BOTM 289: Players Choice - Willem of Netherlands.

The people have spoken, in a voice that was sometimes vague and confusing and likely to cause the League of Women Voters to walk away in despair. But after employing some higher mathematics to tabulate the votes, the results are final. You are Willem of the Netherlands. Now take on this world you have chosen.
Game settings:
Playing as: Willem of Netherlands
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Noble
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: City culture-flipping after conquest, raging barbarians, aggressive AI, choose religions, no random events
Victory Conditions: All enabled
Map settings:
Map: Big and Small
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Sea level: Medium
Map latitudes: -90°S to 90°N
Willem is Creative and Financial, and you start with Fishing and Agriculture.
The Creative trait gives +2 culture/city each turn and double production speed of Colosseum, Library and Theatre
The Financial trait gives +1 commerce on any plot that already has at least 2 commerce
Unique unit: East Indiaman (replaces Galleon)
The East Indiaman is like a super-powerful galleon and caravel combined: It has a very high base strength of 6 (only 4 for the galleon), can carry 4 instead of 3 units, and can explore rival's territory - could be useful for sneak attacks!
Unique Building: Dike (replaces Levee)
The dike is very powerful - it gives +1 hammer to all water tiles as well as river tiles. That means it can be built in any coastal city, even if the city doesn't lie on a river.
Starting screenshot
This is the start of the game (click for a bigger image):

Challenger Class Equalizers:
You play at Monarch difficulty. The AI still have the starting units for Noble difficulty.
To Enter the Competition:
This competition will open at 00:01 am on 3 Apr 2025, server local time (UTC-6:00). From that date and time, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save >>>here<<<.
Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 4 May 2025.
Here is a link to a list of the differences between Vanilla, Warlords and BtS.
Software Versions
Windows: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the BUFFY mod version 3.19.005 installed. You can download the BUFFY mod here. Players using Windows Vista or Windows 7 are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.
Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the Mac BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the Mac BUFFY mod here.
While playing...
Remember - for your entry to be accepted, it MUST be your first attempt to play this game, and you MUST NOT replay any turns. If you make a mistake while playing, you have to live with it, learn from it, and carry on the game without replaying.
We will open 'spoiler' threads during the month for players to discuss what happens in their games. Do not discuss any details of your game outside those threads.