Immortal Fun :: Joao of Portugal

[DanielTorrence]

Since there weren't many immortal maps posted lately I would like to share this one with interested Civ-IV-players. I already played it through and had more fun then hazzle with it. It has a nice start, a leader with good traits and probably many different approaches how to win it.

It is pangea map type, but interestingly shaped, no huts, no events.

Would be nice to read some approaches and finish dates on this map for discussion and comparison.

Spoiler with details about map and opponents:

Spoiler :

There are three war mongers in the game, two of them neighboring us directly, but there is a lot of room to expand. Avoid getting broke is important with an imperialistic leader, since your empire can grow fast. Early happiness nearby helps. The peaceful AIs are separated nicely and can run away if you allow them to.

Here are leader and start. Have fun.

Spoiler :

The save:
View attachment AutoSave_Initial_v. Chr.-4000.CivBeyondSwordSave

 

[Gumbolt]

SIP looks good here. Plains hill and all those juicy flood plains. Of course always worth moving warrior first.

Early cottages here could do well pending what map has to offer land wise.

 

[guspasho]

Cheaper granaries and generals will be useful for warring. With two nearby warmongers I'd look to use my starting warrior to steal a worker from the first one I find, softening him up for an early rush.

I'll move the warrior 1SW to investigate the land to the south. SIP looks good otherwise. Build queue: Worker > Warrior > Settler, and tech queue: Agriculture > BW and hope for copper on that hill 1N of the settler. Use the worker to farm the corn and the flood plains while the capital slow-builds the warrior and grows to 2-3, then start chopping out a settler. Hopefully I'll be chopping with a stolen worker by then.

 

[DanielTorrence]

With two nearby warmongers I'd look to use my starting warrior to steal a worker from the first one I find, softening him up for an early rush.

sounds like a plan...

Spoiler :

you might want to take in consideration that you have a lot of space to settle in and its quite a way to your next neighbor. Though, I am not good in stealing workers and hardly do it...big mistake I think...

 

[Izuul]

10T in and the 2nd tech choice is really interesting.

Spoiler :

Started with SIP and teching Ag. 10T EXP worker and 10T Ag works out nice, and i would imagine this is the standard play at the start of this map. Things get more interesting on T10 though.

BW - Opens up whips and chops and might provide copper for barb defense. With IMP it's really easy to whip settlers.

Hunting > AH - Can camp ivory for some production and there are 2 grass cows nearby plus a shot at finding horses. The cows + 1 dry corn to the east are all i see for food sources atm.

TW > Pottery - Opens up cheap granaries and cottages for the FPs while also providing the opportunity to tech Writing and Alpha afterwards. Could then trade for things like Hunting, AH, BW, etc. This could be risky with the barbs though. So far I've only met DeGaulle (T10) and i see some jungle north tundra south so there might be some open land for barbs to become an issue.

All things considered i think straight Alpha beeline is just too risky based on what i can see on the map so far.