Noble, Genghis Khan, Standard Map

[Blockinlick]

Settings

Version: VANILLA
Difficulty: Noble
Custom Game

Win Conditions
. Time
. Conquest
. Domination

Map
. Standard size
. Continents
. 6 random AI's
. High Sea Level
. Quick speed

Options selected
. Random Seed
. Require Complete Kills


4000 BC Save

Questions.

Initial choices
#1. Where to settle and why. I usually like to settle within 2 turns, or else I'm behind the other Civs.
#2. Where to send my Scout.
#3. What techs to research initially. I usually go for Agriculture and Pottery first.
#4. Worker or Warrior first. I usually start with a Worker.

Semi-Initial choices
#5. Build what improvements where and in what order.
#6. Set research/gold slider at what %. I usually try to keep it at 100% Research.

Later choices
#7. Which Civ/s to trade with/befriend, which Civ/s to deny/upset.
#8. What to trade for once I get Alphabet. I will occasionally list what each Civ has to offer.
#9. What religious path to go in. I normally neglect religion outside of cultural things like Temples and such. When I do adopt a religion, I try to pick one based on my relation with the other Civs or if I am close to discovering one. I often tech Feudalism and sometimes b the first to discover Theology if I feel it necessary. Then I spread the religion to rival Civs.
#10. What wonders to build.

This is my first "Shadow Game" attempt, excuse me if I am doing it incorrectly.

 

[barbertje]

I don't play quick speed and I don't think many people do for single player
conquest or domination will be harder on this speed. Warring with fast units will be important.

#1 you could try to settle 1 East, as it won't waste a turn, and you probably get more riverside tiles, and you don't lose the cows. (I think the 3 black shadows to the NW of the settler are cows?)
Can you turn on resource bubbles?
#2 There's jungle to the north, so I'd start with sending the scout south
#3 If you have cows, I'd tech animal Husbandry first. It's better to answer after you've settled
#4 Since there is one good tile the worker can improve, I'd start with a worker
#6 You can do some tricks with the research slider, like setting it at 0% when you get writing, and
then at 100% when you've built a library in your capitol. It will be easiest to set it as high as it will go
unless you need a lot of gold for some reason (upgrades, rush-buy). Keeping it at 100% and expanding
enough will be impossible.

The other questions can't be answered before you've settled the first city and do some scouting.

 

[CaF]

@barbertje: i see, that is why i screw up so many wars in my games. Now that i think of it, fast speed really makes it difficult. A real eye-opener.


@general stuff on religious policy and such:
Being able to have a religion WITHOUT warfaring over it is really great. But keep in mind that founding and spreading that religion is tons of work. Plus it is risky. AIs switch their religion for no apparent reason, it isn't even funny.
The alternative is letting the AI spread the religion to you, which makes at least 2 people of this religion plus letting them build the shrine(do they exist in vanilla?) and religious wonders for you. You can oursource a lot of work and focus on more important techs than the feudalism path (rather paper -> lib?) or just use the hammers they use on monastaries/missionaries on military units. You are free then to take them over any time

greets,
CaF

 

[lymond]

Block - Sorry to keep getting on you about settings, but quick speed is not really the best for warring. Just stick with standard everything for now.

Resource bubbles can be turned on with the last button on the right above the mini-map (but to the left of the Globe view button)

To upload a save, click the "Go Advanced" button below and then find "Manage Attachments" > then browze for the save folder and upload the save.

By the way, let the city borders pop the hut. Don't pop them before you settle as you want have a chance a a free tech. I would move the scout 1S>1E to see if there's anything interesting down there.

 

[huerfanista]

You could move the scout 1E,1NE or 1S,1SE to reveal some of the fogged tiles. Mainly what you're lacking in the visible tiles is hills for production. Hipefull there are some in the fog. I don't see any downside to settling 1E - it won't lose any unseen hills and has a chance to pick more hills, food resources, and/or riverside grassland.

 

[Nilmerf]

Agree with what's been said already, except that he has already moved the scout.

 

[mrdoe]

Move settler 1E, because you sacrifice 3 nonriver grasslands for likely better stuff.
On techs, you should go AH directly unless you have some farmable food resource after you move in BFC.

Tip for later: Don't try to keep slider at 100%. You'll underexpand. I've seen some pretty good players drop to 0% after initial expansion.

 

[Blockinlick]

Okay, here is what I have done.

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Note that I popped archery from a tribal village
[Also note that I cannot turn villages off on Vanilla]

 

[lymond]

Block - 3 things

1) Post saves
2) Reroll this map. This is a horrible start and the engine is supposed to have certain parameters to make sure you start with certain things in your capital. Not sure why this generated such a poor start. No food and no hills. (I'm not sure, vanilla may have different parameters for starts, but it works much better in BTS)
3) Post saves. If you are not going to post saves, please tell us why you will not do so, so I won't keep getting on you about this. I've already provided instructions on how to upload saves. Honestly, if you are no going to post saves I really have no interest in assisting you.

 

[Nilmerf]

How can you have 1 hill, and 0 hills if you hadn't moved? What's going on here.

 

[lymond]

^^^^it is very odd. That start is pure crap

 

[Blockinlick]

Okay I posted 2 saves

The first is this game.
The second is the same one [I saved it at 4000 BC].
I figured what I would do is go ahead and play it through first
Then after playing it awhile I posted the shadow game so I could
compare the differences in the way you guys suggested and the
way I played.

But I must admit, I carelessly and lazily half-assed it when I played it. lol

 

[Blue Arc]

Like other people have been saying, you should really consider rerolling that map. Your capital is situated rather poorly, and the land is rather crappy for a capital city. In addition, you set the game to quick speed, and it's really hard to learn the game when each era goes by in a flash.

That being said, the game isn't unwinnable, it's just not gonna be easy. Since you're sandwiched in between Louis XIV of France and Isabella of Spain, my suggestion is that you go to war and take out one of them. Of the two, I say you kill Louis, of the two he's the least dependable as an ally. Plus he'll culture press your borders and and declare war at you even at Pleased. And he will declare war, he almost always does.

With Isabella, as long as you switch to her religion and trade with her she'll be your friend. She doesn't culture press so she won't be as big a problem, just make sure you settle near the elephants in her general direction and set up a camp for them.

I played your game and was planning an early rush until I found Louis already ready with spears and axes, so you'll have to wait for swords, war elephants, and catapult, though perhaps just war elephants and catapult will suffice so you can declare war on him as quickly as you can. Build a couple chariots/keshiks to pillage his land, notably his gold and iron. The keshiks will also be useful for quick response against a stack that he may or may not use against you.

Try to get around 5 or 6 cities, then start preparing for war. Make sure you locate Louis's capital, so you know where to strike first. Follow the river to the north of your capital and at the end of it you'll find horse and ivory. Make a city there so he won't gain access to those resources, and once you tech writing, open borders with him and then have a worker build a road to his capital. That'll make invading faster. Because he'll be building wonders he won't have a huge army, so a large enough force (12ish catapult + 9ish elephants + some swords and reinforcements) should do the trick for the capital, and then you can move to take another 2 or so of his cities. When he's down to one city, make peace with him but make sure to take a couple of his techs for yourself. Regroup your soldiers and in 10 turns, finish him off. Remember to keep reinforcing your troops as the war goes on, but when he's down to one city, slow down on military production and work on getting courthouses in all your cities, as well as lighthouses on the coastal ones.

In case you don't know how to use siege, make sure you bombard a city(click on the bullseye), that'll destroy its cultural defenses, making invading easier. Then, you suicide 2 or 3 or catapults at the city, it'll cause damage to multiple enemies, and then charge in with your elephants/axemen/ swordsmen.

Your economy will suffer some but there are ways to fix that. For one, try to get a few libraries operational and run specialists. If you don't know what those are, enter the city GUI and take a look at the right of the screen. There you will see pictures of people. The guy in the white labcoat is a scientist specialist, click on the + symbol and it'll add one scientist(you can have up to 2 with libraries). Just make sure your city can still grow though once you added 1 or 2 of them. Tech currency and code of laws, build courthouses. Eventually you'll want Monarchy, though you might be able to trade for that one either from Isabella, or get it as part of a ceasefire with Louis. Plus you'll get around 200 gold for each city you invade so that'll help.

Also, don't be afraid to use slavery. Use it to build granaries/barracks or libraries quick. As you're a bit production poor, you'll need to do that. And keep in touch with Isabella, make trades with her as often as you can.

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