Founded london on the spot. Will have a nice mix of inland and coastal. Start research at Writing 100% (43 turns). First build is a....curragh. Worker heads out to road grassland NW. Road finishes in 3 turns and time to research writing drops to 32.
When curragh finishes start warrior.
By turn 10 when the borders expand and the second citizen is working time to research writing is down to 23.
By turn 14 time to writing is down to 16 and warrior is exploring due west.
The curragh meets the Maya to the north in 3200.
I can get his 10g and any of his knowledge (Masonry, Warrior Code or Burial for Alphabet). Now Masonry is tempting because it leads to Mathematics but I will let it pass for now.
In 3100 and Inca scout greets the curragh from the Northeast. He knows Bronze Working and Masonry and Maya doesn't know Bronze. There is a possible two-fer here. Besides the scout is only one move away from the Mayan border so the deal will go through with me or without me. Now I can get Masonry and 10g for Bronze, then Warrior Code for Alphabet.
By turn 20 Writing is due in in 10 as London gets its third citizen and threatens to riot.
In 2950 Monte appears to the westbound warrior and wants to buy Masonry for Ceremonial Burial. I'm not heading down that path and since he has nothing the other nations don't already he has no way of getting those two techs, so I say thanks but no thanks and pass on.
The warrior turns south to explore the next tier of terrain back towards home.
In 2550 I sell Masonry to Monte for Ceremonial Burial and 10g to finance research into Code of Laws.
In 2390 Maya know Iron Working which they will sell for Writing but have money to put into the deal and there is no place to sell it on to excpet for The Wheel so I pass.
First settler comes out the gate in 2310 and heads north. In 2230 the town of York is founded and a Gepid villager teaches us the wheel.
The Aztecs buy their letters for 25g as I need the cash to keep the scientists working on Code of Laws.
In 1830 found Nottingham to the south for the wheat and sell Writing to Maya for Mysticism and 46g.
In 1650BC Inca extorts writing from me but I then sell him Code of Laws for Iron Working and his 4g.
In 1600BC the Alemanni to the west teach our lone archer Horseback Riding.
And in 1575 a doughty curragh makes an ocean crossing and meets the Romans to the east. Caesar is truly ignorant so I teach him how to bury his dead for his 25g.
In 1525 the wandering archer busts an Iberian camp for 25g and finds horses under it.
And in 1475 nail the Republic with the Philospohy gambit. Start research on Literature at 100%. And because the neighbors have been stirring up the near-by barbarian camps confront the first Alemanni horseman.
In 1325 met the Americans and make a deal for all his cash 109g for Philosphy, then take Polytheism for Code of Laws and Horseback Riding then trade Philosophy to Monte for all his gold (31g), then trade him Code of Laws and Polytheism for Map Making. Then use the stash o' cash to open embassies and find the locals are all building the Pyramids while the boyos on the other continent are building settlers due in 2 in their pop2 capitols which will grow in 5 :shakehead:
Lose a worker and a warrior to the Alemanni horsemen stirred up by the Mayan warriors to the north.
In 1050 meet the Iroquois and the Zulu in the far east. Both are poor and ignorant.
I continued until 370BC but did not keep a log. Researched Lit and Currency at maximum and traded for Construction to hit the Middle Agesby 670BC, all by me lonesome.
Fought no wars and had minimal barbarian hassles until the Maya stirred things up in the jungles to the north. I avoided all goody huts and only attacked camps with an archer I had built.
At no time until after the revolt to Republic did science fall below 80%. And the only reason it is now at 10% is that I went hog-wild building workers and had to eat troop support costs. And I had removed most of the money in the world into my treasury so I couldn't hit up the neighbors for cash.
The Forbidden Palace as not been built yet as I still lack the city count.
All of these things will take care of themselves in the next 500 years or so.
I would have had more towns down if I had used a town other than London for settler equipping.
Tough start for an all out expansionist strategy. One of the things you have to look out for is the population count in the town where settlers are trained. It should never drop below four, especially if it is the capitol as the loss of commerce is crippling.
Bede's Britain
In conlcusion I have not out expanded the AI but I have out-researched them. Now I need to start building population and an effective military. I only have 12 total troops right and most of them are warriors.
The point of all this is that you don't need more cities or more people than the other guys, you just need to make the best use of what you do have.
