Gold & Gems Start - Advice

[StrategeryBush]

I got a really nice first city, but not much in the hinterlands. The gold was not there initially, it just popped up this turn (44). The game is Fractal, High Sea Level, Normal Speed, Standard Size. I'm playing the Netherlands. At this point I am guessing that Survy and I are probably the only ones on this island, unless he is occupying a bottleneck to the north, otherwise I'd have already met them. The screen shot covers almost every tile I can see. I have one more warrior just off screen in the NW. Notice that I have lots of coastline but no seafood. I have BW but no Copper.

Hopefully here is a screen shot:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228370&stc=1&d=1253377554

I have, also hopefully, attached a save from the current turn (44) 2240 BC.

This sort of start always throws me out of my comfort zone and I usually screw them up. Any and all advice is welcome. That includes anything from short term builds and tech path to medium and longer term strategies.

ATM, I am thinking to finish the Settler, then go Warrior/Library in the capitol. The new city will go 2 east of the banana at the river mouth. They'll build a library to run two scientists ASAP so they can provide the GS for Amsterdam's Academy. Medium term is to out tech Sury and beat him with Cats and Swords or with HA.

 

[Ignorant Teacher]

I haven't looked at the save yet, but why are you researching Mysticism? If you have BW, I'd go to IW because you're gonna have to work the jungle as soon as you can. I wouldn't settle the banana city just yet. I agree with the location you suggested, but I think that blocking Sury is a higher priority.

 

[Tatran]

Surry with a religion = a good friend, without it a huge pain in the butt.

 

[Kadazzle]

I feel like you should've settled your cap at the gold/rice/banana/horse spot on the hill to the East, and plopped a second city on the coastline to the west to nab the gem, sugar and rice spot. Then, you would've had another amazing commerce spot if you settled a third city on the riverside hill to get the other gem, dye + lots of riverside grassland tiles.

tl;dr, but these are my initial thoughts looking at the map.

 

[dirtyparrot]

Either rush Sury or grab as much land as possible ASAP.

 

[StrategeryBush]

I haven't looked at the save yet, but why are you researching Mysticism? If you have BW, I'd go to IW because you're gonna have to work the jungle as soon as you can. I wouldn't settle the banana city just yet. I agree with the location you suggested, but I think that blocking Sury is a higher priority.

Mostly out of habit. I almost always start Myst along with my first settler. With a creative civ and cheap libraries Myst and Monuments are not a big priority. You are correct, Iron is more important.

I feel like you should've settled your cap at the gold/rice/banana/horse spot on the hill to the East,

Initially the gold was not there, it appeared as a result of working the mine. I didn't know that the horse would be there. It would have been a really tough call to abandon the gems given what I could see on turn 1.

 

[Monsterzuma]

There's a serious lack of workable land in your surroundings. I'd settle the cow city to the east and tech HBR + Archery, then Horse Archer rush Suryavarman.

 

[JBossch]

Use the gold and gems to tech to something like IW for swords and rush Sury. You really need to specify difficulty with these posts though - it changes everything. If this is noble just chop out chariots and kill Sury.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

This sort of start always throws me out of my comfort zone and I usually screw them up. Any and all advice is welcome. That includes anything from short term builds and tech path to medium and longer term strategies.

ATM, I am thinking to finish the Settler, then go Warrior/Library in the capitol. The new city will go 2 east of the banana at the river mouth. They'll build a library to run two scientists ASAP so they can provide the GS for Amsterdam's Academy. Medium term is to out tech Sury and beat him with Cats and Swords or with HA.

That's not bad. I think you need to look a bit deeper at the medium term position.

To wit - where's your army going to come from? You have no production.

I think you can improve your lot a little bit by putting your new city directly north of the cows (side benefit of wiping a jungle for free) That city will be in charge of defense in the short term (it gets the horses while the capital concentrates on commerce).

You've three priorities - Iron Working, Civil Service, and Calendar. Since it looks to me as though pre-war you are going to be working in a rich but tight space, I'd probably drive Calendar first, but it's not clear.

If that hole in the jungle is really a hole, I'd be tempted to drop city #3 there, and start working all the dyes (sharing the bananas). One north of that spot also looks reasonable.

Need better visibility into the western lands - there appears to be a nice collection of green hills there, but difficult to feed.


Bizarre gambit idea - the stone is just sitting there; I wonder if Masony->Pyramids->early Universal Suffrage is part of the production solution.

 

[StrategeryBush]

Use the gold and gems to tech to something like IW for swords and rush Sury. You really need to specify difficulty with these posts though - it changes everything. If this is noble just chop out chariots and kill Sury.

Sorry, I thought i had, it is in my signature, but should have been in the body of the text. It is at Emperor, which is what I always play.

 

[StrategeryBush]

That's not bad. I think you need to look a bit deeper at the medium term position.

To wit - where's your army going to come from? You have no production.

I think you can improve your lot a little bit by putting your new city directly north of the cows (side benefit of wiping a jungle for free) That city will be in charge of defense in the short term (it gets the horses while the capital concentrates on commerce).

You've three priorities - Iron Working, Civil Service, and Calendar. Since it looks to me as though pre-war you are going to be working in a rich but tight space, I'd probably drive Calendar first, but it's not clear.

If that hole in the jungle is really a hole, I'd be tempted to drop city #3 there, and start working all the dyes (sharing the bananas). One north of that spot also looks reasonable.



Need better visibility into the western lands - there appears to be a nice collection of green hills there, but difficult to feed.


Bizarre gambit idea - the stone is just sitting there; I wonder if Masony->Pyramids->early Universal Suffrage is part of the production solution.

Due west is all flat. Northwest there is a spot where I could get a Jungle Sugar, Jungle Rice and 5 hills, or, one north of that spot, lose the rice but get a Cow which is just off screen to the north and surrounded by mountains.

That is a hole in the jungle, and I do like the spot one north of there a little better.

What I need is to decide. Am I blocking territory to try to get to 6 cities on my peninsula, or am I going for a Sword, Horse Archer or Sword/Cats rush on Sury?

The Mids gambit sounds interesting, but maybe for a replay, not for this first time through.

Here is the northern part of the map that I can see.

 

[harry_flashman]

tech iron working and horseback riding. Build a city with a bit of food and some early production. build a few workers. whip/build horsemen/swords. take sury out.
You should get a religion or 2 with 2 gems and gold too.
REX when sury is wiped out.

 

[Gumbolt]

Emperor settings. With 3 strong commerce resources alphabet is 12 turns. Betting city on display is second city. Creative = pain.

Scouting out neighbours is always key on these games.

Catapult and swords could work just as well. With high seas land should be limited for expansion.

With all the resources and financial trait this should be a walk in the park. Assuming you are just alone with Sury.

 

[StrategeryBush]

I went the Horse Archer route. My initial stack was 9 HA and on Sword who had learned CRIII from the Navaho in the west. I took the Hindu Holy City in one turn. Took out the small city to the NW with the uninjured survivors, and razed it. After taking out a 3 axe counter attack force all of my troops were in rough shape and, even healthy may not have been enough to take out Yahodshapura, so I made peace. I'm about 5 turns into the peace treaty as of 25 AD. This was also the turn I got the academy built in the capitol.

Next step, finish off Sury before he beelines Longbows. Then courthouses, cottages and settlers, AND WORKERS. I need to capture about 5 more and build 5 more of my own.

Screen Shots:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228482&stc=1&d=1253466172
http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228483&stc=1&d=1253466172