Help me with dotmapping and planning please

[iheartponeez]

So, I need some training wheels. Here is a couple of screenshots of the land around my capital, I just need some help with where my next few cities should go. Also, is the capital in an alright location?

I'm playing Inca, vanilla game, Epic, Continents, Noble.

 

[carl corey]

Don't have time to do a dotmap now, but... You're building the settler at size one? You currently have two excellent and improved tiles - gold and sheep - and should be on your way to improve the third - copper. Build a Quechua until your city reaches size 2 (or 3), or maybe even start building barracks, then build the settler with 2-3 worked tiles.

Your starting location looks great! What size is the map? Standard? Have you met any other civs? The copper means you can even skip Quechuas and attack with Axemen directly. Also, where are the elephants in relation to your capital? I don't really understand where each screenshot goes, but if the elephants are close you can even look at a War Elephant first war. Beeline to construction, I tell you, it's a killer.

 

[cabert]

strange pics!
are you alone on this continent?

disclaimer : carl corey is right! building a settler at size 1, with so many good tiles is nuts.

however, you asked so i answer.
Since you already have copper in your capital's fat cross, you can settle a good second city without too much thinking about war ressources.
SO :
1) Don't go too far, you need to defend those cities, and to build roads between them.
2) look for food and commerce. Capital is production house for sometime, with copper and gold mine.
3) you're financial so river tiles are good for cottages

I see north of your capital a good spot, on the same river
(so direct unpillageable trade route to your capital ) with another gold mine and rice + flood plains : one tile east of the gold mine. It has some overlapping with the capital, but that is not a big deal.
dotmap for this commerce city (4 FP and 5 forests = good health and high food )

 

[Killroyan]

First two cities that come to mind are 2E of the cows on your right (settle on the desert). You get 3 good resources that way with horses, cows and rice. The other one is NE of the gold on top which will net you 3 flood plains, gold and rice (priority number 1). Both cities have no overlap with your capital. And let your capital grow. Work copper also which is soo good on plain (2F/4H) so at size 3 you can work gold, copper and sheep and still grow. After that you could be fishing city 2E of the most right cow again. Looks like a very good start.

Damn Cabert, you beat me to it. Settling on the plains hill next to the gold is also a good spot for the extra defense but you will loose a forest that way.

 

[carl corey]

By the way, you have another gold SW of your capital. Explore there too, you might find another great city location.

 

[cabert]

First two cities that come to mind are 2E of the cows on your right (settle on the desert). You get 3 good resources that way with horses, cows and rice. The other one is NE of the gold on top which will net you 3 flood plains, gold and rice (priority number 1). Both cities have no overlap with your capital. And let your capital grow. Work copper also which is soo good on plain (2F/4H) so at size 3 you can work gold, copper and sheep and still grow. After that you could be fishing city 2E of the most right cow again. Looks like a very good start.

Damn Cabert, you beat me to it. Settling on the plains hill next to the gold is also a good spot for the extra defense but you will loose a forest that way.

just chop the forest before you settle
obviously a chopped settler would be great, don't you think?
I even thought about settling on the gold . But a gold mine is just too good to be skipped.

edit : about the other city you mentionned, i thought of the exact same one

 

[Killroyan]

Darn, 3 gold mines and being financial. What a bad start

I like my position better to be honest. This city has a lot of food but is a bit low on production if you settle on the hill. Only 2 hills to work then but if you settle at my place you get 4 hills to work with enough food to sustain them. Good production site.

 

[carl corey]

Don't forget copper and horses. Awful, just awful!

 

[Killroyan]

Yeah, it sucks to be Iheartponeez

(I am just jealous because I am just in a game where I only got iron and even that was far away from my capital, no copper/nor horses)

 

[carl corey]

I win. I played two games with Cyrus to use his Immortals. In neither of those I had horses nearby.

 

[cabert]

I win. I played two games with Cyrus to use his Immortals. In neither of those I had horses nearby.

happened to me every time i played egypt! (now you know why i go for cultural)

 

[Sisiutil]

Since everyone else has commented on the dot-mapping, I'll make a different but relevant point.

You've explored in a very strange pattern. Granted, you've exposed a lot of tiles, but you won't be able to settle most of that land to your east for a long time. The maintenance costs from distance alone will be killers, and other civs are likely to beat you to it anyway.

Meanwhile, you have a great deal of fog west of the capital that's unexposed. Not only have you neglected exposing some additional potential city sites--making it impossible for me to suggest ANY--you're increasing your likelihood of barb activity.

While an early good-hut hunt is all fine and good, this needs to be combined with the search for the best city sites. I usually have my scouting unit(s) explore in an every-widening circle around the capital. This way you know exactly where your cities should go, and you'll still get your fair share of goody huts, trust me.