Good strategies for a small island start?

[kelemvor]

The past few starts for me have left me isolated until astronomy. One was on a smallish island, with room for about 6 cities, and one was on a small peninsula jutting out from the north pole. I usually play on prince level, and I've noticed that the AI somehow can colonize other islands with nothing but Galleys! Is that a bug? Once rome declared war on me around 1000BC, and I laughed at him because he didn't even have optics yet, only to have 3 axemen land next to one of my undefended cities! Thats a major unfair advantage that goes way above and beyond a simple production/resource boost for the AI on nobel and above.

Also if you have no visible land in sight around your starting island, what can you do but beeline straight to Astronomy, and whats the best method? Usually I just put my cities 2 or 3 squares apart, all along the coast, and put cottages down everywhere. I try to found one of the later religions or get monarchy simply because its hard to keep the cities happy on a small island with few happyness resources.

 

[alexti2]

I would go for a few warriors early on, just enough to patrol your island, so that the barbarians won't pop up. Get Great Lighthouse, few basic tech for land improvements and expand like crazy. If research goes down to zero it's ok, as city grow you'll be doing well. After the economy recovers beeline for astronomy and start building up catapults and whatever else you can depending on resources. Prepare bunch of galleys (ready to be upgraded). As you reach Optics, build plenty of Caravels - both for scouting and for sea warfare.

 

[alexti2]

Yeah, if you have only narrow straight between you and other land, you can build cultural bridge by founding a city on the shore and building up culture in it.

 

[Finite Monkey]

You might be in trouble if your island is resource poor or not quite large enough while isolated.

That said, I like to colonize my entire island as fast as possible to make the most out of my isolation. I'll go for astronmy like you said then scout for more room the expand if necessary. If a war is necessary to secure victory I find the Civ that is weakest and.or most hated then land on his shore once I have galleons.

As far as the ocen going galleys, it could be a culture thing. Even if his culture is in an ocen square his galleon can travel it. If you want to see if an approach is possible you can sometimes click "Go-to" then drag your mouse cursor over to his territory (with a galley of course). If it gives you a possible path even when you thought there was none then you know.