rushing immigrants

[jkk]

Howdy. New to this game, but not to the Civ series or to the original SMCol (and ColWin). I was reading one of the beginner strategy guides, and it advised a novel strategy: on turn 1, head back to Europe and rush as many immigrants as one can. The author said you could get up to ten that way. That sounds brilliant, except that when I started the game, I started with 300 gold and no immediate way to get more. What does the author know that I don't?

 

[dalgo]

I think he was starting on the lowest difficulty level with more gold.

 

[Apocalypto]

I think he must have started on Pilgrim, where you get 1100 gold. 300 gold is Pioneer, so that's probably the level you were at. (That's Discoverer - 1000 gold, and Explorer - 300 gold, in the old version of Col.)

If you want the specifics:

If you start as the Dutch, you have 4 cargo holds, and let's assume you start on the easiest level which is Pilgrim, and that landfall is one turn away from the Europe zone. When you get back to Europe, prices are:

1. 80
2. 110
3. 120
4. 140
(440 total)

Head back to America.

Back to Europe as quickly as possible, bring a few materials from the city you left:

5. 110
6. 170
7.190
8. 220
(690 total)

That's 1130 total for two trips for 8 new colonists. I guess if you sold some of your guns and tools before your first return to Europe you would be able to get 10 colonist+ pretty quickly to the New World, but as previously stated that's on the easiest level: Pilgrim.

Cheers

 

[jkk]

Thanks. I never thought about playing on the lowest difficulty level, but that makes sense. And since it's clearly labeled a beginner's guide, I should have explored this myself before asking.

 

[Apocalypto]

Explorer is a great level to start at, that way you don't get spoiled with the extra gold

Natives are more forgiving, you'll even be able to get defensive pacts with the Tupi and Cherokee from the get go.

From there on, it's really not that hard to get up to revolutionary.

I'm not going to spoil your fun, but.. [codeword: dragoons = ]

 

[jkk]

I'm not going to spoil your fun, but.. [codeword: dragoons = ]

Heh, same as with the old Colonization. I would arm all my petty criminals and some of the indentured servants (send some off to learn Indian skills). Horse breeding was key; I'd buy a couple of extra galleons just to hold horses (how unrealistic is that?). All I had to do in order to win the revolution was have enough horses and a good road system. Although I often went to the effort to build something like a navy, combined privateers and men-o-war, just for fun (and profit and exploration...a function slightly nerfed here since privateers can't carry a scout).

So do you recommend that the first ship turn back immediately (if Dutch) and rush a couple of well-chosen immigrants? Starting the first city with four colonists offers potential to really kickstart it, as you could have lumber/carpentry from the get-go. I'd think it would make up for the lost time.

 

[Apocalypto]

So do you recommend that the first ship turn back immediately (if Dutch) and rush a couple of well-chosen immigrants? Starting the first city with four colonists offers potential to really kickstart it, as you could have lumber/carpentry from the get-go. I'd think it would make up for the lost time.

I guess it would make sense if the selection on the Docks is decent, say if you were able to bring back a Seasoned Scout and a Statesman, that would certainly kickstart things. It depends on a lot of variables though. Apart from the selection on the Docks, how far away from land are you? If you're able to unload in one turn, then return on the next, I usually unload the units and build one or even two cities immediately.

If you're on Explorer or above, you don't have any gold for recruitments, so heading back immediately doesn't seem like an option. There are ways of getting recruitments early though. A typical start for me would be to unload units, build city, pick up guns and tools, sell those to the natives, buy whatever they have in store, head back to Europe and recruit as many colonists as possible. You achieve a lot of things by such a start:

1. Production starts immediately.
2. Earn gold (for recruitments) and trade points (for Minuit) by selling guns and tools.
3. Earn even more trade points for selling the goods you bought from the natives - bringing you even closer to getting Minuit early.

How do you usually start?

 

[dalgo]

How do you usually start?

Typically I find land first and select a capital site as soon as possible and unload my starting colonists. Once the colony is built I employ one colonist as a statesman and the other as a farmer/fisherman. Then I load my 50 guns and sell them to the nearest native village before heading for Europe in time to rush the best colonist in the immigration queue. I will have enough gold to buy 100 horses so I go straight back to my colony to send out two scouts leaving my remaining colonist in the town hall. This way I am generating both Political and Exploration points on my way to collecting Cabral and Minuit.

 

[jkk]

How do you usually start?

Well, this far with my limited experience, I typically start conventionally as I used to in the old game: explore a little to find a pretty good spot, land the people, head back, buy a couple immigrants (playing on the level with 300 gp), return with some trade goods or whatever looks sellable, consider equipping an indentured servant/free colonist as a scout if I don't have a seasoned one (try to send him to villages and get seasoned status before opening up caches).