Prince Willem

[JBossch]

I am in the process of trying to help a friend of mine improve his Civ4 skills in the self-interested hope that he will one day be able to give me some competition in a multi-player matchup. He sent me over a Willem Prince save game file from 200AD for me to take a look at. I made some comments but asked that he send me the 4000BC file so I could give him a comparison game and some notes on how I got there. I figured - while I was at it - I might as well post it here in case anyone is interested. I am an immortal winner / deity loser so this may get a little silly but, what the Hell.

Here goes...

Settings are Prince/Fractal/Standard size/Normal speed/Huts and events on.


Part 1 – 4000BC-2000BC

The start:

4000BC: After moving the warrior, I can see we have corn:

I settle in place and start on a worker:

Build order: worker -> warrior -> warrior -> worker -> warrior -> settler
Tech order: AH -> mine -> BW -> wheel -> pottery -> masonry -> sailing -> myst -> poly -> priesthood -> writing


Thoughts on start: Not bad at all. This spot will be great for cottaging, a beast with bureaucracy, especially being FIN. Plenty of hammers means bureaucracy is even more advantageous and may allow for some wonders. Marble could be useful for that. There is even lots of food meaning I can run a couple specialists here when necessary.

When the borders popped I got 37 gold from the hut.

3800BC: My warrior heads east at first onto this peninsula and I can see someone's borders separated from me by ocean. Might be Izzy but I can't tell for sure yet.

3560BC: AH in, start mining.

3400BC: My first worker is done, I start on a warrior and farm the rice.

3280BC: Mining done, start BW.

3200BC: Worker starts farming corn. My warrior is still following coast north and west and I'm starting to think I may be on an island.

3160BC: Amsterdam grows to pop 2. For now the new citizen will work the floodplain, then corn when the farm is done.

3020BC: The corn is farmed and my worker heads for the cows. Amsterdam is at pop 3, working rice, corn and a plains hill to speed up warrior production. My new warrior is done and he heads south. I start building another warrior.

2800BC: I pop another warrior from a hut:

Amsterdam is now at pop4. Another warrior is done and heads north to fog-bust. I start on a second worker.

2760BC: BW in, start Wheel. My worker will chop after finishing the cow pasture. The timing of growth, tile improvements, and production is working out pretty well here.

Here's my capital, maxing out food and hammers to build a worker:

2680BC: I pop yet another warrior from a hut in the south:

2600BC: My second worker is done and I start another warrior. Production is timed to coincide with growth to pop5 so I don't get any turns with unhappy citizens.

2520BC: Amsterdam is now at pop5. With the warrior done (and guarding Amsterdam), I start on a settler.

Also, my warrior scouts have confirmed I am on an island. With all settle-able territory now revealed, its dot map time!

A note on dot-mapping: I typically try to put off making hard decisions about where to settle until the last possible moment. Of course, this moment can come much earlier than here if you are in a race with another Civ for a good spot. Even so, good scouting is crucial to determine optimal city locations. On an island, with no Civs to really compete with, I can wait until I please to start making settlement decisions. Also, if you have not downloaded the BUG mod with its alt-x dotmapping function, I highly recommend doing so.

The north:

The south:

2480BC: Wheel is done, start on Pottery.

2320BC: First settler done, headed for yellow dot. I start on another worker.

2240BC: Utrecht is founded! Start on a workboat.

2160BC: I finally meet our first Civ, Izzy.

Izzy is the quintessential zealot. My diplomatic relationship with her will be almost entirely determined by religion. If we share the same one, she will love me; if not, she will hate me. As per usual, she has founded Buddhism.

2080BC: 2nd settler is ready, heading for red dot.

2000BC:

Turn 50 recap: Gold is hooked up via the river, allowing Amsterdam to grow toward pop6. Utrecht is also connected through the lake and river trade route. I am unfamiliar with the pace of AI wonder building on Prince but it seems slower than molasses right now. No one has built Stonehenge yet, so going for GLH + the marble wonders seems doable. I definitely need another 1-2 workers right now which will be a priority in the next section.

Things seem to be going ok. Part 2 coming soon...

As always, questions or comments are welcome

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

As always, questions or comments are welcome

Not too keen on your blue dots in the north. I would probably pair the deer with the gold and as many grassland tiles I could manage, and punt the furs.

 

[JBossch]

Not too keen on your blue dots in the north. I would probably pair the deer with the gold and as many grassland tiles I could manage, and punt the furs.

2S could work for sure. I think my settlement decisions were being shaped by the coming GLH so I wanted it to be coastal. Thanks for the input!

 

[JBossch]

And the fun continues...

Part 2: 2000BC-375BC

1960BC: Founded The Hague and it starts on a workboat.

This will be a decent hammer city and is needed to make sure my cultural borders give me access to Izzy's coast without the need for astronomy.

Utrecht grows to pop2, working gold, which is a big help to my economy. Spain builds SH (finally ).

1680BC: I'm running low on gold so I have to lower the science slider a bit.

1440BC: Polytheism and Priesthood are both in, and I start on Oracle.

1320BC: With writing in, I shut off research altogether, and start on Alpha.

Note on writing: In many games I find it helpful to think of writing as a cut-off point, before which I need to manually tech whatever I most urgently need. At this point, expansion will necessitate less spending on science anyway, but it also allows the opportunity to build up a gold reserve while I construct libraries. Afterward, the gold can be spent on science with a 25% beaker bonus. There are other advantages to this strategy which I won't dwell on here but, suffice to say, learning this trick has helped my game in many ways.

Oracle is just 1 turn away.

I open borders with Izzy and whip a workboat for scouting her territory after revolting to slavery.

1240BC: Oracle is in...

...and I choose Metal Casting as my free tech.

1120BC: Izzy converts to Judaism and it spreads to me. I am not ready to convert yet until I see the situation with the other Civs but I will definitely keep an eye on this.

1080BC: Temple of Artemis:

975BC: A library is done in Amsterdam, so I turn research back on.

825BC: I meet Huayna Capac.

Amsterdam is at pop 7, and is growing along with newly acquired happiness.

800BC: Meet Wang Kon.

775BC: Alpha is in...

...and it appears I have a pretty commanding tech position.

750BC: Izzy demands I convert to Judaism and I accede.

We don't want to make her angry just yet. HC is Hindu but Wang is Jewish, and we can always convert again later if we must.

Rotterdam is founded this turn as well:

725BC: Izzy is way behind so I make a little trade:

700BC: My first Great Person - a Great Prophet - is born, and I settle him in Amsterdam.

625BC: Nijmegen is founded in the north to grab furs and gold.

600BC: Izzy demands Metal Casting and I decline. Sure, I want to befriend her, but MC is just too advanced for the market at this point.

575BC: Meet Julius Caesar. Looks like he hasn't picked a religion yet.

525BC: Lit is in and I start on the Great Library in Amsterdam.

Note on strategy for Amsterdam: I have pretty much been crowding the marble wonders (except Parthenon) into Amsterdam so far. Although this will result in random GPs being produced, I'm not worried about it. Every GP is useful and the wonders will make sure they keep coming. I will probably run scientists at some point to maximize the chances for a GS but either way, I should be ok.

And GLH is finished in Utrecht!

This wonder is great on maps like this where your trade partners are on another continent. On high difficulties it would be really dicey to go for it in a secondary city but I rolled the dice and I'm glad I did. GLH will really help the economy.

Oh, fine!

500BC: I guess he's not so bad. We can do business:

375BC: Turn 100 recap: My WBs have scouted the other continent. There are still two other Civs hidden somewhere else across the ocean. I have founded five cities and Amsterdam is just one turn from the GLib.

With iron revealed I am considering moving the green dot 2W to be coastal and grab the iron. This leaves some nice green tiles and grass hills unused in the middle but it may be worth it anyway.

Getting a GS will be tricky because of all the other wonders in Amsterdam but I have to do what I can to maximize the chances because I really need an academy.

Also, I really need to spread Judaism.

Otherwise, things are looking ok. The tech situation is well in hand:

And I am way ahead in all the other metrics that matter:

Part 3 coming soon...

 

[JBossch]

This is a short round, just to 1AD.

Part 3: 375BC-1AD

350BC: GLib is in.

300BC: HC demands I cancel deal with Wang Kon and I decline. In general, I hate to accede to these because it can be centuries before you can trade with the Civ again. In this case, it is an especially bad deal, since WK is my religious ally and HC my enemy.

Also, the Parthenon is in at The Hague:

I prefer to build this wonder in a hammer city that will probably never produce a GP so that its Great Artist points don't taint my GP farm more than necessary.

Next, The Hague will build a monastery and help spread Judaism by building missionaries.

250BC: Maths is in and I start on Music for the free GA. Also, I make a trade with JC:

225BC: Pop a GM at pretty low odds and settle him (although I was tempted to bulb CS).

100BC: Music in, and I get the free GA.

7BC: So why not put him to use with a Golden Age? (Well, there are plenty of reasons, and it would probably be optimal to wait at least until CS, but I am chessily attempting to have a really nice situation at 1AD, thus the early Golden Age )

Founded Maastricht:

50BC: SPaya done.

I give Izzy a little gift. This doesn't quite get her to friendly (ensuring my safety) but she is close:

25BC: Middleburg founded, 2W of where it had originally been planned.

This spot has no food resources but it will be ok with some farms.

1AD: Wang Kon wants me to cancel deals with JC but I decline.

A GS is born in Amsterdam and he builds an academy:

Delft is founded to get the clams:

With CS and the SPaya in, its time for a civic swap to Hereditary Rule, Bureaucracy and Pacifism. The GA allows me to do it without anarchy:

1AD assessment:
Here's the core of my empire:

And here's a glance inside my capital. I may reassign those scientists. They had been chosen to maximize the chances I got a GS when I did.

The metrics are looking good. My GDP is 4.5 times the rival best:

Amsterdam is the greatest city in the world:

I think its safe to say I am in a comfortable tech position:

In the diplo world I am aligning myself with the Jewish bloc and Izzy is starting to fall in love:

Granted, I am in a Golden Age, but you have to feel good about 302eek beakers at 1AD. I certainly do. I just founded 3 cities in rapid succession, (something I probably would not have done without GLH) which will necessitate 2-3 more workers in short order. Otherwise, things look to be on track for maybe a cavalry invasion of the mainland down the road.

Tech-wise, I could head straight for Lib, but I will probably detour toward Optics first, so I can meet the other two Civs. I will probably take Astro with Lib.

At this point, the game is won. Not sure if I will play out the rest, but I can if there is interest. Hope this was helpful for some Prince-level players.

 

[Grashopa]

You could also introduce him to the *Horse Archer wonder - you'd already have cleared out the mainland by 1 AD. That start has a good hammer advantage.

 

[Pyrodraulis]

Hey JBossch, could you give me a link to download that UI mod you're using please?

 

[JBossch]

Hey JBossch, could you give me a link to download that UI mod you're using please?

http://civ4bug.sourceforge.net/BUGMod.html

 

[Pyrodraulis]

http://civ4bug.sourceforge.net/BUGMod.html

Thanks much.