HELP - i need money (to expand)

[markiz2001]

I think I am getting way over my head here and require require a master stroke to get me out of the mess I am creating for myself.

THE BACKGROUND
I allocated a disproportionate amount of the world to myself. First I blocked off my neighbour to the south-west by building cities in the most fertile part of the world and by building a port on the western coastline, from which I promised my proud nation to build a mighty fleet and colonize all the uninhabited islands that lie on the other side of this vast ocean. Then I blocked off my northern neighbours with an impenetratable ring of outpost-towns deep within their "natural territory" designed to keep them out. Now I set my sight to the east, where too I plan to build settlements and keep these aggressive civilizations out of my land. I am currently conducting reconissance and eliminating all barbarian acitivity in this region.


THE PROBLEM
I only have 11 gold coins, and I haven't yet researched courthouses, or build any farms or did anything that would bring in gold. further expansion would bankrupt me, and I still have so much expanding to do.


THE OPPORTUNITY
All conditions are favorable to turn things around. I am just not sure how to do it. So if you want to play a fun game and tell me what I should do next, be my guest.

thanks




http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/126838/mass-expansion500bc.Civ4SavedGame

 

[yena]

Actually your game looks in great shape. 60% research with 7 cities at 500BC is much better than I would expect at a monarch/emperor level game at the same time. Hold of building more cities for now, beeline for pottery, get some cottages up and you will be fine.

 

[MrCynical]

OK, this doesn't look too bad. Get pottery and begin cottaging all that floodplain and you should be fine. I wouldn't expand much further until you've done that though. Your maintenance costs aren't that bad at present, so you should be able to cope with the two extra cities that are imminent. You'll have to take your research pace down another notch or two, but 40-50% is not at all bad at this stage of a game at this level. I wouldn't build any more after that for a bit though - get ome infrastructure in place. Try some granaries, libraries, and get a couple more workers.

I'd send your two settlers to fill in the gap between your frontier towns and your main empire - they simply aren't an effective barrier to AI expansion unless you push up the culture, and they might sail round anyway. There's good riverside grassland and floodplain to the eat of your capital - prime cottaging territory.

Once you've bagged pottery, head for currency and then code of laws

 

[nbcman]

While you are researching pottery, have your workers run some roads to the wheat. Two of your cities now are unhealthy and I expect Guangzhou will be unhealthy in the next turn when your pop grows to 4 there. It may allow you to grow a little faster and to work some more of the flood plains for extra research/incommerce.

 

[johnny_rico]

And I thought I was checking into to this thread to pledge a donation.

I think you're ok as well. Plenty of resources and tons of rivers. Pottery and code of laws for granaries, cottages, and courthouses. You're also going to need a decent garrisons in your trio of cities in the north. The AI doesn't take too kindly to being cut off. You should also look to generate some culture in those northern cities or whoever is up there (Inca, Egypt, Burger King) will settle to the south of those cities and then you'll have problems.

Wow. Those rivers are gorgeous, the recipe for a monster game. You've got the real estate for another four to five mighty cities in there. Have fun and post a 4000 BC save.

 

[Tennyson]

That terrain is so beautiful...they should have sent a poet...

You're fine.

 

[Gooblah]

Okay. Beeline for Pottery, then hit CoL ASAP.
Cottage spam every floodplain, while keeping the Settlers on a hill for the time being. Once you've stabilized your economy, try doing a Military boom and conquer Isabella (or raze all of her cities but the Holy City). Grab a Prophet for a Shrine to add more income. When CoL is hit, and you're at +10 GpT (or more) use those Settlers. Build Courthouses in all cities, and try rebuilding the Palace in a more central location.

 

[Weird Piggy]

If your Mao turn Bejing into a GP POWERSHOUSE (desevres the caps). If Quin cottage it up. You have amazing terrain, a bunch of cities and more land. This game it amazing.

 

[markiz2001]

I had to go back in time to 1000BC and replay the last 500 years. I overextended myself and ran out of money. I built 2 settlers which I couldn't found cities with and I also researched sailing (god knows why - i thought my ports would be able to build lighthouses and use that gold in the water).

anyways, the changes I made were
1) instead of researching sailing, I went directly to courthouses and saved myself 6-7 turns
2) instead of building 3 cities up north, I build 2 cities in the north and 1 city in the east (it had a gold mine, so it was self sufficient), which allowed me to send the 4th settler into the 3rd northern city.
3) I connected the 3 northern cities to give each one 2 trade routes (hopefully)
4) instead of building a 5th setller, i build 2 workers and built some cottages (only 2 or 3 though)

and instead of building those settlers, I started building libraries, because I had nothing else to build and wanted a boost in science to get to courthouses as soon as possible.





http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/126838/mass-expansion475.Civ4SavedGame

also, all the new cities have obelisks and are building granaries, so that I can hopefully pop some courthouses and backfill the rest.

I still have problems with happiness and health, but hopefully when I build the port in the north, I'll be able to transport all those resourses back home.