Dilemma Founding City

[Munterpipe]

I am having a tough dilemma in a singleplayer game, so I thought I could ask you guys what you think would be the best thing to do.
The red dot on the forest is where I initially wanted to place my fifth city. That would make sure that the foul Mongols would not get any Iron except maybe by settling overseas.

By the way. I am playing as Cyrus on a huge custom continents map with 13 civs and 6 continents. Noble Difficulty. Only me and Ghengis on my continent.

Anyway, when I was two turns away from reaching the dot, I spotted a mongolian settler. (Escorted of course.)
I am guessing that the Settler will found a city within the next two turns, maybe even on the following.
So my choices are:
*Try to reach the forest dot (my settler has spent one movement point this turn already, my archers haven't moved) and hope he doesn'y found a city within the next two turns. Not very likely though...
*Build my city on this turn
*Or build a city somewhere on the next turn

So what do you think? What should I do?

Our continent looks like this:


And the resources are spread out like this:


This is my first post so I probably don't get the screenshots and stuff right, but hopefully you all understand my ramblings

 

[rjjb]

I'd say that one way or the other you want the right-most red dot. Move your settler towards it just in case and your archer as well.

Maybe try cancelling open borders? Not sure how it works.
1) If the game moves the settler out of your borders towards it's capital, you'll be all set because it'll go north.
2) If the game moves it to the nearest tile outside your borders (most likely), it'll most likely settle on your red dot - but it's probably going there next turn anyhow.

If the enemy settler is moving towards the red dot, you'll have to declare war and take the city.. then you can settle 1 tile below your other red dot.

If the enemy settler drops a city where it's standing, raze it and settle on the rightmost red dot.

Regardless, your archer should fortify in your city on the right-most dot.

You can always work on peaceful relations later if you want, but otherwise bolster your defenses. The fact that you share a religion should help keep relations in the green.

Edit: This is why I don't sign open border agreements in opening.

Jeremy.

 

[Greek Plunder]

They really need to improve the map generation process... I've had that exact same map before.

 

[cckerberos]

Cancel Open Borders with him, and then found wherever. BTW, the Mongols already have Iron, right by their capital.

 

[cleverhandle]

That would make sure that the foul Mongols would not get any Iron except maybe by settling overseas.

They already have iron - look up close to Karakorum.

 

[cfacosta]

Build the city immediately. The AI tends to build anywhere it gets the chance and, as it is approaching your borders, it will most likely found the city next turn. The location your settler currently occupies is not bad and will grant you that iron.

 

[LeSphinx]

I will build the city in the south near the iron and the cow.
Greek Plunder , I agree with you: I've try their map generation and sometimes I have the same map as previous.
This never happens to me in the previous civ!!!!!

LeSphinx

 

[Munterpipe]

Thanks for the replies. I'll probably go with rjjb's advice and go for the redmost dot. If the Mongols try anything, I'll strike the filth DOWN! To bad that they do have iron though. Better boost my defence in the east a bit. As if the barbarians from the north didn't bother me enough already

 

[picus]

It looks like you're either in control or will be in control of most of the continent, provided you can settle them into their corner. I'd cancel open borders, kill the escort and settler, settle where you originally planned, then move some troops forward to where you next want to settle to box him in.

 

[Munterpipe]

The mongols will rot in their tiny cold corner of the continent, never to be allowed to touch Persian soil again!

 

[Padmewan]

Do you plan on warring with them (knowing that as an aggressive civ, they may make that decision for you)? If not right away, it might be OK to let them found that city, then cut it off by founding yours on that critical "isthmus" tile. Of course, since they already have iron your original question is somewhat moot; besides, they had copper which is "good enough" for most of the ancient era. (Do Kesheks require iron?).

If you plan on going to war, you probably should have done it with an immortal rush... don't know how far into the era you are but may be too late?

 

[Gufnork]

They don't have open borders. The borders the Mongol settler is standing are a visual aid so you can see where the borders would be if you settled where you stand.

It's definetly worth the risk to try and claim that spot. If you feel lucky you should try and build a city on my red dot:



That would claim the Pigs, the Ivory, the Bananas and cut him off from the SE part of the continent. If you do that, you're golden.

 

[tempuraki]

Yeah I was wondering about getting the same map twice, I've been wondering if it was just me. I guess it's a common bug/feature then.

 

[Duelingground]

They really need to improve the map generation process... I've had that exact same map before.

Agreed.

I've now played on this map twice.

 

[Shillen]

Cancelling open borders will do absolutely nothing. The Mongol settler is not in his borders. It may look like it but that's only because he has his settler selected and that makes a 9 tile border around the settler which are not actual borders unless he founds his city there. edit: Just noticed Gufnork stated the same thing.

I'd say there's a huge chance the settler is going to the blue circle one tile north of where he is currently (the AI always settles on the blue recommended circles). This means he will probably found on the very next turn. Either found where you are or let him take the spot and take the city from him later. I would let him take it as founding where you are now is not a good spot.

further edit:

It's definetly worth the risk to try and claim that spot. If you feel lucky you should try and build a city on my red dot:

I'd say there's a good chance the mongols already have control of that spot. They obviously have more than two cities and Munterpipe just hasn't explored their territory recently or their settler wouldn't be so far SW in the first place.

 

[Munterpipe]

Now. I went for my initial Isthmus red dot and I got it. The Mongolian setler just walked by. By the next two turns it still hasn't founded a city. I'll continue on boxing the mongols inn and bolstering my defence on the eastern borders getting ready for war against the horse-faced Ghengis Khan. I think rushing with immortals i s a bit late. swordsmen, elephants and cats are at my disposal by now, but immortals will be useful as well. Should I go to war now, ore wait for gunpowder and such?

 

[Gufnork]

You've got a large chunk of a continent, so you ought to be one of the largest civs. You're also likely to outtech the mongols by alot, so I would aim for Cavalry. They're great for quick conquests when you have the tech lead. They become obselete once your opponents hit Riflemen, but that shouldn't be a problem since you only have one enemy. I would have Immortal rushed him as soon as I saw he was my only neighbour, eliminating all the competition on your continent should be done ASAP. But as it is you might as well wait for a faster conquest.

Make sure you atleast have courthouses up before you go to war so you can afford to keep the spoils. It also depends on how big an army you have now and how far behind you are in infrastructure.