Hulking Lummox
Warlord
Brave New World is introducing a lot of changes that stir up the usual strategies. Being first to do many things now provides a significant advantage or setback if you fail to reach certain goals.
This thread is for isolating and discussing the many places in the game where being first to do something is a significant advantage and what you think the implications are behind that game mechanic.
This isn't a topic about civ specific strategies per se but feel free to discuss them as it relates to the topic.
I will start it off! As I see more suggestions I will edit the OP and give props to whoever mentions it.
Being the first to unlock a social policy branch. - Where each wonder can be built in the tech tree is still probably the main factor in constructing a wonder, but not having good enough CPT certainly could be a factor in missing a wonder. If you want to get an unlockable wonder it is likely that you need to be much better about building culture buildings or timing your policies.
Meeting Every Civ. - Meeting every civ now lets you start the world congress (and be the first host) upon discovery of the printing press. On Pangea maps scouts will of about the same importance since unlocking the printing press comes in the Medieval era, however, overseas scouting on maps with other continents is now another "train" you can miss if you're too focused on something else. If you're going to explore, now you really have to explore!
International Projects. - You really want to contribute to a project but you weren't able to exterminate an early game rival and are still at war with no acceptable peace terms. Someone else who did succeed at getting elbow room early on (or they are being peaceful) goes ahead and cranks up production towards the international project in the majority of their cities. Because you are so busy fighting you wind up under-contributing to the international project.
Unlocking an Ideology. - If you want to get a bonus 2 tenets when picking an ideology the race is on. Having a gold stack upon researching industrialization seems to be of significant strategic importance. Regarding a specific civ strategy: Venice must have 2 puppets and a gold stack to industrialize. I find that very interesting. Venice must not miss the race to acquire and hold 2 puppets by the industrial era if they want the free tenets for picking an ideology first.
Getting an early city strategically placed for trade. Founding a second city really early (particularly one placed on a coast to keep your trade options varied and make use of your first sea trade route seems to be extremely important. On a few G&K games I've started recently I've had a premonition of BNW and cringed at my starting location. Without forward settling out of my little corner of the map I would have been shut out from a massive amount of land-based and or sea-based trade (were I actually playing BNW). I foresee the need to aggressively prevent other civs from forward settling and cutting off your trade opportunities early on. I predict that you pretty much have to get a well placed coastal city by the medieval era or you may not be able to catch up.
Obtaining great works wonders. While I don't know how well you can win a new cultural victory with or without the cultural wonders, getting these seems to me to be of the utmost importance. Uffizi, The Louvre, etc. that provide multiple great works slots will be ones to race hard towards if you plan to win that victory type. You also might need to have an invasion backup plan to take them over if you hope to win culturally. I predict there will be no more sitting in the corner peacefully if these ones go. Sorry to the non warmongers out there
Obtaining your first Archaeologist and Completing the Exploration Tree Have you got a lot of possible dig sites lying around near the borders or in neutral territory? You are going to have to B-line archaeology if you hope to get these! This proves to be a "Sophie's Choice" between going for Archaeology tech or Industrialization to start building factories. Very interested to see strategies develop to get archaeologists AND still be the first to pick an ideology! Also there is FINISHING the exploration tree which unlocks even more sites to dig up, which you'll want to complete ASAP. Props to Alatan for mentioning this all first (he won the race)
Obtaining a Reformation Belief. While religion is always a race, there is now a race within a race dependent on social policy choices. Getting a reformation belief can be one more edge for a player going through the piety tree and now you definitely won't just open this policy branch for one or two policies. Instead you'll have to finish what you start right away and have enough CPT (or open it as your first branch) to follow through quickly. Props again to Alatan for mentioning!
Please expound and discuss everything as much as you desire. I think there are other things that can be added to the list so do help me think of them! Personally I want to talk about this because I'm trying to get my brain ready for thinking about BNW strategies (with the info we know of course).
This thread is for isolating and discussing the many places in the game where being first to do something is a significant advantage and what you think the implications are behind that game mechanic.
This isn't a topic about civ specific strategies per se but feel free to discuss them as it relates to the topic.
I will start it off! As I see more suggestions I will edit the OP and give props to whoever mentions it.
Being the first to unlock a social policy branch. - Where each wonder can be built in the tech tree is still probably the main factor in constructing a wonder, but not having good enough CPT certainly could be a factor in missing a wonder. If you want to get an unlockable wonder it is likely that you need to be much better about building culture buildings or timing your policies.
Meeting Every Civ. - Meeting every civ now lets you start the world congress (and be the first host) upon discovery of the printing press. On Pangea maps scouts will of about the same importance since unlocking the printing press comes in the Medieval era, however, overseas scouting on maps with other continents is now another "train" you can miss if you're too focused on something else. If you're going to explore, now you really have to explore!
International Projects. - You really want to contribute to a project but you weren't able to exterminate an early game rival and are still at war with no acceptable peace terms. Someone else who did succeed at getting elbow room early on (or they are being peaceful) goes ahead and cranks up production towards the international project in the majority of their cities. Because you are so busy fighting you wind up under-contributing to the international project.
Unlocking an Ideology. - If you want to get a bonus 2 tenets when picking an ideology the race is on. Having a gold stack upon researching industrialization seems to be of significant strategic importance. Regarding a specific civ strategy: Venice must have 2 puppets and a gold stack to industrialize. I find that very interesting. Venice must not miss the race to acquire and hold 2 puppets by the industrial era if they want the free tenets for picking an ideology first.
Getting an early city strategically placed for trade. Founding a second city really early (particularly one placed on a coast to keep your trade options varied and make use of your first sea trade route seems to be extremely important. On a few G&K games I've started recently I've had a premonition of BNW and cringed at my starting location. Without forward settling out of my little corner of the map I would have been shut out from a massive amount of land-based and or sea-based trade (were I actually playing BNW). I foresee the need to aggressively prevent other civs from forward settling and cutting off your trade opportunities early on. I predict that you pretty much have to get a well placed coastal city by the medieval era or you may not be able to catch up.
Obtaining great works wonders. While I don't know how well you can win a new cultural victory with or without the cultural wonders, getting these seems to me to be of the utmost importance. Uffizi, The Louvre, etc. that provide multiple great works slots will be ones to race hard towards if you plan to win that victory type. You also might need to have an invasion backup plan to take them over if you hope to win culturally. I predict there will be no more sitting in the corner peacefully if these ones go. Sorry to the non warmongers out there
Obtaining your first Archaeologist and Completing the Exploration Tree Have you got a lot of possible dig sites lying around near the borders or in neutral territory? You are going to have to B-line archaeology if you hope to get these! This proves to be a "Sophie's Choice" between going for Archaeology tech or Industrialization to start building factories. Very interested to see strategies develop to get archaeologists AND still be the first to pick an ideology! Also there is FINISHING the exploration tree which unlocks even more sites to dig up, which you'll want to complete ASAP. Props to Alatan for mentioning this all first (he won the race)
Obtaining a Reformation Belief. While religion is always a race, there is now a race within a race dependent on social policy choices. Getting a reformation belief can be one more edge for a player going through the piety tree and now you definitely won't just open this policy branch for one or two policies. Instead you'll have to finish what you start right away and have enough CPT (or open it as your first branch) to follow through quickly. Props again to Alatan for mentioning!
Please expound and discuss everything as much as you desire. I think there are other things that can be added to the list so do help me think of them! Personally I want to talk about this because I'm trying to get my brain ready for thinking about BNW strategies (with the info we know of course).
). I sincerely hope that after this expansion there will be balance enough that individuals can win the game not just in one of four standard ways but by using numerous viable strategies within each victory type. I'm really excited by how many options trade routes and the WC open up for example.
