How am I doing?

[Inspector Dex]

I got into the game a few months ago, and of course I'm addicted! I love reading through these posts, and frequently read through the games that some players post in the forums. I've had a few wins at Warlord level and so I'm trying Noble level now (BTS). I'm attaching my save file from my current game, 135 turns in, and I was hoping some of you more experienced players wouldn't mind having a look and telling me what I'm doing right/wrong, and give some tips for the next few turns. I would very much appreciate any constructive criticism. Thanks in advance!

Dex

 

[namliaM]

Your city placement seems a little odd to me... on the quick look.
But techwize you are doing great, up on both AIs... nice

You seem a bit wonder heavy and unit light.... I presume Literature is for TGL?

If I can stress one thing to you, Specialize...
Specialize your cities. Mainz for example is building a barracks, tho it should never build a single unit... All that grass with 2 gems, cottages as far as the eye can see and Lib/Market/Uni etc. Forge perhaps...

Units will come from Prague, where if I may say so. Grass mines are SO much better than Plains mines.
For the 3 plains mines (12 hammers) you can work 3 Grass mines (9 hammers) and have 3 food to spare. Then add a plains mine and i.e. the plains river tile and you are at 14 instead of 12 hammers.

And why is Aachen working a normal farm for 3 food if it can work a Plains wheat for 4 food + 1 hammer?

You look like you are set to pwn the AI this game. Get Construction + CS + Machinery Kill both Elizabeth and Ragnar pre-optics to claim your continent. Get optics yourself and meet the other AI. Pick your victory goal.

 

[Inspector Dex]

Thank you for taking a look!

My thought re: city placement was to try and block off the bottom corner of the continent from Ragnar and then backfill towards the coast.

Yeah, Lit is for the GL. Elizabeth doesn't have Marble, but she was heading towards Lit ahead of me. I have Marble, and would like to have the GL, so I was trying to get there before her.

You are definitely correct about specialization! I set out with this game with specialization as one of my key goals in terms of my improvement. That's why I settled Prague by the hills, to be a unit factory. However, I find specialization a concept that is a lot harder to maintain on the whole than many people make it look in their games . I see your point about Mainz, though the barracks was in case I had to rush a unit (since it's a "frontier city"). In retrospect, I should just mass produce with Prague and send units there.

Thanks for the encouragement and the advice! I'm hoping that you are correct, and I can get my own continent next round. How long after meeting the other continent should I try and decide on my victory type?

 

[namliaM]

Do you have the starting save? I could play the first 135 or so for you to compare? Tho I am only a prince/monarch player myself...

 

[Inspector Dex]

Sorry, the closet thing I have is turn 100. I hadn't planned on posting in the forum for advice, so I didn't bother with an initial save. I'll have to keep this in mind though for next time.

 

[namliaM]

Every game by default creates a starting save in Saves\Single\Autosaves IIRC

<edit> It could be a setting tho </edit>

 

[Inspector Dex]

Fantastic, I didn't know that. Here it is...

I hope a couple of other people might be persuaded to play the first 135 turns. It would be interesting to compare approaches.

 

[namliaM]

Well I played 135 turns... Am at war with Ragnar at the request of the English, lost some incredable battles allready (my RNG luck sucks lately).

But now got my first warlord (settled in Nuremburg). I am about to get construction tho and go kick some AI ... till its dead.

7 cities mostly along the coast + the same gem and Production cities (Nuremburg in my game). I did overexpand a tad... but war money and the upcomming GS will make sure I can keep going untill Elizabeth is willing to trade me CoL...

I did not really try for The Wall and missed Oracle...

 

[Inspector Dex]

Thanks for taking the time to do this. I look forward to looking over these later today (unfortunately I really need to get some work done this afternoon). I wish I could play civ for a living.