Sound interesting. Are you willing to share your strategy perhaps in the BtS-8 thread?
All right.
I look for a start on a Hill/Plains tile (for 1 extra hammer) with 3+ seafood, a few forests to chop, and 2 or 3 hills for mining. A farm (like corn or wheat) is also nice for additional health. Deers do too, but no Animal Husbandry or Masonry pls. If I have an AH resource, e.g. sheep on a hill, I'd mine it rather than research AH that early.
Set the city to build a Worker, research Fishing, then BW. Once Fishing is complete, put 2 Workboats on top of the Worker in the queue, and set the city governor to max hammers. Once boats are complete, build the nets, now I have 2 workable water tiles to complete the Worker. If I did not have enough hammers to complete both boats, and my capitol grew up to the size 3, I'd whip another fishing boat and send it for exploration, while completing the Worker at size 2. Otherwise I'd build the 3rd boat after completing the Worker.
After BW I research a Worker tech, then Sailing, Pottery, and Writing. Next thing to build after 3 Workboats and a Worker is a Galley. Meanwhile the city grows to the size 4-5, then I switch to Settler. Once the Settler is complete, on the next turn I whip the Galley, and send both to found my 2nd city. I look for a spot with at least 1 seafood and 1 more workable tile, e.g. another seafood or a mine, preferably before border expansion, especially the seafood.
Meanwhile I build one more workboat in the capital, then switch to Granary and max growth until the happiness cap, then switch to another Settler. Once the Settler is complete, whip the Granary, build a workboat (if necessary), set to Library.
The second city meanwhile grows to the size 2, then whips a workboat (in some cases it can be a Monument if I badly need border expansion). After Writing I research Math, then go for religions. Polytheism -> Priesthood -> CoL. By that time my Worker usually finishes all improvements, so I set it to pre-chop a couple of forests for the Oracle.
Once the capital reaches size 5-6, I whip the Library, then switch to the Oracle. Once the city grows back a little, I hire 1-2 scientists, because I need my first GS for the Academy before the Oracle is complete and the gene pool is polluted by Priests. My 2nd city usually builds another Settler all this time, the 3rd city does the usual stuff: grows to 2, then whips a Workboat, then builds a Warrior.
So, by the time CoL and Oracle are complete (around 1200-1100BC), I have at least 3 cities, another Settler about to complete on an island, the GS for the Academy, and the capital ready to whip yet another Settler. Then I build 1-2 more cities.
Enough workboats, even for seafood not yet reachable (before border expansion). Get CS from the Oracle, switch to Bureaucracy immediately (after that whipping a Settler requires only 2 pop, not 3), and to Caste System 5 turns later or wait until Monarchy. Of course, I spend this time on heavy whipping, whatever I can, namely Granaries and Lighthouses in the secondary cities.
After I switch to Caste System, I hire an Artist for border expansion in all cities that need it. Then switch to working max food + specialists.
The capital meanwhile finishes the Lighthouse (if it is not done already), then 2-3 Warriors for happiness under HR,
then switches to Moai Statues, while working max food + Scientists. Chances are the 2nd GP is a Prophet, then I'd save it for bulbing Theology later. If it is a Scientist, then I'd settle it as SS. My 3rd GP is usually born on an island, and it is always a Scientist. I use it to bulb Optics.
The research path after CS is Monarchy, then Alphabet. I usually build 2 more workboats, and send them for auto scouting, meeting neighbors, etc. Once I get Alpha, I trade for everything but Meditation (because it unlocks Philosophy, which takes precedence over Optics.) That is, Masonry, Monotheism, and sometimes even Iron Working (prereq to Compass.)
After Alpha I research prereqs for Optics. I stay on Caste until my 3rd GP is born, but sometimes I switch temporarily to Slavery to whip some more Granaries and Lighthouses.
After Monarchy/HR and religion spread I set all my island cities but one (generating the GS) to max growth, keeping in mind that 4 water tiles > 1 gold mine.
So, shortly before the last prereq for Optics is complete, I switch back to Slavery (this time I usually have Org.Rel as well.) Then bulb Optics. If I also have a Prophet, I trade for Meditation and bulb Theology as well, otherwise spend another 7-8 turns on researching it myself. It is typically done by 200BC-1AD.
Meanwhile whip the Forge in the capital, complete Moai, build/whip Aqueduct and Harbor (since health is the major problem at this point), then start the AP. If another GP is born in the capital at this time, it triggers a Golden Age.
The island cities are busy whipping remaining Granaries and Lighthouses, then Caravels and Missionaries. I always send a Caravel with a Missionary on it. If the Missionary is spent far away, I don't even return that Caravel home, since it's faster to whip another one.
With Moai and GA the AP usually takes 8-9 turns to build. I frequently interrupt it by building more Caravels and Missionaries, because I need it only after I spread the religion to at least 4 civs, including 1-2 most distant ones.
After Optics and Theology I usually research Paper (for map trading), then Drama (for happiness from culture slider), then Currency (for gifting gpt to bribe someone), then whatever else.
The rest is trivial, I suppose.
With a little bit more luck this could be done faster - but some of my missionaries failed so I had to resend. When the vote comes in I switched to my religion and completed "Hanging Gardens" in the same turn.
