First build?

[VoiceOfUnreason]

Worker almost always. Got it.

Under what circumstances is it superior to start with something other than a worker?

Spain on a Lake ™, would be one example, I suppse; where the religious rush means you aren't going to have any worker techs for a while.

Are there more commonplace ones?

 

[malekithe]

Not entirely sure it's optimal, and it's definitely a bit of a gamble. But sometimes I forgo building the first worker myself. Instead, I build a couple of warriors and go take workers from nearby opponents. It's more risky, but the pay-off is big.

 

[nealhunt]

Building a worker will prevent your city from growing while it is being produced. Many people will wait until the city is size 2 or 3 to build a worker. Otherwise, you likely won't be able to work the improved tiles anyway.

I think the worker-worker pattern for initial build was due primarily to people beelining Bronzeworking and chopping out the second worker and a wave of units/settlers. In that case, population to work tiles to actually build the worker isn't nearly as important. With the recent patch that doesn't work quite as well.

If you let the city grow to 2-3, you won't actually lose that much time because that extra population means you can produce a worker 1.5-2x as quickly.

 

[malekithe]

If you let the city grow to 2-3, you won't actually lose that much time because that extra population means you can produce a worker 1.5-2x as quickly.

That is a common misconception. The reality is that growing to 2 population will only speed the production of the worker by 25% at best. You would need to grow to 5 population and have plenty of 3-production tiles in order to double the build rate. Working unimproved tiles is a very sub-optimal situation which you should strive to eliminate. Getting a worker as soon as possible is the best way to do that.

 

[Narsilion]

90%+ worker first build personally.

Work boat is ocassionally an option to consider. I've also built a scout once or twice on big maps, with few AI opponents, to go hut grabbing.

That is a common misconception. The reality is that growing to 2 population will only speed the production of the worker by 25% at best. You would need to grow to 5 population and have plenty of 3-production tiles in order to double the build rate. Working unimproved tiles is a very sub-optimal situation which you should strive to eliminate. Getting a worker as soon as possible is the best way to do that.

 

[Gnarfflinger]

I start with a barracks first, then switch to worker when I grow to 2.

 

[East St Trader]

I doubt there can be any fixed rule of thumb.

If you are playing as the Incas and have neighbours who rely on archers you will mostly pump out a number of quechuas. If you start with mysticism, have a tile or two yielding two or three commerce and get some money from your first hut then you may be making decisions in which winning the race to found is a higher priority than developing tiles.

If scouts from three expansionist civs hove into view during the first two or three turns and there is some prime site crying out to be occupied you may think you have to try for a settler asap.

And so on.

One clear cut factor in favour of growing to size two or three before going for a worker is that you will then have quite a bit more flexibility during the first two dozen turns. That is worth quite a bit.

 

[Oggums]

I almost always start with a warrior. If I can fish, it's a work boat.

Rarely do I open with a worker. Depending on the resources, then maybe I will, if I also started with Agriculture and/or Mining and he'll have enough to do. Usually I wait until size 2, when I switch to a worker on the turn my capital grows. Sometimes it's size 3 or even 4 if I started with enough decent, unimproved tiles.

 

[Remulak]

I always start with a warrior. Maybe even a second to allow my city to grow.
Depending on the situation, I want my city to grow to 2 or 3 before making a worker.

 

[scooter]

I've always been one to start w/ the warrior too, then switch to worker after my city grows. Anyway way you could edit in a poll to see what everyone else thinks more accurately?