Initial Build Strategy

[Baltimoretrader]

I've taken some advice from this site, and it seems to be working! I thought I'd share some recent success. For my initial build I make 2 warriors, spearman, settler, worker, spearman, settler, settler, warrior, settler, worker.

I like to discover the board as quickly as possible, you get the better spots to start new cities and get a jump on the techs. I trade them for new techs as other civs get them. If I trade a tech to one civ I trade it to the others before they trade it to them. I'd rather drain their treasury and give up the tech.

After working 3 tiles in each city I begin to develop roads for faster city development. Aside from barracks and granaries, I wait to build anything other than libraries. A big army is a plus.

any comments welcome.

<pown joo> wOOt

 

[DaveMcW]

Good point about exploring, those early warriors/scouts give a huge return on your investment.

But I find spearmen to be inefficient in the beginning. 2 warriors defend just as well, and they make more people content.

If my capital has 2+ shielded grassland, I use the following build order:

Warrior x4
Settler
Granary
Worker
Settler, Settler, Settler...

with the 2nd city located near shielded grassland to pump out warriors.

 

[benstandby]

Capital: Barracks, warrior, warrior, settler, spear, archer, spear, archer, spear

city 2: Granary, settler, settler,

city 3: temple, colossus

city 4: Granary, settler, settler

 

[farting bob]

i play on regent and unless playign a civ with a early UU dotn go to war until cavalry unless forced into it. my buidl order varies but i try to stick to this:
capital:warrior (fortify to keep happy), granary, worker (scouting without the trouble of wr beign declared if i try to go through enemy), worker, barracks, warrior, settler, settler, warrior / spearman, spearmen, settler......
other major cities:
1. barracks, spearmen, spearmen, settler, archer / swordsman until more settlers are needed.
2. granary, worker, warrior, wariior, settler, spermen, settler, spearmen etc.....

 

[Strider]

My capital goes:

Warrior, Warrior, Settler, Granery, Settler, Settler, Settler, The Great Library

 

[Wafna]

I see at least three main build strategies depending on the spot you're given. And a fourth, which I'm writing last but putting at the top. If your capitol is in the mountains, desert, or tundra all you can do is find the nearest available grassland for your 2nd city and start your major settler buiild there. You could have your first settler trek for a good spot, but if that takes more than five or so turns, you're already way behind before you've even started.

If I'm on a big continenent and the nearest AI is far away, I tend to go with warrior, warrior, settler, granary, settler, spearman, settler, etc, in the capitol. If the 2nd city is growing well - with grassland or a food bonus - I might make it the settler factory and dedicate the capitol to the pyramids. In this wide-open scenario, I've been trying to go straight to Monarchy and hopefully picking up techs in goody huts. I've just moved up to Monarchy (the game level), where I never seem to have the space I did in the lower levels.

I usually play Persia, and if I have one neighbor blocking my growth, I'll follow almost the same build pattern until I fill the available space, but I'll build barracks in each town early on. I'll also drop the pyramids plan and choose iron working as soon as I see what the situation is. Then I pray that iron will show up somewhere in or near my territory so I can build Immortals like crazy and attack my neighbor. I don't see any other way to win in this situation.

If I'm all alone on a little island, which I hate, and only have room for a few cities, I pass the settler building off to the 2nd city ASAP and try to grow the capitol to build wonders and culture. Obviously you have to go the Map Making tech route here and try to get the Lighthouse. You can figure that no one will attack in Ancient Times, so you only need enough military units to keep the babies from crying.

 

[budweiser]

If I am an expansionist, I sometimes build a granary or even a temple first. You can research Ceremonial Burial in time to get a temple first. Other times I build one or two scouts then the granary or temple.

If I am not expansionist, I do the 3 warrior then settler or granary thing that everyone else does. You need to know the lay of the land asap.

 

[Deatvert]

usally i build 2 warriors to scout then granery then settler/warrier pairs

 

[Evennaar]

I did: warrior-settler-warrior-warrior-granary-wahatever
but the americans give you a worker, scout and a settler when you start! You van build, irrigate and explore! Way to go!

 

[tricao]

My initial strategy is very diferent of all of you guys. It works unless the barbarians rate are not too high. The first thing u need to do is to build a settler, and to join your worker to your city. Then, try to found your first city on a grassland area. Do like that:

1st city: settler, warrior, granary, setler, and than what you find more important, building always a lot of settlers

2nd and so: warrior, granary, settler...

This is good for expansionist civs, cause of that early scout, but works fine with other civs.