Emperor Mid Game Advice

[Harbourboy]

View attachment Harbourboy Wang Emp AD-1358.CivWarlordsSave

It's 1316 AD. I have never won a game on Emperor level before (other than cheap Incan quechua rushes). I know I have serious flaws in my early game tactics and city development processes but I got handed such a good start in this one thanks to gold and then silver in my capital that I have managed to stay in the game to some extent, although I will soon be coming to the end of the "Hwacha Age", so I will need a new plan soon.

General questions then to improve my play:
1) From what you can see of my current position, what could I have done better in earlier years?
2) Could I win the game from here?
3) If so, what would be a good plan to take forward?

No spoilers please.

 

[uberfish]

1a) You needed to expand to the more fertile lands in the south earlier, because your starting location doesn't have enough grassland to support commerce cities.
1b) You're financial, you should have built cottages at your capital before 1AD.

2) Not sure, your economy is terrible.

 

[Harbourboy]

Yes, I have realised that my economy is pretty rubbish as a financial leader should usually not have too much problem making money. I think I got so excited by having the early commerce in the capital combined with high production in my second city for units, that I forgot about the longer term economic implications of cottages.

Where would you have settled the second and third cities then, instead of the current locations of Pyongyan and Wosnan?

 

[uberfish]

You have trouble making money because your starting area doesn't have enough food. I think the city positioning was fine, but you needed to have conquered China earlier and kept the cities.

 

[Harbourboy]

Ah, now that is the sort of advice I was looking for. I razed just about everything of China's because of the maintenance costs. I was initially trying to get to their capital to keep that, but it ended up being too far away and I underestimated how slow I would be at warring with them. I also accidentally razed the confucian holy city.

This was my best ever Emperor game and I still stuffed it up!