Damn goody huts

[dgl_thrawn]

Started a game last night playing Isabella, going for cultural victory, huge map, balanced standard length. Out of the eight or so goody huts I popped with my warriors, two of them were experience , one was a bit of gold and ALL the rest were settlers. Having planted them on some prime real estate (it was that or pay unit maintenance for them), my economy is now shafted! Was settling them the right thing to do? They were all placed in good positions with a fair few commerce tiles round them, but it's going to be many turns before I recover properly. Any advice would be appreciated. How can I cope with five settlers from goody huts before 1000BC?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

As long as you're not losing money at 0% research you should be OK.

Tech to writing for libraries and build them in high food cities to run scientists to keep the science going with a low slider.
Currency next, the extra trade route should be worth +1 commerce per city. You can also build gold in high production cities. You can also build markets and run merchant specialists in high food cities as well.

Make sure you have enough workers to improve food and commerce tiles, build cottages with pottery.

Another tactic is to build some troops and raze AI cities for cash and do some pillaging.

You must be playing at a low level to get settlers from huts so a few world wonders should be feasible too. Getting the pyramids for representation means you get extra science from any specialists you run.

If you have a religion or a wonder that gives great prophet points and get a great prophet you can build a shrine for cash or settle for +5 gold as well.

EDIT: Then go for code of laws and build courthouses everywhere.

 

[dgl_thrawn]

You must be playing at a low level to get settlers from huts

I'm playing Warlord level as I'm still learning the game (although it can be argued that you never stop learning, I guess) slowly going up through the levels, refining my game as I go.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

It was an observation not a criticism by the way. It means you should be able to get some world wonders easily since the AI is slow to grab them. I'd recommend Oracle and Pyramids (pyramids better) to get tech boost.

EDIT: Don't become dependent on pyramids though when you move up levels you have to make decisions about going for the wonders, they slow down your expansion. Here, with 5 extra free settlers, pyramids are well worth it.

Once you have got currency and code of laws + courthouses you should be off to a good start. The only big problem is if you tech too slow to get writing and currency.

You can also sell techs to the AI for all their gold after currency. You can also trade spare resources for cash per turn too, or just try the good old "we demand this in tribute" method if you are going to beat them up anyway.

EDIT2: If you are in a really desperate situation (losing cash at 0% science), you have to take drastic measures. Change civics to the cheapest possible and disband units. It's hard to recover from that. Workers to improve tiles and build cottages is the key.

 

[dgl_thrawn]

It was an observation not a criticism by the way.

And taken as such. All advice is very gladly taken.

As I'm trying for the cultural victory, I had hoped to get the first three religions in my first city (Madrid), but by the time I'd researched Monotheism, I'd had three of the settlers. I bee-lined up to monotheism and was going for the other worker-oriented, military and science techs. I've been trying to learn from some of the strategies used in the Cuban Isolationists SG, from way back when. Are there any other documented games that would be recommended as learning tools for a player of my level?

 

[plesniak]

Are there any other documented games that would be recommended as learning tools for a player of my level?[/QUOTE]

The war academy on the home page of civ fanatics is a very useful leearning tool for players of all levels. You can also check out some of the Game of the Month threads as well.

 

[Handel]

You are the first one ever who compalined for getting settlers. Why you didn't just disband them?

 

[TheLastOne36]

You are the first one ever who compalined for getting settlers. Why you didn't just disband them?

yah if you got like 5 settlers, Disband 2 or so.