Recovering from a HA rush

[sinimusta]

Hi. This is a former mp game via ip address but my friends lost interest so I'll continue it as single player game. Not sure if asking assistance to ongoing mp game is considered unethical.

My empire:

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A little description of the game: I didn't like the starting position so I decided to move south. Still not ideal but in short term ok city site with gold for fast research and production. Researched mining-AH-the wheel-BW. Production was warrior and worker at size 2 to prevent waste of worker turns. I saw Louis very close so I decided to try some worker stealing. I also like rushing more than peaceful expansion. It went well imo: I've built only two worker myself so far, got 4 more from Louis.

Raging barbs were a concern so I decided to settle horse site to north asap. With agg warriors and chariots I was able to prevent my improvements from being pillaged. I had to send 3 chariots spawnbust to east because the barbs were such a pia. I also made sure that Louis never was able touse his horses or copper, barbs helped me with crippling him. At the same time I expanded south to the gold FP site to make a science city.

After researching archery(to counter barb spears+ HAs need it)-writing-pottery for economy I decided to tech HBR. I could have tried IW too, but thought that better go for the sure thing. I settled Birka to east, whipped HAs from Uppsala and chopped them from Nidaros. Then conquest! Captured two French cities and eliminated him. While doing that I was also researching Alpha so I could backfill after the war.

Now that I have aplha and got IW, mas, myst and sailing I'm facing slow tech rates. At the same time I'm pressed to expand west or else Japan takes those sites. Settling another gold city wouldn't hurt the economy, would it? I was planning to tech math for better chopping, then aest-lit for wonder/failgold. Shwedagon paya could be ok for free religion, parth could be nice and gl definitely would. But with this slow tech, I'm not sure. Also not many wonders built in this game: only GW, mids and stonehenge. It could be risky play to try oracle this late, but failgold would also be ok, I just need the teches. So what do you think I should do?

 

[oranje willem]

Why does your capital only have 1 food resource and no fresh water in the whole bfc? I suppose you moved your settler but why to such a food poor site?

You don't necessarily have to expand more to the west asap, since you already have 6 cities and there are a few spots in the east and (possibly) south which you can backfill. Also, I don't see Toku settling all those sites very soon.

Economy wise, you need more workers (so many forests to chop and tiles to improve), I would make 3-4 more in your capital/Birka instead of the settler you are making now. The captured cities have a lot of forests, chop them to get granaries/monuments up asap (even though you don't have mathematics yet). After you get these workers out try to get a few more nice cities.

Being financial, at least 1 good cottage city would help you a lot. The best candidate for that is Uppsala, you don't need those farms there, cottage those riverside grassland tiles up. Tbh, you are doing fine, once your new cities get up and running your economy will be good to go.

Get your first Great Scientist. Techpath: I would get mathematics/currency first and get monarchy through trades with the computer. After that Aesthetics/Literature is a very solid option as you have marble. Then use great scientists bulbs to win the liberalism race and get cuirassiers for victory!

 

[sinimusta]

Yeah I know about the cap. I sent the scout sout in the beginning, it was the only dierction it could have the full move, saw the gold and and idn't want to delay it any longer.

Uppsala could do with more cottages, I've used it for whipping so back then farms made sense I think. Also it's starting to have happiness for cottaging only recently due the whip. For the scientist, which city would be ideal? Uppsala has food though Haithabu and uppsala have both equal gpp.

Is currency that good when my closest neighbour is isolationist Toku, who won't open borders (friend with France) so I won't have trade routes with him?

Thanks for advice!

 

[oranje willem]

Currency is good because you can build wealth (which is approximately 25% more effective than building research, because you can run the science slider higher making libraries more effective), you can beg/trade for gold, trade resources for gold, and the extra trade route money. Sailing should give you trade routes with other civs once they settle coastal. I'm not sure how the trade route mechanics work, maybe you need to scout a coastal route in order to make a trade route with a coastal city.