Most favourable starting moves?

[Tantor]

I always have troble deciding what to build first in my capital.
I do understand that the preferred build order varies according to the starting terrain, but I`d like to know what you considers to be the best starting moves under different circumstances, and how you make your initial judgement.
As far as I know, building a settler or a worker first prevents growth, but still I know of several players that start with a settler. Others I know waits until the capital have grown to two or three pop before they start to build settlers.
I usually start with warrior - warrior - settler - worker. This allows my capital to grow to two pop before I build my first settler and enough units for scouting and defence.
If you would be so kind to share your enlightenment and wisdom I`d be most pleased.

 

[I tech faster]

I think building a worker should always be the first priority, except when you have lot of seafood around. Waiting for the capital to grow doesn't bring you any advantageous production bonus since there are no worked tiles. Then I mostly chop another worker to help choping a settler and finish it with some whipping. Then I work the ressources tiles and let my capital regrow a bit. The rest is depending of what kind of terrain I have to deal with.

 

[Indiansmoke]

Work boat if you have seafood and start with fishing, warrior/scout if you are going for early religion, worker all other circumstances

 

[AlessioCerci]

IF inland: Worker, warriors until pop 3 is reached, settler
(if the worker wont have anything to do for a while then i'll consider going warrior first)
IF you're coastal then you'll need to put a workboat in that build order asap.

 

[mynystry]

well, i always prefer to go first for a warrior (unless you know fishing and have some sea resource near), then depending of the resources around go for a work boat or worker, then warriors or scouts till the city reaches 3 pop when i go for a settler. i think going for worker first will result many times in watching your worker skratching his belly for turns until you know the techs for working the terrain (roads,mines,farms), and also slowing down the growth ot your capital.

i usually play marathon speed so it takes a while to see your cities grow, because of that i avoid whip, but if you have cities with very low production but loads of food then maybe it can become handy, i play normally monarch/huge/18Civs or emperor/large/13Civs I wish i could play with more civs, but my laptop has a lentium processor :S

 

[Tantor]

I thought it was more cost effective in the early game to choose worker over workboat as the workboat improves only one tile. But i see some players here thinks otherwise. May I ask why?

 

[Mesix]

I thought it was more cost effective in the early game to choose worker over workboat as the workboat improves only one tile. But i see some players here thinks otherwise. May I ask why?

When you build a worker, the building consumes food and your city does not grow. When you build a work boat, it only consumes hammers which allows your city to grow while you are building. Always build a work boat first if there are fish/crabs/clams in your starting cross.

 

[mynystry]

well, depends... if your civ don't know wheel/mining/agriculture from the beginning and your first research is polytheism let's say, then produce a worker is useless coz he'll have nothing to do, and will slow the growth of your city, in such case even building warriors or scouts make more sense while you research those techs

if you know fishing and you have any sea resource around building a work boat is the natural move, and building work boat doesn't stop population growth

 

[SenhorDaGuerra]

I thought it was more cost effective in the early game to choose worker over workboat as the workboat improves only one tile. But i see some players here thinks otherwise. May I ask why?

because an improved fish/clam/crab tile gives you more food than you could get on an improved land tile in early game (and can be worked quicker than a land tile). this is good for buidling settlers/workers, letting your city grow and whipping. thats why i build them anyway. but it is annoying sometimes, because potentially it leads to 2 different strategies of early game. depends if you start with fishing too...

 

[Julian Delphiki]

Oops, xpost.

 

[I tech faster]

I think building a workboat has its own benefits over building a worker first: plenty food with no construction time and nice commerce bonus, fishing is a cheap tech, relatively safe from barbarians, the city can grow and you may whip to get this worker. Animal food tiles require animal husbandry and you may want to purchase other techs in a first time.

I won on monarch several times with epic speed and I'm seriously going to emperor as soon as I'll have my actual game settled.

 

[Leif Roar]

I thought it was more cost effective in the early game to choose worker over workboat as the workboat improves only one tile. But i see some players here thinks otherwise. May I ask why?

Two reasons. Your city is still growing while you make the workboat, and sea tiles give you both food and commerce.

 

[gunter]

I think building a worker should always be the first priority, except when you have lot of seafood around. Waiting for the capital to grow doesn't bring you any advantageous production bonus since there are no worked tiles. Then I mostly chop another worker to help choping a settler and finish it with some whipping. Then I work the ressources tiles and let my capital regrow a bit. The rest is depending of what kind of terrain I have to deal with.

I am on the same frequence. It is also a good practice to insert in your list some military advanced unit every now and then, just to be safe and ready in case of attacking enemy cities becomes the best option to perform " public relations "

 

[Tantor]

Thanks guys, your tips will definitely improve my early game!!

But if I understand correctly, I should wait until my city is at Pop 3 before I start a settler?

 

[I tech faster]

I guess there's no rule about deciding when to build settlers. It's just a matter of how swiftly you want to found a second city and what you plan to do next. But yes, pop 3 is nice if you plan to whip it and if you are chopping trees in the same time. If you intend to build Stonehedge after your settler, you better not use the whip. You have to look at the happiness of your folks too: if your city can't grow more than 4, it's good to stop the growth or whip some ass.

 

[zenspiderz]

On multiplayer always build a warrior first unless you are willing to forgo any exploration for a long time. If a human player discovers your undefended capital busy building a worker while your starting warrior is out hunting goodie huts then you are in for a really early defeat.

Playing only AI building a worker first is reasonable play depending on the terrain and starting techs.

 

[Horace]

The only reason I wouldnt build a worker first (single player) is if I didnt have suitable starting techs or I had a seafood resource.

 

[lankypeter]

Inland, I usually build a warrior or two first, but the minute that I pop 3, I change the queue immediately to a settler, not waiting to finish whatever I was working. Sealand, work boat first, then warrior, still waiting to pop 3.

Then again, if I can build a settler in under 10 turns (only happened like twice on normal speed), then yea, get that first settler right away.

 

[DigitalBoy]

Better or not, I usually go:

Warrior, warrior or scout, settler, worker

If I have a coastal resource, I build that first instead.

 

[Hustapha Thool]

I play Huge Marathon 13 - 18 civs, noble/prince aggressive AI. On an inland start I have really been enjoying worker, worker, settler. You have to be careful with you warrior or scout and they need to be close when you complete you settler. but by that time you will know if you have bronze or have to pursue archery. A slow growth start but you very quickly have the advantage of two cities with plenty of improvements.

You usually need to get you military going quickly after that for barbs or the occasional very aggresive AI who sees you as weak.