Fastest and safest path to 3 cities

[rookie]

It seem to me, the best strategy to higher difficulties is getting 3 cities up as early as possible and then avoiding the AI rush that will eventually come. I will go for the forth city if possible but sometimes have to capture a weak city for that one.

I am playing Gods and Kings normal difficulty and up.

Here is what I know;
1) I just don't have the cash to purchase them on normal and higher difficulties.
2) Building them at the capital causes the growth to stop and stalls the growth of the capital. So it makes sense to wait a while before you build your first two settlers.

I have been building a monument right after the scout and then chose the Liberty tree Social Path. I go for the social policy that gives a free worker (Citizenship). I use this worker to improve the capital.

Then select the policy (Collective Rule) that gives the free settler and 50% faster production of settlers. So I get the free settler and then produce one in a much quicker time. This path gives me my first two settlers and also allows my capital to grow and have a wonder or two early.

Anyone have any thoughts on this or a better way?

 

[Mystz0r]

I normally prefer to have 4 cities up before the AI rushes on Immortal/Deity. I find Immortal rushes rather easy, so I'm not too strict on Immortal. With proper ICS'ing, I always crush the AI if he declares early on me.

This is my "go-to" routine:

Scout-> 2nd scout if early production allows and maps seems to need it -> monument/shrine (depending on Civ) -> monument/shrine. As soon as my population in the capital is up to 3 or 4, again depending on map, goodie hut gains, nearby neightbours, etc., I switch to a Settler. Normally I start and complete this Settler before I get Collective Rule. Remember that the positioning of your 2nd and 3rd city very often chooses who will be your early enemy. Only build cities in what the AI perceives as "their land" if you a) want to provoke a war, and b) actually think you can defend it. B) means that the city cannot be too far away from your capital, and it normally has to lie on a hill or with some very strategically placed river.

I would strongly recommend going for the free Settler from social policies before going for the worker. I normally either buy my worker or, in the case that I don't make money from meeting CS's, I steal one. If I have a peaceful neighbour, I'll sometimes DoW the AI early just to grab their worker.

My 2nd and 3rd city usually builds archer -> shrine -> archer, but again, that really depends on map, enemies and general progress of the game.

I never go for early wonders on Deity when i sprawl.

 

[dslartoo]

It seem to me, the best strategy to higher difficulties is getting 3 cities up as early as possible and then avoiding the AI rush that will eventually come. I will go for the forth city if possible but sometimes have to capture a weak city for that one.

I am playing Gods and Kings normal difficulty and up.

Here is what I know;
1) I just don't have the cash to purchase them on normal and higher difficulties.
2) Building them at the capital causes the growth to stop and stalls the growth of the capital. So it makes sense to wait a while before you build your first two settlers.

I have been building a monument right after the scout and then chose the Liberty tree Social Path. I go for the social policy that gives a free worker (Citizenship). I use this worker to improve the capital.

Then select the policy (Collective Rule) that gives the free settler and 50% faster production of settlers. So I get the free settler and then produce one in a much quicker time. This path gives me my first two settlers and also allows my capital to grow and have a wonder or two early.

Anyone have any thoughts on this or a better way?

I struggle with this a lot myself but am gradually getting better with practice. View Tabarnak's Tradition 4 Cities Opening thread for some great tips.

The strategy depends heavily upon a couple of things to get you the gold you need to buy two or three settlers:

1. Work your luxury tiles FIRST, before anything else.

2. Sell your luxuries to the civs you meet for lump sums of gold. This is why you need to improve multiple copies of the luxes, and why you need to settle new cities ON luxes so as to avoid the time required to improve that luxury (settling directly on a luxury will automatically improve it as long as you have the tech required to do so).

#2 depends upon you meeting lots of civs, so exploration is also paramount. Get out there and meet a lot of people.

The problem comes when you wind up with a start where you are relatively isolated, which means no neighbors to trade with, or when you meet lots of civs but they all seem to be broke. Apparently playing on higher difficulties (higher than King) means other civs will have more money to trade with, but of course that makes it more difficult to fend them off when they inevitably rush you....it's a trade-off.

Hope this helps!

cheers,
Phil

 

[joncnunn]

I find with Tradition starts; cash rushing the settlers is often best. Fund them via luxury sells (admittedly the AI has less income on Prince/King compared to Emperor/Immortal)
The other important aspect before National College is built is to have the cash to rush the library in the city that isn't your capital so you don't delay NC.
Often the newest city amounts to a colony you have to buy other buildings for / construct worker and/or work boats in the capital for; but eventually it will pull its own weight.

 

[Atlas627]

I find the strategies of abusing the AIs lux values as cheesy, though I also find the absurd bonuses it gets cheesy as well. If you want to play with the cheese, that's what Deity is for.

When going Tradition I can buy one settler and produce one settler, and when going Liberty I get the free settler first if I have an easy lux to improve (so I hard build a worker and improve it), otherwise I do what you do.

If you are willing to abuse some things (others would call it part of the game, we are clearly playing different games ) you can steal a CS worker, sell lux to the AI for lump cash and the declare war to get the lux back, then buy the settler and expand.

 

[futurehermit]

No need to impose extra rules on yourself to make the higher skill levels harder than they are already If the AI has the gold available and is willing to trade it to you for your lux, go for it.

 

[rookie]

Update, I tried the tradition opener instead of the Liberty opener and got 4 cities quicker this way. One of the keys was not to build roads until I had enough money and all four cities set up.

On normal difficulty, the AI does not have enough money to pay for luxuries so I just rushed them when I had the money, and even produced the last one when I had enough people in the capital.

I had 4 cities up so fast the AI did not even bother to rush me around truns 50-60. I would have to say the tradition opener. is better. I had a science victory by 1934 AD.

 

[Jelster]

Personally I like to get at least 3 cities up and running by T50.

Build order in capital is scout - monument - archer - shrine/archer - grannery

I tend to settle on a luxury, so I don't need a worker to improve the tile, often have 2 cities up before a worker. I'll steal a worker if necessary, and if things are going well, go for the Pyramids to get the 2 workers.

Research is important. Base tech for lux's then writing, construction (for composite bowmen) and then start focussing on your VC.