Just curious what are some basic strategies that people use for a non continent Island map? Do you beeline towards sailing/shipping techs for caravel? That first war can be highly expensive having to build a navy and military land units. Would it be better to travel to an unoccupied island to found cities 4 - 8 even if it means a longer distance from original Island?
Island Maps - First time attempting
- Thread starter mbrwr
- Start date
Would need to see a map. Isolated starts need a certain strategy.
Covering a basic land tech at start helps. Again where to go next depends on the map.
Some beeline monarchy or Calender pending on happiness. Then civil service and optics line works well for the astronomy grab for foreign trade routes.
Really depends if you start isolated. The great lighthouse is always useful. Settling an island far off can be costly in terms of upkeep. Probably depends on map. have a look at the Wang Kon Cookbook. That was an isolated start and many played it diferently.
If you have no Ai trade routes its useful to settle a small island close by as this will up your trade route values from 1 to 2 commerce a turn.
Covering a basic land tech at start helps. Again where to go next depends on the map.
Some beeline monarchy or Calender pending on happiness. Then civil service and optics line works well for the astronomy grab for foreign trade routes.
Really depends if you start isolated. The great lighthouse is always useful. Settling an island far off can be costly in terms of upkeep. Probably depends on map. have a look at the Wang Kon Cookbook. That was an isolated start and many played it diferently.
If you have no Ai trade routes its useful to settle a small island close by as this will up your trade route values from 1 to 2 commerce a turn.
TheMeInTeam
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Bulb astro (look up great person preferences) and abuse the strength of long range foreign trade.
LincolnOfRome
Glutton for Punishment
Do whatever you have to do to build the Great Lighthouse and expand rapidly after that.
Build lots of boats! Sounds obvious but on island type maps where scouting is more complicated than just sending the starting warrior out walkabout it's easy to end up with a poor idea of what's going on in the world, and where the good territory nearby is, and where the neighbours are settling. Also with all that coast the nototious barb galleys get very tiresome very quickly if you have no navy.
Also this, sadly. The Great Lighthouse is completely overpowered on archipelago type maps, (rather overpowered on lots of normal ones too!) Financial is also ownage when most cities are working 50% coast. Colossus adds to that bonus too so copper is good. As is marble and/or oracle anyway to bulb metal casting if you can do it.
Also this, sadly. The Great Lighthouse is completely overpowered on archipelago type maps, (rather overpowered on lots of normal ones too!) Financial is also ownage when most cities are working 50% coast. Colossus adds to that bonus too so copper is good. As is marble and/or oracle anyway to bulb metal casting if you can do it.
- GLH is top priority. All of your cities are going to be coastal.
- Colossus also a good wonder, but Astronomy should never be delayed on island maps so it obsoletes more quickly than usual.
- Temple of Artemis also worth a mention, but never ever risk the GLH in order to get this wonder, GLH is simply too valuable to ignore especially considering you've got water defending you from barbs and mean AIs.
- Navy not as important as one would think, you generally only need some scout workboats (don't waste galleys scouting, they're for moving workers settlers and military around your islands, plus workboats cost practically nothing by comparison) 2-6 galleys and one or two caravels until astronomy.
- Compass, Astronomy, Economics, all excellent techs on these maps. Trade routes from harbor are very lucrative, astronomy gives you longer range intercontinental trade which is even more lucrative, and customs houses give you big multipliers on trade as well.
Keep in mind that colonial maint only really starts to add up after you have more than two cities on the same landmass. Don't feel obligated to smash in as many cities as possible because it will just cost you that much more in maint. Few landmasses on archipelago maps are big enough to fit more than 4 or 5 cities anyways, but keep it in mind.
- Colossus also a good wonder, but Astronomy should never be delayed on island maps so it obsoletes more quickly than usual.
- Temple of Artemis also worth a mention, but never ever risk the GLH in order to get this wonder, GLH is simply too valuable to ignore especially considering you've got water defending you from barbs and mean AIs.
- Navy not as important as one would think, you generally only need some scout workboats (don't waste galleys scouting, they're for moving workers settlers and military around your islands, plus workboats cost practically nothing by comparison) 2-6 galleys and one or two caravels until astronomy.
- Compass, Astronomy, Economics, all excellent techs on these maps. Trade routes from harbor are very lucrative, astronomy gives you longer range intercontinental trade which is even more lucrative, and customs houses give you big multipliers on trade as well.
Keep in mind that colonial maint only really starts to add up after you have more than two cities on the same landmass. Don't feel obligated to smash in as many cities as possible because it will just cost you that much more in maint. Few landmasses on archipelago maps are big enough to fit more than 4 or 5 cities anyways, but keep it in mind.
TheMeInTeam
If A implies B...
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Navy matters a great fricken deal vs humans. If you don't have it, you *will* get forked, and your city that is more weakly defended *will* get razed, and that *will* cause you to lose...unless you have decent scouting and a naval presence.
Sounds like someone has been playing multiplayer. Report/Impressions please? (I play MP occasionally and find it a tragically under-theorized aspect of the game.)
p.s. Yes I did just derail this thread. TMIT, perhaps start a new one; Re: MP experiences?
p.p.s. GLH concept seconded. Do that and build lots of cities asap.
TheMeInTeam
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GLH is very sound.
Vs the AI, which will open borders, astro ASAP is a good deal too. You can get it ~500 AD or sooner via "avoid civil service and theology so a scientist bulbs the astro line".
It's up to you whether you want to pick up meditation and bulb philosophy for religion
and pacifism first or if you want to just straight-up muscle for astro using raw GPP.
As for MP, I lost to that very thing once, and with a significant tech lead to my name. I was nearly to rifles, and the guy just had berserkers, but he had some 20-30 of them and could threaten multiple cities at once. Nothing I could do...not drafting, not whipping, not anything, could keep him from razing all but 1-2 of my coastal (and therefore all) of my cities. I learned this lesson and have turned it on others since, and whoever gets hit by a suprise (or just overpowering) naval raid + burn gets to add an L to their tally.
It's not like you can stack up 10+ units in every single city you own and still actually hold a decent tech rate.
Vs the AI, which will open borders, astro ASAP is a good deal too. You can get it ~500 AD or sooner via "avoid civil service and theology so a scientist bulbs the astro line".
It's up to you whether you want to pick up meditation and bulb philosophy for religion
and pacifism first or if you want to just straight-up muscle for astro using raw GPP.As for MP, I lost to that very thing once, and with a significant tech lead to my name. I was nearly to rifles, and the guy just had berserkers, but he had some 20-30 of them and could threaten multiple cities at once. Nothing I could do...not drafting, not whipping, not anything, could keep him from razing all but 1-2 of my coastal (and therefore all) of my cities. I learned this lesson and have turned it on others since, and whoever gets hit by a suprise (or just overpowering) naval raid + burn gets to add an L to their tally.
It's not like you can stack up 10+ units in every single city you own and still actually hold a decent tech rate.
Puhi
Warlord
I know it has been said, but seriously, build the GLH. It makes a big difference on these maps.
Thanks for all the great advice. Just need to find the time to put into action I did explore some more in the other direction and have found some uninhabited islands to the west. I think I will head that way instead of settling on a war with Degaulle in the other direction or trying to settle on islands on the other side of his Island.
I did not get the great lighthouse though
Is it that crippling not to have it?
I did explore some more in the other direction and have found some uninhabited islands to the west. I think I will head that way instead of settling on a war with Degaulle in the other direction or trying to settle on islands on the other side of his Island.I did not get the great lighthouse though
Is it that crippling not to have it?Wasn't aware that this was a thread about multiplayer. Of course navy matters against humans because unlike AI a human will actually know how to use a navy instead of building a huge navy and docking 3/4ths of it in a major city.
I don't discuss multiplayer here unless it's explicitly mentioned, it's an entirely different game.
