Deity Strategy Tweaks to Survive Early DOWs

[enKage]

As the thread is updated, try playing first games with a civ that can counter somehow early aggresion until you feel comfortable with as you cannot diplosatisfy everyone early. The pain is difference in strength, but playing America, France, Mongolia counters it a little.
Also note AI usually fortifies 1 warrior near your borders. They would no attack before they bring at least 2 more units in city range, but it is a signal the war is certain. It is your time to take positions

 

[Lily_Lancer]

1: If you don't start with scout you will have every other things built much quickly, therefore enable you to get some archers when huge barb groups start to attack you.
2: Group your archers together, don't let them separated. Although barbs are massive in number, you can always take local advantage. Never fight at a place where you have fewer military strength than your opponent.
3: Don't be greedy. If you feel you don't have enough military don't waste your hammer on other things.

 

[japanesesamurai]

1/ build an army
2/ get diplo favors from city states
3/ trade favors for money
4/ use money for infrastructure
5/ use your army to invade your weakest neighbour
6/ take city
7/ win an emergency, get more favors
8/ trade those favors for gold
Repeat. Win

 

[Basajaun]

It usually works like this. The more crowded an area is, the more likely it is for wars to happen. Those youtuber chill starts are usually on pangaea standard size (and bigger) maps, which allow a brief, but very valuable breathing period of exploration/expansion before meeting the first civ. Meeting a civ when all you have is the starting warrior, is a sure way to start with a bad impression and most likely have their 5x warriors on your doorstep 5 turns later, unless you can bribe them with luxuries, money or diplo favor you might have aquired.
If you purposefully choose a crowded start, with high sea level, more civs/CS, your likelihood of receiving an early dow goes up. Terra script is the clear winner here, its the ultimate Battle Royale game.

 

[kb27787]

Play low sea and balanced start...

For very early game (esp. on deity), coastal starts are awful--avoid them at all costs!

Rush animal husbandry and you make money from selling horses far more than actual "gold" luxuries. It's on the tech path to archery anyway. Moreover horses are amazing tiles (instead of a plain 2f flat land, it becomes 3f2p after improvement).

Forget the very early scout. My first "scout" is usually a horseman or a religious unit.

Try not to meet many AI early if possible (that means not actively seeking new civs out with your scout early game) you can only afford so many delegations.
Those AI that you do meet, make sure you send gifts/diplomacy (go foreign trade to early empire for route and open border gifts in this route) or have a way of killing them (go agoge path first)

 

[montalaar]

how many failed deity games are on youtube?

i remember one, as georgia i think, settled near lake. he was dow`ed in few turns, fought as spartan, but there was nothing he could do, because barb hordes came in too. in few turns all was over.
yt videos like that one are really rare, i saw one!

sometimes(quite often) you just can not do anything.