Noble difficulty - founding Buddhism and Hinduism

[BadHorsie]

I find that on Noble I just can't for the life of me discover Buddhism AND Hinduism. If I could get both of those, I can get all the religions. I really want to try and do this, but I just can't seem to make it. With a good starting spot, I can found Buddhism, then get within 3 turns of Hinduism before it's taken by another civ.

I was wondering if anyone has done this, and with what strategy? I am playing with Gandhi.

Normally, I think the number of turns is roughly 10 for Buddhism and 15 for Hinduism (I can't remember exactly right now).

Considering my first city will already be built, what should I start building in it? Worker is pointless as there's nothing he can build until I get the Wheel, Bronze Working or Agriculture. Should I go for a settler (presuming it's possible to found both religions) or something like Stonehenge (til I can start chopping it)? Would avoiding a settler allow my city to grow and research Hinduism quicker? Would it grow quickly if I worked a good food resource and would the research increase significantly enough to bring the amount of turns down by 5 or so?

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

I find that on Noble I just can't for the life of me discover Buddhism AND Hinduism. If I could get both of those, I can get all the religions. I really want to try and do this, but I just can't seem to make it. With a good starting spot, I can found Buddhism, then get within 3 turns of Hinduism before it's taken by another civ.

I was wondering if anyone has done this, and with what strategy? I am playing with Gandhi.

Spain on a Lake. See the Cuban Isolationists

The money quote: You have no idea how much we went over this in testing, trying to make sure that no one would be able to clean sweep the early religions...

 

[atreas]

In fact, it is just a matter of luck (not skill) to get both Budhism and Hinduism. You need to guess correctly what the others will research, and also all of them to go FOR THE SAME religion as you. To get all 7 religions in most cases you need all of them to go for Budhism, so as to beat them in that and also beat them in the other early religions as well.

 

[ownedbyakorat]

It's pure dumb luck to get both, because several AI civs try to get an early religion if they can. The way you are trying it is typically the best way to attempt it, as most AI choose to try and discover Bhuddism first since it's cheaper. So if you won that race, and immediately switched to Polytheism and won that race as well, that would be the only way to discover both.

Alternatively, you can discover one and conquer the other... much more satisfying IMHO.

 

[shivute]

If you are playing only to get all the religions (really what is the point?) then why not play settler level? I'd imagine it would be easier to achieve there.

Why not play at your current difficulty level and try and found all religions. those that you can't found, conquer the holy cities. That would be more fun.

 

[scienide09]

You can try to skew the odds in your favour by choosing a custom game, and instead of random leaders, make sure that you have the spiritual trait, and that none of the AI leaders do. This will give you an immediate leg up in chasing the early religions.
However, even without doing this, grabbing all religions is possible on noble. Especially powerful if you play an OCC.

 

[jimbob27]

I've managed it on prince, so its definately possible on noble. I founded all but the last 2 in my first city, then the others in my second. I reloaded the starting position a couple of times to make sure I had a decent starting position. You want either a lake, floodplains, or an oasis within your capitals fat x. Something that produces commerce without having to be improved. Its just down to luck, and making sure you work the best tiles every turn. Build stonehenge straight away, and then use the great prophets you get to discover religious techs.

 

[pholkhero]

a key is having tiles to work that generate more commerce than the measly little bit that your one city normally generates.

meaning...Most times, at the outset, your tile production is usually on the most food/hammer rich tile there is. Maybe you could change it to a tile that will produce commerce.

 

[wicked1]

I usually pick up Budism right away on Noble, then later on get Judism. If I'm lucky I can get Christianity or Islam. The game I'm currently playing things worked out kinda odd. I missed all the early ones and picked up both Christianity and Islam.

 

[BadHorsie]

If you are playing only to get all the religions (really what is the point?) then why not play settler level? I'd imagine it would be easier to achieve there.

Why not play at your current difficulty level and try and found all religions. those that you can't found, conquer the holy cities. That would be more fun.

No, you misunderstood I think. I'm not playing specifically to found all 7 religions, I would just like to be able to pull it off. I'm specifically starting a Noble game with Gandhi, so I have spiritual.

I think you have to go for Buddhism first really, as the AI always seems to go for that first, and it's near impossible to take Hinduism, then Buddhism. So is my only chance to get a really good city start with loads of commerce (i.e. some gold to work or something?)

 

[Nestorius]

Just set up a custom game with you being the only spiritual civ.

 

[Bushface]

Gandhi starts with Mysticism which gives you a good start for Meditation (Buddhism) and Polytheism (Hinduism). If you set up a custom game which does not include the Inca, Aztec, Spanish or Arab civs, all of which also start with Mysticism, your opponents will all have to do Mysticism before they can start Meditation or Polytheism, and you get a head start over them for these. Although huts can pop Mysticism, Meditation and Polytheism have to be researched.

 

[jayron32]

I have tried this as well. I have never done it, but have easily founded 5 religions. The 2 I miss are almost always Daoism and Hinduism. The problem is that there are often 2 availible religions to research at once. If you are reasearching one while the AI goes after the other, you are stuck. Look around for the article where the guy won the game with Gandhi and NO MILITARY except for his initial warrior (he REALLY did it. The trick was founding every religion. He came close, and founded 6.) The religions "pairs" seem to come up:

Buddhism and Hinduism: Always go after buddhism first, pick up hinduism second (the only way, since buddhism is cheaper)

Judaism comes on its own (no other tech arrives in the queue at the same time as monotheism)

Confucianism and Christianity come at the same time, but if you build Oracle, you can grab one via that free tech, and the other can be researched or gotten via Great Prophet.

Daoism and Islam come at the same time, but what I often run into is there are so many OTHER TECHS I need at this time, I only get one of these (usually Islam so I can also grab Spiral Minaret and Versailles for the extra cash)

One trick I thought of that I haven't tried before is to save all great prophets until AFTER you have founded all 7 religions. That is, don't build the shrines until you have all the religions in your pocket. Then you can build the shrines and take the cash. You lose quite a bit of money this way, but if your primary goal is founding all 7 religions, that should work.