld]

I wonder how viable a strategy it would be to mine every hill, especially around city one, as soon as possible, in the hopes of more turns being mined will more likely turn to resources? If one follows that idea, I wonder how good it would be later to switch those hills that did spring up resources to windmills?

That's what I usually do, but not only for popping eventual resource but because I don't have to mine later when I discover new resources like coal, aluminium or uranium. I also mine every hill within my cultural borders even if not worked, gaining me 6 to 7 resource pops per game. I tend to build windmills only on tiles with hills/fresh water combo. Also, prefer to decide early on what improvements I'm going to build on each tile, so I usually don't have food problems and rearly change existing improvements.

 

[Leifmk]

That's what I usually do, but not only for popping eventual resource but because I don't have to mine later when I discover new resources like coal, aluminium or uranium. I also mine every hill within my cultural borders even if not worked, gaining me 6 to 7 resource pops per game.

Hills with mines only pop random resources if they are being worked.

Typically I mine all the hills in my empire before inventing the technology for windmills. The only times I build wind or watermills much are if I expand onto new lands after that technology is available.