Currently playing Rome on a marathon game. (v.5)
downed to 10 civs by 1448AD.(619 turns)
From the start, I tried to settle ASAP in the north-eastern region(around Hungary).
To be honest, it's a must settle position for Rome, and a good place to settle for Germany or Ottoman (and Greece in case of v6 alternative mod). However, Germany and Ottoman can go east if failed to do so, but for Rome and Greece, you're pretty much dead if you failed to settle your 2nd city in that position.
It puts you in an easy position to defend yourself against any civ coming from any direction before reaching your capital.
After that, be prepared for a very long total war from ancient to medieval.
Which is extreamly fun and challenging for France, Germany, Rome, Greece, Ottoman players, who usually face more than 2 civs throughout this period, more if Egypt, Arabia, Persia and Russia joins.
I managed to take Lyon and pushed France into a peace treaty after holding the gap b/w Lyon and Rome until I got my Legion unit out. It's really easy if you put one unit there and another one b/w Rome and Germany to block off German forces.
(I felt like I was cheating after seeing those unit getting bombarded by their city and leveled like hell, 2XP per bombardment.)
Although I managed to hold Germany and France at bay, Ottoman and Persia took Antium just before I can get my Legions there. I took the city back one turn later but all the buildings were destroyed.
After capturing Istanbul and founded Cumae, the eastern front became easy to defend so I can focus on killing off France, Germany, Athens and Madrid.
By the time I controlled most of Europe, Russia was doing ok by expanding eastward.
England remained in England until I gave them captured Oslo.(It was in permanent war status because I killed its allied civ or something so I had to take it down)
Other than that it's not doing much except occasionally declaring war on ppl and lures around other ppl's shoreline.
In Asia, India defeated Siam, and back stabbed Persia while it was fighting me on its western front. Then went up north and took out China, which makes it a great power other than my Rome. Japan being Japan, protected by the ocean and its divine wind.(5000 years lock-down!)
Egypt did ok in North Africa until confronted by India and its city-state allies(Carthage and Aksum), it's funny how it was destroyed by those two city-states without the help from Indian units.
Songhai got 4 cities in central Africa, was harassing Egypt throughout the game before Carthage and Aksum destroyed Egypt. Currently out of reach by most of the civs thanks to the desert, jungle and city-states.
In North America, Iroquois is the strongest civ followed by America, Aztec is struggling with 2 cities.
Basically it's almost impossible for all European civs to survive, however it's really fun while you fight for survival and dominance over Europe.
As for Asia, there's plenty of space and actions for India/Siam/China to expand and fight. However, there's no way to balance itself out once one of them is defeated by another.
In America, most of the time is Iroquois v.s. America, Aztec usually fails on expanding northward.
For Africa, Egypt usually get steam-rolled if it failed to stop those coming from Middle East. But if it does, Egypt will dominated North Africa while Songhai quietly expand without much trouble.
Island nations like England and Japan, I dont think I ever saw the AI bringing settlers overseas, so the only way for them to expand might be capturing enemy cities. But that's AI's fault, not the map itself, so might have to wait for an update or look for an AI fixing mod.
That's all from me
