That's weird. I posted a response here over a day ago after your above reply, DoY, but I don't see it. My machine must have glitched.
Well, hmmm. OK.
I'd posted the exact details about the city founding tradeoffs.
The distance between the SSC site and the NW site is 6.5. This means arrows # 4 & #7 will be corrupt in teh 2nd city founded. We will reach that point at size 2 at the SSC site, and at size 3 at the NW site, in despotism.
Further, shield #4 will be waste. A proper road to the Capital will cut Waste by delaying the first shield of waste to #7, then #10 is waste, too.
Here are the anticipated Despotism production levels:
SSC (Whales): 4food-3trade-3shield (size1); 6f-5t-5s (size 2); 8-6-6 (S3)
NW: 4-2-2 (S1); 6-3-3(S2); 8-4-4(S3, assuming a 3rd road)
The situation in Monarchy is greatly improved.
NW: Arrow#7 is corrupt; Shield #14 is waste; With proper capital road, shield #20 is corrupt.
Republic.
Estimates for a size 20 SSC trading with roaded size 12 (the old NW site), +10 for each route, 107 trade total, 500-550 Science @80%, 33 shields with 3 whales. No capital road to the size 12 city cuts route values to 7t, and reduces to 98 total trade (loses 50% bonus).
In Republic, if the SSC is the #2 city (e.g., not the capital), we can expect to loose about 3 trade per turn. We will squander 1 to 2 shields per day, at an output of 33, depending on roads and courthouses.
The price for this is not founding in 1 day, but in 4 days (a net delay of precisely 3 day). The cost is 3*2=6 food, and 3*2=6 shields and 3*2=6 trade, which splits to 3 gold and 3 science.
We will recover the science in 3 days of SSC production, and the shields later down the road. The 6 food is lost, and can be consided the price of obtaining lots more trade until we reach Democracy, Communism, or Fundamentalism. The shields differential will pay off with a profit, but not as dramatic as trade. By Republic, the shield dividend will be moot until we build KRC in the size 20 SSC, then we will have a tidy profit until a modern government.
For those that do not know, proper road systems to the capital slash waste, but do not affect trade.
So... for these reasons, I recommend we road one square north with Settler #1, while blitzing #2 (moving without delay & without roading along the way( to the SSC site on the plains near the hut Duke of M. popped.
On the 3rd turn from now, both settlers will be ready to move onto their founding sites, and on the 4th turn from now, found the SSC, then found the NW city. Let the NW crank out settlers, and maybe build a warrior with the SSC, then start a wonder. All other cities will then support the SSC with units and settlers and improved terrain. If our continent is small, at least one NONE unit will return to the SSC for barb defense shortly after Turn 16, when barbs can appear from land and sea.
The NW city will eventually be maxed (20 squares), and other cities will fit in around it, using all the terrain that is available. It will not be a perfect fit, but then that is not necessary in this situation. If a big river system is located, then that can be the raoded/RR'd permananent trade partner for the SSC, eventually. Proper roads and RRs pay huge dividends (50% each).
