[BTS] Old player leveling up (starting with Monarch)

[isomittari]

Plan for this turnset:
* Research TW -> Pottery -> Writing
* Settle Pigs + Horses + Ivory
* Build a Chariot for protection and exploration
* Switch to Slavery

Spoiler 45-54 :

T45: I start on TW. I adopt Slavery.
T47: Brennus get Judaism, maybe he can spread some of that love to me in the near future.
T48: Mutal 3-whips a Settler. I start chopping forests around Mutal.
T50: Mutal gets a border pop and reveals a small island with Fish. This might be a nice place to expand on in the near future. TW is finished, I start on Pottery.
T54: Chicen Itza has been found near the Pigs, Horses and Ivory.

Spoiler Map :

Analysis
I played this turnset based on @Lain 's tips, and the expansion is going pretty well. I am already paying a hefty sum in Unit supply and cost, but I need them in order to fogbust effectively.

Some issues to solve:
1. Technology - I have a clear path with Pottery -> Writing after which I will have to analyze the situation again.
2. City placement - There is some prime real estate in the west with good abundance of food. Would it make sense to just settle there? For example 1SE of Wheat would share the Pigs with CI and would grab the Gold. Copper + FPs also looks like a good spot, and so does Sheep + Clam with some riverside tiles. Or should I just settle somewhere closer to Mutal, for example 6W?
3. Army and fogbusting - Few more Warriors and a Chariot and I should be set.

 

[Anysense]

You seem to have played this turnset rather hastily. Took less than an hour to read Lain's advice, play 9 turns and finish a write-up. A few little things went wrong, apparently, because you did not pay attention. For some reason you connected cows, but Mutal is not working that tile. Should be the other way around. Your warrior should not wander that far from CI, although its not much risk on Emperor, still its a risk to lose a city. Forested hill near Lakamha is only 2 to failgold later, coast is 3 immediately. Lain even mentioned whipping second worker in Lakamha, and indeed you could do with another worker in that area: tiles to improve, a road to hook up horses, roads to connect cities, roads to Celts (writing is coming soon). In short, pay attention to the details, hastiness can ruin even the best of plans.
1. Agree.
2. 6W is unsecured, farther west is just hazardous. I pressed end turn and a barbarian spearman showed up near the copper... 3N1E of Mutal is ok, could borrow corn and grow on a lake and coastal tiles. I'd like to spawnbust that island with a workboad around 1000BC, that would save a lot of headache later.
3. That sounds about right.

 

[isomittari]

You seem to have played this turnset rather hastily. Took less than an hour to read Lain's advice, play 9 turns and finish a write-up. A few little things went wrong, apparently, because you did not pay attention. For some reason you connected cows, but Mutal is not working that tile. Should be the other way around. Your warrior should not wander that far from CI, although its not much risk on Emperor, still its a risk to lose a city. Forested hill near Lakamha is only 2 to failgold later, coast is 3 immediately. Lain even mentioned whipping second worker in Lakamha, and indeed you could do with another worker in that area: tiles to improve, a road to hook up horses, roads to connect cities, roads to Celts (writing is coming soon). In short, pay attention to the details, hastiness can ruin even the best of plans.
1. Agree.
2. 6W is unsecured, farther west is just hazardous. I pressed end turn and a barbarian spearman showed up near the copper... 3N1E of Mutal is ok, could borrow corn and grow on a lake and coastal tiles. I'd like to spawnbust that island with a workboad around 1000BC, that would save a lot of headache later.
3. That sounds about right.

I was playing the turn on a train and did not have my notes with me, which is why I forgot to check my cities and tiles worked.

Plan for this turnset:
* Research TW -> Pottery -> Writing
* Settle Pigs + Horses + Ivory
* Build a Chariot for protection and exploration
* Switch to Slavery

Spoiler 54-70 :

T54: Chicen Itza has been found near the Pigs, Horses and Ivory. Lakamha starts on a Worker.
T57: Lakamha whips a Worker and another one is finished in Mutal.
T58: I chop a forest for a Granary in Mutal.
T59: Mutal starts on a Warrior while growing to size 6. I will whip a Settler in there after that.
T60: CI whips a Monument. Mutal and Lakamha are now connected.
T63: CI whips a Chariot. Mutal 3-whips a Settler.
T65: SH has been built somewhere.
T66: 36GP failgold comes in. Mutal builds a WB for fogbusting that small island. Uxmal has been found north of Mutal.
T67: Lakamha builds another WB for some exploration and for the Fish in Uxmal. My WM2 Warrior beats the barbarian Spearman.
T69: I agree to OB with Brennus.
T70: Mutal 3-whips another Settler.

Spoiler Map :

Analysis
I tried to concentrate on expanding my kingdom and getting the fogbusters in place. I have marked some possible city spots on the map (both in the save file and in the screenshots). I think I made some mistakes with Worker planning, even though some of them are just pre-chopping at the moment.

Some issues to solve:
1. Technology - Writing is done and I started on Alpha. I was thinking of trading Hunting after getting Alpha, how does this sound?

2. City placement - I have so many spots that I am a little bit confused about what I should do. The island in the east is a quite small one and the city placement there is just... annoying. If I settle 1N of Clam I kill the Fish, but if I settle 2N it takes forever to pop the borders. I would like to settle the Silver spot next to increase the happy cap and to get some FP cottages up and running. My plan for settling is as follows: Silver + FP, Wheat + Gold, Crab + Sheep, Copper + FP.

3. Army and fogbusting - I have killed some barb archers with my Warriors on forested hills. I also got rid of that pesky Spearman. Brennus does not seem to have any strategic resources hooked up yet, at least he has only Archers in Vienne. I probably do not have to worry about him attacking me anytime soon.

4. Production - I again have a problem in what I should be building in my cities. All but Uxmal has a Granary and I have been putting some hammers into Barracks and such just to produce something. Should I be building more Settlers? 4->2 whip them? Should Lakamha get a Library?

 

[Anysense]

1. Hunting will delay Alpha by 1 or 2 turns, which is going to be rather late anyway. No metal means that you still will be able to build warriors. You'll gain a good 133 tile, and can afford delay silver...
2.

Spoiler :

I don't think that dry rice is all that important, so the silver city should be either 1E or on a PH 2E1N of the silver. A city on PH could work 2 FP's and a riverside grassland before border pop. Grow on floodplains then grassland cottage. Chop 2 forests, granary first then monument, and may be 5->3 whip library.
As maintenance is already pretty high and Uxmal has no use for double food, c2 might be a sensible choice for a city after the silver one. By that time fish will be in your culture and you already have boats. That city will require no roads or chops, just 2->1 whip granary and work fish+coast, thus generating decent amounts of with minimum increase of maintenance.
The two cities in the south block Brennus, he should not come settling west in near future, and you can afford to delay settling there for a while.
3. Good work! Barbs won't cause anymore trouble on the mainland. Keep in mind that galleys will begin spawning soon. Don't know when exactly it happens on Emperor.
4. Too much good land to settle to bother with early wars => You won't need barracks for quite a while, therefore its a very poor investment. Better put hammers into library and Lakamha will need one (gold, cottages, coast). Postpone chariot, you don't need it now and it would increase the maintenance.

 

[isomittari]

Plan for this turnset:
* Settle cities c1 and c2
* Tech Hunting -> Alpha

Spoiler 70-82 :

T70: I switch my research for Hunting.
T72: I built a road to Vienne, but got no trade network - weird... do I have to be connected to the capital? I am connected to KK, though.
T73: I chop hammers to a Granary in Uxmal. I found a really sweet city spot with Fish + Clams + Cows + Marble in the west. Mayapan has been found.
T74: I meet Justinian, his WB comes from the west. I think he might be a bit further away. He is Buddhist. Uxmal whips a Granary. Mutal 2-whips a Library.
T76: Lakamha 2-whips a Library.
T77: CI 2-whips a Settler. Mutal is running 2 Scientists now, 17 turns for the first GS.
T80: KK is willing to trade Stone, but I have got nothing to offer back at this point. I trade Fish + Clam with for Stone with KK.
T81: Uxmal 2-whips a Library.
T82: Calakmul has been found.

Spoiler Map :

Analysis
I think I did pretty good on this turnset. That island to the east is so awkward, though. It is a prime spot for generating barb galleys and there are not that many good spots for cities.

Some issues to solve:

1. Technology - Alpha is on its way and then it is time to backfill. Hopefully KK can give me at least Sailing, as we have trade routes established.

2. City placement - I really like the Crab + Sheep + Copper spot with one FP, and also the Cows + Clam + Fish (all in 1st ring!) + Marble. But they are so far away... At least the Crab city would pay back its maintenance quickly with some riverside cottages.

3. Religion - are there any reasons not to convert to Judaism?

 

[Lain]

You don't have to worry about barb galleys from the east. They can't enter ocean tiles and won't reach you because of that (your workboat managed to cross the ocean tile, but only because it was covered by your culture). So all your current seafood will be fine, at least from that direction.

 

[Gasp]

My 5 cents:
1- I would settle that small island as soon as I have Sailing, it'll be good for traderoute. But no rush in getting that tech, Currency after Alpha seems nice, especially because you plan to settle many cities. You could build research to get it and then build mostly wealth.
Perhaps Chichen could also run scientists later?

2- Your locations for cities aren't bad at all though I was thinking that maybe you could settle NE of copper by the river and grow on a FP cottage, it'll be a very good city in the long term (plenty of river tiles and forests). And Sheep can belong to another city 1E of it. Thus the Wheat city can also be 1W of your mark in order to share more FP cottages.
I can't help but say I don't like Calakmul! I think it's a poor city to settle before Sailing, especially since you have so much good land. Anysense is not going to like this (EDIT: changed my mind)The problem with it now is that you cannot share Mutal's Cow with a city you could have settled above or on the Ivory. But again this is just my opinion

3-

3. Religion - are there any reasons not to convert to Judaism?

Are there any good enough reasons to justify a turn of anarchy?
Switching to Judaism could be used faster border pop assuming Brennus will spread it fast enough but you have enough forest to chop a Library. You don't need the extra happiness (gold+ivory+silver are enough for now). Plus this would displease Justinian whom can be a good trade partner and could eventually start a war against Brennus for you And finally you don't need to please your neighbors for now.

 

[Lain]

A cautious Brennus on the borders is usually a good reason to switch religions could really focus on land development then and Pacifism etc should be good later. Justinian will trade techs even at annoyed, just open borders with him and avoid being the worst enemy (won't trade in that case).

 

[isomittari]

Plan for this turnset:
* Settle more cities
* Finish Alpha and do some good trades
* Convert to Judaism

Spoiler 82-99 :

T82: Calakmul has been found. I switch to Judaism.
T83: Mayapan chops a Monument.
T84: Uxmal whips a Chariot. I want to start exploring to see where and how big the other Civs are.
T86: ToA built somewhere.
T88: Calakmul whips a Granary. Alpha is finished, and I start on Currency.
T89: Lakamha 2-whips a Settler. Mutal does the same.
T90: None of my rivals has Writing, and Brennus is even missing AH. Justinian and KK both have Sailing, and KK has IW. I trade AH to Archery and Writing to Poly with Brennus. CI 2-whips a Settler.
T91: I trade Alpha to IW with Brennus.
T92: Oxhuitsa has been found.
T93: Calakmul whips a Granary.
T95: I trade Writing to Sailing with KK. I get my first GS, and save it for future bulb.
T96: Xukpi has been found 1S of Crab. Mutal 2-whips a LH.
T97: CI 2-whips a Settler. Lakamha 2-whips a LH. Mayapan 2-whips a Library.
T99: I trade Writing to Masonry with Justinian.

Spoiler Map :

Analysis
A rather long (maybe too long) turnset. I did some tech trades and none of the AIs are actually that developed, yet. Unfortunately the TGli has been already built, it would have been a nice bonus to my coastal cities.

Some issues to solve:

1. Technology - Alpha is finished and I am now researching currency for some extra TR's.

2. City placement - The cities further away are costing me a bit but I think they will eventually turn profit once I get them up and running. I am about to settle the Fish + Clam + Cows + Marble spot, and I will also want to settle those two small islands in the east as they are quite close to Mutal.

3. I have the Stone, but it is probably way too late for the 'Mids.

 

[Anysense]

The most commonly acronym for the Great Lighthouse is GLH. Well, you'll have to get used to live without WW's on higher difficulty levels. Anyway, you are doing fine without the GLH.
1. Currency->CoL, trade Meditation and Math, bulb Philo, research CS. Thats not a directive, just one of the available research paths.
2. City placement is ok, but micro is questionable. First, turn off citizen automation wherever its still on, the governor is an idiot and you don't want him to mess with your precious cities. Second, I suggest you sto chopping until Math, there is nothing really urgent to chop into.
And more secifically:
don't build lighthouse, whip it;
you built lighthouse in Uxmal but its not using any sea tiles, let it grow to at least size 5, scientists can wait for a few turns;
Mayapan is not a good place for building settlers, it also does not need any more buildings, just make it build research and work its best tiles until it has some excessive population.
3. You could use it for failgold, just occasionally put overflow or a chop here and there into Mids.

 

[isomittari]

Plan for this turnset:
* Settle more cities
* Tech Currency -> CoL -> Philo

Spoiler 99-119 :

T99: I trade Writing to Masonry with Justinian.
T102: Quirigua has been found. Xukpi whips a Granary.
T103: Currency is finished, I start on CoL.
T106: Calakmul whips a Galley.
T107: I trade Corn to Wine with KK. Oxhuitza 2-whips a Library. Uxmal 3-whips a Settler.
T108: Brennus gives me 2GP for Pigs.
T109: CoL is finished but no one is willing to trade Medi for me... I will have to selftech for the bulb, I guess. Same with Math.
T113: I am finished with Math and bulb Philo. A barb galley appears near Quirigua - I had been looking at that scary spot in the south and was just waiting for this to happen.
T114: I trade Med + 70GP to Mono with Brennus.
T116: I trade CoL + 20GP to Monarchy with KK. I also trade Med to PH with him.
T119: KK gives me 110GP for Mono. The Mongolians are preparing for war...

Spoiler Map :

Analysis
I made some mistakes in this turnset, including sending the Settler and Worker all alone on that eastern island. Luckily I survived and could settle the city. I also feel like this diversion from the planned tech path was a mistake.

Some issues to solve:

1. Technology - CS in two turns, after which I need a new plan - I think I need to figure out a way to keep the enemies at bay. I am Justinian's worst enemy and probably the next target for KK.

2. Civics - I need to do something, but is it HR + OR after which change into Caste + Pacifism?

3. Army - KK is up to no good, and I think that I am his target. I don't know if switching to HR and whipping some troops for happiness would help with this? The problem is that I can only whip stuff that will soon become obsolete.

 

[Anysense]

1. 70 GP for Monoteism with Brennus is a horrible deal. Giving away such amounts of gold for a tech that you don't even need at the moment is awful. A lot better would be to give him Monarchy for Monoteism+whatever gold he had.
Give Justinian something. Don't make enemies when its so easily avoided.
2. Tough choice. I'd probably switch to OR+caste, run 5 scientists in Mutal and Uxmal and spread religion, start a GA with next GP and switch to monarchy+bureaucracy+pacifism. Then part-bulb Education and Liberalism (requires delaying Machinery). Probably, research Nationalism and Lib->MT.
3. What makes you think so? That is unlikely. He, probably, has no target yet, thats plotting against no one in particular, or is at war with a civ you haven't met. It's worth to do some scouting though. If you see him coming with swords or keshiks, then just whip some maces.
Thats another reason to delay caste for a few turns, in addition to some of your cities missing key buildings. You need at the very least whip a lighthouse in Xukpi and granary in Quirigua and Izancanac.
To build missionaries quickly without slavery you may either prepare overflow and keep it by building wealth or use chops or both.
Or just switch to HR+Bureau. I think Bureaucracy is worth more than you can save on monasteries.
Your next city should be sheep+iron, not a poor filler city with only a FP for itself. I dont know whether its worth settling at all, will take quite some time to pay back.

 

[isomittari]

I was in a surgery so I could not play for a while... Took me a while to remember what is going on with this game, so I played just a short turnset.

Plan for this turnset:
* Whip LH in Xukpi and Granaries in Quirigua and Izancanac
* Settle more cities
* Tech CS -> Paper -> Edu (part-bulb) -> Lib (part-bulb)

Spoiler 119-129 :

T119: I gift Monarchy to Justinian.
T120: Xukpi whips a LH, and Quirigua whips a Granary. Calakmul 3-whips a Settler.
T121: CS is done. I switch to HR + Bureau.
T122: Yokib has been found near the Sheep and the Iron. Justinian gives me Corn for Cow.
T123: Izancanac whips a Granary.
T124: KK gives me 4GP for Sheep.
T125: Altun Ha has been settled on an island near Mutal. Xukpi 2-whips a Library.
T129: Quirigua whips a LH.

Spoiler Map :

Analysis

I decided to postpone Caste and changed to HR + Bureau instead. Brennus was kind enough to spread Judaism to few of my cities.

Some issues to solve:

1. Technology - Basically I am almost done with Edu as I get a GS in Mutal in 4 turns. Or should I use this for GA and switch to Caste + Pacifism and work GS's in Mutal and maybe Lakamha?

2. Cities - Is there any reason to settle the dry Rice + Wine + Ivory + Iron? It is very food poor spot.

3. Both Justinian and KK are planning for war activities. I need to keep an eye on them, and I already sent a Chariot to see if KK is mobilizing his troops near me.

 

[Anysense]

I made doublepost and somehow managed to delete both posts. Don't feel like typing it all again so I'll be short.
1. Free GA from music is still available. I think its a reasonable detour, because you need Music for MT, and the Great Library and NE will be useful as well. Probably better concentrate GP production in Mutal with GL and NE, even take corn back from Uxmal at some point.
2. With irrigated rice (requires farm chain) and two grassland farms its +7 surplus, a decent city for whiping units. I think its worth it.
Some adjustments can be done in other cities. For example, marble in Mayapan is clearly better than a scientist, and in Mutal coast is much better than a PH mine. PH mine is generally a bad tile, because usually food is better for production, let alone growth.
3. If you trade maps, you'll see that Justy has Monty as a next door neighbour. KK has a boat connection to another landmass, yet its unclear whether he met anybody. He may be plotting against you or Justy. Time to hook up iron? You have archery for relatively cheap MP. BTW never research/trade archery unless its absolutely necessary. Even if you trade, it counts towards "we fear you're becoming too advanced".

 

[isomittari]

Plan for this turnset:
* Trade maps with other Civs
* Tech Aesth -> Lit -> Music
* Settle the Rice city
* Start a GA if I get the free Artist

Spoiler 129-141 :

T129: Quirigua whips a LH.
T130: Calakmul 3-whips a Settler. Izancanac whips a LH. CI starts on a Monastery - this might be a mistake? I want to spread religion to some of my key cities but not switch to OR at the moment.
T132: Lit done, and Mutal starts building TGL. I trade Gold to Spices with Justinian. I also trade Wheat to 4GP with him.
T133: I use GS to half-bulb Edu.
T134: Music is done, and I get a GA. Izarnal has been found. near Rice + Wine + Ivory.
T136: Edu finished, and I start on Nat. Yokib whips a LH.
T137: I get Calendar for Aesth + 50GP from Brennus - bad deal? I will need Calendar for Astronomy. I trade Cow to Dye with him, too. TGL is finished in Mutal, I start on NE. I trade Cows to Gems with Just. I trade Aest + 15GP to HBR with KK.
T139: KK gives 150GP + Map for Literature.
T141: I work two PH mines in Mutal in order to finish NE faster - is this a mistake? I just did this on the last turn so no harm done yet. Izamal whips a Granary.

Spoiler Map :

Analysis
I still have not started any GA's and I am still not working Caste ... I wanted to wait until NE. I have produced Culture to get border pops - does this make any sense?

Some issues to solve:

1. Technology - I think I need to self-tech Compass and MC in order to half-bulb Lib. I am currently doing Nationalism as I needed it for Lib -> MT. When should I tech GP?

2. Cities - Does it make any sense to settle the Fish + Crab spot on Justinian's island?

3. Wonders - Maybe Xukpi or Lakamha could build The Taj?

 

[Anysense]

Yeah, I think waiting until NE seems right, because you want to use the GA bonus towards GP generation to full extent. Don't forget to whip a granary in Altun Ha before you switch to caste.
1. You do need Compass and MC to bulb Lib. But its 1326 to get ~1700 bulb, so it only saves one turn of research, and you can trade for MC and Compass later. Research Nationalism and GP first. It delays Lib, but the only thing that matters is when you can start building cuirs.
You can get Brennus and KK friendly with some "fair trade" bonus. Just give KK Music for 60 gold, and he will be only too happy to trade Theocracy and Construction. CoL should do the same for Brennus.
2. That would be a good city, but you would have problems with culture there.
3. Too expensive even with marble. Takes ~19 turns in Lakamha (can be faster if you starve the city or use whip overflow) and even more in Xukpi. Perhaps, its not really bad. I mean, with such slow-teching AIs you afford to spend 15-20 turns building Taj, and its going to be useful with large empire.
Edit: Aesthetics+50 gold for Calendar is not bad, but you could give something more expensive for Calendar+some gold. You need gold to keep researching at 100%. Right know you can sell Justy HBR for 130 gold.

 

[isomittari]

Plan for this turnset:
* Tech Nat -> GP -> Lib (half-bulb) -> MT
* Trade MC and Compass if possible
* Start a GA and switch to Caste + Pacifism

Spoiler 141-149 :

T141: I trade Music to 60GP with KK and get him to Friendly. After this I trade Paper to Theo. Justy gives me 130GP for HBR. I trade Philo to Construction with KK.
T142: KK gives me Compass + 20GP for CS.
T144: Altun Hu whips a Granary, OF goes to WB. I start a GA with the Artist I got from Music and switch to Pacifism and Caste. Mutal has 5+2 Scientists, and Uxmal 5.
T145: Nationalism done, I start on GP.
T146: Mutal gets a GS. I trade Aesth to Map + 100GP with Justy.
T148: I trade Paper to MC with Justy. I half-bulb Lib with a GS.
T149: Lib done, I pick MT. I start teching Machinery next. Uxmal gets a GS. I trade MC + Music + 15GP to Feudalism with Brennus (for Vassalage). I give Marble to Brennus for Bananas.

Spoiler Map :

Analysis

Short turnset as I need to figure out the next steps carefully.

Some issues to solve:

1. Technology - Machinery -> Optics -> Astro? Would PP with half-bulb make sense here? I have 18 villages and 2 towns so +20 commerce. This could also eventually help me to get Rifling for Cavalries.

2. Civics - I suppose I should switch to Vassalage + Slavery + Theo before the end of GA? Is it time already?

3. Army - Do I need any Barracks? 2XP from Vas and 2XP from Theo is not enough for two upgrades... And I of course need a target - Brennus is probably the weakest of the bunch and his cities would not destroy my economy. KK is the scariest one as he techs quite fast. Justy would require some Galleys and it would only make sense if he was at war with Monty (probably will be at some point, if not already).

 

[Anysense]

1. Whether you will need Astronomy is not clear yet. You can conquer 5 AIs out of 6 without Astronomy, so there is a good chance that you won't need it at all. On the other hand, you will need Rifling for sure and Steel would be nice too.
2. That sounds about right, no point in staying in pacifism without caste and GA. I'd wait 2 turns to get more GP points.
3. Building barracks makes perfect sense, because they are fairly cheap for current era and you going to spent the rest of the game building units.
Yes, Brennus first is quite obvious for a number of reasons.
Scout the territory that you are about to invade. Remember, knowledge is power, and knowing your enemy is essential.
You will need some siege for hill cities.

 

[isomittari]

1. Whether you will need Astronomy is not clear yet. You can conquer 5 AIs out of 6 without Astronomy, so there is a good chance that you won't need it at all. On the other hand, you will need Rifling for sure and Steel would be nice too.
2. That sounds about right, no point in staying in pacifism without caste and GA. I'd wait 2 turns to get more GP points.
3. Building barracks makes perfect sense, because they are fairly cheap for current era and you going to spent the rest of the game building units.
Yes, Brennus first is quite obvious for a number of reasons.
Scout the territory that you are about to invade. Remember, knowledge is power, and knowing your enemy is essential.
You will need some siege for hill cities.

Few extra questions:

- What is the optimal whipping strategy for Cuirs? Whip for 2 or 3 pop?
- Should I go for Engineering and Trebs for siege? Or Catapults enough?

 

[Anysense]

In the long run the limiting factor will be whiping anger. Thus the bigger whips you use the better.
Better siege will be useful at some point and Engineering is only a small detour. Actually, it isn't even a detour, because you will need it for Chemistry and then Steel. It also improves movement speed on roads.