Emperor Strikes Back

[Unconventional]

Hello civ fans; I have been struggling with emperor for a while and I realized that the best way to improve is to play a few games here to get tips and advice from you on issues that I can't manage. So this game is intented to be the place where I 'strike back'.

Here's my leader choice:






I chose Frederick because he has nice traits: Philosophical and Organized. And the settings:




And the Start:





Corn, Marble, two flood plains and a nice river. Looks like a bureucracy capital to me. Oracle is a must. Great Library and National Wonders are easier to build. Where to move the Scout?

Before starting the game I need to clarify my main objectives in this game:

1)) Learn how to block land for later settlement: I need to learn the best way to secure more land.

2) Making the right tech choices: As the game progresses I often get confused about what techs I should pursue in what order.

3) Making Good Tech Trades : I also can't manage this properly. Related to number 3, I need to know getting key monopoly techs which AI ignores and I need to learn how to trade them so that I can have an edge on technology.

4) Getting key National Wonders (HE,NE etc) in (the right) place in time : In many games I can't decide where to put NWs for a long time, or I get busy with attacks and counter-attacks and I forget to build national wonders early.

5) Great Persons: Just like number 4, I often get busy in wars and forget to employ specialists. I also don't generate enough GPs though I can easily do so.

6) Increasing the population as much as possible : In order to get more production and higher scores.

7) DİPLOMACY : As thee capital letters tell, it is one of the my main weaknesses. I need to learn conducting my foreign relations properly so that I can protect myself against nasty back-stabbers I also need to get the AI fight each other without deceiving me for free techs. Often, I bribe one AI against the other one but the war ends quickly without a single bullet being fired.

8) Having a general strategy for the game : I often get overwhelmed by the events and lose my control over the game so in the end I begin playing without having any idea about what I am really doing and for why

So as you can see, I have a lot to improve in my game play. I know that there are many players who also struggles like me at different difficulty levels, but facing similar problems. I hope this game would help them as well. I call for everybody's advice, help and opinions. Expert players are welcome to give any tips and advice. I'll try to post many screenshots for details.

So I think of moving the scout 1 NW of the Settler to have a better view. Probably I'll start with Agriculture and a worker. Any other ideas? Settle in place looks okey for now.

 

[Unconventional]

Here is the initial save.

 

[Danil]

an interesting start

So I think of moving the scout 1 NW of the Settler to have a better view. Probably I'll start with Agriculture and a worker. Any other ideas? Settle in place looks okey for now.

i agree with everything
agriculture->masonry->the wheel->mysticism->polytheism->priesthood->pottery->writing looks like an approximate tech order to me

Spoiler :

but i don't really know

oracle code of laws

 

[pigswill]

Move scout, probably SIP, agric and worker seems like a solid start. One thing you didn't include on your to-do list is protect yourself from barbs (epic emperor, you may see a few barbs).

 

[vranasm]

the PH is the only tile I would consider settling on, but would abandon the flood plain, so it has to have some good perks above to confirm that move.

you could risk settling on strategic (iron/copper)

 

[BornInCantaloup]

There's a chance for food on the 3 tiles east of your settler.
Check them with the scout if you consider settling on the plains hills.


SIP is probably best long term, due to the very high river count and number of grassland tiles.
Without additionnal food in the east, the early advantage of a 2H city tile may be too big to pass, though. 6 visible tiles already make that city look alright.


@ Techpath :
If you plan to Oracle something from the start...
Researching both BW and Masonry often is troublesome, if trying to get anything requiring Writing (depends on commerce available).
This is a very beaker intensive option but it also gets the better hammers. If going that route, one can support an additional settler. Note that the marble, here, not only needs Masonry but also the Wheel.
Anyways, it's a bit early for those considerations. A lot depends on the map layout (AH vs Pottery, need for Wheel, for BW, reassess the Oracle option).


@ Scouting :
Scout along the river first, hope for a strong 2nd city spot that is instantly connected to Berlin. What's the map type, by the way ?

 

[WelshGandalf]

SIP looks fine to me.

Oracle is a bit of a gamble on emperor, well you normally can get it but you will have to sacrifice some other things. Also you don't start with myst. I wouldn't think of the marble as something to encourage you to get the oracle - researching masonry as another thing to slow you down. Have a look around, maybe you're better building a few more settlers, getting cottages up or getting library quickly (to run philosophical specialists) rather than getting the oracle.

I would however be sure to get the great library, since you have marble and you're philosophical.

 

[georgjorge]

In my experience, whether you should aim for Oracle or not is not determined by how fast you can build it (Marble/Industrious/high hammers) as it is cheap anyway, but by how fast you can research the needed techs. I usually consider going for it with a luxury ressource only (on Immortal and Deity).

And since a goal of yours is to secure land early, I would suggest doing this by not building early wonders but settlers

 

[Unconventional]

Played the first 10 turns met some neighbours. Here what happened:


Moved the scout to the hill 1 NW of settler. He revealed Elephants, and Rice to the West.





At first I considered settling on the marble to get the rice; but then I didn't want to lose the river tiles and settled in place. Luckily I didn't move, look what we have here:




Riverside gold means early research boom and I have two early happiness resource. My scout got me a map from the huts, then I got another scout and 52 gold. I also met these guys:









I also got Mysticism from a hut. It's in our shopping list on our way to the Oracle so I was lucky.




And lastly, here what my scouts revealed so far:






So what should be the next tech? This city has decent production capacity. BW is an option but there might be better alternatives. We have gold in BFC, we got Mysticism for free so we are closer to Oracle. But the question is what we should get with it. CoD is an option but with Ivory Construction looks attractive as well. So that's why I stopped. Let's discuss and find the best option. We may skip BW and head for Wheel Oracle techs => Writing=>Math and Oracle Construction. Do you think we can do this in time? I know it sounds naive

@pigswill yeah barbs are often causing trouble. If we skip BW then we need to take some measures.

@WelshGandalf yeah technically I don't start with Mysticism but today our benevolent tribe brothers took care of that

 

[vranasm]

too bad you didn't settle on the PH, it was imo clearly best option after the scout move...

 

[Danil]

too bad you didn't settle on the PH, it was imo clearly best option after the scout move...

this.

 

[Danil]

might be an okay city spot later on

 

[Handel]

too bad you didn't settle on the PH, it was imo clearly best option after the scout move...

Tell me pls what PH means?

 

[Htadus]

Too bad you did not reconsidered your settlement location after finding the rice...dry rice.

Even if the had copper, loosing 2 hammers forever to gain 1 food is a plus, you would have been better off settling on the PH. You would have recovered the commerce, food and hammer lost for 1 turn real fast and then start reaping the benefits.

On emperror you can even get CS with a little effort from the oracle. This capital can benefit from a forge. So I recommend MC from Oracle. You can start it early or do it with a chop or 2 later, with Marble. All you need is Pot, BW and PH techs.

As for Construction from Oracle, it too is very possible. After all you do have some commerce in the capital. Just dont forget to get a second city going.

Also consider BW a priority or at the least AH. They are handy to know before settling cities.

EDIT: PH = plains hill, GH = grass hill

 

[ecuwins]

PH = Plains Hill

 

[goldys_lackey]

You're going to want to find where India and Khmer are exactly because your first settlers should probably settle the corn and pig sites. Esp. Khmer because he's creative and a landgrabber.

 

[Chuwe3y]

I'm going to "strike back" and give this a try when I get home. For some reason I never have problems with barbarians or diplomacy even on immortal. The only problem I lose to is warmongering. Hint of advice to you and myself, never rush too quickly to attack without checking enemy resources, ai military techs, and cultural defense. Hmmm I failed to build siege weapons and wonder why 8 cavalries lose to 2 pikemens and 1 longbowman.

 

[Htadus]

I'm going to "strike back" and give this a try when I get home. For some reason I never have problems with barbarians or diplomacy even on immortal. The only problem I lose to is warmongering. Hint of advice to you and myself, never rush too quickly to attack without checking enemy resources, ai military techs, and cultural defense. Hmmm I failed to build siege weapons and wonder why 8 cavalries lose to 2 pikemens and 1 longbowman.

That is very unlucky RNG, I've had better luck with cuiras. The whole idea with cavs is to hit hard and quick and the later deny you seige.

 

[Chuwe3y]

That is very unlucky RNG, I've had better luck with cuiras. The whole idea with cavs is to hit hard and quick and the later deny you seige.

Gave it a shot and my warmongering failed me.

Spoiler :

Hmmm I had 10 elephants and 5 cata/2 trebs stacks attacking Suli, all lost in 1 blow due to flank attack not once but twice with my stacks of fail. Read a little about flanking but still confuse how I lost all of that to horse archers. If possible how can I avoid that while not having copper for spearmans and far away from pikemens?

 

[vicawoo]

Going for masonry slows down oracle times. It's pretty easy to build the oracle in the time it takes to tech writing from priesthood (or whatever).