This is an interesting situation. Jaffa, you've got your hands full consolidating our position. I was handed the keys to an empire with absolutely zero infrastructure, and I have changed that. In fact, I changed it so much, that I did not build a single new military unit on my entire turn. Keep that in mind.
Inherited Turn: Vetoed the Minimum Science Gambit in favor of break-even research on Writing, now down to 12 turns from 36. (We'll get absolutely slaughtered waiting 40 turns for anything on a small map on Emperor). Bought four techs (Pottery, Wheel, Code, Burial) from our most grumpy neighbor, Babylon, for 90 gold. Attitude improved from Annoyed to Cautious. (Once all the known civs have a tech, its research cost and purchase cost go down, and dang if we didn't NEED these techs in a bad way). Found out why the Indians moved so aggressively to settle Bombay: they have stolen our horse out from under our nose. (If ever we go to war with India, either take Bombay quickly or at least pillage that horse -- it's the only one in the region). Implemented Temple construction in every city.
Early turns: whipped the temple in Delphi (Any reason for this name choice, Carbon? I feel schizo wondering why my Persian capital is named after a Greek city.
). Continued the VERY solid plan of bringing irrigation out to Persepolis. (Nice going on that move). Whipped temples in the rest of the cities. Barbarians coming up from the south were allowed to attack Burlington to their heart's delight. Our warriors there have become veteran as a result.
Middle turns: Changed our largest two cities over to settler production. Continued explorations with our three roaming warrior parties. Two of them were soon turned to circle back and explore potential settlement areas, and to meet up with the settlers soon to be produced. Bought Mysticism from the Indians for 26 gold. Aztecs researched Writing, then brokered it, dropping the cost dramatically. We researched writing as a result, some thirty turns before my predecessor's arrangement would have had.
See, here's the thing: the min science gambit is only good in a few situations, since the latest patch when it was rebalanced, backing off the can't-fail option that it used to be. If you start isolated and must get to mapmaking in a hurry, it can work. If you want to get to monarchy or republic in a hurry, it can help on those two techs, especially on larger maps. But you ONLY want to run min science for cutting edge tech nobody has yet, or if you have absolutely dismal commerce and food (like the fourth Apolyton tournament scenerio). One other situation where it's good: just to gather up cash, if you are hopelessly behind, to buy obsolete techs faster than you could research them. Running high cash is a great way to catch up, but it doesn't work out for holding even or taking the lead. Occasionally, min science on the Invention line while all the AI's are busy on the Theology line can pay off handsomely, but not on small maps. Tech prices just run too low.
Late turns: whipped a granary at Burlington. This city could be used to whip barracks and immortals, or it could be used to crank out a bunch of workers (I didn't build any of those either). Built walls at Flora, building walls at Persepolis. Settler heading east encountered roaming barb warriors, so I plunked him down on the river, undefended, knowing that he would raid the new town on the next turn (the CharisGhandi Gambit). Decided this was a grand time to found embassies with Babylon and Azteca, dropping our treasury from 84 gold to 2. Next turn, Pasargadae raided, 1 gold stolen. Heh heh.
The warrior in the area is still a couple turns away, and the town was raided a second time, at the lost of another gold. Susa founded in the south, near a spice. Worker dispatched to bring spices online soon. Whipped a granary at Delphi. Started road to Pasargadae.
Final turns: warrior attacks and clears barb camp near Pasargadae, barely surviving. A couple of barb horsies attack Burlington from the south (that's one threat I ignored my whole turn). Whipped a barracks in Delphi. (I know, I know, I'm the quintessential "don't whip your capital" advocate, but this is Emperor and there's a civ on our doorstep). Babylonians start the Pyramids, but their capital is size 1 and they have no wheat/cattle, so it will be a while for them. Still ten turns away from Literature. The AI civs now all have mapmaking, so I made eleventh hour trades with each of them. From the Indians, I got Math, territory map and change, from the Babs I got Horseback Riding, from the Aztecs I got Philosophy. Each for our world map, plus some change to the Aztecs. NINE techs acquired on my turn.
Analysis: I got us the jump on cultural development, mostly caught us up on tech, and left the door open for either war or peace. I staved off AI aggression mostly through trade deals and embassies, and staying out of their lands. All three are polite to us as I step down. The two new cities should rushbuild temples asap: support them with veteran military from main cities, rather than building their own. We need to explore and settle the south, lest the Indians grab past us and threaten Pasargadae with cultural pressure. On the other hand, we are already set to apply cultural pressure to Bombay, and COULD win it over, if we whip libraries at the three surrounding cities at the earliest reasonable chance. (Or maybe not whip at Delphi, if its shield rate is high enough on its own).
Our military situation may LOOK thin, but that's because I don't have another ten turns. Success on emperor for me has come in bending my empire to specific goals, leaning far in pressing toward those goals at the expense of other activity, then switching goals as appropriate, so that I bounce from extreme to extreme, rather than trying to keep everything rounded all the way through. As such, the situation is now ripe in the larger cities for barracks and VETERAN units. Regulars beat not having units, in a pinch, but they are vastly less effective in combat (they can spare two hits, vets can spare three, that makes vets 150% as effective, and are closer to elite and the chance for Leaders). So I have built infrastructure on these 20 turns, and set up for cranking vet units in the larger cities soon. Flora is set to whip its barracks next turn. Persepolis can complete its wall, then whip a barracks and start cranking spearmen. Burlington could be used for military, or for workers -- it has a granary. Our capital is totally primed to crank military quickly for the next thousand years.
We COULD try for the Pyramids, but we do not know what the two MIA civs are up to. None of the four we know about could beat us to them, but that unknown from the other two, plus the lack of backup on Colossus/Lighthouse and the low yield of the Great Library on small maps, leads me to think we'll be better off to crank up our military and prepare for war with India.
The Babs are stretched thin and their home is far from us. I do not fear them. Don't cave to their threats. We have walls going up on our border with them and two of our cities over there are built on hills. And we can build Immortals, so... if they come calling for free favors, send em packing. The Aztecs, on the other hand, should not be trifled with. We don't have horses available (yet) so that compounds the danger. They have simply endless jags running all over the place, many now elite from hunting down all kinds of barb camps. If our Aztec friends demand tribute, and its not too unreasonable, we might want to accomodate them a bit. In any case, I rushed us WAY ahead in the infrastructure department, and with technology compared to where we were, made some land grabs, and we now must catch up in the military arena.
Finally: if we get to Literature first, I recommend you broker the devil out of it, starting with Babs (want them to pay the most, unless they are broke at the time). Why? Well, I know I'm a hard advocate of not brokering away a tech lead. Tech LEAD, being the operative word there. This is not a lead yet. This is running behind but catching up. Broker it while its at its most valuable, with Mapmaking being the top priority on what to ask for. Take tech, maps, cash, gold-per-turn, in that order. Have to sell to everyone on the same turn, and don't do it between turns if they ask to talk.
Good luck, Jaffa.
- Sirian