Do You Restart If You Start Out in a Bad Spot?

[RX2000]

If you start off in the middle of a desert or jungle, do you restart the game and try to get a more favorable start position, or do you just go ahead and play it by ear? The reason I ask is because I have recently developed a bad habit of making like 3 cities, then realizing there is a huge desert/jungle nearby, so I start over. This leads to me not being able to really play ANY games, because I always find something wrong. I wish I would just play the damn game no matter what happens.

What do you guys do?

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

I try to restart till I find a favorable spot for at least my capital. I can deal with being surrounded by tons of jungle, as long as I have space for several cities. I really don't like having too much desert or mountains either, especially near my capital.

Yeah, sometimes it takes forever foir me to find a spot I like. I really should just try playing with those harder spots...

 

[Angmar]

My rule. No jungle, No tundra. maybe I should add the no desert to the list also

Pretty much I know that if I see either of those tiles around my start city I am handicapping myself. I struggle on the difficulty level I am at already

 

[Turner]

I generally create my own maps, simply because I have a modded set of rules that I like to keep. I suppose I could just load the rules, but I'm too lazy to do that.

Now, when I do decide to play a random map, I'll generally reload if I don't like the position. It's happened a couple of times.

 

[stroke9413]

I pretty much play no matter where I am. If I get stuck, in the middle of the jungle, then I usually build a massive army of workers and get rid of it so that it really doesn't matter towards the end of the game. I think it is more challenging to win from a really bad starting location, and it is therefore that much more worthwhile.

 

[anarres]

Sometimes a bad start makes a good challenge.

If do restart if there are lots of bonus resources in the start location as you grow too fast, making it much easier.

 

[Thoth]

I'll restart if I don't like the starting location, but deserts/jungles don't bother me too much. I tend to play the French and Industrious workers make relatively short work of jungles.

Jungles may be difficult to deal with in the early game, but once they've been knocked down your jungle cities become quite productive. Jungle also tends to be rich in coal and rubber.

 

[MadScot]

There's no "maybe". Nor is the ever popular "giant radioactive monkey thing" option there either

I try not to restart, but it all depends on what mood I'm in. If I want a challenge or want some fun. That's one reason I like to try the GOTM, even if it is waaaay out of my league - the discipline of playing on come what may probably teaches me to be a better player.

 

[MTheil3508]

I don't restart. Normally I can still produce a mass of settlers to expand my empire.

But, if I get a very bad spot, then the game really hates me, because it also gives me a small continent with room for about 5-10 cities with no other land in my reach. I get to the middle of the game before I am at war with the huge, powerful, bullying militaristic civs and their allies which inevitably kill me.

 

[Protaxis]

I only restarted once, and later regretted it since I like to play the hand I'm dealt, regardless.

Some of you would be surprised just how well you'd do if you just play through that bad starting position. I was playing a Large Pangea map once, and I started out on a dinky little island -- filled mostly with mountains, plains, tundra, and some grassland -- *barely* large enough for 4 optimum placed settlements (as in, no overlap). I squeezed about 7 settlements in, and my sardine can empire eventually built two wonders (Colossus and Lighthouse). After discovering the Germans just north of me on the main pangea landmass, I gathered a force and plotted a quick, decisive attack on their weakest coastal city. The victory there gave me a foothold onto the main continent, and I eventually built a rather sizable and powerful civilization.

Point being, if you start in a "poor" location, stick it out. You never know what might happen.

 

[looper]

Really depening on the difficult level,

deity level, YES, I need to restart the game! I may still win if I dont restart, but I aint got enough interest(time!!!!) for trying it out.

Other levels, I may stick with it and see wa happens.

 

[Phantom Lord]

I play for fun and starting in tundra in the lower right corner of what's probably gonna be my island or continent isn't fun.

But more important than the site of my first city is the site of my second city. The second one should have strong production. I don't like to building wonders in my capital because I can't switch to palace there if somebody is faster than me and no other wonder to switch to is available.

 

[cromagnon]

I always play it out, just to see how it goes. If I do poorly, I can always blame it on the start.

FYI, I've noticed this the last few games: I used to be in the habit of restarting if I was doing very poorly (e.g. had a couple of cities taken from me early). Now I've been playing those out too, and can almost always catch up pretty well.

Don't give up!

 

[anonymous4401]

Hmmm... I guess I'm very lucky. I usually start in grsld +hills/mountains, or floodplain +desert and plains. However, if I start next to a huge jungle or tundra, I restart. But deserts aren't a problem since usually a river is running through it.

 

[kmad]

i don't like tunda much...jungle has some cool **** like spices and silks so I'll probably stay in the jungle, and anonymous is right about rivers in the desert

 

[Babbler]

I am one VERY compulsive restarter. Sometimes i think it is a bad habit, but when i do go on a map w/ a good starting spot i say "the hell with that: I paid 80$ for game and I demained nay am privy to a good ever dencent spot. ''..

Bu then agian, i more of a builder.

 

[RX2000]

Yep, you sound like me Civman36.

 

[Aggie]

Depends on the difficulty level. I'm starting to play emperor and I know that the only way to make a chance is starting from a good position. On regent level it doesn't matter.

 

[wilbill]

I used to be proud of never restarting, but as I move up in difficulty, I have less patience with the really bad starts - the first start I got for my current game was at the tip of a four square long peninsula consisting of mountains and tundra - no fish, no whales, only one bonus food. I played a couple of turns and chucked it.
When I know I'm going to have to work hard to get even with the AI's I see no reason to spend the first half of the game chopping jungle or shoveling snow (figuratively speaking, of course).

 

[darious001]

Play with the hand you're given. The best game I ever had was when I was right below mostly tundra. One third tundra, three fifths grassland, and a mountain. Took care of my nearest civ, and got a continent all to myself.