First Monarch Game - Willem van Oranje

[Nilmerf]

Thanks for the tips.. right now I'm at 1806 AD and the mistakes that others have pointed out along with some sloppy play in the wee hours of the morning has put a little bit of doubt in the game. I've lost tech lead to a couple of civs but I don't think they will beat me in a Space Race given my efficiency of production.

Spoiler :

The good news is that I've captured all of Gilgamesh's cities, which included a couple of nice wonders in the Statue of Liberty and the Pentagon.

Points I've learned:

1. Tile overlap: It's not a sin.
2. Cottages: I don't know what the heck I was doing this game, usually I build these as my #1 improvement.. but I got caught up in trying to specialize cities and the sites seemed to favour food/production over commerce. The hybrid economy was decent mid-game, but still unforgivable for a financial leader.
3. On a terra map, getting to the other continent doesn't matter as much because there were civs there! I don't know if this was new in BTS or just random or what. Kind of lame because it was just like continents map.
4. Workers: I'm pretty good with these until I hit the 4-5 city mark.

I busted a golden age before my big war, switched to Suffrage/Free Speech/Emancipation/State Property/Free Religion and try to cruise to space from here. Possibly pick up France as a vassal. Everyone else is a vassal or master of someone. If I lose I might try this again and settle on the SW plains hill but probably not.

Q: What to do with plains? Usually I farm them if possible, if there is a forest I save it for lumbermill.

 

[Syiss_]

Q: What to do with plains? Usually I farm them if possible, if there is a forest I save it for lumbermill.

Curse their existence. They always ruin my good city sites

What I usually do is try to lump them in with some food resources or farmed grasslands, then workshop them. This isn't very effective until Guilds (and even better at SP), so in the mean time those cities usually just sit back working the food resources and running specialists, or are used as weak unit pumps.

 

[bestsss]

Q: What to do with plains? Usually I farm them if possible, if there is a forest I save it for lumbermill.
A: Workshops

 

[BigTime]

1. Tile overlap: It's not a sin.

Took me a long time to realize that when I just started playing. Really helped me improve my game.

3. On a terra map, getting to the other continent doesn't matter as much because there were civs there! I don't know if this was new in BTS or just random or what. Kind of lame because it was just like continents map.

Huh? Must be a bug. You might have accidentally selected Fractal or Continents or something. I've played 5+ terra maps and this has never happened to me. Check your settings under victory conditions and check.

Edit: I checked, and the settings are Fractal, large. Not terra

 

[Nilmerf]

Edit: I checked, and the settings are Fractal, large. Not terra

Whoops, I usually play Fractal so it must have subconsciously sneaked in somehow!

 

[Gumbolt]

Had a quick toy on this save.

Spoiler :

Okay 3 gold capital allowed an easy oracle shot on currency. probably could have gone a lot further really. Oh well.

I teched COl, theology, paper, philosophy and part bulbed edu. I am close to 120 beakers a turn at 1ad.

If it wasnt for the Ai slow teching I could of traded for maths and other techs and probably had liberalism by 400-500ad or before. probably should of given away a few techs.

12 turns off edu.

Overall the Ai have been fighting a lot and ignored me. I was a bit slow rexxing. I was able to run science at 70-100% most of game.

I dont think you will learn much from a map like this.

 

[Gumbolt]

Okay 520ad. 2 turns off liberalism if I want it now.

Spoiler :

Built 3 academies with GS. Nothing much really to bulb as Ai were slow trading techs.

Trading off basic techs to each Ai for cash. Sold theology for near 700 gold to 4-5 Ai. This helps keep my science at 100%.

Overall decisions on liberalism tech. Take nationalism? Go for Steel? No ai has paper yet. 300 science a turnwithout mids is amazing. Could tech out nationalism and take constitution. Lots of options open really. The world is happily at war and the cottages are being worked a treat.

I took music and started a golden age to boost my science. Overall I dont see where the danger will come from. gilga is friendly and the war mongers are busy at war.

 

[Nilmerf]

Okay, I started a different game because the original intent was to play on a Terra map, and I've also learned from my mistakes. This new game has turned out very well up until 100AD but I thought I'd post just to see where I'm at.

Spoiler :

Key points:
1. Blocking move on Isabella to the west, nothing but good empty land to the east.
2. Built Temple of Artemis because I had marble and there was nothing else to build at the time, then used the Great Priest to bulb Theology and found Christianity. It ended up in my mega commerce city! Will stay Buddhist to keep friendly with Isabella.
3. Room for six more good cities to the east.

 

[Gumbolt]

Post a save if you want advice. That map is so clouded with fog you cant see a thing.

If you truly want to learn monarch level stop using a financial leader.

 

[Gumbolt]

Its 900ad and I am quitting now purely as i dont feel i will learn much from this.

Spoiler :

I took representation from lib around 780ad or so.

About 6-7 techs ahead of the closest Ai including paper, edu, guilds, banking, liberalism, nationalism and constitution. 10 turns off banking or PP.

Should be able to do anything really from this save. Science at 100% churns out 400+ beakers. Not bad really.

Should be able to build TM wonder.

Actually got Rifles 1210 ad and upgraded 5 units from trade route from GM from Economics. Should be able to trade for 600 or so more gold. I really should quit this.

up to 1300ad.

Spoiler :

Decided to attack ragnar. Bribed Ragnar to attack Hetty. Next turn hetty and Romans dowhim. Turns later he is vasselled by China and everyone is now happily at war. 2 of his cities are now mine including his capital. Rifles seem to attack okay without cannons.